In the early 90s, the Slovenska Vojska (Slovenian Army) started an upgrade program of its T-55s with the support of the Israeli Elbit Systems. Vietnam did not have any local options for the development of upgrades for its outdated fleet of T-54, T-55 and Type-59. It is unclear if, given the Covid-19 pandemic, negotiations are moving forward or if the funding has been canceled to prioritize medical research and prevention. In 2020, the People’s Army of Vietnam announced its intention to buy several T-72B1MS. Around 2015, purchase negotiations began with Russia for the acquisition of a total of 64 first-hand T-90S and T-90SK, all delivered by February 2019. The other vehicles were put in reserve.ĭuring the late 1990s, it was decided to try to upgrade the fleet of T-54s and T-55s. The numbers of T-62s and Type 59s remained unchanged. In the following years, due to the high cost of maintaining such a fleet of armored vehicles, the number of tanks was reduced to 850 T-54s or T-55s, 300 PT-76s, 50 T-34-85s (used for training) and a small number of ASU-85s.

Source: ĭuring the Sino-Vietnamese War (1979) and the occupation of Cambodia (1978-1989), the PAVN realized that most of its equipment was no longer able to face a war against other comparable or larger nations. The second tank is equipped with 4 ‘Starfish’ style wheels and a ‘Spider’ one. To this day, these vehicles still account for over 50% of Vietnam’s armored force. T-54s and T-55s stored in a depot in Vietnam. These were accompanied by a small group of M41 and M48 Patton tanks captured from the US Army and the Army of the Republic of VietNam (ARVN) and returned to service after overhauls.

People’s Army of VietnamĪfter the Vietnam War (1964-1975), Vietnam operated a fleet of 70 T-62s, a few thousand T-54s and T-55s, hundreds more Type 59s and a large number of T-34-85s and SU-100s. Delays have occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic and bureaucratic problems. The People’s Army of VietNam (PAVN) has requested the upgrade of 305 T-54s and T-55s that are still (as of June 2021) being delivered. The new MBT (Main Battle Tank) aims to keep the Vietnamese T-54s and T-55s in service by making them more competitive against vehicles of their generation or more modern ones.Ī total of 3 prototypes were produced, one by Elbit Systems, and 2 by the Z153 Vietnamese industrial plant.Īfter the development phase was finished, 3 pre-series examples were built, which were practically identical to the finalized serial version.

U.s. army vietnam main battle tank