Introduction of T-62 Tanks in Ukraine
Alright…. Not too long ago, videos began to surface which show train loads of Soviet Era T-62 Tanks being sent into and arriving in Ukraine. This has raised questions about the current strength of the Russian Tank Force.
Development and Features of the T-62
The T-62 was first introduced in 1961 and developed out of the older T-55 series of tanks. As a result, the T-62 looks similar to its predecessor, as it has the same low profile and thick turret armour. But unlike the T-55, the T-62 is armed with a 115 mm U-5TS (2A20) smoothbore main gun, making it the first production tank to be armed with a smoothbore.
It was not perfect, as the T-62 had a lower rate of fire and was a tad bit expensive to maintain compared to the T-55. So it never really fully replaced the T-55 from service, and production came to an end in 1975. Despite this, the T-62 saw action with not only the Soviet Union but also with multiple countries, such as Egypt, Libya, Angola, and interestingly, Israel (captured from Syria and converted into Tiran 3).
Operational History and Current Deployment
Despite being seen as obsolete compared to the T-72 and T-80s, the T-62 has been used time and again by Russia after the fall of the USSR. They were utilized in Chechnya, Georgia, and were even spotted in Syria as recently as 2020. Now it seems they are being sent into Ukraine, but as to who will use them is still unclear. Though it is suspected they may be handed over to pro-Russian forces.
~NC
