Slovenia has completed the last of 30 T55 tanks being converted to the new T55S1 configuration. The original 100mm cannon has been replaced with a western 105mm rifled gun. A new fire control system and Israeli explosive reactive armor have been fitted. The suspension has been upgraded and new tracks have been fitted. A new 600hp diesel engine has replaced the original Soviet power plant.--Stephen V Cole

The Marine Corps has decided to buy the M88A2 Hercules tank recovery vehicle, the same vehicle that the Army selected for its M1A1s.--Stephen V Cole

Photos on Israeli TV have shown new sloped armor packs fitted to the turret sides of Merkava-3 and even Merkava-2 tanks. The Merkavas have a modular system allowing the armor to be repaired easily and upgraded to meet new threats. It is known that a new electro-optical fire control system is being fitted to Merkava-3 to allow the tank commander to hunt for new targets while the gunner destroys previously-detected ones.--Stephen V Cole