Zitat:Argentina has finalized an order of 110 8×8 VN-1, the export version of ZBL08 wheeled fighting vehicles from China North Industries Corporation, reports Reference News, a subsidiary of China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Designed with an operational weight of 21 tons, a single VN-1 armored vehicle is capable of carrying 11 soldiers in full equipment and an additional three-man crew. The VN-1 Argentina was developed for amphibious warfare. Unlike other ZBL08, usually fitted with 105mm anti-tank gun or 155mm howitzer, it is only armed with a 12.7mm machine gun. Argentina is licensed to assemble the vehicles at its Tandanor-CINAR shipyards, according to the report.

Zitat:The VN-1 is not the first type of armored vehicle Argentina has purchased from China. Four WZ5516 wheeled fighting vehicles, made in China, were deployed to Haiti for peacekeeping operations by the Argentine Army before. Various Chinese military vehicles have been exported to other Latin American countries as well. Venezuela currently has VN-16 amphibious tanks, VN-8 infantry fighting vehicles and VN-1 armored personnel vehicles in service.

Zitat:Argentina unveils TAM tank prototype with added armour

The Argentine Army has unveiled a prototype for its TAM medium tank modernisation programme, for which it is working with Israel Military Industries (IMI), Elbit, and Tadiran.

An initial prototype, TAM 2C, was unveiled in March 2013. In 2015, after a proposal by IMI and Elbit, a second prototype called TAM 2IP was developed that added armour to increase the tank's protection (and giving it an appearance similar to that of a small Merkava tank).

The new armour, based on IMI's Iron Wall design, could be added to any TAM tanks, modernised or not, without any modification and includes extra protection for the turret on all sides, as well as the sides and front of the chassis.

The prototype was displayed for the first time during the Argentine Army Day celebrations on 29 May, and the army said it is now starting tests.

The current installation is to check fittings and the tank's basic performance with the extra armour, and more tests will be conducted throughout the year to determine the extra weight's impact on suspension and performance, as well as the level of protection it provides.

Army officials declined to provide information regarding the weight and capabilities expected of the extra armour.

Zitat:Mehr als zwei Jahrzehnte gab es in Haiti kein Heer mehr
[...]
Regierungspräsident Jovenel Moïse erklärte bei einem Akt der Einweihungszeremonie, dass die haitianische Marine bereits einsatzfähig ist und dem Volk dienen kann. Moïse ließ nicht unerwähnt, dass die Geschichte des Heeres im Land bei vielen Bürgern negative Erinnerungen wecke, aber dieses Mal seien die eigenen Streitkräfte eine neue Form der Verantwortlichkeit zeigen. Zur Zeit besteht das Heer aus 150 Soldaten, diese wurden zuvor in Ecuador ausgebildet.
[...]
Die Soldaten und die Marine sollen beim Straßenbau und Brückenbau ebenso helfen wie beim Bau von Stauwerken. Bis zu 5.000 Soldaten will Haiti einstellen.
Das Volk hat nach wie vor nicht vergessen, welche Taten das frühere Heer ausgeübt hat. In der Zeit unter Papa Doc, Francois Duvalier in den 50 er Jahren, wurden zwischen 20.000 - 30.000 Menschen unterdrückt und wurden vermisst. Viele Morde sind bis heute nicht aufgeklärt worden.
Beim Sturz der damaligen Herrschaft 1991 hat das Heer mindestens 4.000 Menschen getötet. Dies war der Grund, warum Aristide 1995 das Heer abschaffen ließ.

Zitat:Argentina Reinforces TAM Tanks with Turret Cages Amid Escalating Drone Threats [...]

On 8 October 2025, during the Aonikenk training activities in La Pampa, Argentina’s armored force appeared with a new field adaptation: turret-top “cope cages” on some Tanque Argentino Mediano (TAM) tanks, as reported by the Argentinian MoD. The deployment forms part of a wider effort to rehearse multi-domain operations and harden ground units against the expanding use of small UAVs in conflict zones. The sighting underscores how lessons from recent wars are filtering into South America, with crews experimenting to reduce top-attack vulnerabilities. Beyond an exercise milestone, it signals a shift in Argentine survivability priorities under a constrained modernization budget. [...]

The TAM with cope cage and added camouflage represents a pragmatic, unit-level survivability package rather than a formal factory upgrade. The cage, an overhead lattice, creates standoff spacing intended to disrupt or pre-detonate munitions dropped from small quadcopters, while the draped camouflage nets and fabric sheathing reduce visual and thermal signature around the turret roof. Imagery shared by defense observers shows TAM turrets carrying these frames, reflecting a global pattern where crews adapt legacy platforms for drone-dense environments. While effective against simple bomb drops through hatches, it has to be cautioned that such cages offer only limited protection against FPV drones carrying HEAT charges, keeping crew discipline and rear-arc awareness crucial.

(12.10.2025, 09:04)Schneemann schrieb: Mittlerweile gibt es von dem TAM - den ich übrigens als gar keine schlechte Konstruktion ansehe (gerade im Kontext der Diskussionen um leichtere Panzer) - auch eine größere Anzahl an Derivaten, u. a. SPWs, Haubitzen und Werferfahrzeuge (siehe z. B.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanque_Argentino_Mediano#/media/File:VCLC_MRL_160_mm.JPG). Insgesamt glaube ich, hätte dieses Fahrzeug durchaus ein gewisses Potenzial - gerade wenn man sich auch Konzepte wie MPF etc. anschaut.

Schneemann