Quote from the gentleman: , ,After reunification, Bloom&Voss made a proposal to increase the combat value and standardize the former NVA T-54 main battle tanks.
The idea behind it was to convert the numerous NVA tanks to NATO standards.
For this purpose, it was planned to equip the vehicles with the L07 of the Leopard 1 and convert the radio to SEM 25. Chains from Diehl and a gearbox from Renk with an MTU multi-fuel machine. M48 optics from stock.
KraussMafei, Reihnmetal and Bloom&Voss should be involved as executors
Survivability was to be achieved by upgrading the Soviet cast turrets and the frontal armor of the hull.
The sensitive drives of the T54 drives should be done through chain skirts.
The project was promising but was discontinued due to cost reasons and unnecessaryness due to disarmament after the end of the Cold War.
At the end of the 90s, the discontinued feasibility study received renewed interest from the Polish army for its aging T54 fleet. Slovakia was also involved…
Due to the purchase and transfer of leopards to NATO accession states, the project has now finally been shelved.
Reasons: high costs with only moderate stabilization of the weapon.
By the way, the study envisaged a crew of 5 including a loader because the L07 cannon could not be combined with the automatic loading system of the T54 and should therefore be replaced by a loader…"
I have the feeling there was a lot of mixing there, but maybe you know more?
