T-62

{{Infobox Weapon |is_vehicle=yes |name=T-62 |image= |caption=T-62 at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Kiev |type=Main battle tank |origin= |service=July 1961–present |used_by= |wars= |designer=OKB-520 design bureau |manufacturer= Uralvagonzavod |production_date=July 1961–1975 (USSR)
1975–1978 (Czechoslovakia)
–1980s (North Korea) |number=More than 22,700 |variants= |spec_label=T-62 |length=9.34 m with barrel in forward position
6,63 m hull only |width=3.30 m |height=2.40 m |weight=40 tonnes |suspension=torsion bar |clearance=425 mm |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) The new American tanks were armed with a British 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7A1 tank gun, the same as the earlier British Centurion main battle tanks and the later German Leopard 1 main battle tanks. The M60's armour layout and L7A1 tank gun granted superiority to the NATO main battle tanks over Soviet contemporary main battle tanks.

Design

The T-62 has a typical tank layout: driver's compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the center and engine compartment in the rear. The four-man crew consists of the commander, driver, gunner and loader. Although the T-62 is very similar to the T-55 and makes use of many of the same parts, there are some differences. Those include the hull, which is a few centimeters longer and wider, the different road wheels, and differences in characteristic uneven gaps between roadwheels. Unlike the T-54 and T-55 main battle tanks, the gaps between the last three pairs of roadwheels are larger than the rest. (Perrett 1987:37-38)

Armament

The armament consists of the 115 mm U-5TS "Molot" (2A20) Rapira smoothbore tank gun with a two-axis "Meteor" stabilizer and 7.62 mm PKT coaxial general purpose machine gun mounted on the right of the main gun. The 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 antiaircraft heavy machine gun is mounted on the loader's hatch. It was optional until 1972 when all newly built tanks were fitted with the AA HMG. The tank carries 40 rounds for the main gun (although only 4 are placed in the turret while the rest are stored in the back of the fighting compartment and in the front of the hull, on the right of the driver) and 2500 rounds for the coaxial machine gun. All of vehicle's armament is mounted in or on the round cast egg-shaped turret from the Ob'yekt 140 prototype main battle tank, mounted over the third pair of roadwheels. It takes more than 21 seconds for the T-62's turret to rotate through a full 360°, which is longer than the time needed by US and NATO tanks of the time. The T-62 was armed with the world's first smoothbore tank gun, giving it considerably greater muzzle velocity than the Western 90 mm and 105 mm tank guns of its time. It can fire BM-6 APFSDS-T, BK-4, BK-4M HEAT and OF-18 Frag-HE rounds. The 115 mm gun introduced the first successful APFSDS ammunition, albeit with a steel penetrator. A smoothbore gun allowed a significantly better performance (from 10% to 20%) from HEAT ammunition, which was considered the main ammunition type for fighting enemy armour at medium and long ranges. The gun can be elevated or depressed between −6° and +16°. The tank has no autoloader and has to be reloaded by hand. To reload the gun it must be elevated or depressed to +3.5°. Empty cartridges are automatically ejected outside the vehicle through a small hatch in the rear of the turret. The gun has range of fire of about 4 km during day conditions and 800 m (with the use of night vision equipment) at night. The T-62's practical rate of fire is 4 rounds per minute while the vehicle is stationary and is lower when the vehicle is moving. The low rate of fire falls behind the capabilities of Western 105 mm tank guns. When the tank and the target are stationary, the U-5TS has almost the same accuracy as the American M60 Patton and the German Leopard 1 main battle tanks. When the tank or the target are moving the accuracy becomes very poor due to the tank's poor stabilization system and the lack of a fire control system. Even the APFSDS-T rounds at a range of 700 meters are half as accurate when the target is moving with a constant speed.

Mobility

The T-62 uses torsion bar suspension. It has five pairs of rubber-tired roadwheels, a drive sprocket at the rear and idler at the front on each side, with no return rollers. The first and last roadwheels have a hydraulic shock absorber. The tank is powered by the V-55 12-cylinder 4-stroke one-chamber 38.88 liter water-cooled diesel engine developing 581 hp (433 kW) at 2,000 rpm. This is the same engine as the one used in the T-55. Because the T-62 weighs more than the T-55, it is less maneuverable. Like the T-55, the T-62 has three external diesel fuel tanks on the right fender and a single auxiliary oil tank on the left fender. The tank carries 960 liters of fuel in its internal and external fuel tanks. Two optional 200-liter drum-type fuel tanks can be fitted on the rear of the vehicle for an increased operational range.

Each time the gun is fired, the tube must go into détente for cartridge ejection; the power traverse of the turret is inoperable during ejection and reloading operations. Since manual elevation and traverse are rather slow and not effective for tracking a moving target, rapid fire and second-hit capabilities are limited. The turret cannot be traversed with the driver's hatch open. Although the tank commander may override the gunner and traverse the turret, he cannot fire the main gun from his position. He is unable to override the gunner in elevation of the main gun, causing target acquisition problems. The original plans were that the T-62 would be produced until Morozov's Ob'yekt 432 tank was developed. T-62 production was maintained at Uralvagonzavod until 1973 when it was replaced on the production lines by the T-72. Until the end of production 20,000 T-62 main battle tanks were produced by Uralvagonzavod.

Models

Former Soviet Union

in Kabul, 2004.]]

T-62A (Ob'yekt 165) – Predecessor of T-62. It was essentially a stretched T-55 chassis with a 2245 mm turret ring, a new suspension, and a Ob'yekt 140 turret modernized with the addition of a spent-cartridge ejector; armed with the 100 mm D-54TS (also sometimes called U-8ST) tank gun equipped with the "Kometa" two-plane stabilizer. Only a very small number entered service.

** T-62 Obr.1967 – T-62 Obr.1960 with a slightly modified engine deck.

** T-62 Obr.1972 – T-62 Obr.1967 with a DShK 1938/46 machine gun installed on the loader's hatch.

T-62AG - Upgraded by Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau. It is fitted with the 5TDF 700 hp diesel engine, a 125 mm KBA-101 tank gun, new fire control equipment and enhanced armour protection. Combat weight is 39.5 tonnes. The crew still consists of 4 men because there is no automatic loader. The upgrade package is aimed at the export market, since the Ukrainian army no longer uses the T-62.

T-62 based heavy infantry fighting vehicle.

T-62 based armoured recovery vehicle.

T-62 based armoured bridge layer.

United States

T-62 - This version is modified in a number of ways including the replacement of the original diesel engine with a Caterpillar diesel engine and fitting of US radios and antennae mounts. T-62 main battle tanks modified in such a way were used by the US Army for opposing forces training. The Soviets used tanks in a similar way to what the US Army did in Vietnam, with the use of many in fire support bases. Towards the end of the war T-62Ms, using the BDD appliqué armor, appeared in large numbers. Numerous T-62s fell victim to Mujahideen attacks, especially from antitank landmines. Others fell into the hands of the Afghan Mujahideen after they were left behind by withdrawing Soviet forces.

Russia

The T-62 and T-55 are now mostly used by Russian reserve units for a possible secondary mobilization while some are kept in storage. The active duty and primary mobilization units mainly use the T-80 and T-72, with a smaller number of T-90 tanks in service in active units.

War in Chechnya

The Russian army used both T-62s and T-62Ms in combat in Chechnya. The T-62M is still being used for counterterrorism operations in this region.

Foreign service

in Kabul, 27 April 2004]]

Bulgaria

The only other Warsaw Pact member to operate T-62s on a mass scale was Bulgaria which bought 250 T-62s, which were delivered between 1970 and 1974. After the war in Afghanistan, Bulgaria received a number of T-62s from the Soviet Union in the 1980s. These were modified, but due to several problems, they were quickly withdrawn from service and some were sold to Angola and Yemen. Many were converted into TV-62 and TV-62M armoured recovery vehicles and their turrets were scrapped. The TV-62M is the standard armoured recovery vehicle of the Bulgarian Army. A small tank brigade consisting of two enlarged tank regiments, each equipped with 46 Tiran-6 tanks, was formed.

Cuba

The first T-62s arrived in Cuba in 1976. Currently approximately 300 Approximately 300 are currently in service. – 200 were ordered in 1976 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1976 and 1983 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). 200 were ordered in 1984 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1984 and 1988. – Received a number from Ethiopia. – 20 were ordered in 1977 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1977 (the vehicles were possibly either produced in Czechoslovakia or previously in Soviet service). 50 were ordered in 1980 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1980 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). Currently 50 are in service. – 120 Tiran-6 (non-combat service). – 280 in service as of 1995, 75 as of 2000, 2002, and 2005. – 150 were ordered in 1973 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1974. 400 were ordered in 1976 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1976 and 1978. 250 were ordered in 1978 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1978. – 100 were ordered in 1973 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1973 and 1975. – 20. – At least 2,000 were inherited from the Soviet Union. 761 were in active service in 1995. 91 were in active service and 1,929 in storage as of 2000, 2005 and 2008. Currently there are around 100 in active service and less than 3,000 in storage. – 179 were in service as of 1995, 190 as of 2000 and 170 as of 2005. – 200 were ordered in 1978 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1978 and 1979. The vehicles were either produced in Czechoslovakia or previously were in Soviet service. 220 were in service in 2009. – 150 – 250 were ordered in 1969 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1970 and 1974. More than 1,000 were in service before the First Persian Gulf War. – seven – At least 300 were inherited from the former Soviet Union. 85 in service as of 1995, none as of 2000. – The US Army used a number of T-62 main battle tanks for OpFor training. It was used for study only. – Evaluated the tank, but didn't accept it. Produced more than 1,500 between 1975 and 1978 for export. – Evaluated the tank, but didn't accept it.

Combat history

1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict

1973–1991 Western Sahara War

1973 Yom Kippur war

1974–1991 The Kurdish-Iraqi War, 1974–91 (by the Iraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmerga)

1974–1991 Ethiopian Civil War

1975–2002 Angolan Civil War

1978–1987 Chadian-Libyan conflict

* 1986–1987 Toyota War

1979–1988 Soviet war in Afghanistan

1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War

1982–1983 Lebanese Civil War, Phase III

1988–1993 Georgian Civil War

* 1991–1992 War in South Ossetia

* 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia

1990–1991 First Persian Gulf War

1992–1997 Civil war in Tajikistan

1994–1996 First Chechen War

1999–2009 Second Chechen War

2001 – United States war in Afghanistan

2003 – Second Persian Gulf War

* 2003 Invasion of Iraq

2008 War in South Ossetia

2011 2011 Libyan uprising

See also

List of tanks

List of Soviet tanks

Notes

References

Foss, Christopher F. (1987). Jane's AFV Recognition Handbook, pp 70–71. London: Jane's. ISBN 0-7106-0432-7.

Perrett, Bryan (1987). Soviet Armour Since 1945. London: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-1735-1.

Zaloga, Steven J. and Hugh Johnson (2004). T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2004. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 1-84176-792-1.

External links

T-62 at Federation of American Scientists web site

T-62 at Globalsecurity.org

Cuban T-62

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Main battle tanks of Iran Category:Main battle tanks of Iraq Category:Cold War Soviet tanks Category:Main battle tanks of Russia Category:Main battle tanks of the Soviet Union Category:Main battle tanks of the Cold War Category:Tanks of the War in Afghanistan (2001-present)