Poland has unveiled its new Loara self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle, which looks like the turret of a German Gepard 35mm anti-aircraft system mounted on a T72 chassis. Which is basically what it is. The chassis is a Polish Bumar Labedy PT-91 Twardy, an enhanced version of the T-72M1. The turret uses the Oerlikon 35mm guns (one on either side of the turret). The turret mounts an Ericsson Eagle Mk-1 tracking radar, a French Sagem third-generation infrared camera, a Polish PCE daylight TV system, a laser rangefinder that the Poles copied from a Russian design, and a Polish CNPEP Radwar 3-dimensional surveillance radar. Production will start in 2002. A second version of the Loara will mount anti-aircraft missiles. One candidate is the Swedish Saab Bofors BAMSE; the other is the South African Kentron SAHV-3. --Stephen V Cole