Information AboutT-62 |
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The T-62 is the world's first second generation Main Battle Tank . The T-62 was produced between 1961 and 1975. It became a standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, partly replacing the T-55, although that tank continued to be manufactured in the Soviet Union and elsewhere after T-62 production was halted. The T-54/55 and T-62 were later replaced in front-line service by the T-64 and T-72 . DESCRIPTION Even though the tank shares many features with T-54/T-55 both of these tanks have been developed separately with T-62 being an alternative to T-54/T-55. The first major difference is the gun. 115mm U-5TS (2A20) tank gun was the first Smoothbore tank gun in use. And because of this gun's tremendous power T-62 was for few years considered the best tank in the world. The other major difference is the turret. Because the 115mm gun was bigger than the 100mm tank gun which was originally planned for T-62, the turret had to be bigger as well. Other differences between T-62 and T-54/T-55 include the hull which is few centimeters longer and wider, running wheels are also different than the ones in T-54/T-55, the gaps between third, fourth and fifth pairs of wheels are bigger than in T-54/T-55. T-62 has 5% better front armour of the hull (102mm) and 15% better front armour of the turret than the T-54/T-55.http://www.softland.com.pl/aerojac/aaa/t62/t62.htm PRODUCTION HISTORY In 1952, the new D-54-T 100mm Smoothbore tank gun started development. The Kartsev Design Bureau at the Uralvagonzavod factory (UVZ) in Nizhny Tagil mounted the gun on a prototype tank based on the T-54 in October 1954—this was called the ''Obyekt 139'', or sometimes T-54M (not to be confused with the T-54M tank refurbishment program of the mid-1960s). The tank incorporated a new Raduga gun stabilizer, a 50-round ammunition capacity, 14.5-mm antiaircraft machine gun, V-54-6 engine, and new wheel design. Further prototypes followed: ''Obyekt 140'' with Molniya stabilizer and D-54TS gun in September 1955, and ''Obyekt 165'' and ''Obyekt 166'' based on the improved T-55.Zaloga 2004, pp 11, 13. In January 1961, an Iranian officer defected with his new U.S. M60A1 tank, across the border into the Soviet Union. The M60's armour layout and British 105mm Gun enraged the Soviet Chief of Armoured Forces, who ordered the new gun's calibre increased to 115 mm. The larger gun had to be mounted in a bigger turret ring, which in turn required a longer tank hull. Based on the new hull, the T-62 was approved in July 1961, and started production on July 1 , 1962 .Zaloga 2004, p 13. Uralvagonzavod and the Malyshev Factory in Kharkiv , Ukraine, both replaced part of their T-55 production with the T-62. Production at UVZ ended in favour of the T-72 in 1971, and was replaced at Malyshev by the T-64 in 1967 (meanwhile, the T-55 continued production in Omsk until 1977).Zaloga 2004, pp 13–14. Along with the T-55 , the T-62 is one of the most common tanks in Russian inventory—the two types together once comprised approximately 85% of the Russian army's tanks. The T-62 and T-55 are now mostly used by Russian reserve units for a possible secondary mobilisation; the active-duty and primary mobilisation units mainly use the T-80 and T-72 , with a smaller number of T-90 tanks in service in active units. The T-62 was built in the Soviet Union and North Korea (including the upgraded Ch'onma-ho ). In some countires T-62 is also getting upgrades to make it fulfill modern standards (look on the photograph to the right). COMBAT HISTORY The T-62 had the world's first smoothbore tank gun, giving considerably greater velocity and power than the Western 90 mm and 105 mm tank guns of the day. The 115 mm gun introduced the first successful APFSDS ammunition, albeit with a steel penetrator (often still fielded as well). A Smoothbore gun also allowed for significantly better performance of HEAT ammunition, which was considered the main ammunition type to fight enemy armour at medium and long ranges. Empty cartridges are automatically ejected outside the vehicle through a small hatch in the rear of the turret. During the Yom Kippur war the T-62 was an effective adversary to Israeli Patton and Centurion tanks with their 105mm guns. The T-62 also had an advantage in its better night-fighting capability, but Syrian and Egyptian losses were heavy. The Israelis captured several hundred of these tanks from the Syrians and Egyptians in 1973 and put some into service as the Tiran-6 medium tank. These had a laser range-finder and a thermal imaging sight for the gunner, "Blazer" Reactive Armour tiles fitted to the front of the hull and the front and sides of the turret, and the Soviet engines replaced by General Motors diesel engines. The Tiran-6 is used by reserve units. The Israelis have sold the rest to assorted countries, many in Latin America . In 1982 , when Libya Invaded Chad , armoured units of Muammar Qaddafi's Pan-African Legion were resoundingly defeated by the army of Chad. Scores of T-62 tanks were destroyed by militiamen who had made Technicals from Toyota pickup trucks, (most of them still in their civilian paint). The technicals were essentially makeshift Tank Destroyer s, as the militiamen had mounted MILAN ATGM firing posts and welded tripod mounts for assorted Recoilless Rifle s onto the beds of the trucks. The Libyans retreated in disarray, leaving scores of wrecked and burning T-62 tanks behind. Granted, this is a likely scenario even for any ''modern'' MBT confronted by a force fielding well-armed technicals in a similar situation, or when the engaged force is unable to deal with an unexpected form of asymmetrical warfare. During the Soviet War In Afghanistan , the T-62 was the main tank used by the Soviet army. The Soviets used tanks pretty much in the same way as the US Army did in Vietnam, with many tanks in fire support bases. The BDD armour package appeared on many tanks towards the end of the war. This was an applique armour package specially designed to defeat shaped charges, ie RPG's, and consists of an applique plate on the glacis and two horse-shoe shaped blocks fitted to the front of the turret. The Russian army has also used the T-62 in combat in Chechnya, both T-62 and T-62M vehicles. VARIANTS
The T-62 originally came in two command tank versions, mainly used by company and battalion commanders.
There are a number of sub-variants of the T-62M, depending on how much of the modernisation package the vehicle has.
OPERATORS
Former operators
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