T-54 / T-55 Main Battle Tank
The
T-55 medium tank has a fully tracked, five-road-wheeled chassis. This chassis
has a space between the first and second road wheels and no return rollers.
The T-55 has a low-silhouetted hull with a dome shaped turret mounted over
the third road wheel. It is armed with a 100-mm rifled gun, which has a bore
evacuator at the muzzle. The T-55 also mounts a 7.62-mm coaxial machine-gun.
Early versions also mounted a bow-mounted 7.62-mm machine-gun. The T-55 differs
from the older T-54 models because it lacks the right-hand cupola and the
turret dome ventilator, which is located in front of that cupola on the T-54.
Most T-55’s also lack the turret-mounted 12.7-mm antiaircraft machine-gun
of the T-54. All T-55’s mount an infrared gunner’s searchlight
above, and to the right of the main gun. This searchlight, however, is not
a distinguishing feature since it has been retrofitted to many T-54 and T-54A
tanks. The T-55 combines a high velocity gun with a highly mobile chassis,
a low silhouette, and exceptional long-range endurance. Improvements over
the T-54 include a larger V-12 water-cooled diesel engine with 580 rather
than 520 hp, and an increased cruising range of 500 rather than 400 kilometers
(600 kilometers with auxiliary tanks). The increased cruising range can go
up to 715 kilometers with two 200-liter auxiliary fuel tanks which can be
carried on the rear. The T-55 has two-plane stabilization of the main gun
rather than vertical stabilization only. It also has a basic load for the
main gun of 43 rather than 34 rounds. The T-55 can ford depths of 1.4 meters
without preparation. It has snorkel equipment which enables it to cross depths
of up to 5.5 meters at a speed of 2 kilometers per hour. This equipment takes
about 30 minutes' preparation, but can be jettisoned immediately on leaving
the water. All T-55’s have the PAZ radiation detection system; the T-55A
also has an anti-radiation liner. Injecting vaporized diesel fuel onto the
exhaust system can generate a dense smoke screen.