The Czech Republic is moving ahead with a program to modernize its T-72M4CZ tanks, which could be transferred to Ukraine after the upgrades. Chief of the General Staff Karel Rehka said the move aligns with the country’s security interests and would strengthen allies’ defenses.
Rehka said he plans to recommend that the government hand over a battalion of modernized T-72M4CZs to Ukraine. That would be 30 tanks that were taken out of service due to repair and maintenance challenges, chiefly a lack of spare parts for the outdated fire-control electronics.
“The decision to modernize the T-72M4CZ was made long before the war in Ukraine and before the offer of Leopard 2A4 tanks. It came at a time when the army didn’t have the financial resources to buy new tanks, and the only way to keep the tank force combat-ready was to upgrade existing equipment,” the general said.
The modernized Czech tanks differ significantly from baseline T-72s. They are equipped with a 12-cylinder CV-12 engine from Britain’s Perkins Engines rated at 1,000 hp, an Italian-made TURMS-T fire-control system with modern sights, explosive reactive armor, and upgraded communications and sensors.
In 2020, VOP CZ carried out repairs on 27 T-72M4CZ tanks, three command vehicles and three technical support vehicles.
Jan Grohmann, editor-in-chief of Czech military outlet Armadni Noviny, told Militarnyi that even before Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Czech Republic planned to modernize one battalion of tanks. At the time, the main reason wasn’t combat needs but the inability to service aging equipment.
After 2022, the situation changed: the defense ministry gained additional resources, and Germany offered Leopard 2A4 tanks and participation in procuring new vehicles based on the Leopard 2 chassis. Even so, the T-72M4CZ modernization contract had already been signed, and work continued.
“Instead of a full modernization, it’s more of a technical refresh that replaces discontinued components and upgrades or replaces communications, sensors and fire-control components,” Grohmann said.
This spring, the Czech Republic completed the transfer to Ukraine of its final batch of T-72M1 tanks, officially retiring the type. Hospodářské Noviny reported that about 20 tanks were delivered, leaving none of that model in storage.
