Production of the initial series of T-54s began slowly as 1,490 modifications were made. The Red Army received a tank which was superior to World War Two designs and theoretically better than the newest tanks of potential opponents. The 100 mm gun fired BR-412 series full-calibre APHE ammunition which had inferior penetration capability compared to similar ammunition fired by 88 mm KwK 43 on the Tiger II, but superior to those fired by the shorter-barrel 88 mm KwK 36 of the Tiger I and only slightly inferior in penetration to the KwK 36's PzGr.40/43 high-velocity tungsten-core round. The 100mm OF-412 HE fragmentation was 60% heavier in both total weight and bursting charge than the equivalent 8.8 cm Sprgr.43.
| T-54 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1950–present |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Morozov (T-54), OKB-520 (T-54A and later) |
| Designed | 1945 |
| Manufacturer | KhPZ, UVZ (USSR), Bumar-Łabędy (Pol.), ZTS Martin (Czech.) |
| Produced | 1946–81 (USSR) 1956–79 (Pol.) 1957–83 (Czech.) |
| Number built | 86,000–110,000 est. |
| Specifications (T-54) | |
| Weight | 36 tonnes (39.7 ST) |
| Length | 6.45 m |
| Width | 3.37 m |
| Height | 2.40 m |
| Crew | 4 |
| | |
| Armour | 203 mm turret, 99 mm hull or 120mm (the 120mm variant went only 33mph), LOS = ~200 mm |
| Main armament | D-10T 100 mm rifled gun |
| Secondary armament | 2×7.62 mm SGMT machine gun, (12.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun) |
| Engine | Model V-55 12-cyl. 38.88-l diesel 581 hp (433 kW) |
| Power/weight | 14.6 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 0.425 m |
| Fuel capacity | 961 l (254 gal) |
| Operational range | 501 km (311 mi), 600 km (373 mi) with extra tanks |
| Speed | 56 km/h (34.8 mph) cross country speed= 16 mph (25 km/h) |
Due to its revolutionary design, this gun was mounted in a tank weighing four-fifths that of the Panther, two-thirds that of the Tiger I, and only just more than half that of the Tiger II. The light weight, powerful engine, and robust suspension gave it excellent cross-country mobility. The exploitation trials went without any breakdowns.
The serial production version, designated T-54-1, differed from the second T-54 prototype. It had thicker hull armour (80 mm on the sides, 30 mm on the roof and 20 mm on the bottom) which surpassed that on the German Tiger tank. As production ramped up, quality problems emerged. Production was stopped and an improved T-54-2 (Ob'yekt 137R) version was designed. Several changes were made and a new turret was fitted. The new dome-shaped turret with flat sides was inspired by the turret from the IS-3 heavy tank; it is similar to the later T-54 turret but with a distinctive overhang at the rear. It also had a shorter bustle. The fender machine guns were removed in favour of a single bow-mounted machine gun. The transmission was modernized and the track was widened to 580 mm. The T-54-2 entered production in 1949 at Stalin Ural Tank Factory No. 183 (Uralvagonzavod). In 1951, a second modernization was made, designated T-54-3 (Ob'yekt 137Sh), which had a new turret without side undercuts, as well as the new TSh-2-22 telescopic gunner's sight instead of the TSh-20. The tank featured the TDA smoke generating system. A command version was built, the T-54K (komandirskiy), with a second R-113 radio.
T-54A and T-54B
In the beginning of 1950s the personnel of the OKB-520 design bureau of the Stalin Ural Tank Factory No. 183 (Uralvagonzavod) had been changed considerably. Morozov was replaced by Kolesnikow who in turn was replaced by Leonid N. Kartsev in March 1953. The first decision of the new designer was to fit the 100 mm D-10T tank gun with the STP-1 "Gorizont" vertical stabilizer. The new tank gun received the designation D-10TG and was fitted into the T-54's turret. The new tank received night vision equipment for the driver and was designated T-54A (Ob'yekt 137G). Originally this had a small muzzle counter-weight, which was later replaced with a fume extractor. It was equipped with a OPVT wading snorkel, the TSh-2A-22 telescopic sight, TVN-1 infrared driver's periscope and IR headlight, a new R-113 radio, multi-stage engine air filter and radiator controls for improved engine performance, an electrical oil pump, a bilge pump, an automatic fire extinguisher and extra fuel tanks. The tank officially entered production in 1954 and service in 1955. It served as a basis for T-54AK command tank, with additional R-112 radio set (front line tanks were equipped with R-113 radio set), TNA-2 navigational device, ammunition load for the main gun decreased by 5 rounds and the AB-1-P/30 charging unit, which was produced in small numbers. In October 1954 a T-54A tank, designated as T-54M (Ob'yekt 139) served as a testbed for new D-54T and D-54TS 100 mm smoothbore guns and "Raduga" and "Molniya" stabilization systems, which were later used in the T-62. These were not completely successful, so further T-55 development continued to use the D-10 series guns. It was fitted with V-54-6 engine developing 581 hp (433 kW). It never went into production.
A new version based on T-54A, designated T-54B (Ob'yekt 137G2), was designed in 1955. It was fitted with a new 100 mm D-10T2S tank gun with STP-2 "Tsyklon" 2-plane stabilizer. It entered production in 1957. During the last four months of production the new tanks were equipped with an L-2 "Luna" infrared searchlight and TPN-1-22-11 IR gunner's sight, and OU-3 IR commander's searchlight. Modern APFSDS ammunition was developed, dramatically enhancing the penetrative performance of the gun to keep it competitive with NATO armor developments. T-54B served as the basis for T-54BK command tank which had exactly the same additional equipment as the T-54AK command tank.
