- Yes
- No
- North Korea sub-tree in China
- United Korea tree
- Other
- I said no
TL;DR: Imported Soviet T-55 obr. 1958s, equipped with mounts for slat armour
History
Soon after the end of the Korean War in 1953, North Korea began to receive T-54/55s from the USSR. The first delivery took place sometime in the mid-1950s, providing North Korea with a small number of the T-54 obr. 1949 and obr. 1951, providing a substantial upgrade to their large, but rapidly aging, fleet of T-34-85s (which numbered at least 1000 at this time). In the 1960s, North Korea received substantial deliveries of T-55s from the USSR, alongside large numbers of Type 59s (Chinese-produced T-54As) from China. The variants of T-55s appear to be exclusively early T-55 obr. 1958s — despite common opinion, at least one source explicitly says no T-55As were delivered, and I have also not been able to find photographic evidence of any. T-55As can most easily be identified by the larger cupolas, as a result of the improved NBC protection.
1. T-54 obr. 1949 and 2. T-54 obr. 1951 in North Korean service
According to North Korea, they began to produce the T-55 domestically in 1968, under the name 68 (1968-model heavy tank / 1968년식 중땅크). However, South Korean reports state that production actually began in 1973. Production of the 68 only lasted for around a decade, with production slowing in the late 1970s, at the same time serial production of the Ch’ŏnma — North Korea’s locally-produced T-62 and mainstay MBT — began around 1978. It is likely that by the 1980s, production of the 68 had ceased entirely. More T-55s and Type 59s were acquired during the production run of the 68. The total number of vehicles produced is uncertain, although common numbers cited are 1600–1800 T-54/55s/Type 59s acquired in total. Large numbers are still in service today.
T-55s during exercises. These have not been upgraded since entering service over five decades ago, aside from mounting points for slat armour.
The T-55s can easily be identified by the lack of heavy machine gun — unlike the 68s, and later the Ch’ŏnma-series, they were not fitted with the 14.5mm KPVT. They are also the only variant of the T-54/55-series equipped with night vision optics in North Korea’s arsenal.
Slat armour was adopted by North Korea relatively early on during the Cold War, although details are hard to come by. It is likely that it was first adopted sometime in the 1960s — the only public images of it (mounted on a T-55) come from the 1980s. Despite its apparent rarity, almost all vehicles in the T-54/55-family (including the 68) and the early Ch’ŏnma variants, as well as the older T-34-85s, have been fitted with mounting points for it. The armour extends across the hull and turret sides, and does not curve around the rear of either the hull or turret. It is rather rudimentary, but provides some protection against weak HEAT rounds and weak anti-tank weapons, to little cost.
The sole example of the slat armour, mounted on a T-55
Characteristics
The T-55 is armed with the 100mm D-10T2S, equipped with a two-plane stabiliser. This cannon can fire a wide range of shells — the exact ammunition used by North Korea is unknown, but likely consists of imported / domestically-produced Soviet and possibly Chinese rounds. It is unknown if North Korea have designed their own 100mm rounds. BR-412 APHE penetrates 218mm @ 0° @ 10m, BR-412B APHEBC penetrates 218mm @ 0° @ 10m (with better performance at range and at angles), and BR-412D APCBC penetrates 239mm @ 0° @ 10m. The gun can also fire APCR rounds, like BR-412P, which penetrates 224mm @ 0° @ 10m, APDS rounds like 3BM-8 (336mm @ 0° @ 10m) and Type 59 APDS (361mm @ 0° @ 10m), and HEAT-FS rounds like 3BK-5 (380mm @ 0°) and Type 73 HEAT-FS (390mm @ 0°). 43 main rounds can be carried.
The T-55 has a coaxial 7.62mm SGMT, for which 3500 rounds can be carried. The commander has the TKN-1S night sight, alongside the OU-3 IR spotlight. The gunner has a TPN-1 night sight, connected to the L-2 Luna IR spotlight. The gunner’s primary sight is the TSh2B-32.
The T-55 features the same general armour layout as the earlier T-54s. The upper front plate measures 100mm, sloped at 60°. The lower front plate is 100mm @ 54°. The hull sides and rear are 80mm @ 0° and 45mm @ 16° respectively. The turret is sloped, providing around 200mm of armour at the front, 160mm along the sides, and 66mm at the rear. The vehicle can optionally be fitted with slat armour across the hull and turret sides, providing additional protection against some HEAT rounds. The T-55 is fitted with V-55 engine, an improved version of the V-54, which delivers 580hp @ 2000rpm. The T-55 weighs 36t, thus giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 16.1hp/t. It has a top speed of 50km/h forwards and 8km/h in reverse.
Conclusion
The T-55 obr. 1958 would be a great addition to a future United Korea Ground Forces Tech Tree. While largely copy-paste, it would represent an earlier T-55 variant, with the lower cupolas, and have the option to mount slat armour, setting it apart from the in-game T-55A. It would sit at the same BR of 8.3.
Specifications
Armament
- 100mm D-10T2S
- Two-plane stabilised
- 43 rounds
- Ammunition
- BR-412 APHE
- 218mm @ 0° @ 10m
- BR-412B APHEBC
- 218mm @ 0° @ 10m
- BR-412D APCBC
- 239mm @ 0° @ 10m
- BR-412P APCR
- 224mm @ 0° @ 10m
- 3BM-8 APDS
- 336mm @ 0° @ 10m
- Type 59 APDS
- 361mm @ 0° @ 10m
- 3BK-5 HEAT-FS
- 380mm @ 0° @ 10m
- Type 73 HEAT-FS
- 390mm @ 0° @ 10m
- OF-412 HE
- 27mm @ 0°
- 3D3 Smoke
- BR-412 APHE
- Vertical Guidance
- -5°/+18° @ 4.5°/second
- Horizontal Guidance
- 360° @ 15°/second
- 1x 7.62mm SGMT (coaxial)
- 3000 rounds
- AP-I/API-T belt
- 13mm @ 0° @ 10m
Armour
- Hull
- UFP: 100mm @ 60°
- LFP: 100mm @ 54°
- Sides: 80mm @ 0° + optional slat armour
- Rear: 45mm @ 16°
- Turret
- Front: Variable, ~200mm
- Sides: Variable, ~160mm + optional slat armour
- Rear: Variable, ~66mm
- Roof: 30mm
Mobility
- Speed
- +50km/h / -8km/h
- Weight
- 36t
- Engine power
- 580hp, 16.1hp/t
Other
- Crew
- 4
Images
Spoiler
Sources
Spoiler
The Armed Forces of North Korea — On the Path of Songun. Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans.
68 (Type 68) - Tank Encyclopedia
- Vol. 2, No. 12 - December 2013
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/581028926
- Good breakdown of the differences between the T-55 and T-55A