Overview

The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank introduced in 1961 as an interim design bridging the T-55 medium tank and advanced T-64/T-72 MBTs. Its defining feature was the U-5TS 115 mm smoothbore cannon, the world's first smoothbore tank gun to enter mass production. Over 20,000 T-62s were built, seeing extensive combat from the Six-Day War (1967) through recent conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Historical context

Development began in 1958 at Uralvagonzavod in response to Western tanks mounting increasingly heavy armor (British Centurion, American M48 Patton). The T-54/55's 100 mm rifled gun lacked sufficient armor penetration against 1960s-era heavy tanks. Chief designer Leonid Kartsev adapted the T-55 chassis with a larger turret ring to accommodate the powerful 115 mm U-5TS smoothbore gun.

The smoothbore design, developed by OKB-9 design bureau, eliminated rifling to fire fin-stabilized APFSDS (armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot) rounds at higher velocities. First production vehicles rolled off the line at Uralvagonzavod in 1961, with the T-62 entering service with Soviet tank divisions by 1962.

The T-62 was intended as a stopgap until the revolutionary T-64 matured, but the T-64's technical problems delayed widespread deployment. Consequently, the T-62 remained in production until 1975 and served as the Soviet Army's primary MBT throughout the 1960s-1970s.

Specifications

Commonly cited specifications (T-62 Model 1972 baseline):

Dimensions:

  • Length (gun forward): 9.34 m (30 ft 8 in)
  • Hull length: 6.63 m (21 ft 9 in)
  • Width: 3.30 m (10 ft 10 in)
  • Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
  • Ground clearance: 0.43 m (17 in)

Weights:

  • Combat weight: 40,000 kg (88,185 lb)
  • Power-to-weight ratio: 14.5 hp/ton

Armor:

  • Hull front: 102 mm at 60° (effective ~200 mm)
  • Turret front: 214 mm (centerline), 153 mm (gun mantlet)
  • Hull sides: 79 mm upper, 15 mm lower
  • Turret sides: 153 mm
  • Type: Cast steel turret, rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) hull

Powerplant:

  • Engine: V-55V 12-cylinder water-cooled diesel
  • Power: 580 hp (433 kW) at 2,000 rpm
  • Displacement: 38.88 L
  • Fuel capacity: 675 L internal + 285 L external drums
  • Transmission: Synchromesh 5-speed manual

Performance:

  • Maximum speed: 50 km/h (31 mph) on road
  • Reverse speed: 6-8 km/h (4-5 mph)
  • Range: 450 km (280 mi) internal fuel, 650 km (404 mi) with external drums
  • Fuel consumption: 1.5 L/km
  • Gradient: 60% (31°)
  • Side slope: 30% (17°)
  • Trench crossing: 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in)
  • Vertical obstacle: 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in)
  • Fording depth: 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) unprepared, 5.5 m (18 ft) with snorkel

Armament:

Main gun: 2A20 115 mm smoothbore

  • Ammunition: 40 rounds (carousel autoloader + reserve stowage)
  • Fire rate: 4-5 rounds/min
  • Elevation: -6° to +16°
  • Stabilization: STP-2D two-plane stabilizer (gun and sight)
  • Effective range: 1,500-2,000 m direct fire

Ammunition types:

  • 3BM3 APFSDS: 290 mm penetration at 1,000 m
  • 3BM4 APFSDS: 330 mm penetration at 1,000 m (improved, 1970s)
  • 3BK4 HEAT: 450 mm penetration (vs. non-ERA targets)
  • 3OF11 HE-Frag: High-explosive fragmentation

Secondary weapons:

  • Coaxial: 7.62 mm PKT machine gun (2,500 rounds)
  • Anti-aircraft: 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun (500 rounds, commander's cupola)

Crew:

  • Complement: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Design characteristics

Smoothbore gun technology

The 115 mm U-5TS gun represented a major technological leap:

Advantages:

  • Higher velocity: Smoothbore eliminated projectile spin friction, achieving 1,615 m/s with APFSDS
  • Penetration: 3BM3 round could defeat 290 mm armor at 1,000 m (vs. 100 mm gun's 185 mm)
  • Barrel life: Longer service life without rifling wear
  • Future potential: Enabled development of advanced fin-stabilized munitions

Limitations:

  • HEAT performance: Smoothbore HEAT rounds less accurate than rifled equivalents at long range
  • HE accuracy: High-explosive rounds suffered dispersion beyond 1,500 m

Fire control

TShSM-41U sight: Coincidence rangefinder (optical), manual range estimation

STP-2D stabilizer: Two-plane stabilization enabling fire-on-the-move capability (though accuracy degraded significantly)

No laser rangefinder: Early T-62 relied on stadiametric ranging; laser rangefinder (KTD-1) added in late 1970s upgrades

Night vision: TPN-1-41-11 infrared sight for gunner, TVN-2 IR driving viewer

Protection

Cast turret: Single-piece casting providing good ballistic shaping but inconsistent armor quality

Glacis slope: 60° angle increased effective thickness to ~200 mm vs. kinetic threats

NBC system: PAZ overpressure system with radiation detection and collective filtration

Limitations:

  • Side armor: 79 mm vulnerable to contemporary APFSDS and HEAT rounds
  • Ammunition storage: 40 rounds scattered throughout hull and turret (catastrophic cook-off if penetrated)
  • No ERA: Early models lacked explosive reactive armor (added in 1980s modernizations)

Variants and modernizations

Production variants

T-62 (1961): Initial production with basic systems

T-62 Model 1972: Upgraded with laser rangefinder prep, improved optics, ammunition improvements

T-62K: Command tank with additional radios (R-130M, R-123M), telescoping antenna, reduced ammunition (35 rounds)

T-62M (1983): Major modernization with "Volna" fire control (laser rangefinder, ballistic computer), Kontakt-1 ERA, improved engine (V-55U 620 hp), side skirts

T-62M-1: T-62M with 9K116 "Sheksna" gun-launched ATGM system (AT-10 "Stabber")

T-62MV: T-62M with Kontakt-5 second-generation ERA (heavy reactive armor)

Specialized variants

TO-62: Flamethrower tank with ATO-200 flame projector replacing coaxial MG (700 L fuel, 160 m range)

BTS-4: Armored recovery vehicle with crane, winch, dozer blade

IT-1 "Drakon": Missile tank derivative mounting 2K4 "Dragon" ATGM launcher (15 missiles), 115 mm gun removed—experimental, limited production

Export and foreign production

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mongolia, North Korea, Syria, Vietnam, Yemen: Major operators

Captured/evaluated by: Israel (1967, 1973 wars), NATO (Cold War intelligence collection)

Operational deployment

Service timeline

  • 1961: Production begins, Soviet tank divisions start receiving T-62
  • 1962-1967: Replaces T-54/55 in elite Guards tank regiments
  • 1967: Combat debut, Six-Day War (Arab forces vs. Israel)
  • 1968: Czechoslovakia invasion (deployed but not engaged)
  • 1973: Yom Kippur War, extensive combat in Sinai and Golan Heights
  • 1979-1989: Afghanistan War, urban/mountain combat
  • 1980-1988: Iran-Iraq War, both sides operated T-62s
  • 1982: Lebanon War, Syrian T-62s vs. Israeli armor
  • 1990-1991: Gulf War, Iraqi T-62s destroyed by Coalition forces
  • 2011+: Syrian Civil War, government forces
  • 2022+: Ukraine conflict, Russian reactivation of stored T-62M/MV

Global operators

Major historical operators: Soviet Union/Russia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam

Current operators (2020s): Russia (reserves/training), Syria, North Korea, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan

Combat record

Arab-Israeli Wars (1967, 1973)

Six-Day War (1967): Egyptian and Syrian T-62s encountered Israeli Centurions and M48 Pattons. Israeli forces captured several intact T-62s, providing valuable intelligence.

Yom Kippur War (1973): Large-scale T-62 deployment by Egypt and Syria. Israeli analysis showed 115 mm gun effective vs. early M48/M60 armor but vulnerable to 105 mm L7 gun and TOW missiles.

Afghanistan (1979-1989)

T-62s served in Soviet motorized rifle divisions. Urban combat in Kabul and Herat exposed vulnerabilities to RPG-7 attacks. Mountainous terrain limited mobility.

Gulf War (1991)

Iraqi T-62s (1960s export models) suffered catastrophic losses to Coalition M1 Abrams, Challenger 1, and air strikes. Thermal imaging and advanced APFSDS rounds gave Western tanks decisive advantage in night desert engagements.

Syria (2011-present)

Syrian Arab Army T-62s deployed extensively, losses to ATGMs (TOW, Kornet), improvised explosive devices, and air strikes documented via open-source imagery.

Strengths and limitations

Advantages

115 mm firepower: Superior to 100 mm gun in T-54/55, effective vs. 1960s armor

Stabilization: Fire-on-the-move capability (though limited accuracy)

NBC protection: Full overpressure system

Snorkel fording: Deep water crossing without bridging

Reliability: V-55 diesel proven design from T-54/55

Limitations

Low fire rate: Manual loading, 40-round capacity limited sustained fire

Poor reverse speed: 6-8 km/h made tactical withdrawal difficult

Cramped crew: Turret interior tight, especially with 115 mm rounds

Armor protection: Inadequate vs. 1970s+ APFSDS and ATGMs

Ergonomics: Manual controls, poor visibility, uncomfortable for long operations

Ammunition vulnerability: No blast doors isolating propellant charges

Comparison with contemporaries

vs. T-55: T-62 superior firepower (115 mm vs. 100 mm), stabilization; T-55 lighter, more reliable, cheaper

vs. M60 Patton (USA): Comparable armor, M60's 105 mm L7 gun better accuracy at range, superior fire control; T-62 lower profile, cheaper

vs. Leopard 1 (West Germany): Leopard 1 faster, better optics, same 105 mm L7 gun; T-62 better armor, amphibious capable

vs. Chieftain (UK): Chieftain 120 mm gun vastly superior, heavy armor; T-62 faster, more mobile, better power-to-weight

Legacy

The T-62 proved the viability of smoothbore tank guns, influencing all subsequent Soviet/Russian designs (T-64, T-72, T-80, T-90) and eventually Western MBTs (M1 Abrams, Leopard 2). However, the design represented evolutionary improvement rather than revolutionary change, with fundamental limitations inherited from the T-54/55 chassis.

Combat experience demonstrated that firepower alone couldn't compensate for inferior fire control, crew ergonomics, and protection. Western tanks' integrated systems approach (thermal sights, laser rangefinders, ballistic computers, crew comfort) proved more effective than raw gun caliber.

Over 20,000 T-62s produced remain in service or storage worldwide, testament to robust design and long operational lifespan typical of Soviet armored vehicles.

Related equipment

Related sections

Technical glossary

Smoothbore gun : Cannon lacking rifling grooves, firing fin-stabilized projectiles at higher velocities than rifled equivalents

APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) : Long-rod kinetic energy penetrator shedding outer sabot after leaving barrel

Glacis plate : Sloped frontal hull armor increasing effective thickness against projectiles

Snorkel fording : Deep water crossing using air intake/exhaust extension, driver submerged with periscope viewing

NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protection : Collective overpressure filtration system protecting crew from contaminated environments