Just a few years before the official end to the unofficial Cold War, Poland’s military decided to modify its license built T-72M1s. The idea was to incorporate as many locally produced upgrades as possible. So many items were changed that the PT-91 Twardy (tough, strong) is almost a totally different tank from the T-72; engine, transmission, auto-loader, targeting system, etc.
Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, June 2020.
NATO video of PT-91 live-fire during wargame in Latvia, April 2020:
Polish Hussars PT-91 during Assurance wargame in Latvia, 26JUL2018.
Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, June 2018.
In Latvia, February 2018, NATO wargame Reassurance. A PT-91 arrives for ‘decontamination’.
A Slovenian soldier checks for ‘contamination’ of PT-91’s tracks/road wheels.
Polish PT-91 about to get ‘decontaminated’ during CBRN (Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear) training in Latvia. Back in the Cold War, and through the 1990s, we called it NBC (nuclear Biological Chemical) training.
Canadian Forces video by Master Corporal Brandon O’Connell, Polish PT-91 during NATO wargame in Latvia, 2017:
Adazi, Latvia, during NATO Saber Strike wargame, June 2017.
Since the 1990s, many new versions of the PT-91 battle-tank have come out, with different designations and names. There’s even recovery vehicles, engineer vehicles, bridgelayers and self propelled artillery based on the PT-91. Besides Poland, Georgia, India and Malaysia use some type of PT-91 variant.
Soviet era Armor in use by NATO: POLAND
NATO: POLAND SUKHOI 22