Two of the T-62s with Berezhok turrets in the military parade in Algiers on 5 July. (AFP via Getty Images)
The Algerian People's National Army (ANP) unveiled the T-62 tanks that it has converted into fire-support vehicles during the parade marking the 60th anniversary of the country's independence on 5 July.
The parade included 10 of the conversions, which involved replacing the tank's original turrets with the Russian-made Berezhok turret that has been used to upgrade many of the ANP's BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles. This involved fitting an additional armoured collar around the T-62's turret ring to accommodate the smaller diameter of the Berezhok.
A T-62 hull fitted with this collar, but not the new turret, was seen in Algerian media coverage when ANP Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Saïd Chengriha visited the Central Logistics Base in Blida on 1 December 2020.
The facility was previously shown fitting Berezhoks to BMP-1s. The Russian media reported in 2015 that Algeria had placed a second order with KBP, Tula, for 360 Berezhoks for BMP-1s and quoted the company's general director as saying that more than 400 had been delivered under the first contract.
The Berezhok is an upgraded version of the BMP-2 turret that retains the 30 mm 2A42 autocannon and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun, while adding a 30 mm AGS-30 automatic grenade launcher and four Kornet anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) mounted in two launchers on either side of the turret, as well as a new fire-control system.
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