Tank origin

After its introduction in 1958, the T-55 became the keystone of Soviet armored vehicle units. As such, it received numerous upgrades in the decades that followed. Among the variants produced was the T-55AM, developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which was notable for using Bastion 9K116-1 ATGMs. Poland and Czechoslovakia also pursued their own T-55 upgrade programs around the same time as the T-55AM’s development; the Polish version, which used the Merida fire control system (FCS) to guide its missiles, was known by the designation “T-55AM2P.”