T-55/Type 59 (Iraqi-Modified)

     Notes: Iraqi T-55s (and Type 59 and 69 tanks) are often found with additional armor on their hull front, hull sides, and all faces of the turret. This extra armor is not sophisticated; it is merely sheets of steel interspersed with thin sheets of rubber. It is, however, a good example of primitive "composite" armor. The Iraqi T-55s and Type 59s also have somewhat more advanced night vision equipment. On each side of the turret is a bank of four smoke dischargers.

     A rather rare modification for these Iraqi tanks is the addition of a laser rangefinder. Most such vehicles are command vehicles or were issued to the Republican Guard.

     There were two versions of the T-55 and Type 59 that had their main guns replaced with a 125mm gun. One such modification does not have extensive modifications to the turret beyond what is required to install the gun and its autoloader. It is equipped with better IR and smoke grenade dischargers, and a large stowage basket extends over the back and sides of the turret. It has a set of new side skirts.

     The second such modification has the 125mm gun and autoloader. This version has an enlarged turret with a higher roof, allowing more ammunition storage. This modification retains stock night vision equipment. It has smoke dischargers, and a large stowage basket on the turret.

     It is probable that most of these tanks were destroyed in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, these modifications became more and more common as the war went on.

*In addition to acting as standard spaced armor, the primitive composite armor reduces penetration by an additional 1 point per die of damage.

T-55/Type 59 Enigma

     Notes: The T-55 Enigma is another upgrade of the T-55 and Type 59, but it is a more comprehensive upgrade than those listed above.  The name Enigma was the name that Coalition Intelligence gave to this variant; it is however not the tank’s actual Iraqi designation.  The Iraqi designation was not known during the Gulf War and was never actually discovered. It is unknown how many such conversions were made, though the Enigma variant is thought to number in the hundreds.  The Enigmas were generally used as command tanks in armored units.

     The primary upgrade on the Enigma is its add-on armor.  The turret front and sides are replete with blocks of composite armor blocks, so much so that the turret looks much bigger than a standard T-55, though inside the turret it is the same size.  The add-on armor blocks are tringle-shaped, with the wide end at the bottom of the turret face.  The Enigma’s appearance is somewhat similar to that of the T-55AM, though the add-on blocks are much larger.  Smaller blocks of composite armor are found at the rear of the turret and on the glacis and hull sides. Standard applique armor is found on the hull rear.  Layered on top of the armor on the turret front and sides, and the glacis and hull sides, are lugs for Kontakt-1 ERA.  Finally, the hull floor and turret and hull roof have a layer of applique armor.  Unfortunately, the Enigma has the same V-55 520-horsepower engine of the T-55, and the extra armor weight about 4.6 tons (more if using Kontakt-1 ERA), so mobility is somewhat impaired.

     The main gun is the standard 100mm gun for the T-55, but is stabilized in two planes and equipped with a laser rangefinder and ballistic computer. An additional coaxial machinegun is carried; the second coaxial machinegun is normally fed with tracer ammunition and used by the Enigma’s commander to point out targets for other tank crews in the unit. The commander also has a heavy machinegun on a pintle by his hatch; during the Gulf War, some Enigmas were encountered with AGS-17s on this mount instead. Finally, the Enigma has improved night vision capability and extra long-range radios.

     It is believed that most Enigmas were destroyed by allied attacks in the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.  Those were left were used as range targets by allied forces and later by the New Iraqi Army used for the same thing.  Some have also been placed in museums in the US, Britain, Egypt, and Europe.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Though common in Iraqi tank formations at the beginning of the Twilight War, attrition was heavy in the earliest battles of the War, as it was known to allied armored crews that the Enigma was a command vehicle, and the Enigma, with its add-on armor, had distinctive looks.