The "Patagón" tank is a
light tank
A light tank is a Tank classification, tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller with thinner vehicle armour, armor and a less powerful tank gun, main gun, tailored for ...
developed in
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
during the early 2000s, that was expected to enter service with the
Argentine Army
The Argentine Army () is the Army, 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-in-chief of the Armed For ...
. 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, with initial deliveries in 1971. It shares its CN 105-57 main gun with the French ...
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 re ...
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 (), often shortened to Comodoro ( ), is a city in the Patagonian Provinces of Argentina, province of Chubut Province, Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of th ...
and provided to the army units based in
Patagonia
Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...
.
The vehicle is composed of 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, with initial deliveries in 1971. It shares its CN 105-57 main gun with the French ...
chassis which mounts a refurbished FL-12
oscillating turret
An oscillating turret is a form of gun turret#Armoured fighting vehicles, turret for armoured fighting vehicles, both tanks and Armored car (military), armoured cars. The turret is unusual in being made of two hinged parts. elevation (ballistics) ...
armed with a 105 mm gun, obtained from obsolete
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 re ...
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
*
Argentine Army
The Argentine Army () is the Army, 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-in-chief of the Armed For ...
[The Military Balance 2010; Page 175.]
See also
*
Nahuel DL 43
The Nahuel DL-43 tank was a medium tank developed in Argentina during World War II. It was the Argentine equivalent of the M4 Sherman and the M3 Lee, M3 Grant American medium tanks.
Design
The designer was Lt. Colonel Alfredo Baisi. The word ' ...
– Medium tank developed by Argentina during the Second World War.
*
Tanque Argentino Mediano
The ''Tanque Argentino Mediano'' (TAM; English language, English: ''Argentine Medium Tank'') is a main battle tank in service with the Argentine Army, can be called an MBT because TAM already has the appropriate standardization for an MBT even t ...
- Medium tank developed by Argentina during the 1970s, in use by the Argentine Army since the early 1980s.
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 2005Online article about the unveiling of the Patagón prototype and production plans in Comodoro Rivadavia
Online article about the cancellation of the Patagón project
;Bibliographical
*
Further reading
*
''(accessed 2014-12-29)''
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