T-54/T-55 Main Battle Tank

Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide

The T-54/55 is a non-amphibious main battle tank built in the former Soviet Union, China (as type 59), Czechoslovakia and Poland.

T-54/T-55 basic models have all-welded hulls divided into three main compartments with the driver at the front, fighting compartment in the center, and the engine at the rear. T-54/T55s have four-man crews with the tank commander and gunner sitting on the left side of the turret with the gunner in front. Both the T-54 and T-55 have smoke-laying capabilities.

Basic T-54/T-55 Recognition features:

• Five single rubber-tired road wheels each side with a distinctive gap between the first and second road wheels. The drive sprocket is at the rear, idler at the front and no track return rollers. Hydraulic shock absorbers are mounted on the first and fifth road wheel stations.
• Four flat steel tanks on the right running board. Optional drum-type fuel tanks can also be fitted on the rear.
• Three stowage boxes on the left running board.
• Front climbing handles on the turret.
• An unditching beam mounted at the hull rear.
• A straight splash plate.
• A low-silhouetted, sloped hull.
• A half-egged shaped turret (view from side.)
• Two snorkels: a thin one for operational use and a large diameter one for training. The operational snorkel mounts over the loader's periscope and when not used is disassembled and carried at the rear of the turret or hull. The large diameter snorkel mounts over the loader's hatch cover.
• A commander's cupola with a single hatch cover that has a periscope on each side and a infrared searchlight mounted on the forward part.
• An infrared searchlight to the right of the main armament.
• A driver's hatch cover with two periscopes mounted forward.
• A loader's hatch cover with a single periscope mounted to the right of the turret.
• An infrared light mounted to the right of the glacis plate.

Variants ending with -1 denote replacement of the engine w/V-46 engine from T-72 MBT.

T-54/T-55s with "bra armor" (semi-circular add-on armor) have turret protection increased to 330 mm (KE) and 400-450 mm (CE).

Other improvements available include a hull bottom reinforced against mines, better engines, rubber track pads, and a thermal sleeve for the gun.

Optional sights and fire control systems include the Israeli El-Op Red Tiger and Matador FCS, Swedish NobelTech T-series sight, and German Atlas MOLF. The Serbian SUV-T55A FCS, British Marconi Digital FCS, South African Tiger, and Belgian SABCA Titan offer upgraded function. One of the best is the Slovenian EFCS-3 integrated FCS.

A variety of thermal sights is available. They include the Russian/French ALIS and Namut-type sight from Peleng. There are thermal sights available for installation which permit night launch of ATGMs.

Some T-54s have only four road wheels on each side. Others have a twin 57mm self-propelled, automatic, anti-aircraft gun system sitting in an open-topped turret.

A standard 12.7mm (0.50) Browning M2 HB machine gun has replaced some CIS equipped 12.7mm DShKm anti-aircraft machine guns.

Polish-produced tanks often have different stowage arrangements. The arrangement includes a rectangular box mounted on the left side of the turret, a smaller square stowage box on the left side of the turret-rear, and a slightly different rear decking.

In India, sheet steel tubes are placed on 100mm barrels to distinguish Indian T-54/T-55 tanks from Pakistani T-59s.

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T-54, earlier models

An early T-54 had a distinctive bulbous shape at its turret rear and lacked a snorkel. Another model had a 12.7mm DshKM machine gun at the right cupola. Another version, the T-54A, was fitted with a D10TG gun. The T-54B, which followed, was fitted with a 100mm D10T2S.

T-54/T-55 (Egyptian)

Many of these T-54s/T55s were fitted with a German AEG infrared/white searchlight to the left of the main armament and a Yugoslav lskra laser rangefinder.

T-54/T-55 (Israeli TI-67)

Israel captured a number of T-54 and T-55 tanks and modified them for their own use. Some of the modifications included the replacement and/or installation of additional track storage and included replacing existing armament with some of the following armament types:

• 105mm M68 rifled guns.
• 7.62mm (0.30) Browning machine guns.
• 12.7mm (0.50) Browning M2 HB machine guns.
• Browning 0.30 machine guns at loaders' stations.
• Modified 105-mm ammunition racks.

T-55

Original production model. The T-55, unlike the T-54, lacks a loader's cupola or 12.7mm DshKM anti-aircraft machine gun (fitted to some models) and a turret dome ventilator. Recognition features:

• Fully tracked.
• Five road wheels (gap between first and second road wheels) with no support rollers.
• Dome-shaped turret over third road wheel.
• Sloped, low-silhouetted hull.
• Bore evacuator at muzzle.
• Infrared headlights.
• Infrared searchlight for gun.
• Straight front infantry handrail.

T-55A

Added an NBC protection system.

T-55AD Drozd

Variant with Drozd but not Volna FCS and ERA.

T-55M

Added the Volna fire control system (with ATGM launcher), improved gun stabilization and sights, improved engine, new radio, and increased protection. Protection included track skirts, smoke grenade launchers, applique armor, and fire protection.

Finnish Defence Forces Photo
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Exercise - Tuisku 04
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Exercise - Kärppä 05
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Exercise - Hiisi 06
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T-55AM

Added bra armor (an armor band around the turret) for 180° coverage.

T-55AMV

See data above. The -AMV upgrade means substitution of ERA for the bra armor. The T-55AMV's 1K13 sight is both night sight and ATGM launcher sight; however, it cannot be used for both functions simultaneously.

T-55AM2

Variant does not have ATGM capability or Volna FCS.

T-55AM2B

Czech version of T-55AMV with Kladivo fire control.

T-55AM2P

Polish version of T-55AMV but with Merida FCS.

T-55AMD

Variant with the Drozd APS instead of ERA.

Flamethrower TO-55 (CIS)

The TO-55 flamethrower is in service with the CIS Army and Naval infantry. The flamethrower has a maximum range of 200 meters and replaces the 7.62mm coaxial machine gun while the 100mm gun is retained.

T-54/T-55 Dozer

Some T-54 and T-55 tanks have been equipped with the BTU dozer blade for use within tank units requiring specialized engineer support. The tank dozers accompany the armored vehicles and are used to neutralize obstacles while under fire. The BTU dozer blade can be mounted in 90 minutes and dismounted in 60 minutes.

T-54 Bridging Tanks

CIS, Czechoslovak, and Polish bridgelayers are built on earlier T-34 and T-54 tank chassis. The bridges launch hydraulically over the front of the vehicles and fold up when not in use to reduce vehicle length when travelling. Fully open, the bridges range in size from 12.3 to 21.6 meters and can span obstacles from 11 to 20 meters.

T-54/T-55 Armored Recovery Vehicles (ARVs)

A variety of T-54/T-55s have been modified to ARVs for towing, pushing, and lifting operations. Most modifications are identified by tool and specialized equipment stowage and platforms, small and large cranes, winches, pushbars, cable-drums, spades, and dozer blades mounted strategically on the hull. Small tripod jib cranes can be erected on some versions and some modifications require the turret to be removed. Other versions have a distinctive commander's cupola on the forward right side of the hull.

T-54/T-55 Mine-clearing Tanks (Czechoslovakian and CIS)

T-54/T-55 mine-clearing tanks can be fitted with a wide range of mine-clearing equipment including singular and combined roller and plough type systems mounted on the front of the hull. Some lack turrets while others have built-up superstructures. On some versions, the driver sits at the front right of the turret while on others, the driver's position has been raised and moved to the rear as a new cupola with a 12.7mm machine gun. Turrets on some models are believed to be armed with a 14.5mm KPVT heavy machine gun replacing the normal 12.7mm gun.

A more recent mine-clearing development is the rear-mounted rocket-propelled charges. The charges are launched across a minefield and once on the ground, are detonated.

IMR Combat Engineer Vehicle

The IMR is essentially a T-55 that had its turret replaced with a hydraulically-operated crane. The crane can also be fitted with a small bucket or a pair of pincer type grabs for removing trees and other obstacles. A hydraulically-operated dozer blade mounts to the front of the hull; it can be used in a straight or V-configuration only and cannot angle doze.

MT-55A Bridging Tank

The MT-55A armored bridge layer, a joint project between Czechoslovakia and Russia, replaced the earlier MT-34. First produced in 1962, it is based on the T-55A tank chassis. This bridge layer is also in service with Croatia, India, Iraq, Russia, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, and some countries in the Middle East.

The bridge launches hydraulically over the front of the vehicle and folds up when not in use to reduce vehicle length when travelling. With a crew of two, the bridge takes 3 minutes to lay in position while 3 to 8 minutes are required for recovery. The bridge is 18 meters long and 3.34 meters wide. It has the ability to span gaps up to 17 meters with the maximum capacity of 50,000 kilograms.

There are two types of scissor bridges. The first model of the bridge has circular holes in the sides of the bridge, while the more recent model has solid panels. Standard equipment on the MT-55A includes a CBRN system, a snorkel, an inclinometer, and other equipment for determining the width of the gap before the bridge is laid.