The base armour of the M-55S is the same as the T-55 – a maximum of 100 mm on the hull front, and 200 mm on the turret. Still, tanks are not only useful against other tanks, so many improvements and modifications were made to the original design, especially in terms of armour, mobility and firepower. The T-55 is a 1950s design, so even with major upgrades it is never going to be able to challenge a modern main battle tank. With the assistance of the Israeli company Elbit Systems, all 30 of Slovenia’s T-55s were modified to the M-55S standard, with the first upgraded tank being completed in 1997 and the final M-55S delivered in 1999. Read More Namer – The Most Heavily Armored IFV in the World In the late 1990s, Slovenia decided to upgrade both tanks, with the T-55 becoming the M-55S once upgraded. When Slovenia achieved independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, it inherited all JNA tanks left on its soil: 54 M-84s and 30 T-55s (some sources state much higher). TORS did not operate any tanks at the time of conflict, unlike the JNA which possessed Soviet-based designs like the T-55 and T-72 (known as the M-84).Ī Slovenian M-84. Before independence, Slovenia contained its own defense force within Yugoslavia, the Slovenian Territorial Defence.ĭuring the Ten-Day War the Territorial Defence, better known as TORS, clashed with the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). In 1991 the Ten-Day War began when Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Only a small handful were made, as Slovenia only had a small stock of T-55s to modify. The M-55S is one of the most heavily upgraded T-54/55 variants, with additional frontal hull and turret armor, uprated suspension, new tracks, more engine power and a gun that fires NATO ammunition. One such state, Slovenia, produced their own T-55 modification that was unknown to most until being donated to Ukraine in 2022 to assist that country in its conflict with Russia: the M-55S. Naturally, many nations have produced their own modifications of the T-54/55 in order to maintain the tank’s longevity in their respective arsenals. Having been in service since 1947 with over 50 state and non-state actors, the T-54/55 is the most widely produced and used tank in the world.
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