T-62

T-62
A T-62 Main Battle Tank tank at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin
TypeMedium tank (Warsaw Pact designation)[1]
Main battle tank (NATO designation)
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1961–present
Used bySee operators
WarsSee combat history
Production history
DesignerOKB-520 design bureau
ManufacturerUralvagonzavod
Unit costUS$300,000 (export price to Egypt, 1972)[2]
Produced1961–1975 (USSR)
~1980s (North Korea)
No. builtMore than 22,700
Specifications (T-62)
Mass37 t (41 short tons; 36 long tons)
Length9.34 m (30 ft 8 in) with barrel in forward position
6.63 m (21 ft 9 in) hull only
Width3.30 m (10 ft 10 in)
Height2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
Crew4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)

ArmourCast turret[3][4]
214 (242 after 1972) mm turret front[5][3][4]
153 mm turret sides[5][3][4]
97 mm turret rear[5][3][4]
40 mm turret roof[5][3][4]
Hull
102 mm at 60° hull front[5][3][4]
79 mm hull upper sides[5][3][4]
15 mm hull lower sides[5][3][4]
46 mm at 0° hull rear[5][3][4]
20 mm hull bottom[5][3][4]
31 mm hull roof[5][3][4]
Main
armament
115 mm U-5TS (2A20) smoothbore gun[6]
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)[7]
EngineV-55V (based on the Kharkiv model V-2)
580 (later 620) hp.
Power/weight14.5 hp/tonne (10.8 kW/tonne)
Suspensiontorsion bar
Ground clearance425 mm (16.7 in)[7]
Fuel capacity960 L[7]
1360 L with two 200-liter extra fuel tanks[7]
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)[8]
Maximum speed 50 km/h (31 mph) (road)
40 km/h (25 mph) (cross country)

The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank that was first introduced in 1961.[9][a] 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.

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 which could fire APFSDS rounds at higher velocities (the U.S. prototype T95 medium tank was the first tank ever built with a smoothbore gun).[10]

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 remains in reserve in some countries formerly part of the USSR and in frontline use by other countries. Design features of the T-62 became standardized in subsequent Soviet and Russian mass-produced tanks.

  1. ^ Glantz 2012, p. 186.
  2. ^ Efrat, Moshe (1983). "The Economics of Soviet Arms Transfers to the Third World. A Case Study: Egypt". Soviet Studies. 35 (4): 437–456. doi:10.1080/09668138308411496. ISSN 0038-5859. JSTOR 151253.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cite error: The named reference softland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cite error: The named reference Czołgi Świata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "T62". Pancerni.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.[self-published source]
  6. ^ "115mm U-5TS". Weapon Systems. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Pancerni 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Foss was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Zaloga 2009, p. 15.
  10. ^ Gao, Charlie (6 April 2019). "Meet the T-95 Tank: The Super Weapon America Never Built". The National Interest. Retrieved 23 March 2023.


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