|
The T-62 was not a truly new tank but rather a hasty improvisation as the Soviet Army of the 1960s struggled to compete against the rapid proliferation of NATO tanks. Indeed, the T-62 was largely a modification of the widely manufactured T-55 tank but with a new 115mm gun. This gun was the first widely used smooth-bore gun dependent on the new APFSDS (armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding sabot) projectiles. Although this gun was revolutionary it was hugely controversial as the Soviet Army was involved in a major internal debate whether to field missile-armed as opposed to gun-armed tanks. The story of the development of this tank throughout this technological turmoil is fascinating in itself, but its service throughout the Cold War is also worthy of consideration. Although, within the USSR itself the T-62 was quickly superseded by the T-64 and T-72, the T-62 was also widely exported. As a result the T-62 formed a critical component of the Egyptian and Syrian armies in the 1973 Yom Kippur conflict. The lessons of this war were the catalyst for today’s main battle tanks, and the T-62 was the major incentive for the development of the M1 Abrams, the Challenger and Leopard II. Besides this pivotal role in world-wide tank development, the T-62 also formed the backbone of the Soviet tank force in Afghanistan, and the Iraqi tank force in the 1980 war with Iran and the 1991 Operation Desert Storm battles. Discover the fascinating story of a tank that would come to dominate the battlefield when the Cold War became hot.
The Soviet Army hastily developed the T-62 in a struggle to compete against the rapid proliferation of NATO tanks in the 1960s. It was essentially a modification of the widely-manufactured T-55 tank with the addition of a new 115mm gun. Within the USSR itself, the T-62 was quickly superseded, but it was widely exported, becoming a critical component of the Egyptian and Syrian armies in the 1973 Yom Kippur conflict and heavily influenced later designs of the M1 Abrams and Challenger tanks.
In the first English-language history of this tank, Steven Zaloga examines the development of the T-62 using detailed combat descriptions to bring to life the operational history of this tank from the deserts of the Sinai to the harsh terrain of Afghanistan.
Steven J. Zaloga received his BA in history from Union College and his MA from Columbia University. He has worked as an analyst in the aerospace industry for over two decades, covering missile systems and the international arms trade, and has served with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and military history, with an accent on the US Army in World War II as well as Russia and the former Soviet Union.
|
|
