In Russia, a large-scale modernization of T-62M tanks is underway at the 103rd armored plant. According to the deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Reserve Lieutenant General Andrey Gurulev, who visited the enterprise the other day, tanks that are more than 50 years old are turning into modern combat vehicles equipped with the latest military technology. Due to what it is planned to increase the effectiveness of the T-62M in combat — in the material of TASSModernization in three shifts
In the video, which Andrey Gurulev posted on his Telegram channel, the workshops of the 103rd armored plant located in Transbaikalia are filled with Soviet military equipment. According to the reserve Lieutenant General, the work is going on in three shifts, there are already ready-made machines that can be used in combat.
"The old tanks coming from storage are completely disassembled, all the old nodes are removed, and new ones are installed instead. After the test run, the cars will be brought to mind, and they will be like new," Gurulev concludes.
According to military expert Vladislav Shurygin, the T-62M tank is an ideal platform for modernization for a wide range of tasks.
"It is equipped with a good gun, and the rest, when it comes from storage, can be added at the factory. It can be a new protection, sights, communication. For each T-62, you can safely "build up" several tons of various protection, which could make it difficult to invulnerable to Javelins, Inlaves and Stugny, which Ukraine uses today. Even such a platform produced in the 1960s and 1970s can be upgraded almost indefinitely to the level of second- or third-generation T-72 and T—80 machines," the military expert believes.
Medium tank with high TTX
The T-62, adopted by the Soviet Army in 1961, is considered a medium—weight tank - its mass is 37 tons. According to experts, the car was created in response to the newest NATO models of the M48 and M60 at that time.
At the exit from the assembly line, a tank with impressive tactical and technical characteristics turned out, which allowed the T-62 to withstand the best Western models, including those from a heavier class. According to Oleg Kalugin, a reserve lieutenant colonel of the Guard, a member of the Council of the Union of Tankers of Russia, he was practically in no way inferior to the German Leopards, and even surpassed them in terms of gun power and security.
The T-62 tank has a classic layout for this type of armored vehicles: there is a motor-transmission compartment in the aft part, a combat compartment in the middle, controls are located in the front part.
When booking the T-62, the designers counted mainly on protecting the vehicle from anti-tank 105-millimeter shells of NATO cannons and hand-held anti-tank guns. The thickness of the frontal armor plate was 100 mm, the sides — 80 mm.
The main armament of the T-62 was a 115-millimeter smoothbore gun U5-TS "Hammer", as well as a 7.62-millimeter machine gun. To increase the effectiveness of firing in motion, they were equipped with a two-plane stabilization system "Meteor".
Initially, the T-62 received V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel engines with a capacity of 580 hp. Later they were replaced with new and more powerful V-46-5M with a capacity of 690 hp, which allowed to develop speeds of 50 km / h on highways and 22-27 km / h on the "primer".
For the first time, the T-62 was demonstrated to the general public at the May Day parade of 1965. Within a few years, the car began to be supplied not only to the Soviet Army, but also for export to friendly countries around the world. Hundreds of tanks were sent to Algeria, Angola, Vietnam, Egypt, Iraq, North Korea and Cuba. North Korea and Czechoslovakia produced the T-62 under license.
The first modernization of the T-62 took place at the enterprises that are now part of Uralvagonzavod JSC from 1962 to 1975. The updated version of the armored vehicle received the prefix "M" (upgraded) and was equipped with additional armor protection of the turret, hull and bottom, on-board anti-cumulative screens, as well as a system for launching smoke grenades "Cloud".
The most famous military conflict in which the T-62s were massively used was the war in Afghanistan, where Soviet tanks mostly played the role of mobile firing points at checkpoints. In addition, they were attracted to escort convoys: two T-62s with minesweepers were in front, the rest were evenly distributed along the column in order to cover the rest of the equipment during the attack. Also, T-62 crews were used in blocking and combing the area.
They will still serve
According to military expert, editor of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland" Alexey Leonkov, the next modernization of the T-62M was carried out not so long ago specifically for the Syrian army. "After refining the controls, learning how to drive the T-62M has become as easy as an ordinary tractor. The latest version of the tank was presented at the international military-technical forum "Army-2022". The updated car received modern electronics, protection and weapons. This is a completely different, more modern tank that has undergone a deep modernization," the expert said in an interview with TASS.
Among the main technical innovations of the T-62M, experts note a multispectral gyrostabilized optoelectronic system (MGES) and a thermal imager. The MSPP is mounted on the tank tower with the help of a mast. As a representative of the Main Armored Vehicle Directorate (GABTU) of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation told TASS earlier in an interview, the system was developed at the Central Research Institute "Cyclone". "She visually detects, and she has thermal imaging channels, and a rangefinder. Now [work] on drones is relevant. A high-resolution camera is looking for them. Searches, finds, allocates and accompanies," he said.
"That is, he got up, raised the mast somewhere in the fishing line and looks, watches what's going on there," explained an employee of the Main Armored Department of the Ministry of Defense.
As a result of the deep modernization, the T-62M received modules of additional multi-layer hull and turret reservation, mounted dynamic protection "Contact".
Also, an eight-barrel grenade launcher appeared on the updated tank, designed to create aerosol curtains that hide the tank from high-precision enemy shells. At the same time, the T-62M's own weapon of destruction, the Hammer cannon, was equipped with an improved control system. The new "heart" of the tank is a 780 hp diesel engine, which now allows you to develop a speed of 60 km/h on the highway.
The updated T-62M tanks, according to Alexey Leonkov, are already arriving in the SVO zone. "Yes, it is easier to fight with an automatic loader and an automatic transmission, as on the T-72, but the T-62M will still serve, will benefit the fatherland," the military expert concludes.
Prepared by Vasily Kuchushev
