Performance included a road speed of 50 kph with a maximum range out to 380 kilometers. NBC protection was standard with night vision available. The 100mm main gun was the A308 series rifled system and this was backed by a 7.62mm SGMT coaxial machine gun fitting. A 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun was situated over the turret roof for local defense. 50 x 100mm projectiles were carried along with 3,500 x 7.62mm and 500 x 12.7mm rounds of ammunition.
Production of the TR-580 spanned form 1979 into 1985. The system became a 42-ton creation with a crew of four and featured a low profile silhouette consistent with Soviet tanks of the period. In time, a modernized form was worked on which produced the "TR-580M" model and included a laser rangefinder fitted over the 100mm main gun. The "TCZ-580" became an Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV) variant of the TR-580 with equipment in line with the Czechoslovakian VT-55A ARV. The export mark of the TR-580 MBT became "TM-800" and the ARV form was the "TER-800".
In 1981, the government of Iraq placed an order for 150 Romanian TR-580 tanks to strengthen its existing stock of T-55s and these units were delivered between 1981 and 1984 through Egyptian connections. Many were destroyed in subsequent combat or scrapped following the U.S. led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The TR-580 was eventually succeeded by the modern "TR-85", an MBT offering based on the T-55 featuring an all-new turret design with an all-new Fire Control System (FCS) to boot. The vehicle now included a German-originated engine and was given a new suspension system for improved cross country traversal. The TR-85 is detailed elsewhere on this site.
At present (2015), the Romanian Army has 42 remaining TR-580 MBTs in service along with about 530 T-55AM and T-55AM2 tanks. The TR-85 is represented through 249 TR-85 MBTs and 54 TR-85M1 "Bizon" series vehicles. All Iraqi TR-580s are believed to be lost to history.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.