Russian Company Uralvagonzavod offers to upgrade Peruvian T-55 tank with BMPT turret 0507131

Defence & Security News - Peru

Several countries have already proposed solutions, including Germany with its main battle tank Leopard 2A4, the Netherlands offers surplus of Leopard 2A6 tank, and Russia with the T-90. Uralvagonzavod which also built the T-90, offers a solution to modernize T-55 tank with the integration of a turret from the BMPT, the latest generation of Russian-made armoured infantry fighting vehicle.

The idea would be to replace the turret of the T-55 tank by the combat module of BMPT. The BMPT turret is armed with two 30 mm 2A42 dual-feed cannons with a cyclic rate of fire of up to 600 rds/min. A 7.62 mm machine gun is mounted coaxially with the main armament. Four launchers for the Ataka-T anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), which can fire a variety of different warheads, are mounted on either side of the main armament. The BMP-T is also armed with two 30 mm AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher.

To enable the BMPT to engage targets in both day and night conditions and when the BMPT is stationary or moving, a computerized fire-control system is fitted. It uses proven elements from those fitted to the T-90 tank.

According to Uralvagonzavod, the engine, transmission and suspension of T-55 tank should not be changed after the upgrade. It is also possible to upgrade the powerpack and suspension to increase the level of mobility as the modern main battle tank T-90 and Leopard 2.