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Ramses II: American Pharaoh
History:
One of the most prominent users of the T-54/55 tank throughout its history has been Egypt. They received the tank early on and have used it for decades, with many still in service as second-line units to this day. While the T-54 is a capable tank, it has become less and less capable as time goes on. Tanks have evolved significantly since it was first introduced, and many countries, including Egypt, have realized this. As such, in 1984 an agreement was signed between the Egyptian Government and Teledyne Continental Motors (now General Dynamics Land Systems) to begin development of a modernization package for Egypt's stock of T-54s. This vehicle would go through a number of evolutions and adaptations, with trials lasting throughout the 80s and 90s and production not beginning until 2004 (if at all - more on that later).The vehicle went through two stages of modernization, with the first giving the vehicle the name T-54E, for Egyptian. This was a more modest upgrade package and in 1987, the prototype was returned to Egypt for testing. This was deemed to be insufficient, so a further set of more extensive upgrades were performed beginning in 1990. Thus the final name of “Ramses II” was chosen and the design was completed, with full production slated for 2004-05. 250-260 were reportedly completed during the first production run, with another 165 supposedly coming afterwards in a second phase. A third phase would have produced 160-180 more, but this is doubted. In fact, it is unclear if this tank ever actually went into full production or, as some sources have suggested, they were mistaken for other upgraded T-55s, of which Egypt has several. Regardless of this, prototypes were fully built and tested, and there is a possibility that it went into production in limited quantities, but I have not found a 100% concrete source for this as of yet.
Description:
The Ramses II is a T-54 in name only. Nearly every element of it has been upgraded with American parts. The only element that has not changed is the armor. It remains as it was for the T-54 (1951). The rest, however, is quite different. Beginning with the armament, the gun has been upgraded to the 105mm M68 cannon as used on the M60A3. This will be a theme throughout this description, as Egypt wanted to be able to have parts commonality between their massive stock of M60A3s and this new upgrade. Interestingly enough, though the 105mm gun was added, the 100mm D-10T breech was reused. The 7.62mm coaxial SGMT was also retained. A 12.7mm M2HB was mounted to the roof as an AA machine gun. This standardized the Ramses II with modern Western firepower and enabled it to fire all the standard 105mm NATO rounds of the era. Next up is the mobility, and this is perhaps the biggest upgrade, literally! The engine was replaced with the TCM AVDS-1790-5A V12 turbodiesel, similar to the one used in the M60. This engine, producing 908hp, was so large that the hull of the Ramses II had to be lengthened by almost 1 meter to accommodate it and the new TCM-304 (Renk RK-304) hydromechanical transmission. Because of this, the road wheels, tracks, and suspension were also changed, with the vehicle receiving General Dynamics Model 2880 hydro-pneumatic suspension, M48-type road wheels, a new forward idler, a new enlarged rear drive sprocket, two additional return rollers, and new American-designed tracks (M48/M60 style). This came with enhanced fuel capacity, new exhaust pipes on either side of the hull, and larger capacity external fuel tanks.Internally the fire control system has also been vastly upgraded. The gun has a complete two-plane stabilization system and a SABCA Titan Mk.1 FCS complete with Avimo TL10-T laser rangefinding sight has been installed. It received a digital control computer with meteorological sensor and muzzle reference system. A commander’s nighttime image intensification periscope has been installed, as has the M60’s day/night searchlight above the gun barrel. Both the driver and gunner have passive NVD systems (along with the previously mentioned commander system). An NBC overpressure system and electronic fire detection and suppression system have also been fitted. Lastly, six smoke grenade launchers have been fitted on either side of the turret. As you can see, very little of the original T-54 remains, and it has been improved in almost every way!
Specifications:
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Main Armament: 105mm M68 rifled gun
Secondary Armament: 7.62mm SGMT machine gun (coaxial), 12.7mm M2HB heavy machine gun (roof)
Armor: 100mm hull front (upper and lower), 80mm hull sides, 45mm hull rear, 30-20mm hull roof, 20mm floor, variable thickness turret (220mm front-60mm rear), 30mm turret roof, some sources mention sideskirts, but I’ve found no images of this
Ammo Count: (estimates as I could not find solid data) 34 105mm rounds, 3500 7.62mm rounds, 200 12.7mm rounds
Engine: TCM AVDS-1790-5A V12 turbodiesel, 908hp
Transmission TCM/Renk-304, 4 forward gears, 2 reverse
Speed: 69 km/h (42 mph) on road, 42 km/h (26 mph) off road
Crew: 4 (Driver, Loader, Gunner, Commander)
Smoke: 2x6 banks of smoke launchers
Gallery:
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If there is anything I have missed or gotten incorrect, please let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope you will also check out my other suggestions! Thanks, and have a great day.
Sources:
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https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/RamsesII-Egypt-T55-upgrade
“T-54 Modelers Handbook” by Michael E. Rogers via The Tank and AFV Blog: Ramses II pictures