TR-85 - an old communist ambition in new clothes

The Romanian Armed Forces deployed 13 TR-85 tanks to Craiova Industries Tank Factory for testing, this december 10th. The TR-85 was a communist ambition of the 1980s. Today, more than 10 years after the project was initiated, the Romanian Armed Forces withold no less than 315 such magnificient tanks, and all of them are in a role waiting to be upgraded until 2005 the latest. They will be the main battle tank force of the future Romanian Armed Force's only 480 tanks which will remain in service from 2003 onwards, after the restructuration of the RoAF will finally be complete. Currently, since the 1980s, RoAF has been operating around 2,000 tanks of all versions, the great majority of them being produced in Romania after a Romanian original design by Romanian engineers and with Romanian materials.
TR-85M1 has advanced IR sensors, a giroscopic fire control system, as well as new navigation and communications systems.
Also, the new TR-85 could make 100 km/day in combat conditions, compared to 100km/2 months for the other tanks in service in the Romanian Armed Forces today.
Unfortunately, the Romanian Armed Forces do not have the necessary funding to buy new tanks, not even to repair existing ones, so the TR-85 is yet to pass its first halt, as col. Carol Karkso says: "If this thing remains a project and doesn't enters active service with the Army, we haven't done absolutely anything !".

©1999 Sorin A Crâsmarelu

december 1999