T-62

The T-62 is a Soviet Tank , appeared in 1961. It constitutes a development of the T-55 and was by its armament a revolution in the field of the design of the armoured tanks. It was indeed the first tank with being armed with a gun with heart smoothes drawing from the shells arrows at very initial high-speed. The remainder of the tank derived narrowly from the T-55, of which it took again the suspension with five large wheels of road, without tread roller, the power plant and the general fitting. Two details make it possible nevertheless to distinguish it from its predecessor, the presence of an extractor of smoke to two thirds of the gun and the more important spacing of the third and fourth wheels of road on the suspension.

The tank was designed by the Kartsev research department, with Nijnyï Tagil, under the designation of Obiekt 166 . The Red Army accepted it like model of production to semi-1961 and a preproduction of twenty-five specimens was built before the end of the year, the mass production starting only with semi-1962 with the factory Vagonka . It was shown publicly for the first time in May 1965 at the time of a military parade with Moscow. The production continued until 1975 with twenty thousand specimens, but it was also built thousand five hundred specimens in Czechoslovakia between 1973 and 1978 and thousand specimens in North Korea at the end of the years 1970.

Description

Compared to T-55, the case was increased as well in length as in width, the diameter of the well of turret was carried from 1.845 to 2.245 millimetres. There remains divided into three compartments, with the driver with before left, the three other team members in the medium in the turret, and the power plant with the back. The driver had two épiscope S assembled in front of a trap door opening towards the left. The épiscope of left can be replaced by a periscope with infra-red TVN-2 which offers a field of view of 30° and sixty meters of range and on the glacis, in addition to a break-blade, one finds a headlight with white light and with infra-red. Behind the pilot, a trap door opening towards the interior, makes it possible to evacuate the tank by the lower part. In the turret, the gunner and the chief of tank occupy the left, while the charger operates in the right part, all have a hatchway opening forwards. The chief of tank has four periscopes, two on the cupola of the hatchway, and two in front of this one, that of shooting is a TKN-3 capable of a X5 enlargement with a field of view of 10°, of night employed with the projector of research to infra-red OU-3GK for the illumination. He is capable of an enlargement X4,2 with a field of view of 8°, the whole with a range of four hundred meters. The gunner has a TSh2B-41u sight which has two enlargements, x3,5 with 18° of field of view and X7 with 9°, which allows shootings 4000 meters with the shells arrows, 3600 with the shells with hollow-charge and 4800 with the high-explosive shells. For shooting of night, it uses periscope TPN1-41-11 in conjunction with projector L-2G assembled on the right of the gun, which allows with an enlargement x5,5 with 6° of field of view of the shootings eight hundred meters. As well the gunner as the charger also have a TNP-165 of observation.

The gun will rapira 2A20 of 115 mm (U-5TS) whose shell reaches the initial speed of 1615 meters a second profits, moreover, of the automatic ejection of the casing. This new gun, in addition to its great capacity of penetration because of its ammunition, was also very precise up to thousand six hundred meters thanks to the very tended trajectory of the shell. The retreat of the shooting automatically caused the ejection of the casing by a small trap door with the back of the turret. However the operation of recharging requires that the gun is put at a rise fixes 3°30, which prevents any rotation of the turret during recharging and limit the rate of shooting to approximately four blows per minute. The equipment in ammunition was of forty blows, generally twelve shells arrows (HVAPFSDS), six shells with hollow-charge (HEAT-FS) and twenty-two high-explosive shells (He-Frag). Two shells are ready with the shooting in the turret, sixteen are stored on the right driver, and twenty in the back of the compartment of combat. A coaxial machine-gun PKT of 7,62 mm is mounted on the right gun. It is fed by a band of 250 blows. The turret is directed towards 360°, the gun being pointed in site of -6° with +16° by an electric system and hydraulics. A manual system is at the disposal of the charger, like help.

With the left back of the turret, an extraction fan of smoke is ordered by the driver. The turret is also equipped with rails on all the circumference which make it possible to embark of the infantry or the equipment. T-62 takes again of its predecessor the protective gears against radiations PAZ . This system includes/understands a detector RBZ-1m , assembled on the right in the turret which, when it perceives the presence of dangerous level, automatically causes the closing of the vehicle via cartridges of explosive (except for the trap doors of the crew) and starts a ventilator provided with a filter dust protection, located in lower part of the opening of evacuation of the casings. It should be noted that, because of absence of filters against the chemicals, this device is useful only against the nuclear repercussions. However, certain T-62 were equipped thereafter with filters against the chemical attacks. The tank is capable of guéer to 1,4 meters without preparation and five meters after the assembly of a Schnorkel, which requires a eight hours preparation. Two models of snorkel exist, one of large diameter allowing the evacuation of the crew reserved for the drive, the other allows only and the crew engine supply in air and the evacuation of exhaust fumes. The tank, during the immersion, is guided by a radio operator Gyro-compass GPK-59 and beam. Once on the shore, two minutes are enough to make the tank suited to the combat.

The engine and the transmission of T-55 were taken again completely. Only cooling was improved by the assembly of a ventilator of largeer diameter. The gear box is of manual type with five reports/ratios before and a step back. It is not synchronized, which requires of its pilot the use of the double clutching, making control difficult. The V-55-5 engine is diesel V-12 derived from V-2 of the T-34. It is assembled transversely in front of the box. It is equipped with a system of pre-heating for starting by great cold, and of two devices of startup, one compressed-air using of the bottles placed on the right in the turret, and one of electric help. The tank is equipped with four side tanks of which three are used to store diesel, the last being employed to store oil. Two plus two releasable additional cylindrical cans can be gone up to the back to increase the operating range. Like T-55, T-62 can produce its own smoke-producing screen by injecting ten liters per minute of diesel, in the exhaust. This cloud can extend from 250 to 400 meters and last up to four minutes according to the wind.

; Other characteristics

pressure on the ground: 0,77 kg/cm2

vertical obstacle: 0,8 m

distinct: 2,85 m

slope: 60%

ground clearance: 0,43 m

width of the caterpillars: 580 mm

length of support of the caterpillars: 4,15 m

speed in first: 14,5 km/h

speed in second: 20 km/h

speed in third: 29 km/h

speed in fourth: 45,5 km/h

speed in fifth: 50 km/h

speed in step back: 7 km/h

capacity intern tanks: 675 liters

external capacity of the tanks: 285 liters

capacity of the tanks larguables: 400 liters

shielding glacis: 102 mm with 60°

shielding before: 102 mm with 54°

higher side shielding: 79 mm with 0°

lower side shielding: 15 mm with 0°

shielding postpones higher: 46 mm with 0°

shielding postpone lower: 46 mm with 0°

shielding roof of the case: 31 mm

shielding pancher of the case: 20 mm

shielding before turret: 242 mm

side shielding of the turret: 153 mm

shielding postpone turret: 97 mm

shielding of the roof of the turret: 40 mm

shielding of the hatchways of the turret: 31 mm

standard of ammunition of 115 mm:

shell arrows BM-3

shell arrows BM-4

shell arrows BM-6: penetration 237 mm RHA, carried 3000 Mr.

shell arrows BD/36-2: penetration 520 mm RHA to 1000 m, range 3000 Mr.

shell with hollow-charge BK-4: penetration 495 mm RHA, carried 3000 Mr.

shell with hollow-charge BK-4M

shell with hollow-charge BK-15

high-explosive shells OF-11, OF-18 and OF-27

missile 9M-117: penetration 700 mm RHA, carried 4000 Mr.

missile 9M-? : double hollow-charge, penetration 650 mm RHA behind reactive shielding, carried 4000 Mr.

Modernizations

The first improvement appeared on T-62 was the assembly, in 1972, of a Mitrailleuse DShKM of 12,7 mm, on the hatchway of the charger. This weapon, however, must be served as outside and the charger is then extremely vulnerable to the shootings and must stop achieving his normal tasks. So that this weapon little used will be finally often dismounted. In 1975, the fire control system is improved by the assembly of a laser rangefinder KTD-1 in a container with the top of the gun. This equipment increases the probability of touching with the first blow by determining in a surer way the distance from shooting.

A more important recasting is undertaken thereafter, in 1983, giving rise to the second generation of T-62. The engine is changed for V-55U equipped with a Turbocompresseur, which provides 620 horses. Protection is improved by the assembly of a bracket on the glacis and another known as Horseshoe (horseshoe) on the front of the turret. The lower part of the tank is also reinforced to limit the effect of the mines. The bracket of turret composed of a weld steel structure, filled of Penapolyuréthane, which offers a good protection against the action of the hollow-charges. The suspension is also improved, by increasing the race of the wheels of road and while mounting two additional hydraulic dampers on the second bar of torsion. A battery of eight lance-smoke producer 902B is assembled on the line of the turret. The radio is changed for a R-173 and the crew is equipped with waistcoats of protection against radiations 1PZh-1 . However, the principal improvement intervenes in the field of the armament. The fire control system is entirely re-examined: the news called Volna includes/understands a laser rangefinder KDT-2 with the top of the gun, a TShSM-41U sight, a system of stabilization Meteor M1 and a ballistic calculator BV62 . This new fire control system, with the help of the assembly of a guidance system 1K13-1 and of its accessories, allows the shooting through the gun of the anti-tank missile 9M117. This missile of a mass of twenty-eight kilograms is guided by the ray of the laser rangefinder, the gunner being satisfied to maintain the fire control system on the objective. Propelled initially by a load, then by a rocket motor, it can reach a target with four thousand meters and if required to engage of the slow aircraft, like Hélicoptère S. Désigné overall 9K116-1 (Code NATO AT-12), this system differs very little from the 9K116 Bastion (Code NATO AT-10) assembled on T-55. It is just adapted for the gauge of the weapon which launches it. But very expensive, it was not assembled on all the tanks.

Thereafter, two other improvement were brought on T-62: the assembly of the engine equipping the T-72, the V-46-5M, giving seven hundred horses and the replacement of the brackets of shielding by bricks of reactive Shielding of first generation. Other T-62 were equipped with the anti-missile system 1030M Drozd which employs eight rocket S of 107 mm started automatically by a couple of millimetre-length radars to intercept the anti-tank missiles or rockets approaching on before tank at the speeds ranging between 70 and 700 meters a second. Since the collapse of the the USSR, manufacturing Western start to provide equipment of modernization and of maintenance for this tank, the British Royal Ordnance provides tubes of 115 mm to the Égyptiens, and GIAT, in 1986, a gun of replacement of 120 Misters.

Users

In the Red Army , T-62 assisted T-54 and T-55. It was useful like the latter and its successor T-72 to equip mainly the Division S with mechanized infantry, whereas armor-plated divisions used mainly T-10, T-64 and T-80. Of share its great diffusion and its low costs, this tank was largely exported throughout the world and took part in many conflicts in Asia and Africa with various successes. Iran and Israel used this tank while turning over them against their owners of origin.

The tank often showed its limits, although that is often due to a lack of experience of the crews. As for example at the time of the attempt at invasion of the Chad by the troops Libya where they were put in failure by of Toyota civilians armed with gun of 106 without retreat or at the time of the Israeli-Arab wars where a great number of specimens were abandoned without combat or the Guerre of the Gulf of 1991 where the m2 Bradley succeeded in putting it out of combat by gusts of shell of 25 Misters Modernisé, there can remain a dangerous adversary, except against the tanks best protected as the Char M1 Abrams than he cannot destroy with the normal distances from combat. In 2005, it is always in service in particular in Romania which is the only nation of NATO to still having T-62 operational; it brings a logistic help to the Afghan National army to maintain in state the tanks the latter has.

; Country users:

Russia and country of the ex-USSR

Afghanistan

Angola

Algeria

Bulgaria

Cuba

North Korea

Egypt

Ethiopia

India

Iraq

Iran

Libya

Mongolia

Romania

Syria

Vietnam

Yemen.

; Country having withdrawn it of the service:

Israel

Poland

Czechoslovakia

Hungary

Alternatives

; In the course of production:

T-62 first version.
T-62A or model 1972, addition of a machine-gun of 12,7 mm DShK on the hatchway of the charger (often withdrawn).
T-62K version of command, inertial navigation system TNA-3 and of the additional radios.
T-62 model 1975, laser Rangefinder KTD-1 on the mantelet of the gun.

; Modernizations:

anti-missile T-62D defense system Drozd, driving V-55U, radio operator R-173.
T-62D-1 T-62D remotorized with a V-46-5M.
T-62M driving V-55U, radio operator R-173, system of missile 9K116-1 Sheksna (Code NATO AT-12), control system of shooting Volna with calculator BV-62, stabilizing Meteor M1, TShSM-41U sight and 1K13 and telemeters laser KDT-2, reinforced protection following the Afghan experiment , Horseshoe shielding, applies to the glacis and reinforcement of the floor against the mines, masses increased by 3,9 tons.
T-62M-1 T-62M remotorized with a V-46-5M.
T-62M1 T-62M deprived of system 9K116-1 Sheksna.
T-62M1-1 T-62M1 remotorized with a V-46-5M.
T-62M1-2 T-62M1 with the reinforced protection reduced to the turret.
T-62M1-2-1 T-62M1-2 remotorized with a V-46-5M.
T-62MV T-62M with kit of reactive shielding Kontact that on T-55MV
T-62MV-1 T-62MV remotorized with a V-46-5M.
T-62MK version of command derived from the T-62M.
TO-62 version with a lance-flame assembled coaxialement with the gun.
IT-2 tank destroyer, crew of 3 men, armament launcher of missile AT-3, built between 1968 and 1970.
Tiran 6 derived Israeli carried out starting from the specimens captured in 1973 against the Syria
Objekt 167 experimental version with multi-fuel engine

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