T-54A

T-54A

The successor to the T-34/85 tanks in the CSLA armament was to be the T-54 medium tanks produced under Czechoslovak license from the 1950s onwards. This was being prepared from the mid-1950s in Prague's ČKD. Due to delays in its launch date, the decision was made in 1956 to mass-produce and include in the armament an improved variant of the T-54A. The conversion of Soviet documentation to Czechoslovak production conditions took place between 1956 and 1957. A verification batch of ten units was produced in 1957. The following year, serial production began at the J. V. Stalin Works in Martina. In 1958, 98 tanks were produced, and the following year 313 machines rolled off the production line. Between 1957 and 1960, 771 T-54A tanks were produced. The production (at least in the beginning) was delayed due to late deliveries of some technical groups and components, which were supplied not only by domestic companies (VŽKG Ostrava, ČKD Sokolovo, Meopta Bratislava, etc.) but also by manufacturers from the USSR. Moreover, the army had to deal with a shortage of spare parts in the early stages of deployment.

From 1961, the T-54A was replaced in production by the T-54AR River variant modified for deep-wading (200 original T-54As were converted to the T-54AR standard as part of the overhaul). From the same year, production of the T-54AK commander's version was underway, which ended in 1963 after 130 units had been produced. The price of one T-54AR tank in 1964 was 1 040 000 CZK.

From 1968, the T-54A was upgraded to T-54M to match the T-55A.

In the 1980s, the T-54A was upgraded to the AM1 standard and then to the AM2 standard.

In total, about 2,700 T-54 tanks were produced in all versions, of which 2,374 were for the CSLA (125 of them in the T-54AK commander's version). Production continued until 1966.



Users (incomplete, valid for machines produced in Czechoslovakia). Hungary (first 10 units shipped to user in March 1963, another 66 T-54ARs delivered in 1964), Morocco (T-54AR + T-54ARK), Syria (160 T-54AR + T-54ARKs under 1969 contract, 93 T-54A + T-54AR + T-54ARKs delivered in 1973)


Version
T-54M - modernized version of the original T-54A
T-54AK - command version
T-54AR River - version modified for deep wading
T-54ARK - command version

The T-54A medium tank is a tracked combat vehicle armed with a 100 mm stabilised gun, three machine guns. It can be equipped with a deminer if required. The tank was designed to engage enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, to engage enemy fortresses and firing logs, as well as various defensive objects, to silence and destroy enemy artillery, and to destroy enemy infantry fire assets and live enemy forces.


Main parts of the tank
- hull,
- turret - is a shaped steel casting.
- weapons,
- stabilizer,
- binders and firefighting equipment.


The hull and turret are used to house and protect the crew, weapons, ammunition, tank equipment from the effects of fire. A turret is mounted on the ceiling of the hull on a ball track. The shape of the hull and turret allows for efficient use of their interior space and also considerable bullet resistance


The hull
is welded from armor plates. It is divided into three compartments :
- driving,
- fighting,
- engine and gear compartments.


Chassis
Species : tracked, drive wheels at the rear
Belts : metal with small links
Number of links in each belt : 90
Linking links : Steel pins
Link width : 580 mm
Weight per belt : approx. 1300 kg


Drive wheel : with removable toothed wreath
Number of teeth on wreath : 13
Weight : 126 kg
Tensioning wheels : cast with metal hoops
Travel wheels : double with rubber hoops
Number of wheels : 10
Wheel weight : 265 kg



Steering : independent, with torsion bars,
Brakes : liquid-cooled, connected to the rocker arms of the first and fifth running wheels.


Tank armament

100 mm stabilized gun D 10-TG
Stabilizer STP-1
Electro-fluid propulsion, with gyroscopic control device.
Battle rate of fire : 7 shots/min.


Firing capability :
- direct firing using tank sighting telescope TS2A-22 ,
- indirect firing using positioning spirit level and turret scale.


Max. Range : direct fire 6900 m / indirect fire 15600 m
Barrel length : 5608 mm ( 56 calibre)
Max. Range : 360°
Max. Angle of aim : 82°
Max. Angle of inclination : 4.5°


Range diameter : 34 rounds
7.62 mm SGMT tank machine gun - mated to the gun and fixed
Supply : cartridge belts ( 250 rounds in belt )
Max. Range : 2200 m
Rate of fire : 600 - 700 rounds/min.
12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun DŠK
Max. Range with sight : 3500 m
Supply : cartridge belts ( 50 rounds in belt )
Rate of fire : 100 rounds/min.


2 pcs of BDŠ-5 smoke bombs to create smoke screen are placed on the rear armour of the hull.

1 pcs of 7.62 mm machine gun vz.26 - crew's personal weapon, ammunition : 300 pcs,
1 pcs 26.5 mm signal pistol - ammunition : 2 sets
20 pcs RG-4 - hand grenade


Observation and sighting instruments
- TS2A-22 - sighting telescope for gun and coupled machine gun,
- K 10-T - sighting device for pl machine gun
- Positioning spirit level,
- Turret scale,


Observation instruments
- Observation instruments: Tank Commander TPK 1 and 4 prismatic observation instruments,
- Gunner : 1 prismatic observation instrument,
- Charger : 1 prismatic observation instrument,
- Driver : 2 prismatic observation instruments + TVN-1 - night vision.


Fire Extinguisher
Semi-automatic with carbon dioxide
Number of bottles : 3
1 pc hand held fire extinguisher


Electrical equipment :
Voltage : 24 V
Resources : four 12 V batteries 6 ST-148 spec.


Main technical data :

Tank type : medium
Engine : V-54 G (V-54 A) 12 V - diesel direct injection, compressionless - liquid cooled with forced circulation
Cylinder capacity : 38880 cm³
Max. Power 520 hp at 2000 rpm
Weight : 895 kg


Fuel tanks in l : capacity 532 ( diesel )
- front tank group : 217
- middle tank group : 315
- auxiliary tanks : 280



Fuel consumption in l/100 km :
- road 180 - 190 ,
- off road 280 - 300 .


Dimensions in mm:
Length :
- 9000 gun facing forward
- 8485 gun facing rearward
- 6040 hull.
Width : 3270
Height :
- 2400 without pl machine gun
- 2750 with pl machine gun
- 3830 with pl machine gun in combat position ( max. elevation )
Width of tracks : 2640
Width of tracks : 3840
Light : 425


Max. Grade : 30°
Max.Slope : 30°
Ditch Width : 2.7 m
Ditch Depth : 1.4 m
Max. Depth for underwater travel : 7 m
Wall height : 0.8 m


Weight in kg : 36000


Travel in km:
- road : 420 - 440
- off-road : 270 - 290


Speed in km/hr :
- max. 48 - 50 ,
- average : communication 30-33.


Crew: 4 men





Source : Tank-21-1 Tank T-54 A Technical Description- ČSĽA regulation, Prague, 1959

Výzbroj T-54A.



Zdroj : Tank-21-1 Tank T-54 A Technický popis – predpis ČSĽA, Praha, 1959

Stroj T-54A z výzbroje ČSLA zachycený v zimě roku 1964.

...

T-54A z výzbroje ČSLA.



Zdroj : ATOM č.1 1976

Masking coatings.

The T-54A tanks were not a very successful export item in the days when they were mass-produced in Martina. Despite all sorts of agitations by Prime Minister Viliam Shiroký at the Warsaw Pact meeting and "recommendations" by Marshal Grecek, almost no one showed interest in the Czechoslovak T-54A. This situation improved in the mid-1960s, when the Indians bought over 200 T-54A series tanks (T-54AR and T-54ARK) from CSLA surpluses. A contract of this magnitude generated almost ecstatic enthusiasm in the Czechoslovak MNO.

Začiatkom 60. rokov boli vežové čísla tankov T-54A dvojciferné.



Zdroj : " Každý mladý muž", film - 1965

Gumová patka na pásy tankov T-54 a T-55.



Zdroj : http://www.corvusarmy.sk

Byl jsem na vojně jako tankový mechanik a jelikož jsem opravoval T54,T54m aT55 tak už na vojně mi nešlo do hlavy,jak tyto tanky mohly fungovat/bojovat/ v Sýrii,když se přehřívaly i u nás v létě....Celkově je nechci pomlouvat,jelikož jsem mimo T34 jiné neopravoval,ale konstrukčně zlatá T34...Mít za války T 55,museli by jich mít rusové ještě víc než T34...Např.T 34 problémy s chlazením téměř neznala,a když nabíječ pomáhal řadit kladivem,tak vydržela víc než Její následník T54...