T-
The T-55 and T-54 main battle tanks were the Soviet Union's replacements for the World War II era T-34 tank. The T-54 and T-55 tanks are very similar in construction, but the T-55 lacks the T-54's bow-mounted SMGT 7.62mm machine gun, which was in a ball mount in the front of the hull, operated by the driver.
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Production history
The first T-54 succeeded the T-44 in production from 1947 as a result of a WWII-project. At the time it was better armed and armoured than its western counterparts, the Centurion and the M-46. It was redesigned in 1958 as the T-55, with a new and thicker turretcast. Production continued to 1981 in the Soviet Union. It was also produced in Czechoslovakia, Poland and in China as the Type 1959, later redesigned as the Type 1969; the Type 1969 is still manufactured in China for export today. The Chinese sold thousands to both sides in the war between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s.
Tens of thousands of T-55 tanks were manufactured in the Soviet Union between 1958 and 1981. It and the T-62 were the two most common tanks in Russian inventory - around 1975 the two types together comprised approximately 85% of the Russian army's tanks. The T-62 and T-55 now have mostly a reserve status; the active-duty units mainly use the T-64 and T-72, with a smaller number of T-80 and T-90 tanks in service (the T-90 in a few units only).
The Israelis captured over a thousand of these tanks from the Syrians and Egyptians in 1967 and 1973 and kept many of them in service, upgraded with a 105mm/L68 NATO-standard main gun replacing the old Soviet 100mm/D10 and the balky, unreliable Russian diesel engine replaced by a more modern diesel engine manufactured by General Motors, as the Tiran-5 medium tank. These were until around 1990 used by reserve units. The Israelis have sold most of them off to assorted Third World countries, some of them in Latin America, and heavily modified the rest, converting them into heavy armored personnel carriers called IDF Achzarit.
Very common around the world, in many cases upgraded with a NATO-standard 105mm/L68 gun replacing the old Russian 100mm/D10, some sources say that the T-55 is the single most numerous type of tank in military service around the world today. It is old, and completely outdated, but remains the platform of choice for mainly third world nations who find it fits nicely into their price range, and the wide array of new and old, expensive and inexpensive upgrade packages provided by a wide variety of manufacturers in many countries (some including new engines, Kontakt-5 ERA, new main armament including 120mm or 125mm guns, active protection suites, laser rangefinders, thermal sights like the French AGAVA, and other potential improvements) make it a potent MBT for the low-end budget even to this day, despite the fact that it's completely outclassed by every modern platform.
Variants
- T-54
- T-54M
- T-55
- T-55A
- T-55AM (reactive armor)
- T-55AM2PB (mostly made in USSR for East Germany, reactive armor and ATGM, most sold back to Russia in 1992, other T-55 tanks in Russian army upgraded to T-55AM2PB standards during 1992-2000)
- T-55AMV (bulldozer blade or mine plow)
- T-55 Enigma Iraq (T-55, Type-59, and Type-69 tanks used by Iraqi Brigade commanders had applique armour on turrets and hulls composed of steel filled with concrete. Intended to, and in many cases successful at defeating shaped charge warheads (one example is reported to have survived several hits form Milan missiles before being dispatched by a helicopter).
- T-55QM Iraq (had NATO-standard 105mm/L68 gun installed replacing the old 100mm gun, along with a French laser rangefinder), upgrades done in mid to late 1980s)
- T-55QM2 Iraq (T-55 upgraded by Russian technicians with a Russian 125mm/L80 smoothbore gun and French laser rangefinder, 1986-1991)
- Type 1959 China copy of T-55
- Type 1969 China redesigned Type 1959
- Type 1969-QM Iraq (Type 1969 upgraded with NATO standard 105mm gun and laser rangefinder, 1984-1988)
- Type 1969-QM2 Iraq (Type 1969 upgraded with Warsaw Pact standard 125mm/L80 smoothbore gun and laser rangefinder, 1986-1991)
- TR-77 (unlicensed copy manufactured in Romania, 1977-1991, exported very widely)
- Tiran-5 (upgraded Israeli version built on tanks captured in 1967 and 1973, no longer in service in Israel but many were sold off)
Combat history
- Hungary in 1956.
- Czechoslovakia in 1968.
- Israel-Arab wars in 1967 and 1973.
- Southeast Asia. (Vietnam, Cambodia)
- "Brushfire Wars" (Angola, Congo)
- Afghan Wars
- Chechen Wars
- Iran-Iraq War
- Gulf War.
- (Fill in)
General characteristics
- Length: 6.20 m
- Width: 3.60 m
- Height: 2.32 m
- Weight: 40.5 t
- Speed: 35 km/h (offroad)
- Range: 390 km
- Crew: 4 (loader, driver, gunner, commander)
- Armament:
- Primary: 100mm/D10 rifled gun (late models have ability to fire AT-10 Stabber anti-tank missiles)
- Secondary: 7.62 mm PKMT machinegun in coaxial mount, sometimes DShK 12.7mm heavy machinegun in antiaircraft mount atop turret, in front of commander's hatch.
- Power plant: 462-516 kW (620-690 hp) Diesel, sometimes upgraded with a more powerful and reliable engine of Western manufacture
- Armour: Up to 250mm of armour. Some late models have reactive armour, but almost all of these belong to the Russian army.
See also: List of tanks, List of Soviet tanks. fi:T-55 de:T-54 pl:T-55
Categories: Main battle tanks