On May 26, 2023, the "Ukraine Weapons Tracker" Twitter account published a video indicating that Ukrainian soldiers from the 79th Air Assault Brigade have destroyed the first Russian modernized T-62MV Main Battle Tank (MBT) near Marinka, Donetsk Oblast.
The T-62MV is a modernized version of the T-62, a main battle tank that was originally produced in the Soviet Union. The T-62 was first produced in the 1960s as an upgrade to the T-55 tank, featuring a smoothbore gun capable of firing APFSDS rounds, which was something new at the time. The tank was used by the Soviet Union and several other countries during the Cold War.
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The T-62MV is an upgrade to the original T-62, with significant improvements made to its armor and firepower. The most obvious change is the addition of "Kontakt-1" explosive reactive armor (ERA). An ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) is a type of armor that reacts to the impact of an anti-tank weapon by exploding in a way that disrupts the weapon's penetrative abilities. This makes the tank more resistant to modern anti-tank weapons.
The T-62MV also received an upgrade to its main gun, with the addition of a stabilizer to improve firing accuracy while the tank is moving. The T-62MV retains the 115mm smoothbore gun of the original T-62, but it can also fire anti-tank guided missiles in addition to standard tank rounds.
The T-62MV tank is motorized with a new V-55-5 V-12 water-cooled diesel with an injection pump fuel system, pressure lubricated, developing 580 hp at 2,000 rpm. The tank is able to reach a maximum road speed of 50 km/h in forward speed and 7 km/h in reverse. It has a maximum cruising range of 450 km.
Like other tanks of its era, the T-62MV has limitations in terms of mobility, protection, and firepower when compared with modern main battle tanks. However, the addition of ERA and a stabilizer for its main gun did provide a significant increase in capability over the original T-62 design.
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