T-55A
| This page is about the Soviet medium tank T-55A. For other versions, see T-54/55 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The T-55A is a rank VI Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 8.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica".
After active development of nuclear weapons, the T-54 was tested against nuclear charges. It was evaluated that the crew could survive only at distances of over 700 m, so it was decided to create a new tank that would have a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection system, or Protivoatomnaya Zashchita (PAZ). The initial designs for this tank were completed in 1956, however, that was without additional NBC protection. In 1961, the development of an NBC system began, and it was introduced in the new T-55A variant. Among other upgrades, the T-55 had an increased ammunition supply with 18 more rounds being stored in the fuel tanks.
The T-55 became a replacement for Soviet heavy tanks (IS series and the T-10). Armour was sacrificed for better mobility and a better gun. Currently, the T-55A is one of the only vehicles at its rank to still have an AP shell with explosive filler, which can easily knock out most vehicles in a single shot from the sides and some from the front (notably, Leopards 1). Unfortunately, the T-55A is relatively slow compared to other medium tanks at its battle rating.
General info
Survivability and armour
The T-55A has moderate frontal protection, with 100 mm plates for upper front plate (UFP) and lower front plate (LFP) placed at angles 59° and 56° respectively; effective thickness frontally comes up to ~180 mm and ~200 mm, respectively. At a perfect angle, the T-55A can bring its frontal effective thickness to ~200 mm and ~220 mm for the UFP and LFP, while having ~250 mm of protection at the angled sides. However, the additional 20 mm of armour will rarely save the tank from APFSDS, or even APDS, shells that are flying around at this rank.
As for the turret, the T-55A has slightly less protection than the T-62 and combined with a generally larger turret, it is easier for opponents to hit and penetrate the turret. The thinnest spots are right next to the cannon breech, at 200 mm, which rather slowly becomes over 300 mm when moving further away from the breech.
The T-55A's weakest area to be attacked at is the port side; or when looking directly at the T-55A, its right side. This is because three of the four crew members are neatly lined up into a row. A well placed APFSDS shot to this area through the UFP will one-shot the T-55A.
Despite this vulnerability, it will do well for the T-55A's overall survival if it does not get hit at all during its lifespan on the battlefield. Due to how packed the interior is, any penetrating shot is sure to cripple or outright destroy the tank.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 56 | 9 | 36 | 899 | 1,107 | 24.97 | 30.75 |
| Realistic | 51 | 8 | 513 | 580 | 14.25 | 16.11 | |
The maximum speed that the T-55A can reach is listed as 56 km/h (AB) and 50 km/h (RB/SB). That is ~15 km/h slower than the Leopard A1A1. However, the amount of firepower that the T-55A brings to the battlefield, coupled together with the ability to withstand shots sometimes, that speed is decent. Backwards, the T-55A can go at up to -7 km/h, which won't let you back out of tricky situations often.
The T-55A cannot turn in neutral gear, which makes it difficult to manoeuvre in close-quarter encounters, which often occur in urban environments. The acceleration is good, the T-55A can get to 25 km/h from a standstill on flat, rough terrain in a few seconds, and turning is decent on flat ground.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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With a default APDS round available, the T-55A is somewhat viable in a downtier to assist going through the modification research. Aside from getting the survivability upgrades in the "Parts" and "FPE" modules, unlocking better ammunition choices should be prioritised in order to access the more potent APFSDS round and the HEAT-FS shell in the "3BM25" and "3BK17M" modules respectively. The "NVD" module should also be researched early in order to survive the possibility of the next ground battle being at night time.
Armaments
Main armament
The T-55A houses a 100 mm D-10T2S rifled anti-tank gun, which is equipped with an ejector and two-plane stabilizer arms. In-game, the T-55A has a 10.3 s reload rate, which is similar to its successor, the T-62. This rate of fire doesn't allow the T-55A to rush into battle and fend off waves of Leopards or M48s and M60s, but it is sufficient to defeat one or two opponents in quick succession with good shot placements, granted you shoot first.
| 100 mm D-10T2S | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 43 | -5°/+18° | ±180° | Two-plane | 14.3 | 19.8 | 24.0 | 26.5 | 28.2 | 11.05 | 9.78 | 9.01 | 8.50 |
| Realistic | 8.9 | 10.5 | 12.8 | 14.1 | 15.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
The stock round (3BM-8, APDS) allows the T-55A to penetrate MBT-70 and KPz-70 frontally, as well as deal with all other major threats, notably the Leopards (which you can penetrate anywhere), and Chieftains (LFP, or UFP/LFP with the APFSDS round). One of the major advantages that the T-55A has over the majority of rank VI vehicles is its APCBC shell, which has the potential to knock out any opponent it penetrates in a single shot. It is advised to flank your enemies and when given the opportunity, easily destroy oncoming enemies with this round.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| 3BM-8 | APDS | 299 | 298 | 291 | 272 | 253 | 249 |
| BR-412D | APCBC | 239 | 236 | 223 | 207 | 192 | 178 |
| 3BM25 | APFSDS | 335 | 330 | 307 | 290 | 275 | 260 |
| 3BK17M | HEATFS | 390 | 390 | 390 | 390 | 390 | 390 |
| OF-412 | HE | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| Shell details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||
| 3BM-8 | APDS | 1,415 | 4.13 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 75° | 78° | 80° |
| BR-412D | APCBC | 887 | 15.9 | 1.2 | 19 | 93.94 | 48° | 63° | 71° |
| 3BM25 | APFSDS | 1,430 | 3.4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 76° | 77° | 80° |
| 3BK17M | HEATFS | 1,085 | 9.96 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 1,440 | 65° | 72° | 77° |
| OF-412 | HE | 900 | 15.6 | 0 | 0.1 | 1,460 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| Smoke shell characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Screen radius (m) |
Screen deploy time (s) |
Screen hold time (s) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
| 3D3 | 880 | 15.6 | 20 | 5 | 25 | 272 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 42 (+1) | 37 (+6) | 33 (+10) | 21 (+22) | 19 (+24) | 1 (+42) | No |
Notes:
- Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
- Rack 6 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 18 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
- This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 5.
- Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-5 into rack 6. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
- If you pack 19 (+24) shells, it will keep most of the hull empty of ammo.
Machine guns
The T-55A has a roof-mounted 12.7 mm DShK machine gun, which allows it to fight low-flying aircraft or helicopters. However, it is not effective against jets. It is recommended to use this machine gun against lightly armoured ground targets and to check whether or not a tank is alive or not, by shooting its tracks (which can also be done with the coaxial machine gun).
| 12.7 mm DShK | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 350 (50) | 600 | -10°/+60° | ±180° |
| 7.62 mm SGMT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 3,500 (250) | 600 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The T-55A has the great option to use an APCBC shell, which can one-shot Leopards frontally, and any well-armoured vehicles side-on. Therefore, this tank should be used as a flanker, large open areas present a great opportunity to scout and take out groups of oncoming enemies. However, make sure to stay near cover and use it after every shot to minimize the chances of getting scouted and penetrated.
However, that does not mean that the T-55A cannot engage opponents frontally. Its APFSDS round can penetrate all vehicles at its battle rating, apart from the T-64A/T-72 (if playing mixed battles), the Chieftains (when hull-down) and the Maus (when at distance and angled).
As a rule of thumb, protect your left-hand side when looking from behind the T-55A. You have 3 crew members there that can be taken out with a single well-placed APFSDS shot (upper right corner of the UFP). Also, don't rely on your reverse speed. You can't retreat efficiently, and will likely be destroyed in a close-quarters encounter if you don't engage your opponent first.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Good mobility
- Good gun and a wide ammo choices (APDS, APFSDS, APCBC, HEATFS and smoke)
- Roof-mounted machine gun for anti-air defence
- Has a spall liner in the turret, lacking in the T-62, affords some protection from spalling
- Safe ammo spot for 18 rounds near the driver in the fuel tanks give it some kinetic and chemical protection
- Comes with a stabiliser unlike its older series the T-54
Cons:
- Can easily be destroyed if penetrated through the turret, direct hits three of the four total crew members
- Stock performance is quite lacklustre
- No rangefinder
- Poor zoom distance, only 3.5 and 7 times magnification
- No smoke grenade launcher
- Paltry 100 mm front plate
- No chemical protection
- Abysmally weak sides on the hull (80 mm) and worse at the back of the turret (66 mm)
History
The T-55A is a variant of the extremely-popular T-55 main battle tank produced by the USSR after the Second World War. Along with the earlier T-54 main battle tanks, the T-54/T-55 MBT family is the most-produced tank series in history. The T-55 MBT design featured numerous improvements over the prior T-54s, including additional NBC (Nuclear, Biological & Chemical) protection systems, a new heavier turret, more ammunition, and improved equipment. The T-55A was a late modification of the earlier T-55 MBT, including improved NBC systems.
The T-54/T-55 family of main battle tanks were among the first main battle tanks to be introduced. The tanks were designed as a follow-up to the T-34 and T-44 medium tanks. Notably, the new T-54/T-55 tanks were fitted with a 100 mm rifled gun that was capable of penetrating the most heavily-armoured western tanks of the time but had a faster reload compared to the 122 mm guns used on the IS-series of heavy tanks.
The T-55 was designed as an evolutionary development of the T-54 MBT and included numerous changes compared to the previous tank model. Notably, the T-55 received NBC protection equipment designed to protect against tactical nuclear weapons. The T-55A further improved on the T-55's NBC protection system by introducing a full chemical weapon filtration system along with an anti-radiation lining inside the tank. These improvements greatly increased the crew's survivability against nuclear or chemical warfare. Compared to the T-54, the T-55 had its total shell capacity increased from 34 to 45; the T-55A was able to carry six more shells, through the removal of the hull machine gun.
The T-55A began production in 1963 and continued until 1977; numerous improvements were developed, including the T-55AM, a modified version of the T-55A featuring composite armour. The T-55 family served extensively with countries of the Warsaw Pact and was exported to many other countries. The T-55 family was retired from the Russian army in 2012 with remaining vehicles sold off to other countries; variants of the tank remain in service with numerous countries.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
External links
| USSR medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| T-28 | T-28 (1938) · T-28 · T-28E |
| T-34-76 | T-34 (Prototype) · T-34 (1940) · T-34 (1941) · T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.) · T-34 (1942) · T-34E STZ · T-34E |
| T-34-57 | T-34-57 · T-34-57 (1943) |
| T-34-85 | T-34-85 (D-5T) · T-34-85 · T-34-85E |
| T-34-100 | T-34-100 |
| T-44 | T-44 · T-44-100 · T-44-122 |
| T-54 | T-54 (1947) · T-54 (1949) · T-54 (1951) |
| T-55 | TO-55 · T-55A · T-55AM-1 · T-55AMD-1 |
| T-62 | T-62 · T-62M-1 |
| T-64 | Object 435 · T-64A (1971) · T-64B |
| T-72 | T-72A · T-72AV (TURMS-T) · T-72B · T-72B (1989) · T-72B3 · T-72M2 Moderna |
| T-80 | T-80B · T-80U · T-80UD · T-80UK · T-80UM2 · Т-80U-Е1 · T-80BVM · Object 292 |
| T-90 | Т-90А · T-90M |
| Trophies/Lend-Lease | |
| Germany | ▂T-III · ▂T-V |
| Great Britain | ▂МК-IX "Valentine" |
| USA | ▂M3 Medium · ▂M4A2 |
