Throughout the 1950s, the main medium tank of the Soviet Union was the T-54/55. Despite the fact that the car was modernized quite actively, its main weapon remained unchanged throughout the history of the lineup. Shot T-54 from a rifled 100-mm gun D-10T. At the same time, already in the mid-1950s, it became clear that this weapon, even when using sub-caliber shells does not provide sufficient effective penetration of modern armor of Western tanks at that time countries.
In the second half of the 1950s, the Soviet Design Bureau worked on a whole series of new tank projects: "Object 140", "Object 150", finally "Object 165" and many others. Thanks to this work, the famous T-55 tank and the new D-54 rifled tank gun of 100 mm caliber were born. The work done became the basis for the project, which started in 1957 at the Design Bureau of Plant No. 183 under the leadership of L. N. Kartseva. In 1959, a new Soviet tank, the T-62, was born.
One of the most important features of the novelty was the U-5TS gun of 115 mm caliber, nicknamed the "Hammer". This was by no means the first domestic development of a smoothbore gun for a tank. However, it was the T-62 with the "Hammer" as the main weapon that became the first mass-produced tank with a smooth-bore gun in the world. Tank production started in 1962 and continued through 1973. During this time, over 20 thousand copies of the combat vehicle were produced. As a result, the T-62 became the platform for the development of all subsequent tanks of the Soviet Union.
The U-5TS gun was developed by OKB-9 in Sverdlovsk. The development of the gun was greatly influenced by the combat use of the T-12 smoothbore anti-tank gun of 100 mm caliber. In the 1950s, it turned out that with the same caliber as a tank gun, the T-12 copes with armor 1.5-2 times better. As a result, it was decided to equip the tanks not just with smoothbore guns, but also with guns of increased caliber. Moreover, the increase in the latter was achieved by removing the existing rifling on the standard gun of the T-54 and T-55 tanks.
As for the tank itself, the T-62 received a new differentiated armor made of sheets of rolled armor steel with a thickness of 16 to 100 mm. The tank also had anti-nuclear protection in case the combat vehicle was used in the nuclear strike zone. SGMT and PKT machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber were used as additional weapons. Since 1969, tanks have also been equipped with ATGMs. DShKM machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber were installed on the tower as anti-aircraft weapons.
>>>>Ideas for life | NOVATE.RU<<<<
The T-62 tanks were driven by V-12-cylinder V-55V engines with a return of 550 horsepower at 2,000 rpm. The fuel tank at the same time had a volume of 675 liters. The undercarriage of the new vehicle was almost no different from that used in the T-54 tanks. In total, about two dozen modifications of this tank were developed and produced in the USSR in the 1970s.
In continuation of the topic, read about did the Panther break down so oftenhow they write about it.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/250921/60668/
IT IS INTERESTING:
1. A huge reservoir under the sands of the Sahara: why Africans do not use the gift of nature
2. Makarov pistol: why modern models have a black handle, if under the USSR it was brown
3. Why did revolutionary sailors wrap themselves in cartridge belts