TAM (Tanque Argentino Mediano)
In service 1979 - In service
A German-designed medium tank built for Argentina's soft pampas and weak bridges, where a 50-tonne main battle tank simply could not operate.
Built byTAMSE, with design by Thyssen-Henschel
Development history
Argentina's Sherman fleet was long obsolete by the 1970s, but the country's river crossings, bridges and waterlogged plains ruled out a heavy Western main battle tank. Thyssen-Henschel designed the TAM around the proven Marder infantry fighting vehicle chassis, lengthened and fitted with a three-man turret carrying a 105 mm gun - real firepower at half the weight of a Leopard. Production at the state-owned TAMSE plant ran from 1979, with roughly 280 vehicles of the family built including the VCTP infantry carrier and self-propelled artillery versions. The TAM saw no combat; economic crisis closed TAMSE in the 1990s, and Argentina later bought surplus German vehicles as spares for a modernisation programme.
Variants
One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.
TAM
1979Base medium tank with 105 mm FTK gun.
VCTP
1980Infantry fighting vehicle version with a 20 mm turret.
TAM 2C
2013Modernisation with thermal sights, new fire control and added protection.
Notable actions
- Cold War service (Argentine Army)