The TAM tank is powered by a German MTU-brand MB 833 Ka 500 series supercharged 6-cylinder diesel engine developing 720 horsepower at 2,400rpm. This allows for a maximum road speed of 46 miles per hour with an operational range of 580 miles. An optional external fuel drum can be mounted to the hull rear panel for an increase in operational ranges. The hull is suspended atop a conventional torsion bar suspension system which provides the needed cross-country travel qualities.
Main armament is centered around the turret-mounted 105mm FM K.4 Modelo 1L main gun (essentially the British Royal Ordnance L7A1 rifle tank gun series) which can be locked in place with an inverted Vee locking assembly during transport. This is supplemented by a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun next to the main gun. An optional 7.62mm machine gun is fitted at the commander's cupola as an anti-aircraft / anti-infantry deterrent. 2 x 4 electronically actuated smoke grenade dischargers provide a makeshift smokescreen for the vehicle and crew. There are 50 x 105mm projectiles carried as well as 6,000 x 7.62mm rounds of ammunition.
The TAM was introduced into Argentine Army service in 1983 and maintains an active presence in its inventory to date (2013). Production of initial batch models spanned from 1979 into 1991 which initially produced a batch of 150 TAM tanks and 100 VCTP IFVs while a second batch was ordered from 1994 to 1995 and this added 50 TAM tanks and 116 VCTP IFVs according to sources. A modernization program has since been undertaken in 2010 to bring the tracked family of vehicles up to modern fighting standards. The Israeli concern of Elbit Systems was handed the charge and key to the upgrades will including the fitting of a 120mm L44 series main gun (the Rheinmetall 120mm smoothbore) to help increase the tactical value of the TAM tank significantly. Modernization is expected to continue into 2013. The Argentine Army currently fields 200 TAM tanks and 216 VCTP IFVs (some of the latter being command tanks).
The TAM tank provides a solid combination of speed and mobility with adequate firepower and protection to meet the threats as posed by its neighbors in a potential war scenario. It is still outclassed by the latest generation of Main Battle Tanks around the globe but nevertheless fulfills a need at cost. Its chassis has proven reliable and modular in the grand scope of Argentine Army needs for both the short and long term and will continue to service the nation for a decade or more longer. Foreign interest in the German-Argentine product has been noted though there have been no buyers to date and this has inevitably forced the closing of the TAMSE factory in 1995.
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