TAM VCA
TAM VCA in Buenos Aires
Type	Self-propelled artillery
Place of origin	Argentina
Production history
No. built	17
Specifications
Mass	40 t
Length	10.33 m (33 ft 11 in)
Width	3.31 m (10 ft 10 in)
Height	3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
Crew	5
Caliber	155 mm (6.1 in)
Main armament	Oto Melara "Palmaria" L41 155 mm (6.1 in) howitzer
Secondary armament	1× 7.62 mm (0.3 in) machine gun 8× smoke dischargers
Engine	MTU-MB 833 Ka-500 6-cylinder 22.4 L (1,370 cu in) diesel 540 kW (720 hp)
Suspension	Torsion bar
Ground clearance	0.45 m
Operational range	470 km (290 mi)
Maximum speed	60 km/h (37 mph)

The VCA-155 (Vehículo de combate de Artillería, Artillery Combat Vehicle) is a self-propelled 155mm gun/howitzer, manufactured by TAMSE (Tanque Argentino Mediano Sociedad del Estado) which entered service in the late 1990s.^[1]

Description

It uses a TAP chassis (Tanque Argentino Pesado, Argentine Heavy Tank), an abandoned project derived from the TAM (Tanque Argentino Mediano, Argentine Medium Tank). It weighs 40 tonnes, and has 7 rolling wheels.

It has a 155-mm howitzer "Palmaria" turret of Italian origin. It has a vehicular communications equipment SEM 180 and 193, which allows voice communication (within and outside the vehicle), but also operates in digital form.

In total, 17 units were built.^{[citation needed]}

Usage

In conjunction with the VCCDT (Vehiculo de Combate Centro de Direccion de Tiro - Combat Vehicle, Fire Control Centre) it makes up a modern system of artillery weapons. It also operates an integrated system for artillery fire campaign called "TRUENO", which enables it to direct artillery fire in an automated mode.^{[citation needed]}