In June 2015, the Argentine Ministry of Defense, after lengthy delays and delays, nevertheless concluded an agreement with Israel on the modernization of part (74 vehicles) of the TAM (Tanque Argentino Mediano) main tank fleet. The agreement, worth $ 111 million, provides for the supply by the Israeli company Elbit Systems as the main contractor of kits for the modernization of 74 Argentinean TAM tanks (now the Argentine army has 218 such tanks), and a joint venture with the participation of Elbit Systems is being created for the transfer of technology.
As part of the signed agreement, Elbit Systems, together with Israeli enterprises Israel Military Industries (IMI) and Tadiran, modernized one TAM tank in Israel into the TAM 2IP version, which was delivered to Argentina upon completion of the work. During the events on May 29, representatives of the Argentine army announced the start of full-scale tests of this prototype.
The TAM 2IP tank differs from the previous version of the TAM 2C modernization (carried out under the auspices of the same Elbit Systems under the previous agreement of 2010) by the installation of characteristic Israeli additional multilayer armor modules produced by IMI on the hull and turret of the tank, which made the TAM 2IP look like a smaller version of the Merkava tank. The weight of the additional protection was not disclosed, but it is reported that extensive testing and should clarify the issue of the effect of the increased mass of the tank on its chassis.
The rest of the modernization elements should be similar to the previously developed version of the TAM 2C and involve equipping the TAM tank with a round-the-clock duplicated sighting system supplied by Elbit Systems, a driver's thermal imaging device, a tank information management system, a new communication system, laser warning sensors, introduction into the system fire control of the new Honeywell computer, replacement of the turret and gun hydraulic drives with electric ones, replacement of the gun stabilizer, replacement of the fire system, and the installation of an auxiliary power unit. The fire control system will allow the cannon to fire Israeli guided missiles IMI LAHAT with a semi-active laser guidance system (although Argentina is not planning to purchase them yet). The ammunition will include modern Israeli 105-mm sub-caliber projectiles.
The serial modernization works themselves under the 2015 agreement will be carried out in Argentina on the technical base of the 601st and 602nd arsenal (technical) battalions (Batallón de Arsenales 601 y 602) of the 601st arsenal group (Agrupación de Arsenales 601) of the Argentine army in Boulogne -sur-Mer (province of Buenos Aires), created on the basis of the former TAMSE tank plant, where TAM tanks were produced at one time.
Recall that the Argentine program for the modernization of TAM tanks has a long history, which boils down mainly to projects and conversations that were not implemented due to lack of funds. After about two decades of projection, in December 2010, the Argentine Ministry of Defense finally signed the first intergovernmental agreement with Israel to involve Elbit Systems in the development and implementation of the TAM tank modernization project. Under the terms of this agreement, Elbit had to carry out the modernization of five TAM tanks on its own as prototypes for testing. Subsequent work was to be carried out in Argentina on the technical base of the 601st and 602nd arsenal battalions, where, together with Elbit, five more tanks were to be modernized, and then the serial modernization of the first combat batch of 108 vehicles was to begin on its own. In total, it was planned to modernize in the future all 230 available by that time in the army TAM.
The first modernized Elbit tank according to the TAM 2C version was officially handed over to the Argentine army on April 26, 2013. However, further work was suspended by the Argentine side for financial reasons, and in August 2013, the Argentine government decided not to allocate funds for the implementation of the program at all, freezing it for an indefinite period, and returned to it only in 2015 in a modified version of modernization and limiting plans to only 74 tanks.
The main reason for hesitation regarding the modernization of TAM remains its extremely high cost - from 2.5 to 3 million dollars per unit (taking into account both Israeli supplies and the cost of work in Boulogne-sur-Mer), comparable to the cost of a possible acquisition on the world market much more powerful and effective tanks. In addition, it was reported that a survey of the TAM fleet of tanks revealed "problems with the quality of steel armor and problems with the fatigue strength of other materials."
The TAM tank was developed by order of Argentina in the 1970s by the German group Thyssen Henschel using the German Marder BMP as the basis of the chassis. The production of tanks was carried out in Argentina at a specially created state enterprise TAMSE (Tanque Argentino Mediano Sociedad del Estado) from 1979 to 1995 in the amount of 256 serial units, of which 218 vehicles are currently in service with the Argentine army.
Prototypes of modernized Argentinean tanks TAM: on the left - TAM 2C, on the right TAM 2IP (c) Argentine army (via Jane's)
A prototype of the modernized Argentinean TAM 2IP tank on display in honor of the Argentine Army Day. Buenos Aires, 2016-29-05 (c) zona-militar.com
A prototype of the modernized Argentinean TAM 2IP tank on display in honor of the Argentine Army Day. Buenos Aires, 29.05.2016 (c) www.taringa.net
