Argentinean Infantry Weapons and Equipment                                                                                                                            |  
ARMAMENTOS Y EQUIPO DEL EJERCITO ARGENTINO

Doctrine & Outlook

The Argentines conform to the "walking weapon platform" doctrine of powered infantry, as opposed to treating their battlesuits like "super-infantry". Where other protagonists equip their battlesuit forces with what are effectively over-sized conventional rifles held in and fired from their suit's hands (with one or two heavy weapons in a squad), the Argentines' prefer fewer, larger weapons mounted on modular hard-points. This gives them more accurate, longer-range firepower that is more effective against the large number of armoured vehicles on the modern battlefield. The disadvantage this imposes being that Argentine battlesuits are comparatively less mobile than their counterparts in other nations inventories and their lower rate of fire hurts them in close quarter battle situations.

Argentine weaponry is simple and rugged, the KISS principle being taken almost as an article of faith. While each weapon comes with all the accoutrements one could expect from any of the major nation-state of 21st Century, the Argentinean Army forgoes many of the latest developments like inter-squad weapon datalinks, and instead design their weapons to operate without all the enhancements if necessary.
Most weapons in the Argentine arsenal operate on a hybrid magnetic railgun/ETC cartridge system using an Explosive Power Generator to supply the brief bursts of power needed for the rail subsystem. This gives their battlesuits the advantage of being able to carry the (relatively) smaller powerplants and batteries than a pure railgun would require while not limiting themselves to the approximately 2000 m/s muzzle velocity that is the most chemical explosives are capable of.

‘PITA' Armadura Tactica Infanteria Pesada [INF]- This is the basic battlesuit model of the Ejercito Argentino. Its mobility is a bit low, with its jump capability being especially deficient, but it is endowed with good armour, electronics and sensors. It's outstanding qualities are its rugged simplicity and its long endurance thanks to its large fuel reserves. The 'PITA' has two shoulder, two hip attachments and an armoured storage in its back for weapons and ammunition. It comes with retractable wheels on its feet allowing it to save wear and tear on its legs in clear terrain as well as two fully articulated hand appendages. The suit is NBC overpressure sealed. The cockpit is fully enclosed with images being fed to the soldier from outside sensors though an armourglass backup can be used once a BPC faceplate is raised. The Pita has been modified in limited numbers for aquatic work as the 'MITA' Armadura Tactica Infanteria Marina suit.

FH-7T2-2082 Fusil Hibrida para Armadura Tactica -The primary direct-fire weapon for the 'PITA' and 'MITA' suits is the FH-7T2 15mm Hi-velocity Hybrid Gun System in a gyrostabilized cradle mount. Usually carried on the suit's hip mount, this location close to the suit's centre of mass gives this weapon a greater accuracy and allows for greater striking power than what could be achieved by firing a comparable weapon system at the end of a conventional servo arm. The FH-7T2 fires a 0.143 kg, 9x150mm FS-LRP of tungsten and alligned-BPC alloy at 2410 mps for a muzzle energy of just over 0.4 MJ. Some soldiers prefer this weapon mounted on their shoulder location for its greater arc of coverage. In this location, the FH-7 stores across the suit's shoulders behind the head when not in use.

FHP-9-2084 Fusil Hibrida Pesada para Armadura Tactica Recently introduced into the Argentine arsenal, the FHP-9 is a heavier 20mm version of the FH-7T2. Special measures were taken as the recoil from this weapon is three and a half times greater than the already considerable recoil of the FH-7. The -9 is a separate weapon system designed to be hand fired by the PITA suit with a gyrostabiliser attached at the hip. It comes with an integral bipod and sensor feed. It fires a 0.382 kg, 12x225mm dart at 2460 mps fed from a 20-round magazine at the base of the bullpup cannon.

Systema Fusil Anti-Personal Dos Santos (SFAP-DS) M3T2.1-2084 This is an excellent modular weapon system made by the renowned Argentine weapons manufacturer Dos Santos in Buenos Aires. The M3 SFAP-DS is nick-named the "Safa" or "Cut-Loose" by Argentine troops. It is usually used as an arm-mounted secondary weapon by Argentine troops, giving them a degree of tactical flexibility. It is also favoured in the shoulder mount position for its wide arc of fire. The weapon consists of a core unit, which usually mounts beneath the suit's forearm in the ready position and an attachment point for a secondary weapon and sensors. The weapon can be swung back behind the arm in a carry position which leaves the suit's hands free for other work

The core weapon is a long-barrel 7mm Hybrid Gun with an Explosive Power Generator for Anti-Suit work. It feeds from an 80-round detachable box cassette that also includes the explosive pellets for the EPG. Firing is usually achieved by electrical commands through a link in the forearm, but a pistol grip with manual trigger is also provided. Its diamond deposited, thermal sheathed, high-refraction single crystal chrome-steel floating barrel mounted on a radar-absorbent synthetic frame speaks volumes of the quality of the weapons construction.
The secondary armament is usually an S3 3.5 mm caseless automatic that mounts above the main just forward of the hand grip. This weapon is ideal for soft targets with its Tungsten/Glass ammunition in a 50-round magazine mounted above the barrel. Other options include the S4 35 mm Grenade Launcher with a 6-round rotary magazine and flechet shells for close-in work, the S5 25 mm Automatic Close Quarters Combat Weapon (read: shotgun), the S6 Flame-thrower (with an armoured hose to the storage tank on the suits' back), or the S7 Blinding Laser / Tactical Strobe Light.

Missil Auto Dirigido R78MAD 'Pitirre' The Pitirre is a small bird renown for its speed and aggressiveness with which it can fight off much larger birds-of-prey, including eagles. Unfortunately for the Combine (who will always be a bunch of yankees to the Argentineans), the 'Pitirre' is a very effective light anti-armour missile system. It has a suite of attack patterns ranging from top/side/rear attacks that take full advantage of its Fire-and-Forget control system to thermal homing on the engine ports and visual guided attacks on weak points such as treads or exposed electronics. Sensors include visual and low-light pattern recognition, as well as IR and semi-active radar homing. The shaped charge warhead design is excellent, allowing it to penetrate BPC armour four times its warhead diameter of 80 mm. The R78 is typically mounted in a quad-launcher on a Pita's shoulder mount, though an hand-carried six-pack rocket-rifle is also available.