Posted on 12/10/2022 4:32:28 PM PST by dennisw
The first video has appeared online depicting the Ukrainian army’s ex-Slovenian M-55S tanks.
The video depicts what appears to be a four-person M-55S crew training on its new-old vehicle. The thick mud—a sticky hallmark of Ukraine’s wet early winter—might confirm the video is recent.
The M-55S despite its age could represent a glimpse at the Ukrainian army’s tank future. It’s all about the gun.
The M-55S is a deeply modernized Soviet T-55, a tank type that first entered service in the late 1950s. In the 1990s, the Slovenian army paid Israeli firm Elbit and STO RAVNE in Slovenia to modify 30 of its 36-ton T-55s.
The companies delivered the last example in 1999. The Slovenian army in the early 2000s replaced the M-55Ss with newer M-84s—and put the M-55Ss in storage.
Slovenian prime minister Robert Golob in a telephone conversation with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in September hammered out a deal whereby Germany would give Slovenia 40 military trucks—and Slovenia in turn would supply 28 M-55Ss to Ukraine. That’s enough tanks for a single battalion.
Among other enhancements—including reactive armor, an uprated engine and a new fire-control system—the M-55S has a stabilized, British-made L7 105-millimeter main gun in place of the original Soviet 100-millimeter gun.
The gun is what makes the M-55S valuable to Ukraine. The British gun is compatible with a wide range of modern ammunition, including armor-piercing sabot rounds that can penetrate the armor of a modern T-72.
More importantly, several Western companies produce 105-millimeter shells, meaning Ukraine shouldn’t struggle to maintain a steady supply of ammunition for its single M-55S battalion.
The Ukrainians have enough ex-Russian T-62s for perhaps two battalions. The problem, for these units, is that the T-62 packs a 115-millimeter main gun that’s unique in Russian and Ukrainian service.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
With 2 D’s for a double dose of destruction?
‘New T-90Ms arriving at the front’
https://twitter.com/TheHumanFund5/status/1601675019049762816
Modern (or modernized tanks) have reactive armor and other defensive equipment. In addition, modern tactics have tanks and infantry closely together so that tanks do not get served up as targets open to attack by guided missiles from opposing infantry. Disregarding that was how Russia’s tanks got chewed to bits in their attempt to take Kiev.
Yeah, ANYWHERE HE WANTS TO….
.
Short answer - Yes.
"The base armour of the M-55S is the same as the T-55 – a
maximum of 100 mm on the hull front, and 200 mm on the
turret. This is effectively tissue paper for modern main
battle tanks and anti-tank weapons, but the M-55S
received upgraded protection through the addition of
Israeli-designed explosive reactive armour (ERA)."
Read all about it -
My understanding is that the real drone fodder turned out to be soviet era T72 and subsequent tanks, which were generally fitted with an autoloader and stored some ammo in the crew compartment. Their top armor was vulnerable enough that modern drones, now programmable to attack through there, could with relatively small rounds penetrate the turret enough to detonate its stored ammo and thus kill all the crew. Whereas the same penetration without out a secondary explosion was often survivable. It came as an unpleasant surprise to Russians in the this Ukrainian war, who had bet big on autoloader advantages of more rapid fire in spite of having one fewer in the tank crew. Suddenly the Russian armada of more modern tanks was converted from killers to targets. Although the Russians had on paper, large numbers of stored older, pre-autoloader, tanks, stored inventory THAT old had been a low priority and many turned out to be far from ready for service. Some of the former eastern bloc nations, who had received older Soviet tanks as second hand cast-offs when the newer, ‘better’, autoloader models replaced them hadn’t been able to afford as many upgrades so better maintained their old stuff. And are now willing to sell or trade them to the Ukrainians. One of the undiscussed ‘advantages’ of this RussoUkraine war is that mountains of ‘obsolete’ cheap war material is being converted to scrap by both sides. Replacing that, even partially, with modern stuff will doubtless shift a mint of money from tax payers and other priorities to war manufacturers. But it’s hard to say, all other things equal, that getting rid of the old stuff isn’t a plus. And once this war finally ends the cost of converting ‘military surplus’ equipment for export to the third world, terrorists, drug lords, etc. will be significantly higher. Which may reduce the future quantities of such.
T-55s? Really?
65 year old armor against modern anti tank weapons. I’m betting they will be destroyed as quickly as they are fielded. It’s a tracked coffin.
A few tanks aren’t going to help the Ukies. If you haven’t read the news, the Ukies are suffering horrendous casualties around Bakmut You can read all about it on non western news media, but if you don’t believe non western sources, try reading the recent Brit reporters sent into Bakmut, 400-600 a day losses, the hospitals are so overloaded the dead are being stacked up like wood with no transportation to bring the dead out or the injured to the hospitals.
Unless the crew is trained to use and maintain them, they will not be effective.
Why do you think the Russians are scurrying to upgrade hundreds of T-62s instead?
Andrey Gurulyov, a retired Russian general turned politician, who is currently a deputy of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, or Duma, said on his Telegram post on October 12 that he recently undertook a tour of the 103 Armored Repair Plant in the country’s Far Eastern Transbaikal Krai region.
The 103 Armored Repair Plant is a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned conglomerate UralVagonZavod, the country’s leading tank manufacturer. Gurulyov also posted a video of his visit to the plant showing employees working on T-62s.
The Russian military intends to reactivate and upgrade some 800 Soviet-era T-62 tanks in the next three years to balance its significant losses in the ongoing Ukraine war.
It doesn't have the autoloaders of the later Soviet tanks that cause the jack-in-the-box effect when hit from the top of the turret. I'm sure it has added reactive armor to give more protection than it had when it left the factory. The upgrade gives it a gun for which many NATO countries can supply ammunition.
“modern tactics have tanks and infantry closely together so that tanks do not get served up as targets open to attack by guided missiles from opposing infantry”
Close infantry will do no good. The Javelin has a 2500+ meter range and is a fire and forget weapon. Tanks are as obsolete as a battleships.
Don't be shy with yr BS. Send us a link or it didn't happen.. And you really mean stacked like cordwood.
Hell yeah...
Why do you think the Russians are scurrying to upgrade hundreds of T-62s instead?
Andrey Gurulyov, a retired Russian general turned politician, who is currently a deputy of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, or Duma, said on his Telegram post on October 12 that he recently undertook a tour of the 103 Armored Repair Plant in the country’s Far Eastern Transbaikal Krai region.
_____________
I saw that video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVFIUQ4qAnY&t=14s
Full account https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/russia-to-modernize-800-vintage-t-62-tanks-due-to-ukraine-losses-report
Some weeks ago someone announced that Russia was prepping 50 to 60 T-55 tanks for combat. The T-55 has a heavily armored turret that might do better against Javelins than the lighter turrets on more modern tanks.
The T-55 was supposed to survive a nuclear attack. If so they should be tough tanks.
The US even has a mini-tank of sorts -- the Bradley Fighting Vehicle -- with a 25 mm auto-cannon and TOW missiles just to haul a half dozen or so infantry on the battlefield so they can keep up with tanks. Despite the risks of guided missiles, main battle tanks like the US Abrams and the German Leopard remain the most potent and best protected combat vehicles.
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