T-54 | |
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![]() T-54-3 at the Parola Tank Museum in Parola, Finland | |
Type | Medium tank/Main battle tank |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
In service | 1947–present |
Production history | |
Designer | Morozov (T-54), OKB-520 (T-54A and later) |
Designed | 1945 |
Manufacturer | KhPZ, UVZ (USSR), Bumar-Łabędy (Poland), ZTS Martin (Slovakia) |
Produced | 1946–81 (USSR) 1956–79 (Poland) 1957–83 (Slovakia) |
No. built | 96,000–100,000 est. |
The T-54/T-55 tank series is the most widely used tank in the world and has seen service in over 50 countries. It has also served as the platform for a wide variety of specialty armoured vehicles. [1] [2]
Early on during the production T-55s were fitted with the TSh-2B-32P sight. Starting in 1970 T-55s were being armed at Uralwagonzavod with either a 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 or KPVT loader's anti-aircraft heavy machine guns. These tanks were known as Model 1970, or sometimes T-55AM. KTD-1 or KTD-2 laser rangefinders and R-123 or R-123M radio sets were fitted to older tanks starting in 1974 (Model 1974). [145] [149] At the same time efforts were made to modernize and prolong the life of the drive train. [145]
T-54-1 (Ob'yekt 137) | T-54-2 (Ob'yekt 137R) | T-54-3 (Ob'yekt 137Sh) | T-54A (Ob'yekt 137G) | T-54B (Ob'yekt 137G2) | T-55 (Ob'yekt 155) | T-55A (Ob'yekt 155A) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weight (tonnes) | ? | ? | 39.7 [146] | ? | ? | 39.7 [146] | ? |
Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) | ||||||
Main gun | 100 mm LB-1 rifled tank gun | 100 mm D-10T rifled tank gun | 100 mm D-10TG rifled tank gun | 100 mm D-10T2S rifled tank gun | 100 mm D-10T2G or D-10T2 rifled tank gun | ||
Machine gun(s) | 7.62 mm SGMT coaxial 7.62 mm SGMT bow mounted 2 × 7.62 mm SG-43 fender mounted 12.7 mm DShK anti-aircraft | 7.62 mm SGMT medium coaxial 7.62 mm SGMT medium bow mounted 12.7 mm DShK anti-aircraft | 7.62 mm PKT tank coaxial 7.62 mm SGMT bow mounted 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 anti-aircraft (added during routine maintenance since 1972) | 7.62 mm PKT tank coaxial 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 anti-aircraft (added to the newly produced tanks since 1970, added to the old T-55A tanks during routine maintenance since 1972) | |||
Engine | V-54 12-cylinder 38.88 liter water-cooled diesel 523 hp (390 kW) | V-55 12-cylinder 4-stroke one-chamber 38.88 liter water-cooled diesel 581 hp (433 kW) | |||||
Speed | ? | ? | 48 km/h (30 mph) on road [146] | ? | ? | 6.85 km/h in 1st gear [150] 14.66 km/h in 2nd gear [150] 20.21 km/h in 3rd gear [150] 28.99 km/h in 4th gear [150] 55 km/h (34 mph) in 5th gear [146] 6.85 km/h in reverse gear [150] on road | ? |
Operational range | ? | ? | 401 km (249 mi) 600 km (370 mi) with extra tanks | ? | ? | 501 km (311 mi) 600 km (370 mi) with extra tanks | ? |
Fuel capacity | 215 US gal (810 L) | 254 US gal (960 L) [146] |
SU-122-54 (Ob'yekt 600) (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka) – Self-propelled 122 mm gun, based on the T-54A and sometimes known as IT-122. Between 1955 and 1957, 77 vehicles were built with minor differences between production lots (different commander's cupola etc.). The SU-122-54 had a modified chassis, with small spaces between the first, second and fourth pair of wheels and a large gap between the third, similar to the T-62's; and a superstructure, built into the hull, housing the 122 mm D-49 L/48.4 gun for which the vehicle carries 35 rounds. The secondary armament consisted of two KPVT heavy machine guns, one mounted as an anti-aircraft machine gun near the commander's hatch and the other mounted coaxially with the main gun. The vehicle carried 600 rounds for the machine guns. The main gun has a fume extractor positioned right behind the muzzle brake, some vehicles did not have the fume extractor. Other variations included a different commander's cupola. [42]
Following combat experience during the Iran-Iraq War, the Iraqis modified several Soviet vehicles to better suit their needs and showcased some of these modifications during an international defence exhibition held in Baghdad in April 1989. While they were nominally T-54/T-55 conversions, some of these conversions were based on the Chinese Type 59 or Type 69 tank instead. As far as it is known, only the Enigma entered service in substantial numbers with the Iraqi Army. [176]
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)Pero como nos faltaban tanques para el norte, mandamos a buscar al Medio Oriente cuatro tanques T-54 y T-55. La idea era preparar con ellos a sus eventuales tripulaciones para que, cuando atacaran los peruanos, dañar los tanques lo menos posible y así poder aprovecharlos
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)