Not strictly modern ... I have seen numerous photographs of Iraqi T-69 IIs from the First Gulf War, but were they still in service at the time of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq?

Some were still used there at that time :



even by the new Iraqi Army



H.P.

Merci Bien Henri-Pierre

Paul

They were used in the Battle of al-Nasiriya in March 2003. That was bitter fighting, the T-69s scored some kills.

Here's another one destroyed in April 2003, north of the An Nu'maniyah Bridge on Highway 27 :


Many Type 69-II's were used as artillery pillboxes :



H.P.

Based on studying a lot of images of Iraqi T-55/Type 69s photographed during the early stages of OIF, it seems clear that some of them had been through a refurb programme. There was evidence of Chinese components on 'European' T-55s.

Makes sense if you think about it - there were a lot of damaged and worn-out vehicles left over from Desert Storm. With Iraq unable to purchase lots of new kit during that period, it follows that they would have cannabalised some vehicles to repair/upgrade others.

John