Armor: August 15, 2002

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Poland has signed a contract with Rheinmetall of Germany to upgrade its T-72s. This will involve replacing the turrets with a new Polish design, one that will incorporate the 120mm smoothbore gun and fire controls from the German Leopard-2A4. The Poles just got 128 Leopard-2A4s from Germany, and this will keep the entire Polish tank fleet using the same ammunition and spare parts. There is a serious possibility that Poland will start manufacturing 120mm NATO-compatible ammunition under license from Rheinmetall.--Stephen V Cole