Main battle tank TAM TAM – Medium Argentinean Tank. The contract for the creation of the TAM tank (Talthough AArgentine Mediano - Argentine medium tank) was signed between the German company Thyssen Henschel and the Argentine government in the early 70s. The first light tank built by Thyssen Henschel was tested in 1976. TAM and infantry fighting vehicles were produced in Argentina from 1979 to 1985. In general, it was planned to create 500 vehicles (200 light tanks and 300 infantry fighting vehicles), but due to financial problems, this figure was reduced to 350 light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. The design of the TAM tank is very reminiscent of the German infantry fighting vehicle "Marder". The hull and turret are welded from steel plates. The frontal armor of the hull and turret is protected from 40-mm armor-piercing shells, the side armor is protected from firearms by bullets. The main armament is a 105 mm rifled cannon. On the first samples, the West German 105.30 cannon was installed, then the Argentinean-designed cannon, but in both cases all standard 105-mm ammunition can be used. The gun has a barrel blowing ejector and a heat shield. It is stabilized in two planes. A 7,62 mm Belgian machine gun, licensed in Argentina, is paired with the cannon. The same machine gun is installed on the roof as an anti-aircraft gun. There are 6000 rounds of ammunition for machine guns. For observation and firing, the tank commander uses an unstabilized panoramic sight TRR-2A with a magnification of 6 to 20 times, similar to the Leopard-1 tank commander's sight, an optical rangefinder and 8 prism devices. Instead of a panoramic sight, an infrared sight can be installed. The gunner, whose seat is in front of and below the commander's seat, has a Zeiss T2P sight with 8x magnification. The hull and turret of the tank are welded from rolled steel armor and provide protection against small-caliber (up to 40 mm) automatic guns. Some increase in protection can be achieved by applying additional armor. A feature of the TAM tank is the middle location of the MTO and driving wheels, and the cooling system of the engine-transmission unit in the aft part of the hull. The control compartment is located in the front left part of the hull, and the driver uses a traditional steering wheel to change the direction of travel. Behind his seat in the bottom of the hull there is an emergency hatch, in addition, another hatch through which the crew can evacuate if necessary is located in the aft hull sheet, due to the front placement of the MTO, the tower is shifted towards the stern. In it, the tank commander and gunner are to the right, the loader to the left of the cannon. In the turret niche, 20 shots are stacked to the cannon, another 30 shots are placed in the hull. The performance characteristics of the TAM tank  Combat weight, т 30,5 Crew, people 4 Dimensions, mm: length with gun forward 8230 width 3120 height 2420 Armor, mm     monolithic Armament:   L7A2 105-mm rifled gun; two 7,62-mm machine guns Ammunition:     50 shots, 6000 rounds Engine 6-cylinder, diesel, turbocharged, power 720 HP with. at 2400 rpm Specific ground pressure, kg / cm 0,79 Highway speed km / h 75 Cruising on the highway km 550 (900 with additional fuel tanks) Obstacle obstacles: wall height, м 0,90 ditch width, м 2,90 ship depth, м 1,40 See also: – Upgraded TAM tank. Sources: Christopher F. Foss. Jane's Handbooks. Tanks and combat vehicles”; Christoper Chant “World Encyclopedia of the Tank”; G. L. Kholyavsky “The Complete Encyclopedia of Tanks of the World 1915 - 2000”.