Notes: This is a modernized T-55. The T-55 was sold to then-Czechoslovakia in 1950s by the thousands; by the early 1990s, the Czech Republic had come up with an upgrade package that basically carries out almost every modification done on Warsaw Pact tanks through the decades. They then offered this upgrade package for export, and modified a large number of their T-55s to this standard.

The upgrades begins with appliqué armor to the turret and hull; for the turret, this is similar to the "horseshoe" armor first fielded by the Russians in the 1960s, but is also spaced. The added hull armor consists of spaced steel plates for the glacis and lower nose, and side skirts that also incorporate spaced armor; in addition, extra belly protection is also provided. The gun is the same 100mm rifled gun, but a thermal sleeve is added to prevent warping under sustained fire. Rubber parts are largely replaced with hard vulcanized rubber, ceramic, or metal to increase protection against napalm-type flammables and Molotov cocktails. A screen is provided for the engine for the same reason. On either side of the rear of the turret is a bank of seven smoke grenade launchers. The engine has been modified to increase the output to 610 horsepower. The suspension is modified to provide a smoother ride; this also contributes to firing on the move. The tracks have been redesigned to nearly double their life. Finally, a laser rangefinder has been added, and the gun given more stabilization.

*Floor armor for the T-55AM2 is AV 6.

Notes: Introduced at about the same time as the ZTS T-72M4 CZ below, the T-72MP is a somewhat different approach to upgrading the T-72M. The T-72MP is designed primarily for export, especially as an upgrade package, and was being considered by Ukraine. However, the T-72MP does not appear in any later publications I have found, and may have fallen by the wayside.

Upgrades cover virtually the entire spectrum of the tank, and were designed with assistance from France, Russia, and Ukraine. France’s assistance was largely in the fire control system, which includes a new ballistic computer, electronic gun stabilization, sight stabilization, and a laser rangefinder. Russian assistance was primarily in the area of providing the Shtora-1 countermeasure system (see T-95 in Russian Tanks), and the capability to fire the AT-11 ATGM through the gun tube.

The T-72MP is fitted with extra armor on the turret front, turret sides, hull front, and hull sides; lugs for ERA (usually 2^nd generation ERA) are also provided in these areas. Night vision has been upgraded, with thermal imaging for the gunner. The commander can also see through the gunner’s thermal imager and sighting equipment. The commander has auxiliary controls for the main gun, but not the coaxial machinegun. Each side of the turret has seven smoke grenade launchers, and a smoke screen can be laid by injecting diesel fuel into the T-72MP’s exhaust.

The engine of the normal T-72 is replaced with a more powerful one, and this engine will continue to operate efficiently in hot, dry, dusty, cold, or high-altitude conditions. The Bohemia can ford 1.8 meters of water without preparation and 5 meters with preparation. The standard engine fitted is the compact Ukrainian 6TD-1 1000-horsepower supercharged diesel engine, but a more powerful 1200-horsepower 6TD-2 is also offered.

Other equipment includes an NBC overpressure system, the TACTIS command and control system which provides a computer-controlled tactical monitoring system similar to systems found on the M-1A2 Abrams and Challenger 2 tanks, and inertial navigation.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This vehicle does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: What was then Czechoslovakia began license-producing the T-72M version of the Russian T-72 tank in 1979. At that time, the ZTS facilities were in what is now Slovakia, but the T-72 CZ series is now produced and upgraded in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The initial versions of the ZTS T-72 copies were identical to the Russian versions and designated T-72M1 CZ and T-72M2 CZ. However, at the end of the Cold War, the Czechs were able to get Western assistance with upgrading their T-72 CZ’s producing the T-72M3 CZ and T-72M4 CZ versions starting in 1996.

The T-72M3 CZ primarily improved the targeting and day/night vision suites of the T-72 CZ. The gunnery suite uses electronic stabilization for the main gun. The fire control computer is replaced by the Italian TURMS system, and an improved laser rangefinder to match. A laser warning system was also bought from Poland, which detects incoming laser designator or rangefinder beams, then automatically fires smoke grenades in the direction of the beam and sounds a tone in the crew’s headsets. Smoke can also be generated by injecting diesel fuel into the T-72M3 CZ’s exhaust. The gunner and commander have independent day/night vision, giving the T-72M3 CZ a hunter/killer capability. The underside slightly above that level on the T-72M3 CZ have a special coating that can fool land mines or IEDs with electromagnetic fuzes; if the tank runs over such a mine or IED, the fuze is only 50% likely to go off. Belly armor was also increased slightly in general. The T-72M3 CZ is equipped with an inertial land navigation system that uses some of the fire control computer’s unused capacity, and displays on a small screen in the commander’s cupola. The engine has been modified to allow better cooling airflow, and the transmission is semi-automatic.

The T-72M4 CZ improves on the T-72M3 CZ, adding lugs for ERA on the turret front (and a small portion of the turret front roof), turret sides, hull front, and hull sides. The T-72M4 CZ is also about a third of a meter longer than the T-72M3 CZ; the powerpack has been replaced by one with a British-made CV-12 1000-horsepower supercharged diesel engine and US-made Allison XTG-411-6 fully automatic transmission.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The T-72M3 CZ and T-72M4 CZ do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*Both of these tanks have a hull floor AV of 7.