Patagón
| VC Tan Patagón | |
|---|---|
 A "Patagón" tank at the Argentine Army Exhibition, May 2008 | |
| Type | Light tank |
| Place of origen | Argentina |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Argentina |
| Production history | |
| Designed | early 2000s |
| No. built | 5 (including 1 prototype) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 16.5 tonnes (18.2 short tons; 16.2 long tons)[1] |
| Length | 5.582 m (18 ft 3.8 in)[1] |
| Width | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) [1] |
| Height | 2.88 m (9 ft 5 in) [n 1] |
| Crew | 3 (Commander, gunner, driver) |
| Armor | base: 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 |
| Engine | Steyr 7FA / 6-cylinder diesel engine[n 3] 300 hp (220 kW) [1] [n 4] |
| Power/weight | 18.2 hp / tonne |
| Suspension | torsion 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
[edit]
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
[edit]As of late 2014 four units have been completed, in addition to the prototype unveiled in 2005.[2]
Operators
[edit]
See also
[edit]- 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
[edit]- ^ Data for SK-105, assumed unchanged for Patagón.
- ^ Data for SK-105, assumed unchanged for Patagón.
- ^ Data for SK-105, assumed unchanged for Patagón.
- ^ The SK-105 data shows 320 hp, however the placard on the displayed Patagón indicated 300 hp with a similar engine.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Same data for both SK-105 and Patagón.
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Argentine Army tank assembly plant in Comodoro". MercoPress. Montevideo, Uruguay. 24 November 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ The Military Balance 2010; Page 175.
Sources
[edit]- Online
- Patagón: el tanque de fabricación argentina que fue presentado ayer - DERF Agencia Federal de Noticias, November 2005 Archived 13 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Online article about the unveiling of the Patagón prototype (in Spanish)
- 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
- Argentina abandona el proyecto de blindado Patagón – Infodefensa, December 2008 Online article about the cancellation of the Patagón project (in Spanish)
- Bibliographical
- The Military Balance 2010. London, United Kingdom: Routledge / IISS. 2010. ISBN 978-1857435573.
Further reading
[edit]- Christopher F. Foss, ed. (2011). Jane's Armour and Artillery 2011-2012. London, United Kingdom: Janes Information Group. ISBN 978-0710629609.
- Argentina: Ejército presenta prototipo del tanque "Patagón" - EMOL, Santiago (Chile), 2005-Nov-22 (accessed 2014-12-29) (in Spanish)
External links
[edit]- News of prototype unveiling - Argentine Army official website, November 2005 (in Spanish)
- Images of prototype unveiling – Argentine Army official website, November 2005 (in Spanish)
| Main battle | |
|---|---|
| Light / medium | |
| Prototypes, experimentals | |
Background: History of the tank, Tank classification | |
