#Argentina🇦🇷 With the purchase of F-16 fighters for the Argentine Air Force finalized, another long-standing reequipment program in need of definition is the delayed acquisition of Wheeled Armored Combat Vehicles (#WACVs) for the Argentine Army. As of the date, assessing the regional reality in this segment at a regional level, the force is one of the few that lacks these capabilities to energize its Rapid Deployment Force. The delayed acquisition, spanning decades, has the possibility of gaining definition with the selection of one of the proposals recently put forward by various suppliers.
The signing of the Letter of Intent for the 6×6 #VCBR Iveco Guarani during 2023 seems like an eternity ago. At that time, it appeared that the armored vehicle manufactured in Brazil would be the winner for the Argentine Army's VCBR Program. However, the lack of political decision-making, as in the case of the fighters, by the previous administration, as well as Argentina's delicate financial situation and the lack of guarantees to finance the purchase, caused the decision to be delayed and other bidders to reappear.
This refers to the proposal revived by the United States based on the #M1126 Stryker, which originated several years ago when the Department of State authorized the possible sale of 27 units plus associated equipment. As noted, given the renewed alignment of the National Government, the U.S. revived the proposal and offered the future possibility of expanding the number of units with options for local production of several of its components.
Another proposal is also that of General Dynamics Land Systems through the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), which offers its family of 8×8 VCBRs based on the LAV III family. Here arises a question about the possibility of incorporating a batch of used units from New Zealand through the NZLAV version. However, these issues have their complexities since, although they are based on the same platform, the mentioned models have different supply chains and logistics.
This gains relevance considering that the Argentine Army's request, according to its original requirement, is for a family of vehicles based on the same platform, thereby reducing maintenance and support costs by having a single supply chain. As is the case in this type of acquisition, often the acquisition cost represents only 1/3 of the total operation, considering globally the time these systems, be it an armored vehicle, aircraft, or ship, serve for years or decades.
As of the date, the decision of the Ministry of Defense is still awaited to know which will be the winning proposal among those recently submitted. However, a scenario should be evaluated considering the delicate economic and financial situation, which is, in the event of advancing in the acquisition of a first batch of VCBRs, this does not remain as a witness to the operation without being subsequently complemented with new batches of material.
Esperto Multilingue | Comunicazione e Innovazione nel Settore Automotive | Sviluppo Tecnologico e Business Internazionale | Cerco Opportunità Professionali in Pinerolese, Torinese, Piemonte.
5dCompliments for also giving a boost to the national economy by manufacturing locally.