American defense companies General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and AeroVironment earlier this year presented the PERCH (Precision Effects & Reconnaissance, Canister-Housed) module essentially it concerns a launcher for Switchblade-type strike drones that is installed on M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks and Stryker armored personnel carriers, and it seems that GDLS plans to promote this module for Argentina, as follows from the words of company business development manager Mark Xu.
In conversation with Zona Militar, he emphasizes that although terrain in Argentina can vary greatly from region to region, unmanned aerial vehicles are an important element of modern combat operations in any conditions.
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While Argentina, within the framework of armored vehicle fleet modernization, purchased Stryker armored personnel carriers from the U.S. and at the beginning of this month already received the first batch of these vehicles.
So in the future, the Argentine military could indeed strengthen its Strykers with PERCH modules as Xu notes, they are now developing a second version of this launcher, and market entry is planned in a year or two.
However, Argentina currently doesn't have AeroVironment loitering munitions in service, so if the country wants to purchase PERCH launchers, it will need to purchase drones for them as well.
Which, first, are quite expensive, and second, demonstrated in Ukraine not exactly very high effectiveness and proved themselves primarily not as a mass asset, but as such a surgical instrument for performing a narrow range of tasks.
At the same time, Argentina doesnt have very large budgetary capabilities to throw money around in the context of arms procurement for example, Argentina is asking for a loan from France to buy three modern Scorpene Evolved submarines.
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