Type 59 - Operators

Operators

  • Albania - 721+ delivered by China and used by Albanian government alongside 75 Russian T54 & 300+ T55 tanks. Today most are retired and some in storage.
  • Afghanistan - 100
  • Bangladesh - 36 Type 59 tanks were ordered in 1980 from the PRC and delivered between 1980 and 1981 (aid). 240 T-54s, T-55s, Type 59s and Type 62s were in service in early 2001 and 180 in early 2003. 80 Type 59 and Type 69 tanks were in service in 2004 and 2006. 264 (including 30 Soviet-made T-54A MBTs received as gift from Egypt, they were later modified to incorporate Type 59 parts with Chinese help). According to inventory as of 2010, the army currently has 264 T 59 and T 59IIs and 30 T-54 which is however been converted to heavy APC / IFV .
  • Cambodia - 150 T-55s, Type 59s, and PT-76s were in service in early 2001 and 170 in early 2003. 50 Type 59 tanks were in service in 2004 and 2006. 200
  • People's Republic of China - 6,000 Type 59s were in service in 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000, 5,000 in 2003 and 2005 and around 5,000 in 2010. 5,500 - 6,000
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo - 20
  • Congo-Brazzaville- 15
  • Iran - 300 Type 59 tanks were ordered in 1981 from the PRC and delivered between 1982 and 1984. 200 T-54s, T-55s and Type 59s have been upgraded to Safir-74 (also known as T-72Z although it shouldn't be confused with Iraqi modernization of the same name) standard (20 could possibly be Sudanese vehicles modernized for Sudan). 220 Type 59 tanks were in service in 2000. 540 T-54s, T-55s and Type 59s were in service in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008.
  • Sri Lanka - 80+
  • Myanmar - Type 59D/D1 - 160+
  • North Korea - Between 50 and 175 ordered in 1972 from the PRC and delivered in 1973. 250 ZSU-57-2 turrets ordered in 1967 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1968 and 1977 were fitted to Type 59 hulls. 500 T-55s were ordered in 1973 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1975 and 1979 (The supplier may have been PRC in which case the vehicles wouldn't be T-55s but Type 59s). There 175 Type 59s in service in 1985 and 1990 and 500 in 2000. There were 3,500 T-34s, T-54s, T-55s, T-62s and Type 59s in early 2001, around 3,500 in early 2003 and 2004 and more than 3,500 in 2006.
  • Pakistan - 80 Type 59 tanks ordered in 1964 from the PRC and delivered between 1965 and 1966. 210 Type 59 tanks ordered in 1968 from the PRC and delivered between 1970 and 1972. 159 Type 59 tanks ordered in 1973 from the PRC and delivered in 1974. 852 Type 59 tanks ordered in 1975 from the PRC and delivered between 1978 and 1988. Between 80 and 400 modernized to Al-Zarar standard. Around 1,300 Type 59s were in service in 1990, 1,200 in 1995 and 2000, 1,100 in 2002, 1,000 Type 59s and 80 Al-Zarars in 2005, 600 Type 59s and 300 Al-Zarars in 2008, 400 Type 59s and 400 Al-Zarars in 2010. 1,200
  • Sudan - 10
  • Tanzania - 30
  • Vietnam - 350
  • Zambia - 20
  • Zimbabwe - 30

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