55 years ago, the first domestic serial main battle tank (MBT) T-64 with a separate loading smoothbore gun was adopted by the Soviet army.

The corresponding order was signed by the Minister of Defense of the USSR Rodion Malinovsky.

The development of the machine started in the second half of the 1950s.

The materials of the Russian Ministry of Defense say that the new tank was supposed to provide a significant advantage over foreign models.

The products, which at that time were in service with the USSR Armed Forces, had a number of drawbacks associated with the layout, protection from cumulative and armor-piercing-subcaliber shells, insufficient accuracy, rate of fire and firepower.

According to experts, the leadership of the Soviet Union faced a choice: to continue the modernization of the T-54 family of tanks or to launch a project to create a completely new combat platform.

As a result, the second point of view won out.

The result of long and painstaking work was the T-64, developed by the team of the design bureau of the Kharkov plant.

Malysheva.

“In terms of weight, the T-64 turned out to be average, but in terms of armament and protection it was at the level of a heavy tank, and maybe even surpassed it somewhere.

Therefore, it is correct to classify it as MBT.

It was a revolutionary development, a huge leap forward in domestic tank building, "Sergei Suvorov, candidate of military sciences, said in a commentary on RT.

As noted in the materials of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the T-64 became "the ancestor of a new generation of domestic tanks."

In almost all main indicators, the vehicle surpassed the T-55 and T-62, which were then in operation.

However, due to the abundance of new technical solutions, the MBT turned out to be significantly more expensive.

The tank suffered from a number of "childhood illnesses".

True, all of them were successfully "cured" in the course of mass production, which began before the official adoption of the product for service and lasted more than 20 years. 

New solutions

The Kharkov vehicle became the first tank in the world with an automatic loader.

This device housed 30 ammunition, the remaining 10 shells were in non-mechanized stowage and were intended for quick replenishment of the conveyor.

The advent of the automatic loader made it possible to significantly reduce the volume of the tank's fighting compartment and remove the loader from the crew.

Now there were three people in the MBT: the commander, the gunner and the driver.

  • Ferrying the T-64 over a water barrier

  • © Plant named after V.A.

    Malysheva

The T-64 became the first tank in the world to be equipped with an integrated multi-layer combined protection.

It consisted of armor steel, anti-cumulative jet-extinguishing and special anti-radiation materials.

Along with this, Soviet specialists strengthened the protection of the bow assembly, elements near the driver's hatch, sides, and increased the angles of inclination of the frontal hull plates.

The vehicle received a low silhouette characteristic of modern domestic tanks, which naturally increased its survivability.

Initially, the Soviet MBT was equipped with a 115-mm smooth-bore cannon, but already the first modification of the T-64A was equipped with a more solid 125-mm D-81 gun with an automated loading mechanism and an insulating casing.

“The rate of fire of the gun is 10 rounds per minute.

The tank (there were. -

RT

) was equipped with an anti-nuclear protection system, fire-fighting equipment, underwater driving equipment, a Tucha smoke grenade launching system, rubberized side screens, "the Russian military department said.

The mass of the basic version of the T-64 was 36 tons, the armor thickness was from 20 to 450 mm, the engine power was 700 hp, the maximum speed was 65 km / h, and the cruising range was 500 km.

The tank received a fundamentally new transmission with hydraulic control, which provided a significant reduction in the weight and dimensions of the engine compartment.

In addition, a number of the latest fire control systems and assemblies were developed for the T-64.

These include a rangefinder sight, a stabilizer in two planes and a calculating device.

All these innovations made it possible to increase the effectiveness of shooting.

Throughout the serial production of the MBT, it was constantly improved by equipping it with improved means of protection, more modern weapons and on-board equipment.

  • Column T-64 of the Soviet army

  • © Plant named after V.A.

    Malysheva

The appearance of the T-64B modification is considered an important milestone in the development of this tank.

This vehicle received a guided weapon system and a 1A33 fire control system, which was 1.6 times more efficient than the previous product mounted on the T-64A.

“In parallel with the T-64B until 1985, a simplified version of it was produced - the T-64B-1 tank without the 9K112 Cobra guided weapons complex, but retaining the 1A33 fire control system.

The production of the T-64B-1 modification without the Cobra guided weapon system was 18% less expensive than the T-64B missile version, "the website of the Russian Defense Ministry says.

The military department emphasizes that the T-64B "was ahead of its time by decades, and the potential in the vehicle made it possible to create later combat vehicles of the Soviet tank building."

So, a direct "descendant" of the T-64 was the family of "jet" MBT T-80 with a gas turbine engine (other domestic tanks were equipped with diesel units).

This vehicle entered service in 1976 and is still in service by the Russian army in deeply modernized versions.

According to Sergei Suvorov, the concept implemented in the T-64 turned out to be so advanced that in many ways it still determines the standards for the layout and appearance of the MBT.

“By the combination of the latest technical solutions, the T-64 can be called a revolutionary tank.

It was absolutely different from its predecessors and served as the basis for the development of new tanks, which are now superior to Western vehicles in many respects, "Suvorov explained.

In an interview with RT, Vadim Antonov, deputy director of the Museum of Russian Military History, noted that the appearance of the T-64 caused a great resonance in NATO countries.

According to him, in order to catch up with the USSR, Moscow's geopolitical opponents were forced to start developing new types of tracked vehicles and anti-tank weapons.

“The T-64 had a great influence on tank building all over the world.

For example, we can say that the United States decided to create its own MBT "Abrams" as a response to the emergence and development of the capabilities of the T-64 ", - said Antonov.

At the same time, according to the expert, along with the mass of unconditional advantages, the T-64 had a number of disadvantages.

In particular, the first Soviet MBT turned out to be a rather expensive and difficult machine to operate.

These features hampered the course of mass production, maintenance and training of military personnel.

However, the USSR compensated for these problems with the commissioning of the more advanced T-72 and its modifications, Antonov emphasized.

From recycling to modernization

According to Sergei Suvorov, with the collapse of the USSR, there was a large-scale reduction in the tank fleet of the post-Soviet states.

In Russia, vehicles of the T-64 family began to be decommissioned.

Later, the first Soviet MBT was recognized as having no modernization potential.

At that time, Ukraine was a major operator of the T-64.

In the 2000s, she carried out a partial modernization of the fleet of these machines.

The updated modification was named "Bulat", but was later declared unsuccessful at the official level.

Before the coup d'etat in February 2014 and the armed conflict in Donbass, Kiev intended to completely abandon a significant part of the T-64 that was available in the army and in warehouses.

To this end, the Ukrainian authorities even began negotiations with NATO, counting on assistance in disposal.

  • Column T-64 APU

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  • © Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

But the war in Donbass led to serious losses in armored vehicles and forced Kiev to return to service "Bulat" and other versions of the T-64.

In recent years, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have received the so-called T-64 of the 2017 model of the year - this is another modernized version of the Soviet MBT.

The main changes in the car concerned on-board electronics and dynamic protection.

However, experts are still inclined to believe that the T-64 is a priori less perfect than the T-72.

According to Vadim Antonov, the obsolete T-64 remains a significant combat unit only in conflicts where modern means of fighting tanks are little used.