- Yes
- No
Austrian-upgraded T-62/105 undertaking firing trials in the Middle East.
Introduction
The T-62 is a soviet MBT designed and introduced in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As a development/successor to the highly successful T-54/55, it saw a moderate success on the export market, although not quite to the extent of its predecessor. Unlike tanks like the T-54, T-64, and T-72, it wasn’t particularly groundbreaking, although it was notably the first tank to enter service with a smoothbore cannon.
In the late 80s, these tanks had been in service for several decades around the world, and customers were looking to upgrade and replace their vehicles, given the breakneck pace of tank development at this point in time. However, there was a small problem - the geopolitical landscape of the world had shifted, nato was rapidly expanding, the cold war was drawing to a close, and it was clear the soviets were losing and their sphere of influence was shrinking.
Western industry therefore saw the opportunity to target the ex-soviet export customers, by creating upgrade packages for the aging soviet vehicles. The most well-known examples of this are the Royal Ordnance upgrades of the T-54/Type 59, or the various Israeli upgrade packages for the T-55.
A far less known example is the T-62 upgrade developed and marketed by the Austrian company NORICUM. This upgrade was specifically designed to enhance the firepower of the T-62, and was successfully evaluated on a T-62 MBT used by the Egyptian Army and was publicly showcased for the first time at the 1987 Cairo defense equipment exhibition.
The modification utilizes a TG N-105 (L7A1) gun model, which was adapted by NORICUM to allow left-side loading. Several adjustments were made to facilitate automatic breech operation and include an anti-rotation mechanism. The modification could integrate the existing recoil system or incorporate a new recuperator and recoil cylinders. The existing hull ejector had been adjusted to fit the dimensions of 105 mm ammunition, and the tank’s ammunition stowage (including fuel tanks) were reconfigured to accommodate the new 105 mm rounds.
Specifications
Spoiler
Armament
Chassis
Images
Spoiler
NORICUM T-62 with L7 105. Note the fume extractor positioned close to the tank. The T-62s original 115mm fume extractor is towards the end of the barrel (see below)
T-62 with original 115mm cannon
Captioned image from Janes AFV Systems 1988-89
Sources
Spoiler
Janes AFV Systems, 1988-89, pg. 3-4. (available here)