With the assistance of the Israeli company Elbit Systems, all 30 of Slovenia’s T-55s were modified to the M-55S standard, with the first upgraded tank being completed in 1997 and the final M-55S delivered in 1999.

Read More Namer – The Most Heavily Armored IFV in the World In the late 1990s, Slovenia decided to upgrade both tanks, with the T-55 becoming the M-55S once upgraded. When Slovenia achieved independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, it inherited all JNA tanks left on its soil: 54 M-84s and 30 T-55s (some sources state much higher).

TORS did not operate any tanks at the time of conflict, unlike the JNA which possessed Soviet-based designs like the T-55 and T-72 (known as the M-84).Ī Slovenian M-84. Before independence, Slovenia contained its own defense force within Yugoslavia, the Slovenian Territorial Defence.ĭuring the Ten-Day War the Territorial Defence, better known as TORS, clashed with the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). In 1991 the Ten-Day War began when Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Only a small handful were made, as Slovenia only had a small stock of T-55s to modify. The M-55S is one of the most heavily upgraded T-54/55 variants, with additional frontal hull and turret armor, uprated suspension, new tracks, more engine power and a gun that fires NATO ammunition. One such state, Slovenia, produced their own T-55 modification that was unknown to most until being donated to Ukraine in 2022 to assist that country in its conflict with Russia: the M-55S. Naturally, many nations have produced their own modifications of the T-54/55 in order to maintain the tank’s longevity in their respective arsenals. Having been in service since 1947 with over 50 state and non-state actors, the T-54/55 is the most widely produced and used tank in the world.

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