It looked for tracked vehicles for better cross country movements and larger caliber guns. In 1991, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps received from China twenty Type 85 light tanks, ten Type 90 APCs, command vehicles and a Type 86 armoured recovery vehicle which were assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment replacing the British armoured cars. That year the SLAC introduced main battle tanks with the formation of its first tank regiment, the 4th Armoured Regiment at Clappenburg in Trincomalee equipped with T-55A medium tanks and T 55 ARVs brought down from the Czechoslovakia.
It looked for armoured vehicles with enhanced mobility and firepower. In 1991, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps received twenty Type 85 light tanks, ten Type 90 APCs, command vehicles, and a Type 86 armoured recovery vehicle from China, which were assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment, replacing British armoured cars. That year, SLAC formed its first tank regiment, the 4th Armoured Regiment at Clappenburg in Trincomalee, equipped with T-55A medium tanks and T-55 ARVs brought down from Czechoslovakia.