- Yes!
- No!
T-55A (9M14M)
History and Description
The first T-55s arrived in SFR Yugoslavia in 1964. Thanks to favorable economic and political conditions, the delivery of T-55 and T-54 tanks continued for several years, most likely until 1983, when the last examples were received by the JNA (Yugoslav People’s Army). There were about 1,600 of these tanks in several variants and from three different manufacturers (USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia). At the end of the eighties, this was still by far the most numerous tank in the JNA. It was the main striking power of the mechanized brigades, while in the armored brigades, it was gradually replaced by the domestic M-84 tank.
During the adoption of the production of the FCS for M-84 tanks, the same system was installed on a small number of T-55 tanks. It was the first improvement of the characteristics of that armored fighting vehicle in Yugoslavia. That program was called Igman, but that’s a topic for another suggestion. After those first modifications, it turned out that with small but smart investments, T-55’s combat and technical characteristics could be significantly improved, i.e., increase fire efficiency, raise armor protection to a higher level, and facilitate the work of the crew by installing special devices. This, of course, increases the probability of human survival and the protection of assemblies in the most extreme conditions of use.
This particular T-55A modification was done in FR Yugoslavia in 1993. The upgraded tank didn’t receive a new name so in War Thunder, it could be named T-55A Mod. or T-55A (9M14M) - referring to the Malyutka ATGMs it used.
The firepower of the T-55A (9M14M) tank was increased by the installation of two launch rails for anti-tank guided missiles Malyutka (9M14M). By using them, the tank could target enemy armored vehicles and fortified objects from a distance of 500 meters up to 3 kilometers, making anti-armor combat more efficient at longer ranges. The missiles were placed above the main gun and were controlled from the guidance desk inside the tank. The vertical guidance of the launchers depended on the guidance of the main gun (-5 °/18 °). The gunner guided the missile by looking through the main gun sight, which had its magnification factor increased with additional optics (most likely 8x zoom). In addition to the 2 missiles on the launch rails, 4 more were allegedly stored behind the turret of the tank. Modification of the T-55A (9M14M) also improved the characteristics of its APFSDS ammunition. Additionally, the installation of a thermal jacket on the barrel reduced deformations caused by uneven cooling during firing by more than 80 percent. This increased the accuracy of the main gun. Increasing the armor protection of the tank would be extremely costly, as well as increase the tank’s overall mass and decrease its mobility. For this reason, the tank was only equipped with anti-cumulative rubber screens that protected the sides (like the ones on the M-84 tank). On the front sides of the turret, 12 smoke grenade launchers were installed for ejecting smoke in front of the tank. Smoke launchers, the smoke firing console, and other new equipment were taken from the M-84 tank. The T-55A (9M14M) was also equipped with a dozer blade on the lower front plate. With this modification, the tank was able to self-entrench while the blade increased the armor protection on the front of the tank.
In short, modernization consisted of:
- 6x Malyutka (9M14M) ATGMs
- Increased zoom of the gunner’s sight
- Better ammunition
- Thermal insulation jacket for the gun barrel
- Rubber side skirts
- 12x smoke grenades
- Dozer blade
Specifications
- Essentials
- Length with gun forward; 9.0 m
- Length of the hull; 6.2 m
- Width; 3.64 m
- Height; 2.35 m
- Mass; 36 t
- Driver and gunner NVD
- Crew; 4
- Dozer blade
- Protection
- Armor; 100 mm front, 80 mm side
- APS; N/A
- ERA; N/A
- Smoke; 12x smoke grenades, ESS
- Mobility
- Engine; Model V-55 V-12 diesel, 580 hp
- Power/weight; 16.11 hp/t
- Transmission; 1 reverse gear, 5 forward gears
- Top speed; 51 kph
- Amphibious; No
- Firepower
- Main;
- 100 mm D-10T2S cannon
- Ammunition; 43 rounds
- 100 mm D-10T2S cannon
- Secondary;
- 12.7 mm DShK machine gun
- Ammunition; 350 rounds
- Belt capacity; 50 rounds
- Fire rate; 600 shots/min
- Penetration at 10 m; 29 mm
- 7.62 mm SGMT machine gun
- Ammunition; 3,500 rounds
- Belt capacity; 250 rounds
- Fire rate; 600 shots/min
- Penetration at 10 m; 10 mm
- 12.7 mm DShK machine gun
- Supplementary;
- 9M14M Malyutka (MCLOS)
- Ammunition; 6
- Ready to fire; 2
- Penetration; 400mm
- Speed; 120 m/s
- 9M14M Malyutka (MCLOS)
- Main;
- Guidance;
- Stabilizer; Yes
- Vertical; -5° / +16°
- Horizontal; 360°
- Rotation speed; 15°/s
- Zoom; 8x
Gallery
