Strange Thing I Saw Today On Autopista? Why Here?

[Rich One]

An alleged Abrams Tank seen on the freeway..? Raises all kinds of conspiracy theories..? LOL

 

[camberiu]

Is the US opening a base here?

Even if the US was opening a military base in Argentina (it is not), a MBT (Main Battle Tank) would serve no purpose here, unless if the US is thinking about going to war with Brazil.

 

[Ries]

I remain dubious.
Any sales to Argentina would be tracked by the military industrial press.
There have been no sales.
Any actual US military presence would either be top secret, in which case they would not be hauling tanks on the autopista, where anyone could see them,
or it would be publicly announced, and in the papers.

The idea that the USA is attempting to slyly drive M1s around Argentina, and just hoping no one will notice is not believable.
There are a number of people who monitor youtube vids, worldwide, observing the movements and types of weapons used- this would pop up on the internet very quickly.
Even when tanks are transported by train in the USA, vids pop up a few hours later.

plus, an M1070 HET, which is the truck/trailer combo used to transport a 70 ton M1 tank, weighs close to 100,000 kg, with tank. It has 40 wheels.
It is YOOOGE, as a certain orange haired celebrity would say.
It would not be transported without taking up far more than one lane on the autopista, and without lead and follow cars.
Taxi drivers here consider there to be two lanes between the stripes.
The tank itself is 12' wide.
I am singularly unconvinced that the autopista would support such a vehicle without crumbling.
I have seen what crummy 20 ton (fully loaded) argentine trucks do to the roads around here.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

To a trained eye the M1 is hard to confuse with other tanks. Also, there have been military sales to Argentina recently, among them C-130s and T-6B Texan II training aircraft though I do not know of any heavy armor being sold. I would agree that Argentina has many more pressing military needs than buying a MBT.

GS

 

[Ries]

To a trained eye the M1 is hard to confuse with other tanks. Also, there have been military sales to Argentina recently, among them C-130s and T-6B Texan II training aircraft though I do not know of any heavy armor being sold. I would agree that Argentina has many more pressing military needs than buying a MBT.

GS

both aircraft sales are heavily documented online, findable with 30 second google searches.
zero mentions online of M1 sales beyond Great Britain, Saudis, Egypt, and Kuwait, Iraq and, curiously enough, Morocco.
The Moroccan tanks were used, refurbished older US tanks.

There are a few privately owned M1s out there, mostly quite old, and mostly de-milled.
Theoretically there could be a secondary market for used ones, and depending on the laws in your country, you could buy one.
So I suppose a private individual in Argentina could own one...
But I am still kinda dubious that its either a US or Argentine government owned tank.
Just doesnt make much sense.

 

[jbhenson]

Is the US opening a base here?
Why would the President and vice president of the US and other higher ups come here lately, in person?
They want something. Or want to protect something in the future?

Good question the President, Vice President, and 1500 other higher diplomats came here and then down south for a reason, they went to Bariloche. It wasn't for fun, they went to a mine and an Aerospace company there. I wonder why.

 

[jbhenson]

An alleged Abrams Tank seen on the freeway..? Raises all kinds of conspiracy theories..? LOL

Not alleged.

 

[jbhenson]

I remain dubious.
Any sales to Argentina would be tracked by the military industrial press.
There have been no sales.
Any actual US military presence would either be top secret, in which case they would not be hauling tanks on the autopista, where anyone could see them,
or it would be publicly announced, and in the papers.

The idea that the USA is attempting to slyly drive M1s around Argentina, and just hoping no one will notice is not believable.
There are a number of people who monitor youtube vids, worldwide, observing the movements and types of weapons used- this would pop up on the internet very quickly.
Even when tanks are transported by train in the USA, vids pop up a few hours later.

plus, an M1070 HET, which is the truck/trailer combo used to transport a 70 ton M1 tank, weighs close to 100,000 kg, with tank. It has 40 wheels.
It is YOOOGE, as a certain orange haired celebrity would say.
It would not be transported without taking up far more than one lane on the autopista, and without lead and follow cars.
Taxi drivers here consider there to be two lanes between the stripes.
The tank itself is 12' wide.
I am singularly unconvinced that the autopista would support such a vehicle without crumbling.
I have seen what crummy 20 ton (fully loaded) argentine trucks do to the roads around here.

Most of what you say is true and I wish I was going in the same direction, I would have videoed it.

I know what I saw. And due to my service in the Corps, what i did and where I served, there is no mistake of what I saw.

It is what it is!

 

[jbhenson]

To a trained eye the M1 is hard to confuse with other tanks. Also, there have been military sales to Argentina recently, among them C-130s and T-6B Texan II training aircraft though I do not know of any heavy armor being sold. I would agree that Argentina has many more pressing military needs than buying a MBT.

GS

I agree with everything you say!

 

[scotttswan]

you need help.