In the framework of the plans to modernize and incorporate capabilities, the Argentine Army also seeks to implement a nucleus of modernity in the Artillery branch, an initiative that could replicate the milestones that the Force will mark with the incorporation of the Wheeled Armored Combat Vehicles (VCBR) 8×8 Stryker M1126.
Although the concept of a nucleus of modernity is not recent, its implementation never ended up materializing given the years of disinvestment and very limited incorporation of material. With the reception of the first four VCBR Stryker, out of a total of eight initial units, the Argentine Army will seek to take the first step with which it is expected to drive scalable projects in the medium/long term. In this initial phase, doctrine will be generated and personnel will be trained, introducing various innovations to the institution.
As we have addressed in other notes, this same initiative will be attempted to be implemented in Cavalry, with the TAM 2C-A2, Army Aviation, Infantry, and Artillery, just to mention a few examples. However, the key for the introduction of these modernity nuclei to be fruitful is that they must secure budgetary and decision support, which will allow them to transcend over time.
Nucleus of modernity for the Artillery branch
In the recent interview that Zona Militar conducted with the Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Army in Washington D.C., Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto Presti confirmed the Force’s intention to implement a nucleus of modernity in the Artillery branch. This first instance aims to incorporate an element of advanced technology that allows for the creation of innovation, doctrine, and that constitutes the germ of a multiplier effect once the experience has been acquired, assimilated, and the availability of resources for its materialization is counted upon.
The head of the Argentine Army did not provide further details regarding the type of material to be incorporated, but he did about its scope in this primal stage, which would be at least one battery. This initial nucleus could be part of the structure of the Rapid Deployment Force (FDR), converging in the Xth Mechanized Brigade for the purpose of fully exploiting the process of changes and introduction of innovations planned with the arrival of the VCBR Stryker.
Should this nucleus be destined for the Xth Mechanized Brigade, the logic says that a wheeled solution should be adopted if it is an Artillery Combat Vehicle. Failing that, it could be a new 155mm artillery piece sufficiently modern and flexible for current standards. For example, the Combat Teams of the U.S. Army’s Stryker Brigades have the 155mm M777 howitzers, which use Oshkosh M1083A1P2 6×6 trucks as tractors.
Another option is that this initiative is the first step for the replacement of the veteran Oto Melara M56 105mm, which are supplied (among others) to the Airborne Artillery Group 4, a unit that integrates the IV Airborne Brigade.
In the event that it is a wheeled solution, it is worth remembering that the Argentine Army took into consideration the KNDS CAESAR and the Elbit ATMOS, an evaluation that occurred in the framework of its project to incorporate 72 Artillery Combat Vehicles for its Armored Groups. The selection in the qualification report would fall on the wheeled VCA of Israeli origin, a novelty that would end up displeasing the European manufacturer.
The initiative detailed by the Chief of the Argentine Army could also be for a tracked solution, which would allow the modernization of the Armored Artillery Groups, as previously planned by the cited project.
The option opportunely considered for the tracked VCA was the modernized M109, specifically the KAWEST variant used by the Swiss Army. The latter is a modified version of the popular North American self-propelled howitzer, which has received various improvements, including a $155/47$ chrome-plated bore cannon with a 21-liter chamber and a service life of 10,000 rounds with maximum charge.
Another possibility is to take advantage of the good relations with the U.S. in the field of Defense, which will materialize with the arrival of the first VCBR Stryker and the F-16 fighters (of Danish origin, but the sale had direct support from Washington), and with the potential to incorporate UH-60 and CH-47 helicopters, among other material. In this case, the option would still be the M109, a VCA that the U.S. Army has in depots, awaiting modernization. Such could have been the case of the 36 M109A5s that the U.S. offered to Argentina in 2018 through the Excess Defense Articles program, an initiative that would not come to fruition.
*Cover image for illustrative purposes. ATMOS of the Philippine Army during the combined exercise Balikatan 24. Credits: USMC – Sgt. Cameron Hermanet.
*Original text written in Spanish by Carlos Borda Bettolli
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