Т-54А — как закалялась сталь: советская инженерная мысль создала машину, стреляющую на ходу

In 2025, the 70th anniversary of the start of production of the Soviet T-54A medium tank will be celebrated. It became revolutionary thanks to the world's first high-power gun stabilizer, which significantly improved the accuracy of firing on the move. This innovation, along with subsequent modifications, made the tank one of the most mass-produced in the world.

In September 1944, the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry considered a project for a new medium tank developed by the design bureau of plant No. 183 (now Uralvagonzavod, part of the Rostec State Corporation). This tank, designated T-54, was equipped with a powerful 100-millimeter gun installed in a new cast turret with reverse bevels in the lower part. Instead of a spring suspension, the tank used a more compact torsion bar suspension, which freed up space inside the hull.

An experienced prototype, assembled in early 1945, was sent to Moscow after factory tests for demonstration to a government commission.

танк Т-54 образца 1946 года
Image source Commons.wikimedia

In 1946, the T-54 was adopted into service, and in 1947 its serial production began. However, comments began to come from the troops, for example, about the large mass of the tank and about design and production flaws. As a result, in 1949, the production of the tank was suspended for revision.

Издание второе, дополненное

Ural designers took into account the comments in further versions of the T-54. The thickness of the frontal armor of the hull decreased from 120 to 100 mm, but the width of the track increased from 500 to 580 mm. The design of the chassis and transmission changed, the weight of the tank decreased, and the cross-country ability and reliability increased. The tank turret decreased and became more spherical, resembling an egg cut lengthwise - this increased its projectile resistance.

Т-54 образца 1947 года
Image source Commons.wikimedia

As a result of the improvements, the T-54 gradually became one of the most reliable tanks in the world.

A factory report from 1954 notes that the combat vehicle is capable of traveling 10 thousand km without repair with the replacement of individual components - almost ten times more than the T-54 model of 1951.

The 100-millimeter gun of the T-54 surpassed the "main caliber" of its opponents in terms of firepower, although it had less ammunition in the tank. The domestic tank's range was three times that of Western tanks: the T-54 traveled 400 km on one refueling, while the American M47 emptied its tanks in 120–145 km.

С индексом А

In March 1955, the T-54A tank entered service with the Soviet Army. The new model had a number of significant improvements, the most important of which was the introduction of a gun stabilizer in the vertical plane called "Horizon". This was the world's first such device for a gun of this power.

Before the advent of "Horizon", the probability of a moving tank hitting an enemy armored vehicle was about 3%. Thanks to the stabilizer, this figure increased to 30% when firing at the side projection of an enemy tank and up to 25% at the frontal projection.

казённая часть орудия, слева виден окуляр прицела ТПД-49 — казённая часть орудия, слева виден окуляр прицела ТПД-49
Image source Commons.wikimedia

Among other important innovations of the T-54A, it is worth noting: a night vision device, installed for the first time on a domestic tank, and an ejector on the gun to remove powder gases after a shot. In the previous T-54 model, tankers had to work in conditions of heavy gas contamination. Thanks to the new composition of armor steel, the tank's protection was increased.

In July 1955, serial production of the T-54A began. In subsequent years, the tank was produced under license in Poland, Czechoslovakia and China. A total of 4602 T-54A tanks were produced.

Earlier www1.ru reported that tank T-72B3 in an unusual configuration was shown by Russian soldiers.