View source for TAM 2C

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_thyssen_henschel_tam_2c
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->

The armour is composed of welded steel, providing protection up to 32 mm.

The front can defend against 12.7 mm machine gun ammo, but the side armour is only proof against standard machine guns of 7.62 mm. However, most enemies that can be faced will usually have a 12.7 mm machine gun or larger in their possession, making it so even a burst of bullets could riddle the TAM with holes. With this in mind, take caution when flanking a tank with a disabled gun to get a side shot, as you can easily lose a few crew members to machine gunfire. This becomes less of an issue after unlocking the APFSDS round when side shots are rarely as necessary.

The TAM also is hull-breakable, and so rounds that hit have a chance of instantly destroying the vehicle.

'''Armor Composition:'''

* Rolled Homogeneous Armor
* Cast Homogeneous Armor - Gunner's Optics Port (Turret Roof)
* Structural Steel - Fenders
* Structural Steel of Chassis - Suspension
* Tracks

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front (Slope angle)
!Sides
!Rear
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|11 mm - 32 mm (77°) ''Upper Glacis''
32 mm (29° - 60°) ''Lower Glacis''
|15 mm
|11 mm
|5 mm - 32 mm
|-
|Turret
|30 mm - 50 mm (6° - 35°) ''Turret front''
30 mm + 30 mm (51° - 63°) ''Mantlet Front''

25 mm (7° - 10°) ''Mantlet Sides''
|25 mm ''Crew Compartment''
15 mm ''Bustle''
|15 mm
|11 mm - 30 mm
|-
|Cupola
| colspan="3" |35 mm
|11 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Main Gun - 25 mm
* Machine Guns - 5 mm
* Tracks and Suspension - 20 mm
* Fenders - 4 mm
* There is a 25 mm ring around the gun where it meets the mantlet.
* The mantlet covers most of the turret front
* Sideskirts - 4 mm

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,116|rbMinHp=637}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
{{main|FMK.4 Modelo 1L (105 mm)}}
The main armament of the TAM 2C is FMK.4 Model 1L, is a licensed variant of the British  L7A1 105mm. It has access to the powerful DM63, with a penetration of up to 436 mm. This is enough to destroy any tank, however ones with high angled upper frontal plate (UFP) it will be a challenge but flank and shoot from the side. 

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[FMK.4 Modelo 1L (105 mm)|105 mm FMK.4 Modelo 1L]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 50 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane ||32.4||44.8||54.4||60.2||64.0|| rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" |7.70|| rowspan="2" |7.10|| rowspan="2" |6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
|20.2||23.8||28.9||32.0||34.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 408 || 405 || 398 || 389 || 379 || 370
|-
| DM63 || APFSDS || 436 || 434 || 426 || 416 || 406 || 396
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.50 || 0.05 || 1.0 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.40 || 0.1 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM63 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 4.30 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_TAM.jpg|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the TAM (identical)]]
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.1.0.82''' -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full<br>ammo
! 1st<br>rack empty
! 2nd<br>rack empty
! 3rd<br>rack empty
! 4th<br>rack empty
! Visual<br>discrepancy
|-
| '''50''' || 41&nbsp;''(+9)'' || 30&nbsp;''(+20)''|| 21&nbsp;''(+11)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+49)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
{{main|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| || ___ (___) || ___ || __° || __°
|-
| || ___ (___) || ___ || __° || __°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
For the stock grind, it is recommended to get to a vantage point and use your binoculars to scout enemies, only taking easy shots. This can net quite a bit of RP if successful, the only problem is that such maps are rare. This vehicle requires much map knowledge to play, as it has poor gun handling and depression. Combined with the high repair cost, the stock grind is terrible. However, once you get DM33 you can get a bit more adventurous, but one must still exercise caution as the TAM 2C has poor survivability. Try not to ever expose much of yourself from cover. The 3rd generation thermals allow you to see enemies that few others on your team can see, as the TAM 2C is the only German ground vehicle to get 3rd gen thermals, or anything higher than 1st gen in the gun sight. It is recommended not to push corners, as the TAM has little armour, the engine is in the front (so you are immobilized at best) and the turret is mounted on the back of the tank, so you have to expose a lot of the vehicle in order to peek. The Laser Warning System (LWS) allows you to know when you are "painted" by laser rangefinders or designators, so you can duck back into cover whenever you are seen by an enemy. Finally, the DM63 APFSDS lets you to be much more risk-taking as you can now penetrate things like the [[M1 Abrams|Abrams]]'s LFP, and more reliably penetrate the turret weakspots on Russian tanks like the [[T-80U]]. The machine guns, although with a lower rate of fire than the MG3 on most other German tanks of the BR, can elevate higher than the gun, so you can engage helicopters better.

=== Pros and cons ===
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->

'''Pros:'''

* Powerful DM63 APFSDS round making it competitive at its battle rating.
* Decent mobility allowing it to flank and retreat.
* Excellent reverse speed, as fast in reverse as it is forwards.
* High quality thermals in gunner and commander's sights.
* Large first stage ammo stowage allows for enough rounds for the entire match.

'''Cons:'''

* Extremely poor armour makes it vulnerable to hullbreak and heavy machine guns.
* Fixed 12.0x magnification in gunner's sight, leading to poor FOV and tunnel vision.
* Mediocre gun depression, only -7°.
* Very poor stock grind with expensive module RP costs.
* Stock DM12 HEAT-FS is incredibly inadequate at its battle rating.

== History ==
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->[[File:TAM 2C 2019.jpg|thumb|450x450px|A TAM 2C of the Argentine army.]]
The TAM 2C was a modernized variant of the [[TAM]] (Tanque Argentino Mediano), the primary main battle tank (MBT) of the Argentine army. Initially designed in the 1980s, the TAM 2C originated as an upgraded variant of the original TAM, with improved weaponry, protection and equipment. The 2C variant prototype was initially unveiled in 2013, and the final production contract between the Argentine army and contractors was signed in 2015. In total, 74 TAMs will be upgraded to the 2C standard, which started in 2018.

=== Design and Development ===
In 2010, the Argentine army began the process of acquiring a new main battle tank to replace it’s fleet of ageing TAM vehicles, developed in the 1980s. A number of foreign tanks were considered, including the German [[Leopard 2 (Family)|Leopard 2]] , French [[Leclerc]], Israeli [[Merkava (Family)|Merkava]] and the Russian [[T-90A|T-90]]. However, at the end, they chose to upgrade the existing TAM vehicles rather than proceeding with a new tank, due to budget restraints and the fact that most MBTs would’ve had trouble traversing Argentina’s rough terrain. Several foreign firms bidded for the modernization, which was eventually given to Israel’s Elbit Systems.

The TAM was given many upgrades, primarily to it’s equipment. The vehicle received a new electrical turret drive allowing for faster turret traverse, as well as a set of NVD (thermal imager) devices for the commander and driver. The vehicle received an upgraded set of laser rangefinders, more accurate than those fitted on the original TAM. Additionally, racks were added to the rear of the vehicle for stowing crew belongings, and an APU unit was added to provide power when the engine was turned off.

In terms of armament, the TAM 2C retained the 105 mm gun fitted on the TAM. However, it received a new stabilization system that would turn off when the gun was being loaded. This made loading much easier, as the previous system would cause the gun to continuously change elevation while traversing rough terrain, which prevented the gun from being loaded properly. The TAM 2C also received a new APFSDS round with much-improved penetration, and a new HEAT-FS round.

The original armour scheme of the TAM was retained, with a maximum of 50 mm of armour on the upper glacis. Mobility also stayed the same, with no upgrades to the engine block. However, the TAM 2C lost the ability to carry the TAM’s extra rear fuel tanks, as the space was occupied by the new APU unit.

=== Production ===
The first TAM 2C prototype was unveiled in 2013, having been upgraded by Elbit systems. After technical evaluations, the vehicle was accepted for service, and the Argentine government signed a contract with Elbit for the modernization of 74 TAM vehicles. In total, the modernization of these vehicles will cost $110 million dollars. While expensive, this is tiny compared to the cost of acquiring a completely new MBT. The first TAM was reportedly upgraded to 2C standard in 2017, with initial production starting in 2018.

== Media ==
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->

;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=germany&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=light_tank&vehicle=germ_thyssen_henschel_tam_2c Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|PJLUJNFD1Nw|'''The Shooting Range #224''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|lpzy1Xw6e1g|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''|o9QmPp1ZaoM|'''Should You Grind The {{PAGENAME}}?''' - ''Sako Sniper''|q_BQExWq6ZI|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Hard Hitting Lightweight Ft. DM63''' - ''JustinPlaysYT''}}

== See also ==
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.'' -->
=== References: ===

* Army Recognition. (2017, July 04). TAM 2C main battle tank technical data pictures 80407176. Retrieved January 02, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.armyrecognition.com/argentina_army_tanks_heavy_armoured_vehicles_uk/tam_2c_main_battle_tank_technical_data_pictures_80407176.html</nowiki>
* Lucian, S., <nowiki>&</nowiki>amp; Muñozsays, J. (2018, February 14). TAM 2C Main Battle Tank. Retrieved January 02, 2021, from <nowiki>https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/argentina/tam-2c-main-battle-tank</nowiki>
{{Germany light tanks}}