T-55/T-54
Owned By
| Operator: | Status: | Number: | Cost: | Acquired: |
| Algeria | In Service | ~275 | Unknown – acquired from the Soviet Union | 1963-1982 |
| Egypt | In Service | ~500 | Unknown – acquired from the Soviet Union | 1961-1973 |
| Iran | In Service | ~110 | Second-hand from Syria and Libya | 1981-1982 |
| Iraq | In Service | ~50 | Unknown – originally acquired from the Soviet Union. Additional second-hand tanks from Poland, Romania, Egypt, and East Germany | 1954-1985 |
| ISIS | In Service | <72 | Seized from Syrian and Iraqi forces | 2014- |
| Kurdistan Regional Government | In Service | ~90 | Unknown – from Iraqi Army inventory | Post-2003 |
| Lebanon | In Service | ~180 | Second-hand from Syria | 1992-1993 |
| Libya | In Service | ~60 | Unknown – from the Soviet Union | 1970-1978 |
| North Korea | In Service | <1000 | Unknown – from the Soviet Union or domestic production | 1972-1982 |
| Sudan | In Service | ~150 | Unknown – Initially from the Soviet Union. Second-hand from Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus | 1969-2011 |
| Syria | In Service | <1100 | Unknown – from the Soviet Union | 1957-1981 |
| Yemen | In Service | <550 | Unknown – Initially from the Soviet Union with second-hand tanks from the Czech Republic | 1972-2002 |
| General Specs | ||||
| Country of origin: | Soviet Union | |||
| Manufacturer: | Uralvagonzavod – Licensed copies were produced in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and China (No longer in production) | |||
| Class: | Main battle tank (MBT) | |||
| Introduced: | T-54 prototype completed in 1946 with production beginning 1947; T-55 begins production in 1958; Production ends in USSR in 1981 | |||
| Combat Weight: | 39.7 US tons (36 metric tons) | |||
| Length: | 29.5 ft (9 m) | |||
| Width: | 10.8 ft (3.3 m) | |||
| Height: | 7.9 ft (2.4 m) | |||
| Range: | 316.9 miles (510 km); with extra fuel tanks: 447.4 miles (720 km) | |||
| Engine: | V-12 water cooled diesel engine (520 hp) | |||
| Track: | ||||
| Road Speed (km/h): | 31.1 mph (50 km/h) | |||
| Offroad Speed (km/h): | Unknown | |||
| Loader: | Manual | |||
| Crew: | 4 | |||
| Armor | 203mm steel maximum; later models starting with the T-55AM would receive additional bra armor and track skirts or explosive reactive armor (ERA) | |||
| NBC Protection | T-54: None; T-55: Yes | |||
| Nightvision | T-54: None; T-55: Infrared night vision | |||
| Laser detection | None | |||
| Main Armament | 100mm U-10TS rifled fully-stabilized cannon (T-54: 34 rounds; T-55: 43 rounds) with 4 rounds per minute rate of fire | |||
| Ammunition Carried | Armor-piercing (AP), Armor-piercing capped – tracer (APC-T), High explosive (HE), High velocity armor-piercing discarding-sabot – tracer (HVAPDS-T), High explosive anti-tank – fin stabilised (HEAT-FS), and High explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG) | |||
| Secondary Armament | 1 x 12.7mm DShK coaxial machine gun (500 rounds) | |||
| 2 x 7.62mm PKT machine gun (3,000 rounds) – one mounted in the bow of the turret, other coaxial mounted on roof | ||||
| Radar/Sensors: | Later models starting with the T-55M included the Volna fire control system | |||
| KTD-2 laser range finder | ||||
| L-4 infrared search light | ||||
| Countermeasures/ Defenses: | Engine could produce a smokescreen. Additional smoke grenade launchers were included on later models starting with T-55M. | |||
| Variants: | T-55M – upgrade with the addition of Volna fire control system, AT-10 Stabber laser-guided anti-tank missile, improved gun stabilization, sights, engine, and protection | |||
| T-55M-1 – fitted with V-46-5M engine from T-72 tank (691 hp) | ||||
| T-55AM – bra armor added | ||||
| T-55AMV – ERA armor replaces bra armor | ||||
| T-55AMD – Drozd active protection system (APS) added | ||||
Sources:
- Christopher F. Foss, Jane’s Tanks and Combat Vehicles Recognition Guide, (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000) page 72-75.
- Training and Doctrine Command DCSINT Threat Directorate, “Worldwide Equipment Guide,” United States Army, 1997, Page 4-11 and 4-12.
- “T54/T55 Series tanks,” Federation of American Scientists, October 27, 1999.
- “T-55 Medium Tank / Main Battle Tank (MBT) (1958),” Military Factory, June 7, 2016.
- “T-55 Medium Tank,” Military Today, Accessed July 11, 2016.
- “Trade Registers,” Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Accessed July 11, 2016.
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