The "Patagón" tank is a

light tank A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease of ...

developed in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

during the early 2000s, that was expected to enter service with the

Argentine Army The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander- ...

. It is based on a

SK-105 Kürassier The SK-105 ''Kürassier'' is an Austrian light tank armed with a rifled 105 mm gun in an oscillating turret. It is estimated that over 700 have been produced. History Design and development The SK-105 was developed by Saurer-Werk (now Ste ...

chassis with a refurbished

AMX-13 The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and r ...

turret. The project was cancelled in late 2008 after five tanks were converted.

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. 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 Comodoro Rivadavia () is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the San ...

and provided to the army units based in the

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

. The vehicle is composed of a

chassis which mounts a refurbished FL-12

oscillating turret An oscillating turret is a form of turret for armoured fighting vehicles, both tanks and armoured cars. The turret is unusual in being made of two hinged parts. Elevation of the gun relies on the upper part of the turret moving relative to the l ...

armed with a 105 mm gun, obtained from obsolete

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

Production

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

Operators

The Military Balance 2010; Page 175.

Footnotes

References

Notes

Sources

;Online
''Patagón: el tanque de fabricación argentina que fue presentado ayer'' - DERF Agencia Federal de Noticias, November 2005
Online article about the unveiling of the Patagón prototype
''Argentine Army tank assembly plant in Comodoro'' - MercoPress, November 2005
Online article about the unveiling of the Patagón prototype and production plans in Comodoro Rivadavia

Online article about the cancellation of the Patagón project ;Bibliographical *

External links

News of prototype unveiling - Argentine Army official website, November 2005

of prototype unveiling – Argentine Army official website, November 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patagon (tank) Post–Cold War light tanks Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s Vehicles introduced in 2005 Tanks of Argentina Tanks with autoloaders