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ZŤS Vz.63-1 Ogar

Czechoslovakia·Medium Tank·MT sniper

By the mid-1960s, the Czechoslovak Army was planning to obtain a license to produce the Soviet T-55 medium tank. Alongside this they were considering an alternative option—a homegrown tank with similar technical characteristics. By 1964, they had prepared a concept for a vehicle designated ZŤS Vz.63-1 Ogar combining the best solutions of the Soviet and Czechoslovakian tank-building schools. However, analysis of all the benefits and drawbacks made it clear that producing a licensed copy of the T-55 with Soviet technologies would be far cheaper than setting up production of a new Czechoslovakian tank. The military decided against building a prototype, and all the design documentation was archived.