Engineering:Patagón
| VC Tan Patagón | |
|---|---|
 A "Patagón" tank at the Argentine Army Exhibition, May 2008 | |
| Type | Light tank |
| Place of origin | 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) |
| Armour | 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] |
| 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
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Placard with data for Patagón tank displayed in Argentine Army Exhibition May 2008 – see in this article and in Commons.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Argentina abandona el proyecto de blindado Patagón" (in es). Infodefensa – Información Defensa y Seguridad (España). 2008-12-27. http://www.infodefensa.com/latam/2008/12/27/noticia-argentina-abandona-el-proyecto-de-blindado-patagon.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Patagón: el tanque de fabricación argentina que fue presentado ayer" (in es). DERF – Agencia Federal de Noticias (Santa Fé, Argentina). 2005-11-23. http://www.derf.com.ar/despachos.asp?cod_des=49805.
- ↑ "Argentine Army tank assembly plant in Comodoro". MercoPress (Montevideo, Uruguay). 2005-11-24. http://en.mercopress.com/2005/11/24/argentine-army-tank-assembly-plant-in-comodoro.
- ↑ 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 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)
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