VT-55A / ZS-55A

During Cold War it was usual for Soviet vehicles to be manufactured in other countries to accelerate production and entry into service throughout the Warsaw Pact. From 1969 to 1983, the ZTS factory, located in the Slovak city of Martin, manufactured a copy of the Soviet BTS-2 armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) under designation VT-55A. A T-55A medium tank chassis was modified and specialized equipment such as a 1,500kg capacity crane, a main winch for 75 tons and an auxiliary winch for 8 tons were installed. In addition, a loading platform was placed on the rear of the chassis. Up to 3 tons of cargo, spare parts and even an engine could be transported on this element. Later, a variant of the VT-55A was developed to which a BTU-55 dozer blade was mounted in the front. This new vehicle was designated ZS-55A, and was distributed among the Engineer Units. This vehicle maintained the same recovery capabilities as the VT-55A.

VT-55A / ZS-55A gallery and more info