Peruvian Defense Minister Rafael Rey confirmed Tuesday that the Government is close to a deal to buy tanks from China.
With the aim of replacing the old T-55 bought from the former USSR during the 60s and 70s, the army is testing five MBT-2000 tanks brought from China and which were displayed in a military parade on Tuesday.
Although Minister Rey did not mention how many tanks Peru would buy or how much money it would spend, he said these tanks will be equipped with cutting edge Chinese technology.
Defense Minister Rafael Rey explained that these purchases are part of the measures adopted by Peru to have minimal defensive and deterrent capabilities.
Minister Rey also mentioned that Peru has evaluated other Russian and Polish models, but for now it is considering to acquire the Chinese-made tanks.
(END) EEP