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

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"Patagón" prototype displayed at the Argentine Army Exhibition in May 2008. Note placard with technical data summary.

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

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

Operators

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See also

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  • 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

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  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

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Notes

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  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

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

Further reading

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