T-64
| T-64 | |
|---|---|
A Ukrainian T-64BV model 2017 in 2021 | |
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1966–present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | KMDB |
| Designed | 1951–1962 |
| Manufacturer | Malyshev Factory |
| Produced | 1963–1987 |
| No. built | ≈13,000 |
| Specifications (T-64A) | |
| Mass | 38 tonnes (42 short tons; 37 long tons) |
| Length | 9.225 m (30 ft 3.2 in) (gun forward) |
| Width | 3.415 m (11 ft 2.4 in) |
| Height | 2.172 m (7 ft 1.5 in) |
| Crew | 3 (driver, commander, gunner) |
| Armour | Glass-reinforced plastic sandwiched between layers of steel.
ERA plates on later versions Hull & turret –370 mm to 440 mm vs APFSDS 500 mm to 575 mm vs HEAT |
Main armament | 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A26(M/M-1) (T-64A), 125 mm smoothbore gun D-81T (aka 2A46) |
Secondary armament | 7.62 mm PKMT coaxial machine gun, 12.7 mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun |
| Engine | 5TDF 5-cylinder diesel 13.6 litre 700 hp (522 kW) |
| Power/weight | 18.4 hp/tonne (13.7 kW/ton) |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
Operational range | 500 km (310 mi), 700 km (430 mi) with external tanks |
| Maximum speed | 45–60 km/h (28–37 mph) depending on version |
The T-64 is a Soviet tank manufactured in Kharkiv, and designed by Alexander Morozov. The tank was introduced in the early 1960s. It was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62: the T-64 served in tank divisions, while the T-62 supported infantry in motor rifle divisions. It introduced advanced features including composite armour, a compact engine and transmission, and a smoothbore 125-mm gun equipped with an autoloader to allow the crew to be reduced to three so the tank could be smaller and lighter. In spite of being armed and armoured like a heavy tank, the T-64 weighed only 38 tonnes (42 short tons; 37 long tons).
These features made the T-64 expensive to build, significantly more so than previous generations of Soviet tanks. This was especially true of the power plant, which was time-consuming to build and cost twice as much as more conventional designs. Several proposals were made to improve the T-64 with new engines, but chief designer Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov's political power in Moscow kept the design in production in spite of any concerns about price.
The T-64 formed the design basis of the Soviet T-80, which entered service in 1976. The tank is in use in a few nations or regions as of 2023. The T-64 is undergoing significant factory overhauls and modernization in Ukraine.