Tanks

T-55AM-2

Also known as
  • T-55AM2
  • T 55 AM 2
  • T 55 AM II
  • T-55 AM II
  • T55AM2
  • T-55AM-2 Kladivo
  • T-55AM2 Kladivo

The T-55AM-2 is a Czechoslovak T-55 modernization that added passive BDD applique armor, side skirts, smoke dischargers, improved mobility equipment, modern radios, and the Kladivo fire-control lineage while retaining the manually loaded 100 mm D-10-series gun. Sri Lankan Army records document T 55 AM 2/AM II tanks arriving for the 4th Armoured Regiment before the final phase of the 1983 Sri Lankan Civil War, where the regiment used tank squadrons for assault, defensive holding, and direct-fire support.

T-55AM-2, Upgraded T-55 main battle tank, Tanks
Image source: File:T-55AM2 Main Battle Tank.JPG

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Czechoslovakia
Type
Upgraded T-55 main battle tank
Service note
1980s Czechoslovak modernization; exported from Czech stocks after the Cold War
Designer
Czechoslovak T-55 modernization program
Designed
1980s modernization program
Produced
Modernized and exported from late-Cold-War and post-Cold-War stocks
Number built
Public sources give export and service batches rather than a reliable total production figure

Specifications

Crew
4
Main armament
100 mm D-10T2S-series rifled gun
Secondary armament
7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and 12.7 mm DShKM roof machine gun on AM-family references
Combat weight
About 40.5 tonnes on FAS T-55AMV/T-55AM-family data; exact AM2 weights vary by armor package and source
Engine
V-55U V-12 diesel, commonly reported at about 620 hp for AM2/AM-family upgrades
Road speed
About 50 km/h
Range
About 390-450 km on internal fuel depending on reference; longer with external fuel tanks
Protection
BDD-style passive applique armor, side skirts, smoke dischargers, NBC protection, and mine/anti-radiation improvements on AM-family upgrades
Fire control
Czechoslovak Kladivo fire-control lineage for AM2; missile-capable AM2B adds 1K13/9K116-related equipment
Modernization Profile

The AM2 package is best understood as a late-life rebuild of T-55-family tanks rather than a new tank design. It kept the four-person crew and 100 mm D-10-series gun while adding visible survivability and fire-control changes.

Fire control

Czechoslovak AM2 sources connect the variant with the locally developed Kladivo laser-rangefinder and wind-sensor fire-control lineage.

Sources: GlobalSecurity T-55AM-2; Tank-AFV T-55 Czechoslovak Variants.

Protection

The AM2 added BDD-style passive turret armor, hull applique armor, side skirts, smoke grenade launchers, and related survivability changes.

Sources: GlobalSecurity T-55AM-2; Tank-AFV T-55 Czechoslovak Variants.

Export context

SIPRI records ex-Czech T-55AM-2 transfers to Sri Lanka and Yemen in 2000-2001, showing the variant's post-Cold-War movement from surplus stocks into active conflict inventories.

Source: SIPRI International Arms Transfers 2001 Register.

Variants

T-55AM-2 designations sit inside the wider T-55AM modernization family; suffixes distinguish fire-control, missile, armor, and command configurations rather than a clean-sheet tank.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
T-55AM2Baseline Czechoslovak AM2 modernization

The baseline AM2 kept the 100 mm gun and added BDD-style passive armor and other modernization features; specialist references distinguish it from missile-capable AM2B versions.

Sources: GlobalSecurity T-55AM-2, Tank-AFV T-55 Czechoslovak Variants

T-55AM2BMissile-capable Czechoslovak AM2 derivative

GlobalSecurity distinguishes the Czechoslovak AM2B as the version fitted for the 9K116 Bastion gun-launched missile through the 1K13 fire-control equipment.

Sources: GlobalSecurity T-55AM-2

T-55AM2K1 / K2 / K3Command versions

Tank-AFV lists K1, K2, and K3 command versions at company, battalion, and division command levels.

Sources: Tank-AFV T-55 Czechoslovak Variants

Base Tank Family

The T-55AM-2 was a modernization of existing T-55-family tanks, so its reader context belongs alongside the broader Soviet-designed family.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
T-54/T-55, Main battle tank / medium tank family, TanksT-54/T-55Base tank family

FAS describes the T-54/T-55 lineage as a widely produced family with Czechoslovak and Polish production, while GlobalSecurity identifies the AM2 as a Polish and Czechoslovak modernization parallel to the Soviet T-55M/T-55AM program.

Sources: FAS T54/T55 Series Tanks, GlobalSecurity T-55AM-2

Timeline

T-55AM-2 Key Events

  1. Soviet T-55M/T-55AM modernization baseline appears

    FAS and GlobalSecurity describe the early-1980s modernization wave that added fire-control, protection, radio, mobility, and armor improvements to T-55-series tanks.

    Sources: FAS T54/T55 Series Tanks, GlobalSecurity T-55AM-2

  2. Czech T-55AM-2 transfer to Sri Lanka recorded

    SIPRI's 2001 transfer register lists Czech T-55AM-2 main battle tanks ordered by Sri Lanka in 2000 for delivery in 2000-2001, with the comment that they were for use against LTTE rebels.

    Sources: SIPRI International Arms Transfers 2001 Register

  3. First T 55 AM 2 batch reaches Sri Lanka

    Sri Lanka's 4th Armoured Regiment history says the first 11 new T 55 AM 2 tanks reached Colombo on 6 January 2001 and enabled a new D Squadron.

    Sources: Sri Lanka Army 4th Armoured Regiment History

  4. Second T 55 AM II batch arrives

    The same regimental history records a second consignment of 25 T 55 AM II tanks arriving on 15 April 2001, after which the regiment had four sabre squadrons.

    Sources: Sri Lanka Army 4th Armoured Regiment History

  5. Armored operations in the final campaign

    The 4th Armoured Regiment history describes its squadrons supporting decisive operations from the Muhamalai-Kilali defenses during the final 2008-2009 campaign.

    Sources: Sri Lanka Army 4th Armoured Regiment History

Media

T-55AM-2 Images

T-55AM-2, Upgraded T-55 main battle tank, Tanks - view 1
Source: File:T-55AM2 Main Battle Tank.JPG
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Sources

Sri Lanka Army 4th Armoured Regiment HistoryPublisher: Sri Lanka Armoured Corps | Note: Supports 1983 Sri Lankan Civil War direct use by Sri Lankan government forces: records T 55 AM 2/T 55 AM II arrivals for the 4th Armoured Regiment and describes tank-squadron operational deployments through the 2006-2009 final campaign. | Accessed: 2026-07-08Sri Lanka Armoured Corps HistoryPublisher: Sri Lanka Armoured Corps | Note: Supports 1983 Sri Lankan Civil War direct use context by Sri Lankan government forces, including 4th Armoured Regiment T-55 AM II squadron equipment and 2007-2009 Humanitarian Operation armored-force context. | Accessed: 2026-07-08Sri Lanka Armoured Corps AFV DetailsPublisher: Sri Lanka Armoured Corps | Note: Supports Sri Lankan T 55 AM II identity, Czech Republic origin, and induction date. | Accessed: 2026-07-08SIPRI International Arms Transfers 2001 RegisterPublisher: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute | Note: Supports export and transfer background for T-55AM-2 tanks, including Czech transfers to Sri Lanka for use against LTTE rebels and Yemen deliveries. | Accessed: 2026-07-08FAS T54/T55 Series TanksPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports T-54/T-55 family specifications, Czechoslovak and Polish production background, AM2 variant distinction, and baseline AM-family armament, mobility, and protection data. | Accessed: 2026-07-08GlobalSecurity T-55AM-2Publisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports T-55AM-2 modernization background, Kladivo fire-control context, AM2 versus AM2B missile-capability distinction, and AM-family armor, radio, and mobility changes. | Accessed: 2026-07-08Tank-AFV T-55 Czechoslovak VariantsPublisher: Tank-AFV.com | Note: Supports Czechoslovak T-55AM2 variant details, including passive BDD-style armor, V-55U engine, R-173P radio, smoke grenade launchers, headlights, AM2B missile-capable derivative, and command variants. | Accessed: 2026-07-08File:T-55AM2 Main Battle Tank.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a T-55AM2 main battle tank photograph under CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-08File:T-55AM2.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a T-55AM2 photographed at the National Museum of Military History, Sofia. | Accessed: 2026-07-08