Argentina to acquire 36 Israeli self-propelled howitzers ATMOS
The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic intend to strengthen their self-propelled artillery with 72 artillery vehicles, 36 of which will be on wheeled. As reported by Zona Militar, the Israeli company Elbit Systems, the developer of the ATMOS system, will be selected as the supplier of the wheeled self-propelled guns.
During trials, the Israeli development outperformed the French self-propelled howitzer CAESAR. The M109 KAWEST, a modernized version of the American M109 howitzer, has been selected as the tracked chassis truck.
The value of the deal for the supply of 36 ATMOS howitzers to Argentina is $160 million. It was previously reported that Brazil will also purchase the same number of trucks. The value of this contract is estimated at $150-200 million.
The 155mm self-propelled howitzers have a firing range of up to 40 kilometers. Countries equipped with ATMOS systems include Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Rwanda, Thailand, the Philippines, Uganda, Denmark, Botswana, and Zambia.