Zastava M55

Zastava M55 with a SA32 surface-to-air missile mount on a TAM-110 military transport truck

The standard towed version of the M55 introduced in 1971, is intended for infantry use.[3]

The M55 A3 B1 is an improved version of the M55 A2 introduced in 1978.[4]

The M55 A4 B1 was introduced in 1977–78, and is an M55 gun system mounted on the towed carriage of the Swiss GAI-D01 anti-aircraft gun. A new computer-controlled targeting system – the Galileo ballistic computer – was installed, which automatically monitors the gun after the target has been acquired. In addition, an engine of the same type as the M55 A3 B1 has been placed under the gunner's seat, which was moved from the lateral position found on the previous version in order to improve the weight distribution of the three barrels and prevent them from vibrating. When the cannon is put into position, the towed carriage is removed, and a small splinter-proof shield has been installed in front of the targeting device and the gunner.[5]

M55 A4 M1 (BOV-3)

The M55 A4 M1 was first introduced in 1983, and consists on a modified A4 B1 system upgraded with the Galileo J171 ballistic computer, mounted on a turret installed in the top roof of a BOV armoured personnel carrier.[6][7][8][9]

The Zastava M55 A2 was employed extensively by the People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) during the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002) and the later stages of the South African Border War (1966–1990), with a number of them being captured by the South African Defence Force during their military operations launched against SWAPO/PLAN guerrilla bases at southern Angola in the 1980s.[10] Some of the captured guns were stripped from the triple mounts and re-mounted on the Casspir APCs employed by the Koevoet on their counter-insurgency operations in Angola and South West Africa[11] whilst others were handed over to the Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola, the armed wing of UNITA.

The Zastava M55 was also employed by the People's Forces of Liberation of Mozambique (FPLM) during both the Mozambican Civil War (1977–1992) and the later phase of the Rhodesian Bush War, with a few guns falling into the hands of the Rhodesian Security Forces in the course of their covert cross-border raids on Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) guerrilla training camps in Mozambique during the late 1970s.[12]

Lebanon received an unspecified number of Zastava M55 A2 autocannons sometime in the early 1970s from Yugoslavia, which were assigned to the air defense units of the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese Air Force.[13] They were extensively employed during the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), with several guns falling into the hands of the various competing Christian and Muslim militias after the collapse of the Lebanese Armed Forces in January 1976. Main operators included the Army of Free Lebanon,[14] Lebanese Arab Army,[15] Al-Tanzim, Kataeb Regulatory Forces,[16] Zgharta Liberation Army, the Tigers Militia, Arab Socialist Union,[17] the Druze People's Liberation Army,[18][19] the Al-Mourabitoun,[20][21][22] and the Palestine Liberation Organization[23] who mounted their Zastava M55 autocannons on technicals and M113 armored personnel carriers.[24][25][26][27]

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence reported that it destroyed two Armenian Zastava M55s 9–10 October 2020 as part of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.[28]

• Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (UNITA) – Handed over by South Africa or captured from FAPLA.
• Lebanese Armed Forces – Retired (now used for training purposes only).
• Rhodesian Security Forces – Captured from FPLM or ZANLA.
• Palestine Liberation Organization – Captured from the Lebanese Armed Forces.[38]
• South African Defence Force – Captured from FAPLA.
• Syrian Armed Forces
• Yugoslav People's Army and Territorial Defense – passed on to successor states.
• Kuwait Army - Used in the arab-israeli wars.