T-54 Main Battle Tank (Russia)
After the end of the Second World War, the Morozov design team mated the D-10 100mm gun with a new turret and hull of the T-44 and the new tank, the T-54, started production in 1947. The T-54 has a well-shaped welded hull and cast turret in a rounded mushroom shape (resembling a horseshoe crab shell) that aids protection. It is a conventional design, noted for its small signature that is bought at the price of cramped conditions for the crew (driver, gunner, gun-loader and commander). It has reasonable speed and manoeuvrability but the loose 'dead' track is more likely to shed than comparable western tanks. The transmission and engine are at the rear of the hull, and the engine is mounted transversely, with fuel being stored internally in two cells which is supplemented by three external panniers and two fuel drums at the rear of the hull for later models. The tank is driven using a conventional clutch and brake system, although western engineers who have looked at models have commented on the strength required to do so. This is because early Soviet models lacked a hydraulic or pneumatic boost. Much of the turret space is taken up with the D-10 gun and ready ammunition, but the commander and gunner sit on the left of the turret and the loader on the right. While laser rangefinders have been offered on the market in recent years, early Soviet models had a simple stadiametric rangefinder. As production continued the D-10 was refined (D-10TG) and a number of upgrades were introduced, including gyro-stabilisation (along one plane), a bore evacuator, new air filters, an electric oil pump, a bilge pump (for snorkelling and wading), and an automatic fire extinguisher, which produced the T-54A. Later still, a new main armament was added (D-10T2S) as well as stabilisation in both planes, infra-red night fighting equipment and improved snorkel gear. The T-54 is still in widespread service in many developing states including Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Libya, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Israel, which captured large numbers of Soviet built tanks from Syria and Egypt in 1967 and 1973 has modified a number of T-54s (designated TI-67 Tiran) by adding Blazer explosive reactive armour (ERA), improved fire detection and suppression systems, the M68 105mm gun, laser rangefinder, image intensifiers and a digital computer. China also has the Type 59 which is based on the Soviet T-54 but has undergone successive upgrades similar to those of the Israeli T-54s, including a 105mm gun similar to the British L7, and Pakistan has recently started upgrading its fleet of 1,200 tanks with a phased upgrade package.
Hull length: 6.04m. Hull width: 3.27m. Height: 2.4m. Crew: 4. Ground Clearance: 0.43m. Weight: 36,000kg (combat) Ground pressure: 0.81kg/sq.cm. Max speed: 50km/h. Max range (internal fuel): 510km on road. Armament: 100mm rifled main gun, 1 x 7.62mm MG coaxial, 1 x 7.62mm MG bow and 1 x 12.7mm MG anti-aircraft.
How to cite this article:
Antill, P. (6 February 2001), T-54 Main Battle Tank (Russia), http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_t54.html