All things said, I'm rather glad the Iraqi's were equiped with "monkey" T72s and not the newer T80/84 series with all the goodies in place. Might not have been quite the rollover that it was.
The Iraqi T-72Z upgrade of the T-55 [not to be condfused with the T-72 tank, though the rebuilt T55s are used to replace the T-72s Saddam lost in 1991, so the designation is appropriate, though derived from the moslem calender year] uses the gun and autoloader of the T-72, with all the features- and shortcomings- that system has to offer. but the Turks at one time considered fitted with a NATO-standard 120mm gun with a bustle-mounted autoloader that might have been adaptable to a *blowoff panel* protected storage area better arranged for crew survivability; General Dynamics offered the Turks something similar, a M1A1-style turret to be retrofitted to their M60/M60A1/M48 chassis, designated M60-2000. But if that 120mm gun and loader setup could be worked into a T-55 upgrade, THAT would be something. For additional, see the FReeppost and thread *here*, particularly the links in responses 51, 59 and 75.
-archy-/-