Patagón
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
- Argentine Army[5]
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
- ^ 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
Notes
- ^ 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
- 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
- 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
- News of prototype unveiling - Argentine Army official website, November 2005 (in Spanish)
- Images of prototype unveiling – Argentine Army official website, November 2005 (in Spanish)
- v
- t
- e
- Al-Khalid tank
- Al-Zarrar
- Ariete
- Arjun
- Challenger 2
- Durjoy
- K2 Black Panther
- Karrar
- Leclerc
- Leopard 2
- Leopard 2E
- Leopard 2PL
- M1 Abrams
- Merkava IV
- Pokpung-ho
- PT-91 Twardy
- Ramses II
- Sabra
- Stridsvagn 122
- T-72M4CZ
- T-84
- T-90
- Type 10
- Type 72Z
- Type 96
- Type 99
- VT-4
- Zulfiqar
- Sabrah
- Sabre CVRT
- 2S25 Sprut-SD
- Tosan
- Type 15 / VT-5
- Type 63A
- ZTD-05 / ZLT-05
experimentals
- AbramsX
- Altay
- Black EagleX
- Challenger 3
- CV90105 / CV90120
- Kaplan MT / Harimau
- K21-105
- M8 armored gun systemX
- M10 Booker
- M2020
- M60-2000X
- M-84AS
- M-84AS1
- M-84D
- M-95 DegmanX
- Main Ground Combat SystemX
- Marder medium tank
- Panther KF51
- PatagónX
- PL-01X
- Tiam
- T-14 Armata
- T-55AGM
- T-95X
- Tank EXX
- Zorawar LT
- Cancelled or derelict projectX
- Post–Cold War tanks
- List of modern armoured fighting vehicles
Background: History of the tank, Tank classification