T-62
The T-62 is a Soviet medium tank that was first introduced in 1961. As a further development of the T-55 series, the T-62 retained many similar design elements of its predecessor including low profile and thick turret armour.
| T-62 | |
|---|---|
T-62 at the Russian Museum of Military History | |
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1961–present |
| Used by | See operators |
| Wars | See combat history |
| Production history | |
| Designer | OKB-520 design bureau |
| Manufacturer | Uralvagonzavod |
| Unit cost | US$300,000 (export price to Egypt, 1972) |
| Produced | 1961–1975 (USSR) ~1980s (North Korea) |
| No. built | More than 22,700 |
| Specifications (T-62) | |
| Mass | 37 t (41 short tons; 36 long tons) |
| Length | 9.34 m (30 ft 8 in) with barrel in forward position 6.63 m (21 ft 9 in) hull only |
| Width | 3.30 m (10 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader) |
| Armour | Cast turret 214 (242 after 1972) mm turret front 153 mm turret sides 97 mm turret rear 40 mm turret roof Hull 102 mm at 60° hull front 79 mm hull upper sides 15 mm hull lower sides 46 mm at 0° hull rear 20 mm hull bottom 31 mm hull roof |
Main armament | 115 mm U-5TS (2A20) smoothbore gun |
Secondary armament | 7.62 mm PKT coaxial general-purpose machine gun (2500 rounds) 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 antiaircraft heavy machine gun (optional until T-62 Obr.1972) |
| Engine | V-55 12-cylinder 4-stroke one-chamber 38.88-liter water-cooled diesel 581 hp (433 kW) at 2,000 rpm |
| Power/weight | 14.5 hp/tonne (10.8 kW/tonne) |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 425 mm (16.7 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 960 L 1360 L with two 200-liter extra fuel tanks |
Operational range | 450 km (280 mi) on road (650 km (400 mi) with two 200 L (53 US gal; 44 imp gal) extra fuel tanks) 320 km (200 mi) cross-country (450 km (280 mi) with two 200-liter extra fuel tanks) |
| Maximum speed | 50 km/h (31 mph) (road) 40 km/h (25 mph) (cross country) |
In contrast with previous tanks, which were armed with rifled tank guns, the T-62 was the first production tank armed with a smoothbore tank gun that could fire APFSDS rounds at higher velocities (the U.S. prototype T95 medium tank was the first tank ever built with a smoothbore gun).
While the T-62 became the standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, it did not fully replace the T-55 in export markets due to its higher manufacturing costs and maintenance requirements compared to its predecessor.
Although it was followed by later models in successor states of the Soviet Union, the T-62 remained in reserve in the former USSR and in frontline use by other countries. Design features of the T-62 became standardized in subsequent Soviet and Russian mass-produced tanks.