Tankopedia
Late Cold WarMediumMedium TankPoland

T-55AM Merida (Polish)

In service 1986 - 2002

Based onT-55 (upgrade of)

Also known asT-55AM Merida, Merida

Poland's own answer to an ageing T-55 fleet: a fire-control, armour and mobility package developed at home rather than bought from Moscow, fielded from 1986.

Built byZaklady Mechaniczne Bumar-Labedy

T-55AM Merida (Polish)
T-55AM of the Polish 4th Armoured Brigade — Kerim44, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Development history

By the 1980s Poland had hundreds of T-55s that could not hit a moving NATO tank at range. Rather than replace them, Polish industry developed the Merida package: a Merida laser rangefinder and ballistic computer, a new gunner's sight, appliqué armour on the turret front and glacis, rubber side skirts, smoke grenade launchers and an improved engine and cooling. Around 660 vehicles were rebuilt from 1986. The result was never a match for a Leopard 2, but it made the fleet usable for another decade and gave Polish industry the modernisation know-how that produced the PT-91. The type was withdrawn in 2002 as Leopard 2A4s arrived from Germany.

Variants

One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.

  1. T-55AM Merida

    1986

    Merida rangefinder and ballistic computer, appliqué armour, side skirts, improved engine.

  2. T-55AD-1M Drawa

    1990s

    Later Polish package with the Drawa fire-control system fitted to part of the fleet.

Notable actions

  • Cold War service (Warsaw Pact)