Ukraine and Peru have started tests of a Ukrainian-Peruvian tank, the Tifon-2, that is expected to become the national tank of the South American state.
A high-ranking official in the defense sector told Interfax-Ukraine that a delegation of Peruvian servicemen visited Ukraine at the beginning of October to test the Tifon-2, which was designed by the Kharkiv-based Morozov Design Bureau on the basis of a modernized version of the T-55 – T-55ATM, in cooperation with the Peruvian Casanave (DICSA).
According to the source, Peru has launched a program to re-equip its army and is interested in the full-scale replacement of its 300 T-55 tanks with the Tifon-2.
“The Tifon-2 is expected to become the national tank of Peru,” the source said.
A representative of the defense sector also confirmed reports in the Peruvian mass media that servicemen preferred the Tifon-2 to the Chinese MBT-2000. At the same time “earlier the Peruvian side was also interested in other promising Ukrainian armored equipment, in particular, the Oplot main battle tank,” he noted.
