Through the contract to supply the TIFCS-3BU fire control system for T-54 tanks, the total number of vehicles undergoing upgrades can be determined.
At present, Z153 Factory - General Department of Defense Industry is actively implementing the program of upgrading the main battle tanks of T-54B of Vietnam People's Army to T-54M standard with superior technical features. dominant.
It is known that the prototype of the T-54M tank is a modified version of the T-54M3 that the Israeli side offers to Vietnam, in addition to keeping the D-10T2S main cannon of 100 mm instead of the 105 mm M68 cannon. The configuration of the two MBTs is almost no different.
The issue of current interest is how many T-54/55 tanks and both the Type 59 will be upgraded according to the configuration above, before many foreign military sites from Israel have launched. expected number is 850, but the reality is likely to be less.
The information on this issue has recently been revealed, when the Spanish company Indra, the Israeli subcontractor - the unit responsible for providing the fire control system (FCS) for tanks T -54 Upgrades announced the order number for the product.
Specifically, the contract for the supply of FCS named TIFCS-3BU to the Vietnamese side consists of a total of 105 sets, of which 2 sets are for installation on vehicles as prototype, while the remaining 3 sets are for vehicles. pre-production.
Therefore, it can be seen that the remaining 100 sets of TIFCS-3BU equipment are used for mass upgrading, this is likely only the first phase only, after the actual evaluation process, it is not excluded. There will likely be new contracts.
According to the introduction from the manufacturer Indra, the FCS TIFCS-3BU complex includes a digitized ballistic computer with meteorological sensors, capable of automatically retrieving the cannon element when measuring a distance similar to 1A45 type mounted on main battle tank T-90.
The TSGS-54BU viewfinder of the TIFCS-3BU fire control system is the most notable detail, as it incorporates both day and night thermal imaging channels and both laser distance measurement and two-axis stabilization.
This device was developed specifically for the Russian "T" armored vehicles, including the T-54, so the compatibility is very high, can be mounted on the vehicle instead of the original TPN-1 night glass. without much modification.