The T-55 tank was the main battle tank of the Soviet Army during the first part of the Cold War. It had been designed and developed as the T-54 in 1946. It featured a distinctive dome-shaped turret which was located in the center of the hull. Its mechanic was simple, rugged, and less expensive to maintain in comparison with other Western tanks of that time.
The T-55 entered service with the Red Army in 1947. This powerful tank would be involved in many Third World armed conflicts, such as the Six Day War (1967), the 1982 Lebanese Civil War, and the Indian-Pakistani Conflict. More than 100,000 T-55 tanks were produced by the Soviet Union, many of which were exported to Eastern European and Middle East countries.
Armament and Armor
The T-55 tank was armed with a 100mm D-10T rifled gun, which fired anti-tank rounds and had an effective range of up to 1,600 m (1.6km). This powerful cannon had a larger bore than its Western counterparts, which was a great advantage in the battlefield, lasting until the development of the US M60 tank.
When it rolled out of the Soviet factories, the T-55 had the best armor protection in the world that had ever been manufactured until then: 203mm-thick steel plate on the turret, and 100mm on the hull glacis plate. In those days, steel was the only kind of armor employed in those days, which was rudimentary for today’s standard, but highly protected if we compare it with World War II‘s tanks.
Power Plant and Sensors
The T-55 was powered by a Model V-55 12-cylinder 38.88-l diesel engine, generating 581 horsepower. This allowed this armored vehicle to reach a maximum speed of 51 km per hour (32 m/h), with a 500-km range.
The three main variants of this Soviet tank were the T-55A, T-55B, T-55AK, and the T-55K, which was equipped with an additional R-112 radio set, an AB-1-P/30 fuel powered accumulator charging unit and TPN-1-22-11 night vision sight. In the beginning of the 1960s a T-55K was experimentally fitted with a “Uran” TV relay apparatus for battlefield observation.
Specifications
Type: main battle tank
Weight: 40 tons
Width: 3.37 m (10ft)
Length: 6.45 m (19.5ft)
Height: 2.40 m (7ft)
Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)
Engine: one 581hp, Model V-55 12-cylinder 38.88-l diesel engine
Maximum speed: 55 km/h (34mph)
Range: 600 km (373mi)
Weapons: one 100mm D-10T rifled gun with 40 rounds; one 7.62mm SGMT machine gun; one 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun
The T-55 in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet invasion of that country
Below, an Indian Army’s armored unit advancing into Eastern Pakistan, with their T-55s
