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The T-62originally was con ceived as a companion weapon to the T-55, being essentially aT-55 up-gunned with the 2A20 115mm cannon . Both the T-55 and the T-62 used the same wheels, track, engine, transmission, hatches and other fittings. The primary differences between the two vehicles were the T-62s leng thened hulland new turret design. The new UT-5 cannon could fire its BR-5 APFSDS steelround through approximately 300mm of armor at a range of 1000 metres. This wasadequate to deal with the then perceived threat of such NATO tanks as the American M48 and later models of the British Centurion . The T-62 was meant toadd long range firing capability to Soviet tank regiments being placedalongside T-55s, but in the later years of its deployment it fulfilled much the same role as the T-55. Despite being introducedin 1960, the improved performance of its successor the T-72, the T-62 stillsees service today in many of the worlds armies, the Arab nation s being the largest consumers outside the Warsaw pact. Egypt, Iraq, and Syria have been notable users of the T-62, Israel has acquired a quantity ofT-62s in clashes with its neighbours and has rebuilt them to IDF stand ards.
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