Armor makers developed an interesting project in the 2000s to modernize Soviet T-72 tanks by installing the French T21 turret, complete with the gun and autoloader from the Leclerc main battle tank.
At the time, the blueprints failed to attract buyers and remained at the conceptual stage. However, the idea may now be gaining relevance — not only in terms of reviving the original proposal, but also as a broader approach to modernizing Soviet-style MBTs with Western weapons and systems.
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According to available information, it was the French defense company GIAT (now KNDS France) and Slovakia’s DMD who jointly worked on this T-72 modernization concept. The project was first presented at the Eurosatory 2000 exhibition.
Only a display model was shown at the time, while implementation of a working prototype was supposed to start upon receiving orders.
The partners offered integration of the 15-ton T21 turret onto the T-72 chassis without requiring any structural modifications. Alongside the Leclerc’s gun and autoloader, it was to feature a fire control system with "hunter-killer" capability.
Some sources suggest the modernization format was intended primarily for the Slovak Armed Forces where T-72s are in relative abundance. Variants were also proposed for integration of the T21 turret onto Western platforms such as the M60 and Leopard 1 tanks.
In this context we should also mention a conceptually similar project by GIAT, known as the T59. It involved mounting a 105 mm gun on the T-55 and was targeted at former Warsaw Pact countries, too.
None of these concepts secured buyers in the 2000s. As a result, the only publicly available material on the T-72 with the T21 turret is the said model photo from Eurosatory 2000, courtesy of Armada website, and a few renderings of the proposed vehicle.
Today, such modernization ideas may once again be relevant, particularly for Ukraine, which operates a large fleet of Soviet-type tanks, or for other European countries still using Warsaw Pact-era MBTs. Still, questions remain regarding their practical feasibility, who might support or oppose such initiatives, and which factors will ultimately shape the outcome.
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