The Lviv Tank Plant has become the second Ukrainian factory to start manufacturing the modernized model of T-64 tanks complete with new thermal vision equipment, digital radio communication, satellite navigation systems, and new explosive-reactive armor, according to an August 12 news release by Ukroboronprom, the state-owned company that oversees the defense industry.
“As a result, we’ve managed to significantly expand its combat capabilities,” Ukroboronprom said.
The T-64 tank is the Ukrainian military’s main combat vehicle. The latest model was modernized in 2017.
During the upgrade, a new sighting gun complex was installed that allows it to detect, recognize, and destroy a target by firing a 125-millimeter cannon any time of the day and in all weather conditions.
Before, only the Kharkiv Armored Plant, also a part of Ukroboronprom, made the modernized T-64 tanks. It has supplied nearly 150 tanks to the military.
Ukraine has been fighting Russian-backed separatists in the two easternmost regions of the country since 2014 in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people.
