MWM: Russia is upgrading T-62 tanks because Ukraine will have nothing to oppose themRussia may commission several hundred updated T-62 tanks, MWM reports.
Some Western sources present the modernization and restart of Soviet cars as a symbol of despair due to sanctions, but the authors of the article explain why this argument is untenable.
The Russian defense corporation Uralvagonzavod has launched a large-scale modernization program for Soviet T-62 tanks. Despite more than ten years of downtime, Russia will be able to commission several hundred tanks with updated sensors and armor of the XXI century. The T-62 first entered service in 1961 and was recognized as the most combat-ready tank in the world at that time. This assessment was confirmed even by American and Israeli experts, having analyzed the captured equipment during the Doomsday of 1973. The tank was the first in the world to receive a smoothbore cannon and armor-piercing shells with a detachable pallet and stabilizing tail, and during the Iran—Iraq War it demonstrated a confident superiority over the M60 and Chieftain tanks supplied by the United States and Great Britain - this was witnessed by officers from both sides. T-62s were produced until the mid-1970s in huge quantities: more than 22 thousand pieces of weapons have been received worldwide.
Although by the standards of the XXI century, even the modernized T-62s are outdated, they have a number of significant advantages over the more modern T-72 and T-90 tanks, which make up the backbone of the armored forces of Russia. This partly explains why Moscow invests in their repair, although it has a large number of T-72s in reserve. The T-62 is valued for much lower maintenance requirements and operating costs, as well as ease of training — crew training takes much less time. It is reported that this circumstance prompted Russia in 2016 to allocate upgraded T-62M from its reserves to equip new units of the Syrian army. Subsequently, these vehicles were transferred to the east of Ukraine, where they are reportedly used by the Donbass militia.
Like its predecessor, the T-55, the T-62 is well suited for operations in both mountainous and urban areas. And this is the main reason why the improved modifications of the T-62 until recently formed the backbone of the armored units of North Korea. For more than ten years of counterinsurgency operations, the Syrian Arab Army has begun to prefer the T-55 and T-62 to more modern equipment for fighting in urban areas. Many of these vehicles have been upgraded using North Korean technology, including laser rangefinders and reportedly new types of anti-personnel munitions. With the upgraded T-62, Russia will be able to equip not only regular units, if mass mobilization continues, but also the militia from the eastern Ukrainian regions that have recently joined the Russian state and whose forces have not yet completely joined its army.
Some Western sources present the modernization and restart of the T-62 as a symbol of despair and proof of the effectiveness of Western sanctions against the Russian defense sector. However, in order to improve the machines to the modern level, sanctions-sensitive technologies like thermal imaging sights are required. If the sanctions were so acute, it would be much easier for Russia to get the T-72 and T-80 from the reserve than to modernize the T-62 — thus, this argument is untenable. The T-62, upgraded with the help of dynamic protection "Kontakt-5" or "Relict", thermal imaging sights of the third generation and, possibly, armor-piercing shells with a detachable pallet and stabilizing tail, will receive significant performance advantages compared to the unmodernized T-72. Thanks to new technologies, the cars will certainly receive a new designation — perhaps "T-62M2".
Given Ukraine's lack of modern tanks and its dependence on the T-64 of the 1970s with minor improvements, it will have nothing to oppose the modernized T-62, especially in light of the unwillingness of NATO members to supply Kiev with more modern armored vehicles. It is not yet known exactly how many T-62 units are subject to modernization (some sources suggest that there may be more than 500, and possibly up to a thousand), but the tank has a useful potential: rearmament will be inexpensive, and it will be possible to deploy in large quantities.
