Patagón

VC Tan Patagón
A "Patagón" tank at the Argentine Army Exhibition, May 2008
TypeLight tank
Place of originArgentina
Service history
Used byArgentina
Production history
Designedearly 2000s
No. built5 (including 1 prototype)
Specifications
Mass16.5 tonnes (18.2 short tons; 16.2 long tons)[1]
Length5.582 m (18 ft 3.8 in)[1]
Width2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)[1]
Height2.88 m (9 ft 5 in)[n 1]
Crew3 (Commander, gunner, driver)
Armorbase: 8 mm (0.31 in)
maximum: 40 mm (1.6 in)[n 2]
Main
armament
105 mm rifled gun
Secondary
armament
7.62×51mm NATO co-axial machine gun
EngineSteyr 7FA / 6-cylinder diesel engine[n 3]
300 hp (220 kW)[1][n 4]
Power/weight18.2 hp / tonne
Suspensiontorsion bar, 5 road wheels
Operational
range
520 kilometres (320 mi)[1][n 5]
Maximum speed 70 km/h (43 mph)[n 6]

The "Patagón" tank is a light tank developed in Argentina during the early 2000s, that was expected to enter service with the Argentine Army. It is based on a SK-105 Kürassier chassis with a refurbished AMX-13 turret. The project was cancelled in late 2008 after five tanks were converted.[2]

Development

In 2003 the Argentine Army defined goals for increasing its capabilities, among them nationalizing the manufacturing of its equipment; the VC SK-105 "Patagón" tank upgrade project was part of that effort.[3] It was planned to convert and upgrade up to 40 vehicles at an expected cost of USD 23,4 million in the period 2005-2009; these vehicles were going to be assembled in Comodoro Rivadavia and provided to the army units based in Patagonia.[3][4]

The vehicle is composed of a SK-105 Kürassier chassis which mounts a refurbished FL-12 oscillating turret armed with a 105 mm gun, obtained from obsolete AMX-13 tanks. Both vehicles were in service with the Argentine Army in the early 2000s. Most of the Patagón technical specifications are similar to the SK-105.[2]

The Patagón prototype was unveiled on 22 November 2005; however the project was cancelled in late 2008, as it was considered uneconomical.[2]

Production

As of late 2014 four units have been completed, in addition to the prototype unveiled in 2005.[2]

Operators

See also

  • Nahuel DL 43 – Medium tank developed by Argentina during the Second World War.
  • Tanque Argentino Mediano - Medium tank developed by Argentina during the 1970s, in use by the Argentine Army since the early 1980s.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Data for SK-105, assumed unchanged for Patagón.
  2. ^ Data for SK-105, assumed unchanged for Patagón.
  3. ^ Data for SK-105, assumed unchanged for Patagón.
  4. ^ The SK-105 data shows 320 hp, however the placard on the displayed Patagón indicated 300 hp with a similar engine.
  5. ^ The SK-105 data shows 500 km, however the placard on the displayed Patagón indicated 520 km with a similar engine and no indication of increased fuel tankage.
  6. ^ Same data for both SK-105 and Patagón.

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Placard with data for Patagón tank displayed in Argentine Army Exhibition May 2008 – see in this article and in Commons.
  2. ^ a b c d "Argentina abandona el proyecto de blindado Patagón". Infodefensa – Información Defensa y Seguridad (in Spanish). España. 27 December 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Patagón: el tanque de fabricación argentina que fue presentado ayer". DERF – Agencia Federal de Noticias (in Spanish). Santa Fé, Argentina. 23 November 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Argentine Army tank assembly plant in Comodoro". MercoPress. Montevideo, Uruguay. 24 November 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  5. ^ The Military Balance 2010; Page 175.

Sources

Online
Bibliographical
  • The Military Balance 2010. London, United Kingdom: Routledge / IISS. 2010. ISBN 978-1857435573.

Further reading

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