View source for T-54/T-55

{{Short description|Main battle tank family of Soviet origin, 1946}}
{{Redirect-multi|2|T-54|T-55}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = T-54/55
| image              = 	T-55 4.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = A T-55 tank on display at the [[Imperial War Museum]]
| type               = {{plainlist|
* [[Medium tank]] (Warsaw Pact designation)
* [[Main battle tank]]}} (NATO designation)
<!-- Type selection -->| is_vehicle         = yes
| service            = 1948–present
<!-- Production history -->| designer           = {{plainlist|
* [[Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau|KMDB]] (T-54)
* [[OKB-520]] (T-54A and later)}}
| number             = 96,500–100,000+ est., including:{{ubl|More than 35,000 T-54 and More than 27,500 T-55 (by Soviet Union)|13,000 Type-59/69/79 (by China)|11,000 T-54/55 (by Czechoslovakia)|10,000 T-54/55 (by Poland)}}
| spec_label         = T-55
| length             = {{convert|9.00| m|ftin|abbr=on}} with gun forward
| width              = {{convert| 3.37| m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| height             = {{convert|2.40| m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| origin             = Soviet Union
| is_UK              = no<!--for BR-ENG spelling in infobox-->
<!-- Service history -->| used_by            = See ''[[T-54/T-55 operators and variants#List of operators|Operators]]''
| wars               = See ''[[#Service history|Service History]]''
| design_date        = 1945–1958
| manufacturer       = {{plainlist|
* [[Malyshev Factory|KhPZ]], [[Uralvagonzavod|UVZ]] (Soviet Union)
* [[Bumar-Łabędy]] (Poland)
* ZTS Martin (Czechoslovakia)}}
| unit_cost          = {{currency|200000|USD}} (export price to [[Egypt]], 1956–1972)<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Efrat|first=Moshe|date=1983|title=The Economics of Soviet Arms Transfers to the Third World. A Case Study: Egypt|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/151253|journal=Soviet Studies|volume=35|issue=4|pages=437–456|doi=10.1080/09668138308411496|jstor=151253|issn=0038-5859|access-date=2 January 2021|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112023629/https://www.jstor.org/stable/151253|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
| production_date    = {{plainlist|
* 1946–1981 (Soviet Union)
* 1956–1979 (Poland)
* 1957–1983 (Czechoslovakia)}}
| variants           = [[#Operators and variants|See ''Operators and variants'' section below]]
<!-- General specifications -->| weight             = {{convert|36|MT|LT ST|1}}
| crew               = 4
<!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->| armour             = {{ubl|205&nbsp;mm turret front |130&nbsp;mm turret sides |60 mm turret rear|30 mm turret roof|120 mm hull front at 60° (100&nbsp;mm after 1949)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tanki-tut.ru/ussr-russia/t-54/ |title=Т-54 - советский средний танк послевоенного периода |work=TANKI-TUT.RU - вся бронетехника мира тут |access-date=2015-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522152242/http://tanki-tut.ru/ussr-russia/t-54/ |archive-date=2015-05-22 |url-status=live|language=ru}}</ref>|79 mm hull upper sides|20 mm hull lower sides|60 mm at 0° hull rear|20 mm hull bottom|33–16 mm hull roof}}
| primary_armament   = [[D-10 tank gun|D-10T]] 100&nbsp;mm rifled gun (43 rounds)
| secondary_armament = 7.62 mm [[SGMT]] coaxial machine gun, (12.7 mm [[DShK]] heavy machine gun)
| engine             = Model [[Kharkiv model V-2|V-55(V-54)]] V-12 water-cooled. 38.88-litre diesel
| engine_power       = {{convert|500|hp|kW|0}} up to {{convert|800|hp|kW}} (late versions)
| pw_ratio           = {{convert|14.6|hp/MT|kW/MT}}
| transmission       = Mechanical ([[synchromesh]]), 5 forward, 1 reverse gears
| suspension         = [[Torsion bar suspension|Torsion bar]]
| clearance          = {{convert|0.425| m|in|abbr=on}}
| fuel_capacity      = 580 L internal, 320 L external (less on early T54), 400 L jettisonable rear drums
| vehicle_range      = {{convert|325|km|mi}}, {{convert|610|km|mi}} with extra tanks (on unpaved roads)
| speed              = {{convert|51|km/h|mph}}
}}The '''T-54''' and '''T-55''' tanks are a series of [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] medium tanks<ref>{{Cite book |last=Барятинский |first=Михаил |title=Т-54 и Т-55 "Танк-солдат" |date=2015 |isbn=978-5-699-84605-4 |pages=4 |publisher=I︠A︡uza |language=ru |trans-title=T-54 and T-55}}</ref> introduced in the years following the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The first T-54 prototype was completed at [[Nizhny Tagil]] by the end of 1945.<ref name="Steven Zaloga 2004, p.6">Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2004, p. 6</ref> From the late 1950s, the T-54 eventually became the main tank for armoured units of the [[Soviet Army]], armies of the [[Warsaw Pact]] countries, and many others. T-54s and T-55s have been involved in many of the world's armed conflicts since their introduction in the second half of the 20th century.

The T-54/55 series is the most-produced tank in history. Estimated production numbers for the series range from 96,500 to 100,000. They were replaced by the [[T-62]], [[T-64]], [[T-72]], [[T-80]] and [[T-90]] tanks in Soviet and [[Russian Ground Forces|Russian armies]], but are still used by up to 50 other armies worldwide, some having received sophisticated retrofitting. The Chinese version of the T-54A is the [[Type 59 tank|Type 59]].

During the [[Cold War]], Soviet tanks never directly faced their [[NATO]] adversaries in [[Europe]]an combat. However, the T-54/55's first appearance in the [[Western world|West]] around the period of the 1950s (then the beginning of the Cold War) spurred the United Kingdom to develop a new tank gun, the [[Royal Ordnance L7]], and the [[United States]] to create the [[M60 tank]].<ref name=Halberstadt>{{Cite book |last=Halberstadt |first=Hans |title=Inside the Great Tanks |publisher=The Crowood Press |location=Wiltshire, England |year=1997 |pages=94–96 |isbn=1-86126-270-1 |oclc=40989477 |quote=The T-54/T-55 series is the hands down, all time most popular tank in history.}}</ref>

==Development history==
===Predecessors: T-34 and T-44===
{{Main|T-34|T-44}}

The Soviet [[T-34]] medium tank of the 1940s was well regarded and development never stopped throughout the Second World War. It continued to perform well; however, the designers could not incorporate the latest technologies or major developments as vital tank production could not be interrupted during wartime.

In 1943, the [[Morozov Design Bureau]] resurrected the pre-war T-34M development project and created the [[T-44 tank]]. Thanks to a space-efficient [[torsion-bar]] suspension, a novel transverse engine mount, and the removal of the hull machine-gunner's crew position, the T-44 had a cross-country performance at least as good as the T-34, but with substantially superior [[Vehicle armour|armour]] and a much more powerful 85&nbsp;mm gun.

By the time the T-44 was ready for production, the T-34 had also been modified to fit the same gun. Although the T-44 was superior in most other ways, by this time, T-34 production was in full swing and the massive numbers of T-34s being built offset any advantage to smaller numbers of a superior design. The T-44 was produced in only small numbers, with around 200 completed in 1945. Instead, the designers continued to use the design as the basis for further improved guns, experimenting with a 122&nbsp;mm design, but later deciding a 100&nbsp;mm gun was a better alternative.

===Prototypes===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2009}}
Efforts to fit the 100&nbsp;mm gun to the T-44 demonstrated that small changes to the design would greatly improve the combination. The main issue was a larger turret ring, which suggested slightly enlarging the hull. A prototype of the new design, about {{convert|40|cm}} longer and only 10&nbsp;cm wider, was completed in 1945. This model looked almost identical to the original T-44, albeit with a larger gun.

Testing revealed several drawbacks that needed correcting and many alterations that had to be made to the vehicle's design. It was decided to begin serial production of the new vehicle and the vehicle officially entered service in April 1946. It would go into production in [[Uralvagonzavod|Nizhny Tagil]] in 1947 and [[Malyshev Factory|Kharkiv]] in 1948.<ref>Zaloga 2004, p. 6.</ref>

===T-54===
[[File:Tank T-54 in Verkhnyaya Pyshma.jpg|thumb|The original T-54-1. It has a turret reminiscent of the [[T-34 variants#T-34-85|T-34-85s]], with prominent, undercut [[shot trap]]s. This example has the fender machine gun boxes replaced with fuel tanks.]]

Production of the initial series of T-54s began slowly as 1,490 modifications were made. The Red Army received a tank that was superior to World War II designs and theoretically better than the newest tanks of potential opponents. The 100&nbsp;mm gun fired BR-412 series full-calibre [[Armour-piercing ammunition|APHE]] ammunition, which had superior penetration ability when compared to the T-34 that it replaced.

The serial production version, designated T-54-1, differed from the second T-54 prototype. It had thicker hull armour (80&nbsp;mm on the sides, 30&nbsp;mm on the roof and 20&nbsp;mm on the bottom).{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} 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 (tank)|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.<ref name="zalp11"/>

The fender machine guns were removed in favour of a single bow-mounted machine gun. The transmission was modernised and the track was widened to 580&nbsp;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, and 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.<ref name="zalp11">Zaloga 2004, p. 11.</ref>

====T-54A and T-54B====
{{anchor |T-54A}}
At the beginning of the 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&nbsp;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.<ref name="zalp11"/>

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 an OPVT wading [[Vehicle snorkel|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.<ref name="zalp11"/>

The tank officially entered production in 1954 and service in 1955. It served as a basis for the T-54AK command tank, with an additional R-112 radio set (front line tanks were equipped with an 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&nbsp;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 a V-54-6 engine developing 581&nbsp;hp (433&nbsp;kW). It never went into production.<ref name="zalp11"/>

{{anchor |T-54B}}
A new version, based on T-54A, designated T-54B (''Ob'yekt'' 137G2), was designed in 1955. It was fitted with a new 100&nbsp;mm D-10T2S tank gun with [[T-54/55 Fire Controls#The gunner|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, a TPN-1-22-11 IR gunner's sight, and an 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 armour developments. T-54B served as the basis for the T-54BK command tank, which had the same additional equipment as the T-54AK command tank.<ref name="zalp11"/>

===T-55===
[[File:T-55 schematic.png|thumb|right|upright=1.3|The T-55 front, rear and side elevations]]

Trials with nuclear weapons showed that a T-54 could survive a 2–15&nbsp;kt nuclear charge at a range of more than {{convert|300|m|ft}} from the epicentre, but the crew had a chance of surviving at a minimum of {{convert|700|m|ft}}. It was decided to create an [[CBRN defense|NBC]] (nuclear, biological, and chemical) protection system which would start working 0.3 seconds after detecting gamma radiation.

The task of creating a basic PAZ (''Protivoatomnaya Zashchita'') [[CBRN defense|NBC protection]] system offering protection against the blast of a nuclear weapon and (radioactive) particulate filtration, but not against external [[gamma radiation]] or gas,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jnbc/jnbc0734.html |title=PAZ vehicle collective protection system |publisher=Janes.com |access-date=2013-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307205118/http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jnbc/jnbc0734.html |archive-date=2009-03-07 |url-status=live}}</ref> was given to the [[KB-60 design bureau]] in [[Kharkiv]] and was completed in 1956. The documentation was sent to Uralvagonzavod. It was decided to increase the tank's abilities by changing its construction and introducing new production technologies. Those changes were initially tested on the T-54M (''Ob'yekt'' 139).

The tank was fitted with the new [[Kharkiv model V-2|V-55]] 12-cylinder four-stroke one-chamber, 38.88-litre water-cooled diesel engine developing 581&nbsp;hp (433&nbsp;kW). Engine power was increased by raising the pressure of the fuel delivery and charging degree. The designers planned to introduce a heating system for the engine compartment and MC-1 diesel fuel filter. The engine was to be started pneumatically using an AK-150S charger and an electric starter. This eliminated the need for the tank to carry a tank filled with air. To allow easier access during maintenance and repairs, it was decided to change hatches over the engine compartment. To increase the operational range, {{convert|300|L|impgal usgal}} fuel tanks were added to the front of the hull, increasing the overall fuel capacity to {{convert|680|L}}.

[[File:T-55 icon.jpg|thumb|The original T-55 lacked an anti-aircraft machine gun mount.]]

The ammunition load for the main gun was increased from 34 to 45, with 18 shells stored in so-called "wet containers" located in hull fuel tanks (the concept for which came from Kartsev's cancelled [[Obiekt 140|''Ob'yekt'' 140]]). The ammunition load included high explosive-fragmentation and anti-tank rounds and designers also planned to introduce the BK5M [[high-explosive anti-tank]] (HEAT) rounds which penetrated {{convert|390|mm}} thick armour. The TPKU commander's vision device was replaced by either the TPKUB or TPKU-2B. The gunner received a TNP-165 vision device.

The loader's hatch-mounted 12.7&nbsp;mm DShK anti-aircraft heavy machine gun was dropped, because it was deemed worthless against high-performance jets. The tank was supposed to have the "Rosa" fire protection system. The tank had a thicker turret casting, an improved two-plane gun stabilization system from the T-54B and night vision fighting equipment. To balance the weight of the new equipment, the armour on the back of the hull was thinned slightly.

The T-55 was superior to the [[IS-2]], IS-3 and [[T-10 tank|T-10]] heavy tanks in many respects, including the gun's rate of fire (at least four compared to fewer than three rounds per minute). Despite somewhat thinner frontal turret armour ({{convert|200|mm|in}} instead of {{convert|250|mm|in}}), it compared favourably with the IS-3, due to its improved antitank gun and better mobility. Heavy tanks soon fell from favour.

This became the ''Ob'yekt'' 155 and entered production at Uralvagonzavod on 1 January 1958 as the T-55.<ref name="Sewell, p.27">Sewell, p.27.</ref> It was accepted for service with the Red Army on 8 May. It suffered a significant lapse in one area: there was no antiaircraft machine gun, which had been present on the T-54.<ref name="Sewell, p.27"/>

After 1959, it served as a basis for the T-55K command tank equipped with an additional R-112 radio set, an AB-1-P/30 fuel-powered accumulator charging unit and a TPN-1-22-11 night vision sight. All this extra equipment made it necessary to decrease the ammunition load for the main gun to 37 rounds and eliminate the bow machine gun. At the beginning of the 1960s, a T-55K was experimentally fitted with a ''Uran'' TV relay apparatus for battlefield surveillance. The tank was equipped with an external camera, the picture from which was relayed to a receiver in a BTR-50PU command vehicle. There was an observation camera mounted on a folding mast which was in turn mounted on a [[UAZ 69]] car.

In 1961, a T-55 tank was used to test the "Almaz" TV complex, which was supposed to replace the standard observation devices right after a nuclear explosion or while fording a body of water. There was a camera mounted on the hull for the driver and two cameras mounted on the turret, one for aiming and one for observation, and the picture from the cameras was relayed to two control screens. The tank had the front hull fuel tanks and bow machine gun removed. The commander was seated in the driver's usual position while the driver sat beside him.

The cameras allowed battlefield observation and firing during daytime at ranges between {{convert|1.5|and|2|km}}. Because of the low quality of the equipment, the trials gave negative results. At the beginning of the 1960s, the OKB-29 design bureau in [[Omsk]] adapted the tank to use a GTD-3T gas turbine engine developing 700&nbsp;hp (522&nbsp;kW). One T-55 tank fitted with this gas turbine engine passed trials but was deemed unsatisfactory, and the design did not go into production.

The Omsk OKB-29 group tested three experimental T-55 tanks (designated ''Ob'yekt'' 612) between 1962 and 1965 that were fitted with an automatic gearbox controlled by electro-hydraulic systems. The trials found that such gearboxes were prone to frequent breakdowns in tanks. At the same time, the ''Ob'yekt'' 155ML, a T-55 fitted with a launcher for three 9M14 "''Malyutka''" (NATO code: AT-3 Sagger) [[Anti-tank guided missile|ATGMs]] mounted on the rear of the turret, was tested. Along with standard tanks, a [[flamethrower]]-armed version was designed (designated TO-55 (''Ob'yekt'' 482)) and produced until 1962. It was fitted with 460-litre tanks filled with flammable liquid instead of the frontal wet ammunition rack. The flamethrower replaced the coaxial machine gun. This was a much better way to mount a flamethrower than in the experimental ''Ob'yekt'' 483, based on the T-54 tank, where the flamethrower replaced the main gun. TO-55 flamethrower tanks were withdrawn from service in 1993.

====T-55A====
In 1961, the development of improved NBC protection systems began. The goal was to protect the crew from fast neutrons; adequate protection against gamma radiation was provided by the thick armour and a PAZ basic NBC protection system.

The POV plasticized lead antiradiation lining was developed to provide the needed protection. It was installed in the interior, requiring the driver's hatch and the [[coaming]]s over the turret hatches to be noticeably enlarged. This liner had the added benefit of protecting the crew from fragments of penetrated armour.

The tank was equipped with a full PAZ/FVU chemical filtration system. The coaxial 7.62&nbsp;mm SGMT machine gun was replaced by a 7.62&nbsp;mm [[PK machine gun|PKT machine gun]]. The hull was lengthened from 6.04&nbsp;m to 6.2&nbsp;m. The hull machine gun was removed, making space for six more main gun rounds. These changes increased the weight of the vehicle to 38 tonnes.

The design work was done by the OKB-520 design bureau of Uralvagonzavod under the leadership of Leonid N. Kartsev. The T-55A served as the basis for the T-55AK command tank.<ref name="zalp11"/>

===T-54/T-55 upgrades===

In its long service life, the T-55 has been upgraded many times. Early T-55s were fitted with a new TSh-2B-32P sight. In 1959, some tanks received mountings for the PT-55 mine clearing system or the BTU/BTU-55 plough. In 1967, the improved 3BM-8 APDS round, which could penetrate 275&nbsp;mm thick armour at a range of 2&nbsp;km, was introduced. In 1970, new and old T-55 tanks had the loader's hatch modified to mount the 12.7&nbsp;mm [[DShK machine gun]], to deal with the threat of attack helicopters. Starting in 1974, T-55 tanks received the KTD-1 or KTD-2 [[laser rangefinder]] in an armoured box over the [[Gun mantlet|mantlet]] of the main gun, and the [[R-123]] or R-123M radio set.<ref>Zaloga 2004, p. 14.</ref> Simultaneously, efforts were made to modernize and increase the lifespan of the drive train.

During production, the T-55A was frequently modernised. In 1965, a new track was introduced that could be used for between 2,000&nbsp;km and 3,000&nbsp;km, which was twice<!-- 'two times more' really means three times, or 'thrice' but many people seemingly don't understand this and think it means twice--> the range of the old track. It needed a new drive sprocket, with 14 teeth instead of 13. Since 1974, T-55A tanks were equipped with a KTD-1 "Newa" rangefinder and a TSzS-32PM sight. All T-55A tanks were equipped with the TPN-1-22-11 night sight. The R-113 radio set was replaced by a R-123 radio set. Late production models had rubber side skirts and a driver's windshield for use during longer stints.

T-54 and T-55 tanks continued to be upgraded, refitted, and modernised into the 1990s. Advances in armour-piercing and high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) [[shaped charge]] ammunition would improve the gun's antitank abilities in the 1960s and 1980s.

[[File:Sri Lanka Military 0208.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sri Lanka Army]] T-55AM2]]

A wide array of upgrades in different price ranges are provided by many manufacturers in different countries, intended to bring the T-54/55 up to the abilities of newer MBTs, at a lower cost. Upgrades include new engines, [[explosive reactive armour]], new main armament such as 120&nbsp;mm or 125&nbsp;mm guns, active protection systems, and fire control systems with range-finders or thermal sights. These improvements make it a potent main battle tank (MBT) for the low-end budget, even to this day.

One of these upgrade packages was a joint United States-China prototype designed and built by Cadillac Gage, now known as [[Textron]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ed |first1=Nash |title=The Jaguar; Almost the Joint Chinese/American Battle Tank |url=https://militarymatters.online/weapons/the-jaguar-almost-the-joint-chinese-american-battle-tank/ |website=Military Matters |date=27 November 2020}}</ref> Two prototypes based on the Chinese [[Type 59 tank]], a clone of the Soviet Union era T-54A, named [[Jaguar MBT|Jaguar]] were produced in [[Detroit]], Michigan. Modifications included a new turret design and an improved hull. The engine compartment and fuel tanks on the shelves over the tracks were armour-protected. The Soviet-made 100&nbsp;mm gun was replaced with the American [[Royal Ordnance L7#Variants|M68 105&nbsp;mm rifled gun]] fitted with a thermal sleeve. A [[GEC Marconi|Marconi]] fire control system which was originally developed for the American [[Stingray light tank|light tank Stingray]] was fitted. The vehicle incorporated a Cadillac Gage weapon stabilizer and a gunner's sight equipped with an integral laser rangefinder. The powertrain was replaced with a Detroit Diesel 8V-92TA engine and XTG-411 automatic transmission. In 1989, two prototypes were completed. The chassis were provided by PRC, while the hull tops, turrets and powerplants were manufactured by Cadillac Gage Textron.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jaa/del02252.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417060219/http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jaa/del02252.html|archive-date=17 April 2009|title=Jaguar Main Battle Tank (International)|website=Jane's Armour and Artillery|date=22 November 1996|url-status=dead|access-date=17 November 2008}}</ref> Field testing of the prototypes began in October 1989, four months after the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre]], which ended cooperation between China and Cadillac Gage.

Another prototype upgrade package was produced by Teledyne Continental Motors (now General Dynamics Land Systems) for the Egyptian Army and was known as the T-54E. After further modifications and trials it was sent into mass production and received the designation [[Ramses II tank|Ramses II]].

As late as 2013, Ukrainian companies were reportedly developing T-55 main battle tank upgrades targeting the export market.<ref>Jane's Defence, [http://www.janes.com/products/janes/defence-security-report.aspx?ID=1065977074&channel=defence&subChannel=land Defence security report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322202546/https://www.janes.com/error/500?aspxerrorpath=/products/janes/defence-security-report.aspx |date=22 March 2023 }}</ref> The Type 59 is still in production, in several variants.<ref>[http://ftr.wot-news.com/2015/01/11/type-59-history-and-variants-part-2/ Type 59 History and Variants – Part 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402154704/http://ftr.wot-news.com/2015/01/11/type-59-history-and-variants-part-2/ |date=2015-04-02}}</ref>

==Description==

The T-54 and T-55 have a cabin layout shared with many post-World War II tanks, with the fighting compartment in the front, the engine compartment in the rear, and a dome-shaped [[gun turret|turret]] in the hull's centre. The driver's hatch is on the front left of the hull roof. In the turret, the commander is seated on the left, with the gunner to his front and the loader on the right. The tank has a ''flat track'',<ref>Hunnicutt "Abrams" (1990) p. 23</ref> meaning no support rollers, the [[Vehicle suspension#Armoured fighting vehicle suspension|suspension]] has the drive [[sprocket]] at the rear and [[Continuous track#"Live" and "dead" track|dead track]]. The engine exhaust is on the left fender. There is a prominent gap between the first and second road wheel pairs, a distinguishing feature from the T-62, which has progressively larger spaces between road wheels towards the rear.

The T-54 and T-55 tanks are outwardly similar and difficult to distinguish visually. Soviet tanks were factory-overhauled every 7,000&nbsp;km and usually given minor technology updates. Many states have added or modified the tank's equipment; India, for example, affixed fake fume extractors to its T-54s and T-55s so that its gunners would not confuse them with Pakistani Type 59s.<ref name="Zaloga 2004, p. 41">Zaloga 2004, p. 41.</ref>

The older T-54 can be distinguished from the T-55 by a dome-shaped ventilator on the front right of the turret and a driver-operated SGMT 7.62&nbsp;mm machine gun mounted to fire through a tiny hole in the centre of the hull's front. Early T-54s lacked a gun fume extractor, had an undercut at the turret's rear, and a distinctive "pig-snout" gun mantlet.

===Advantages and drawbacks===

By 1950s standards, the T-54 was excellent, packing considerable firepower and armour protection in a reliable design whilst also being smaller and lighter than contemporary NATO designs. However, at the time, the T-54 lacked effective sub-calibre ammunition and was reliant on HEAT rounds for anti-tank ammunition until the 1960s. This and the fact that the T-54 had a simple fire-control system meant that the T-54 was inaccurate at longer ranges.<ref name="Zaloga 2004, p. 40">{{cite book|last1=Zaloga|first1=Steven|title=T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2004|date=2004|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=1-84176-792-1|page=40}}</ref>

The T-55 introduced the world's first first-generation protective suite for NBC protection. This was done due to Soviet researchers finding that the survivability of tanks and their crews against tactical nuclear weapons was poor.<ref name="Zaloga 2004, p. 11">{{cite book|last1=Zaloga|first1=Steven|title=T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2004|date=2004|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=1-84176-792-1|page=11}}</ref>

The low turret profile of the tanks prevents them from depressing their main guns by more than 5° since the breech would strike the ceiling when fired, which limits the ability to cover terrain by fire from a [[hull-down]] position on a reverse slope. As with most tanks of [[List of main battle tanks by generation#First|that generation]], the internal ammunition supply is not shielded, increasing the risk that any enemy penetration of the fighting compartment could cause a catastrophic secondary explosion. The T-54 lacked NBC protection and a turret basket, which meant that crewmen had to physically rotate and keep up with a rotating turret as the hull they stood in didn't move with the turret. Additionally, early models also lacked gun stabilisation. Most of these problems were corrected in the otherwise largely identical T-55 tank.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

Together, the T-54/55 tanks have been manufactured by the tens of thousands, and many remain in reserve or even in front-line use among lower-technology fighting forces. Abundance and age together make these tanks cheap and easy to purchase.<ref>Gelbart 1996, pp.75–78</ref>

==Production history==
===Soviet Union===
T-54-1 production was slow at first, as only 3 vehicles were built in 1946 and 22 in 1947. 285 T-54-1 tanks were built in 1948 by Stalin Ural Tank Factory No. 183 (Uralvagonzavod); by then it had completely replaced T-44 production at Uralvagonzavod, and Kharkiv Diesel Factory No. 75 (KhPZ). Production was stopped because of a low level of production quality and frequent breakdowns. The T-54-2 entered production in 1949 at Uralvagonzavod, which produced 423 tanks by the end of 1950. It replaced the T-34 in production at the Omsk Factory No. 183 in 1950. In 1951, over 800 T-54-2 tanks were produced. The T-54-2 remained in production until 1952. The T-54A was produced between 1955 and 1957. The T-54B was produced between 1957 and April 1959. The T-55 was produced by Uralvagonzavod between 1958 and 1962. The T-55K command tank was produced in 1959. The TO-55 (''Ob'yekt'' 482) flamethrower tank was produced until 1962.

Overall, 35,000 T-54-1, T-54-2, T-54 (T-54-3), T-54A, T-54B, T-54AK1, T-54AK2, T-54BK1 and T-54BK2 tanks were produced between 1946 and 1958 and 27,500 T-55, T-55A, T-55K1, T-55K2, T-55K3, T-55AK1, T-55AK2 and T-55AK3 tanks were produced between 1955 and 1981.

===Polish People's Republic===
[[File:T-55A Martial law Poland.jpg|thumb|right|Polish T-55A tanks on the streets during [[History of Poland (1945–1989)#Final decade of the Polish People's Republic (1980–1989)|Martial Law in Poland]].]]
[[Polish People's Republic]] produced 3,000 T-54, T-54A, T-54AD and T-54AM tanks between 1956 and 1964 and 7,000 T-55 (between 1964 and 1968), T-55L, T-55AD-1 and T-55AD-2 tanks (between 1968 and 1979).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zaloga |first1=Steven J. |title=T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2004 |date=2004 |publisher=Zaloga, Steven J. |isbn=978-1-84176-792-5 |pages=20–22 }}</ref>

===Czechoslovakia===
[[Czechoslovakia]] produced 2,700 T-54A, T-54AM, T-54AK, T-54AMK tanks (between 1957 and 1966) and 8,300 T-55 and T-55A tanks (between 1964 and 1983; T-55A was probably produced since 1968). Most of them were for export.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}

== Service history ==

===Soviet Union and successors===
The T-54/55 and the [[T-62]] were the two most common tanks in Soviet inventory—in the mid-1970s the two tank types together comprised approximately 85% of the Soviet Army's tanks.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Soviet T-54 tanks first saw combat in the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|Hungarian Revolution]] in 1956 and a few were successfully knocked out by the defending anti-Soviet Hungarian resistance fighters and rebels using [[Molotov cocktail]]s and several anti-tank guns.<ref>Zaloga 2004, p. 39.</ref> The local anti-Soviet revolutionaries delivered one captured T-54A to the British Embassy in [[Budapest]],{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} the analyses and studies of which helped and spurred the development of the [[Royal Ordnance L7]] 105&nbsp;mm [[tank gun]].

At the initial stage of the [[Soviet–Afghan War|war in Afghanistan]] in 1979–1980, about 800 Soviet tanks were used, consisting of 39 battalions, mainly armed with T-54s and T-55s. In 1979, only one T-55 tank was lost. Since the beginning of 1980, they began to be replaced by modern T-62 and [[T-64]] tanks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.otvaga2004.ru/boyevoe-primenenie/boyevoye-primeneniye02/armor-afghan-1979-1989-1/ |title=ARMORED EQUIPMENT IN AFGHANISTAN (1979-1989) - PART 1. A.R. Zaets. Almanac "Military Commentator", 2003. No. 1 (5) |access-date=15 December 2019 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215010036/https://otvaga2004.ru/boyevoe-primenenie/boyevoye-primeneniye02/armor-afghan-1979-1989-1/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In [[Russia]], most of the T-62s and the T-55s were auctioned off in 2012, with all Russian active-duty military units mainly operating the [[T-72]], [[T-80]], and the [[T-90]]. Remaining T-62s, T-55s and T-54s in storage have been reactivated to be used in combat in the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2 January 2013 |title=The Ministry of Defense Sells T-62 in 2013 |url=https://iz.ru/news/542395 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928150107/https://iz.ru/news/542395 |archive-date=2017-09-28 |access-date=28 September 2017 |website=iz.ru |quote=" As Izvestia was informed in the Main Auto-Armored Administration (GABTU) of the Defence Ministry, it was decided to start recycling T-62 right after the New Year"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Oryx |title=Dad's Army: List Of Russian Army Equipment Deployed In Ukraine Older Than Our Parents |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2023/03/dads-army-list-of-russian-army.html |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=Oryx |archive-date=22 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322164147/https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2023/03/dads-army-list-of-russian-army.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Ukraine, in 1997 ''The Military Balance'' reported that Ukraine had 154 T-55 tanks,<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1997-01-22 |title=Europe |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/04597229708460105 |journal=The Military Balance |language=en |volume=97 |issue=1 |pages=28–100 |doi=10.1080/04597229708460105 |issn=0459-7222|url-access=subscription }}</ref> but by 2014 the number was only 20, all in storage.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2014-02-05 |title=Chapter Five: Russia and Eurasia |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/04597222.2014.871878 |journal=The Military Balance |language=en |volume=114 |issue=1 |pages=161–200 |doi=10.1080/04597222.2014.871878 |s2cid=219623489 |issn=0459-7222|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Middle East===
[[File:Israeli Tiran-4 Tank (Captured Soviet T-54) During 25th Independence Day Celebration, 1973.jpg|thumb|left|Israeli Tiran-4Sh tank, which was an upgraded T-54A up-gunned with a 105 mm M68 main gun.]]

During the 1967 [[Six-Day War]], U.S.-supplied [[M48 Patton]] tanks, British [[Centurion (tank)|Centurion]] tanks, and even upgraded World War II–era 75&nbsp;mm M-50 and 105&nbsp;mm armed M-51 [[Super Sherman]]s faced T-55s. This mix of Israeli tanks, combined with superior planning of operations and superior airpower, proved to be more than capable of dealing with the T-54/T-55 series.<ref name=Z96>Zaloga 1996.</ref>

During the [[Black September in Jordan|Jordanian Civil War]], Syrian tanks inflicted heavy losses on Jordanian [[Centurion tank|Centurions]]. In one case, a squadron of T-55s stopped the advance of a large Jordanian column, with 19 Centurions destroyed and up to 10 Syrian T-55s lost in the battle.<ref>''Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–1991'', Kenneth Michael Pollack, Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2002, pp. 337–341</ref> According to Israeli intelligence, Jordan lost 75 to 90 tanks out of 200 involved,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.2001-2009.state.gov/documents/organization/113360.pdf |title=Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Volume XXIV. P.912 |access-date=10 August 2019 |archive-date=11 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811100748/https://2001-2009.state.gov/documents/organization/113360.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> most to Syrian T-55 fire  at ar-Ramtha.<ref>{{cite book |title=Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948-1991 |first=Kenneth Michael |last=Pollack |location=Lincoln, Nebraska |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |date=2002 |pages=337–345 |isbn=978-0-80323-733-9}}</ref> In turn total Syrian tank losses accounted to 62 T-55 mostly breakdowns left on enemy territory.<ref>Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948—1991. Kenneth Michael Pollack. U of Nebraska Press. 2002. P.478</ref>

By the 1973 [[Yom Kippur War]], the T-54A and T-55's guns were losing their competitive effectiveness relative to the 105&nbsp;mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun mounted in [[Israel]]i Centurion Mk V and [[M60 Patton|M60A1]] tanks. Israeli tanks fitted with the L7 105mm gun suffered greatly from the new Soviet HEAT 3BК5 ammunition fired by the T-55s.<ref>''Centurion Tank''. Bill Munro. Crowood Press UK. 2005. p. 170</ref> During the entire war, 1,063 Israeli tanks were disabled<ref name="McDermott">{{cite book |chapter=Chapter 5 |first1=Rose |last1=McDermott |author-link1=Rose McDermott |first2=Uri |last2=Bar-Joseph |author-link2=Uri Bar-Joseph |date=2017 |title=Intelligence Success and Failure: The Human Factor |location=New York City |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19934-173-3}}</ref> (more than half of them Centurions), about 600 of which were destroyed or captured.<ref name="JTA74">{{Cite web |url=https://www.jta.org/1974/09/16/archive/britain-mum-on-whether-it-is-selling-centurions-to-israel |title=Britain Mum on Centurions to Israel |date=16 September 1974 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327161236/https://www.jta.org/1974/09/16/archive/britain-mum-on-whether-it-is-selling-centurions-to-israel |archive-date=27 March 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref> Some 35 Israeli Centurions were captured by Egypt,<ref name="WareDelf2013">{{cite book |last1=Ware |first1=Pat |last2=Delf |first2=Brian |title=The Centurion Tank |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FRWXoRxjJHgC |year=2013 |publisher=Casemate Publishers |isbn=978-1-78159-011-9 |page=59}}</ref> dozens more were captured by Syria, Iraq<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.hativa14.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Edgar_Oballance.pdf |title=No Victor, No Vanquished: the Yom Kippur War |first=Edgar |last=O'Ballance |date=1991 |page=107 |location=Novato, California |publisher=Presidio Press |isbn=978-0-89141-017-1}}</ref> and four by Jordan.<ref name="CIA73">{{Cite journal |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/1973-10-25.pdf |title=Arab States-Israel |date=25 October 1973 |journal=Central Intelligence Bulletin |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707120835/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/1973-10-25.pdf |archive-date=7 July 2020}}</ref> On the other hand, 2,250 Arab tanks were disabled<ref name="McDermott" /> (including 33 Jordanian Centurions, 18 of them destroyed<ref name="CIA73"/>), 1,274 of them were completely destroyed or captured<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel |date=29 November 1973 |newspaper=Anderson Daily Bulletin |location=Anderson, Indiana |page=14}}</ref> (643 tanks were lost in the north and 631 were lost in the south<ref>{{cite report |title=Weapons Systems Evaluation Group Report 249 |publisher=[[Institute for Defense Analyses]] |date=October 1974 |page=44}}</ref>)

Israel captured many from [[Egypt]] in 1967, along with a few T-55s from [[Syria]], and kept some of them in service. They were upgraded with a 105&nbsp;mm NATO-standard L7 or M68, a US version of the L7, replacing the old Soviet 100&nbsp;mm D-10, and a General Motors diesel replacing the original Soviet diesel engine. The Israelis designated these ''Tiran-5'' medium tanks, and they were used by reserve units until the early 1990s. Most of these were then sold to assorted Third World countries, some of them in Latin America, and the rest were heavily modified, converted into the [[IDF Achzarit|''Achzarit'']] heavy [[armoured personnel carrier]].

In the [[Lebanese Civil War]], on 10 June 1982, eight Israeli M48A3s, two M60A1s and at least three M113 APCs were lost in an ambush by Syrian T-55 tanks and [[BMP-1]] APCs during the [[Battle of Sultan Yacoub]].

The tank was heavily used during the [[Iran–Iraq War]] of 1980–88. T-54/55 participated in the [[Battle of Dezful|biggest tank battle]] of the war in early 1981. [[Iran]] lost 214 [[Chieftain tank|Chieftain]] and M60A1 tanks in the battle. In return, [[Iraq]] lost 45 T-55 and T-62 tanks.<ref>''The Iran-Iraq War'', Efraim Karsh, pp. 29-30.</ref> Another known tank battle occurred on 11 October 1980, when a large Iranian convoy supported by a battalion of Chieftains (92nd Division) was ambushed by a battalion of Iraqi T-55s (26th Brigade).<ref>The Iran-Iraq War. Pierre Razoux, Harvard University Press, 2015. P.130,131</ref> During the battle, the Iranians lost 20 Chieftains plus other armoured vehicles and withdrew.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a241169.pdf |title=Tactical Evolution in the Iraqi Army: The Abadan Island and Fish Lake Campaigns of the Iran-Iraq War |access-date=2013-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203034017/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a241169.pdf |archive-date=2013-12-03 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Tank of the Yemeni army fight in Aden city.jpg|thumb|T-55 tank of the Government Yemeni forces fights in [[Aden]] city.]]
Many Iraqi T-55s saw action during [[Operation Desert Storm]] in Iraq and Kuwait in January/February 1991, and during the 2003 [[Iraq War|US/UK invasion of Iraq]] with poor results.

T-55 tanks also were used in the [[Yemeni civil war (1994)|Yemeni civil war]] in 1994, both by the [[Yemen|government]] army and by the [[Democratic Republic of Yemen|South Yemeni separatists]]. They were the main tanks of both sides and were used most actively (along with the [[T-62]]).

===Vietnam War===
[[File:T-54 tank in Vietnam Military History Museum.jpg|thumb|An [[Liberation Army of South Vietnam|LASV]]-colored T-54 tank on display in the [[Vietnam Military History Museum]] in Hanoi.]]
During the [[Vietnam War]], the [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN) and its proxy military force, the [[Liberation Army of South Vietnam]] (LASV), used T-54s, along with its Chinese-built copy (the Type 59), extensively against the South Vietnamese [[Army of the Republic of Vietnam]] (ARVN) and their allied US forces.

The PAVN/LASV and the ARVN engaged each other with tanks for the first time during [[Operation Lam Son 719]] in February 1971. During that battle, 17 [[M41 Walker Bulldog]] light tanks of the ARVN's 1st Armoured Brigade claimed to have destroyed 22 PAVN tanks, a total of 6 [[T-54]]s and 16 [[PT-76]] light amphibious tanks, at no loss to themselves,<ref>Starry p. 193</ref><ref>/Dunstan.</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=August 2016}} but their friendly units lost 5 M41s and 25 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), mainly [[M113 armoured personnel carrier|M113]] APCs.<ref>Fulgham, David, Terrence Maitland, et al. South Vietnam On Trial: Mid-1970 to 1972. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1984. p. 85</ref>

On Easter Sunday, 2 April 1972, the newly activated ARVN [[20th Tank Regiment (South Vietnam)|20th Tank Regiment]], comprising approximately 57 M48A3 Patton main battle tanks (note that ARVN ''regiments'' were equivalent to US ''battalions'', and ARVN ''squadrons'' were comparable to US ''companies'' or ''troops'')<ref name="Starry">Starry.</ref> received reports from friendly intelligence units of a large PAVN armoured column moving towards [[Dong Ha]], the largest South Vietnamese city near the [[Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone|Vietnamese DMZ]] located on the [[17th parallel north|17th Parallel]]. At about noontime, the tank crewmen of the ARVN's 1st Squadron observed enemy armour moving south along Highway 1 towards Dong Ha and promptly concealed their tanks on high ground with a good vantage point against their enemy. Waiting for the PAVN tank column to close to between 2500 and 3000 meters, the 90mm main guns of the Patton tanks opened fire and quickly destroyed nine PT-76s and two T-54s.<ref name="Starry"/> The surviving PAVN armour, unable to locate their enemy's positions, hastily turned about and withdrew shortly afterwards.

On 9 April 1972, all three squadrons of the 20th Tank Regiment (57 M48 tanks) fought hard against enemy armour, firing upon PAVN tanks accompanied by large masses of infantry, again while occupying the strategically important high ground. This time, similarly, the Pattons opened fire at approximately 2800 meters. A few answering shots from the T-54s fell short and the PAVN tanks began to scatter after suffering considerable losses and heavy casualties. By the end of the day, the 20th claimed to destroy sixteen T-54s and captured one Type 59 at no loss to themselves.<ref>Starry pp. 207, 208</ref> (The PAVN confirmed six tanks were destroyed or damaged<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://soha.vn/xe-tang-viet-nam-va-tran-danh-dam-mau-voi-chien-thuat-trau-rung-cua-tuong-abrams-20210719175402518.htm|title=Xe tăng Việt Nam và trận đánh đẫm máu với chiến thuật 'Trâu rừng' của tướng Abrams|access-date=22 July 2021|archive-date=22 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722092115/https://soha.vn/xe-tang-viet-nam-va-tran-danh-dam-mau-voi-chien-thuat-trau-rung-cua-tuong-abrams-20210719175402518.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>) On 27 April, heralded by massive artillery attacks, a new PAVN offensive began against ARVN positions. The barrage was quickly followed by violent attacks by PAVN infantry and a T-54 tank. By 2 May, the 20th Tank Regiment had lost all of their tanks to enemy fire.{{r|1979_Starry|page=212}} During the first month of the [[First Battle of Quảng Trị]], all ARVN M48 Pattons (100 tanks) were lost.{{efn|1=1st Armor Brigade lost 43 M48s and 66 M41s, 20th Tank Regiment lost 57 M48s}}{{r|1979_Ngo|page=52}}

PAVN armoured units equipped with the T-54 tank achieved one of their largest victories in April 1972 when the PAVN 203rd Armoured Regiment attacked the ARVN's [[22nd Division (South Vietnam)|22nd Infantry Division]] based at [[Tân Cảnh Base Camp]], which dominated a main route into the city of [[Kon Tum]], located near the 17th Parallel. After a two-day-long intense artillery barrage, eighteen T-54 tanks attacked the camp at dawn from two different directions, thus breaking apart the ARVN unit into two and splitting up its forces, which quickly abandoned its positions and withdrew.<ref name="Dunstan">Dunstan.</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=August 2016}} T-54 tank No. 377 had managed to destroy seven ARVN M41s before it was finally destroyed by [[M72 LAW]] anti-tank rocket launchers fielded by the South Vietnamese infantry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qdnd.vn/QDNDSite/vi-vn/75/43/10/10/90/49808/Default.aspx |title=Kíp xe huyền thoại – Quân đội nhân dân |publisher=Qdnd.vn |access-date=2013-02-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907031401/http://www.qdnd.vn/QDNDSite/vi-vn/75/43/10/10/90/49808/Default.aspx |archive-date=2012-09-07}}</ref> The PAVN destroyed 18 M41 light tanks with 31 M113 APCs and captured 17 M41s intact while losing only two T-54 tanks and one PT-76 tank in the armoured skirmish.<ref>Thi, Lam Quang, ''Hell in An Loc, The 1972 Easter Invasion and the Battle that Saved South Vietnam'', University of North Texas Press, Denton, Texas, 2009. pp. 50-70</ref>

At the very end of the war on 30 April 1975, a PAVN T-54 smashed through the main gate of the RVN [[Independence Palace|Presidential Palace]] in the capital city of Saigon, accompanied by onrushing North Vietnamese troops after North Vietnam conquered the South. This widely seen image has come to be regarded by many as perhaps the defining moment of the end of the bloody 20-year-long conflict in Vietnam and the [[Fall of Saigon|fall of the Republic of Vietnam]]. During the war, PAVN tank units were involved in 211 battles, claimed 20,000+ enemy killed, destroyed more than 2,000 enemy tanks/APCs, 870 other military vehicles, and 3,500 enemy bunkers, and shot down 35 aircraft or helicopters, overwhelmingly using T-54s.<ref>Heroes in Ho Chi Minh Campaign. PAVN publishing, 2000. P. 57</ref> The PAVN lost an estimated 250 (1972 - 150, 1973-1975 - 100) T-54s during the war.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

Following the Vietnam War, Vietnam's T-54/55s and Type 59s continued to see much combat activity against [[Cambodian–Vietnamese War|neighbouring Cambodia]] and [[Sino-Vietnamese War|China to their north]] between 1978 and 1979. Just like many developing countries around the world which continue to operate the T-54/55, at least 900 T-54s, along with a similar number of T-55s and Type 59s, are still in active military service with the [[Socialist Republic of Vietnam]] until the present day. Some of them are slated to be replaced by the more modern T-90S/SK.

===Ogaden War===
During the largest tank battle of the Ogaden War – the [[Battle of Jijiga]] (August–September 1977), 124 Somali tanks, mostly T-55s,<ref>Small States in the International System: At Peace and at War. Neal G. Jesse, John R. Dreyer. Lexington Books. 2016. P.148</ref> defeated 108 Ethiopian tanks, mainly [[M47 Patton]]s and M41 Walker Bulldogs.<ref>[https://www.web.stanford.edu/group/tomzgroup/pmwiki/uploads/2069-1978- KS-a-LIZ.pdf Ethiopian-Somali Conflict. Keesing's Record of World Events. Volume XXIV, January, 1978]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The Ethiopians lost 43 tanks during the battle.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.web.stanford.edu/group/tomzgroup/pmwiki/uploads/2069-1978-KS-a-LIZ.pdf |title=Ethiopian-Somali Conflict. Keesing's Record of World Events. Volume XXIV, January, 1978 |access-date=2019-08-10 |archive-date=2016-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705161650/http://web.stanford.edu/group/tomzgroup/pmwiki/uploads/2069-1978-KS-a-LIZ.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Angola===
T-54/T-55s began appearing in Southern Africa in the late 1970s, when many emerging Marxist states, particularly [[Angola]] and [[Mozambique]], were bolstered with modern Soviet military hardware.<ref name="Zaloga 2004, p. 41"/> The T-55's dependability and ruggedness proved well-suited to the local combat environments.<ref name=Aviation>Cuban Tanks, II part, Rubén Urribarres, 2001</ref> Survivability of opposing medium-armour vehicles deployed by [[UNITA]] and the [[South African Defence Force]] (SADF) against late model MBTs used in the [[Angolan Civil War]] remained a major concern throughout that conflict.<ref name="SADF">{{cite book |first=David E. |last=Johnson |title=In the Middle of the Fight: An Assessment of Medium-armored Forces in past military operations |year=2008 |edition=2011 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/inmiddleoffighta0000john/page/73 73–81] |publisher=RAND Corporation |isbn=978-0-8330-4413-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/inmiddleoffighta0000john/page/73}}</ref> [[FAPLA|Angolan Army]] T-54s were first blooded during [[Operation Askari]], in 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.namibweb.com/war.htm|title=A Forgotten War: Angola and South West Africa – Historical articles – Namibia|access-date=15 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215113831/http://www.namibweb.com/war.htm|archive-date=15 December 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> At least five<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ajol.info/index.php/smsajms/article/viewFile/89172/78726 |title=Lessons of the Border War |access-date=2014-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128103422/http://www.ajol.info/index.php/smsajms/article/viewFile/89172/78726 |archive-date=2015-01-28 |url-status=live}}</ref> were subsequently destroyed in encounters with South African [[Eland Mk7|Eland]] or [[Ratel IFV|Ratel-90]] armoured cars, and some were captured.<ref name="generals">{{cite book |last=Hamann |first=Hilton |title=Days of the Generals |publisher=Zebra Press |location=Cape Town |year=2001 |page=94 |isbn=1-86872-340-2}}</ref> Soviet sources confirm that many T-55s were penetrated by an Eland's 90&nbsp;mm low-pressure gun.<ref name="Angola">{{cite book |editor1=Tokarev, Andrei |editor2=Shubin, Gennady |title=Bush War: The Road to Cuito Cuanavale: Soviet Soldiers' Accounts of the Angolan War |year=2011 |pages=128–130 |publisher=Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd |location=Auckland Park |isbn=978-1-4314-0185-7}}</ref> Nevertheless, multiple HEAT rounds were needed to guarantee sufficient damage against a T-55's frontal arc<ref name="Mitchell">{{cite book |first=Thomas G. |last=Mitchell |title=Israel/Palestine and the Politics of a Two-State Solution |year=2013 |page=97 |publisher=McFarland & Company Inc. |location=Jefferson |isbn=978-0-7864-7597-1}}</ref> and SADF anti-tank teams forced to operate in platoons accordingly.<ref name="SADF"/>

During the [[Battle of Cuito Cuanavale]], another three T-55s of Angola's 21st Brigade were shot out by [[Ratel IFV]]s armed with [[ZT3 Ingwe]] ATGMs near the Lomba River.<ref name="Cubans">{{cite book |first=Edward |last=George |title=The Cuban Intervention in Angola, 1965–1991: From Che Guevara to Cuito Cuanavale |year=2005 |pages=206–233 |publisher=Frank Cass |location=London |isbn=0-415-35015-8}}</ref> On 9 November 1987, an engagement between South African and Angolan tanks occurred when thirteen [[Centurion tank#Non-UK variants|Olifant Mk1As]] eliminated two T-55s in a nine-minute skirmish.<ref name="generals"/><ref name="Heitman">{{cite book |first=Helmoed |last=Heitman |title=War in Angola: the final South African phase |year=1990 |publisher=Ashanti Publishing |location=Gibraltar |page=137 |isbn=978-0-620-14370-7}}</ref><ref name="Bridgland">{{cite book |first=Fred |last=Bridgland |title=The War for Africa: Twelve months that transformed a continent |year=1990 |publisher=Ashanti Publishing |location=Gibraltar |page=194 |isbn=978-1-874800-12-5}}</ref> T-55s again participated in a critical engagement near Cuito Cuanavale on 14 February 1988, when Cuba's 3rd Tank Battalion counter-attacked to spare Angola's 16th Brigade virtual annihilation by [[61 Mechanised Infantry Battalion Group]] and the [[4 South African Infantry Battalion|4th South African Infantry Battalion]]. Six T-55s were lost (three to RPGs, three to Olifants and one more was damaged), but the attack blunted the South African advance, safeguarding the cohesion of the Angolan line. Cuban and Soviet sources maintain that they destroyed ten Olifant tanks<ref name=Memories>{{cite book |editor1=Tokarev, Andrei |editor2=Shubin, Gennady |year=2010 |script-title=ru:Ветераны локальных войн и миротворческих операций ООН вспоминают |trans-title=Veterans of Local Wars and UN Peacekeeping Missions Remember |publisher=Memories |location=Moscow |isbn=978-5-904935-04-7 |language=ru |pages=118–119}}</ref> and twelve Ratels,<ref name="Cubans"/> while South African and Western sources maintain that only one Olifant and one Ratel were damaged, and one Ratel destroyed.<ref>Bridgland 1990, pp. 196-197.</ref>

===India and Pakistan===
[[File:Indian T-55 Tank Jessore 1971 (Com L20-0933-0007-0005).jpg|thumb|right|[[Indian Army]] T-55 during the incursion into [[Jessore]], [[East Pakistan]] in 1971.]]

The [[Indian Army]] has used their T-54s and T-55s extensively in its conflicts with Pakistan between the 1970s to the 1980s. Pakistan also used some T-54As and Chinese Type 59 copies.<ref name="Kippur21">{{cite book|title=Centurion vs T-55: Yom Kippur War 1973|series=Duel 21|first=Simon|last=Dunstan |date=10 Nov 2009|isbn=9781846033698|page=33|publisher=Osprey}}</ref>

At one point India added fake bore evacuators to its tanks, to enable them to be distinguished easily from Pakistan's tanks.

The first meeting of the T-55 with enemy tanks occurred in the area of Garibpur on 22 November 1971. Indian T-55 tanks (63 Cavalry) destroyed 3 Pakistani [[M24 Chaffee]] tanks (29 Cavalry)  in the area.<ref>Outstanding Victories of the Indian Army, 1947-1971. Col Bhaskar Sarkar - VSM (Retd). Lancer Publishers, 2016. P.137-138</ref>

On 10–11 December, during the Battle of Nainakot, Indian T-55s (14 Cavalry Scinde Horse) in two battles destroyed 9 Pakistani M47/48 tanks (33 Cavalry), without any loss.<ref>Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. B. Chakravorty. Allied Publishers, 1995. P.342</ref>

[[Battle of Basantar]], also known as the Battle of Barapind (4–16 December 1971),  was one of the vital battles fought as part of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] in the western sector of India. India had destroyed close to 46 [[M48 Patton|M48 tanks]]<ref>{{cite book |author=B. Chakravorty |title=Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzizVBSb4YsC&pg=PA22 |year=1995 |publisher=Allied Publishers |isbn=81-7023-516-2 |page=22 |access-date=2019-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829180107/https://books.google.com/books?id=uzizVBSb4YsC&pg=PA22 |archive-date=2019-08-29 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Major General Ian Cardozo |title=Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D9ymBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT97 |year=2003 |publisher=Roli books |isbn=9789351940296 |access-date=2019-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829180107/https://books.google.com/books?id=D9ymBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT97 |archive-date=2019-08-29 |url-status=live}}</ref> and losing only 10 tanks in the process.

At the end of the war, one of the last tank battles took place in the Naogaon area, a company of Pakistani Chaffee tanks attacked Indian T-55s but lost 5 Chaffee tanks and was forced to retreat to Bogra.<ref>At the Forward Edge of Battle - A History of the Pakistan Armoured Corps 1938-2016. Syed Ali Hamid. Helion & Company. 2020. P.78</ref>

=== Russo-Ukrainian War ===
On 7 July 2014, a T-54 from a museum in [[Donetsk]] was commissioned into the [[Russian people's militias in Ukraine|Russian people's militias]].<ref>{{cite web |date=8 July 2014 |title=Ukraine threatens rebels with 'nasty surprise' in new push |url=https://news.yahoo.com/pushed-slaviansk-ukraine-rebels-barricade-donetsk-020130089.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224957/http://news.yahoo.com/pushed-slaviansk-ukraine-rebels-barricade-donetsk-020130089.html |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=15 December 2014 |work=Yahoo News}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=November 2023}}

Footage from the [[Siege of Mariupol|Battle of Mariupol]] (May 2022) indicates that Ukrainian soldiers used a single T-54 which had previously been converted to a historical memorial at the Azovstal plant. The tank was removed from the pedestal, probably towed to its combat position and used by Ukrainian fighters for defence. According to the few existing pictures, the vehicle was heavily damaged in combat and abandoned.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=In defense of Mariupol the soldiers used tanks from pedestals |url=https://mil.in.ua/en/news/in-defense-of-mariupol-the-soldiers-used-tanks-from-pedestals/ |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=Militarnyi |language=en-US}}</ref>

Ukrainian soldiers trained with 28 [[M-55S]] tanks delivered in October 2022 by Slovenia. The Model M-55S is a heavily reinforced tank that has been updated with a NATO L7 105&nbsp;mm gun, upgraded armour protection, a digital ballistic computer, an upgraded engine and new tracks.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 December 2022 |title=The first video of Ukrainian soldiers training with recently delivered M-55S tanks |url=https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1601274338095042562 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210214950/https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1601274338095042562 |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=twitter |archive-date=10 December 2022 }}</ref> In December 2022 the volunteer [[47th Assault Brigade (Ukraine)|47th Assault Brigade]] was equipped with 28 M-55S.<ref>{{cite news |last=Axe |first=David |date=2022-12-17 |title=Ukraine's Super-Upgraded M-55S Tanks Have Equipped A New Kind Of Brigade |website=forbes.com |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/12/17/ukraines-super-upgraded-m-55s-tanks-have-equipped-a-new-kind-of-brigade/ |access-date=2022-12-25 |archive-date=25 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225163553/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/12/17/ukraines-super-upgraded-m-55s-tanks-have-equipped-a-new-kind-of-brigade/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 14 July 2023, an M-55S received a direct hit into the upper armour by a 152&nbsp;mm guided [[Krasnopol (weapon system)|Krasnopol]] Russian artillery shell.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 July 2023|author=David Axe|title= The Ukrainian Army Has Lost Its First Super-Upgraded M-55S Tank |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/07/14/the-ukrainian-army-has-lost-its-first-super-upgraded-m-55s-tank/?sh=5d69c2a856b2 |website= Forbes|access-date=15 July 2023}}</ref> The tank and crew survived due to reactive armour upgrades.<ref>{{cite news |last=Axe |first=David |date=2023-07-17 |title=One Of Ukraine's Super-Upgraded M-55S Tanks Took A Russian Shell To The Turret—And Survived |website=forbes.com |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/07/17/one-of-ukraines-super-upgraded-m-55s-tanks-took-a-russian-shell-to-the-turret-and-survived/?sh=1e46682d2aa3|access-date=2023-07-18 }}</ref> A few days later on 22 July, a second Ukrainian M-55S took a direct hit west of Kreminna and exploded.<ref>{{cite news |last=Axe |first=David |date=16 August 2023 |title=Ukraine's M-55S Tanks Weren't Supposed To See Heavy Fighting. The Russians Had Other Ideas. |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/08/16/ukraines-m-55s-tanks-werent-supposed-to-see-heavy-fighting-the-russians-had-other-ideas/?sh=5c237aa5322e |url-status=live |work=Forbes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116041328/https://ssum-sec.casalemedia.com/usermatch?us_privacy=1---&d=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fdavidaxe%2F2023%2F08%2F16%2Fukraines-m-55s-tanks-werent-supposed-to-see-heavy-fighting-the-russians-had-other-ideas%2F%3Fsh%3D10255ba8322e&s=184674&cb=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.indexww.com%2Fht%2Fhtw-pixel.gif%3F |archive-date=16 November 2023 |access-date=16 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Axe |first=David |date=8 March 2024 |title=The 5th Tank Is Ukraine's New Hybrid Brigade, With German And Slovenian Tanks Armed With The Same British Gun|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/08/the-5th-tank-brigade-is-ukraines-new-hybrid-brigade-with-german-and-slovenian-tanks-armed-with-the-same-british-gun/?sh=556d2ae243e6 |work=Forbes |access-date=21 March 2024}}</ref>

On 21–22 March 2023, photos and videos of a Russian military train with T-54s and T-54Bs appeared on social media.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/03/22/more-museum-pieces-russia-brings-t-54-tanks-designed-in-late-1940s-out-of-retirement-cit/ |title=More museum pieces: Russia brings T-54 tanks designed in late 1940s out of retirement - CIT - Euromaidan Press |date=22 March 2023 |access-date=22 March 2023 |archive-date=22 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322202550/https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/03/22/more-museum-pieces-russia-brings-t-54-tanks-designed-in-late-1940s-out-of-retirement-cit/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Images of T-55 in Ukraine first emerged in April 2023 confirming their deployment by the Russian armed forces.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Axe |first=David |title=Russia Sent 70-Year-old T-55 Tanks To Ukraine Without Even Upgrading Them |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/04/14/russia-sent-70-year-old-t-55-tanks-to-ukraine-without-even-upgrading-them/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>  On 19 June, footage of a Russian T-54/55 converted into a remote-controlled [[VBIED]] being destroyed by Ukrainian forces near Marinka, Donetsk Oblast was released.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Axe |first1=David |title=The Russians Packed A Robotic T-55 Tank With Explosives And Rolled It Toward Ukrainian Lines |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/06/18/the-russians-packed-a-robotic-t-55-tank-with-explosives-and-rolled-it-toward-ukrainian-lines/ |website=Forbes |access-date=19 June 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

As of October 2025, Russia is visually confirmed to have suffered 19 T-55 losses (2 T-54-3M, 2 T-54B, 7 T-55A,1 T-55A Obr. 1981, and 7 unknown T-54/55).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oryx |title=Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Oryx}}</ref>

An analysis of Russian armour tactics in Ukraine by the [[Royal United Services Institute]] claimed that Russian T-55s are not deployed as front-line armour assets but as [[assault gun]]s attached to infantry formations.<ref name="RUSI">{{cite web|title=Meatgrinder: Russian tactics in the second year of its invasion in Ukraine|last1=Watling|first1=Jack|last2=Reynolds|first2=Nick|url=https://static.rusi.org/403-SR-Russian-Tactics-web-final.pdf|location=London
|publisher=Royal United Services Institute|date=19 May 2023|access-date=8 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828201242/https://static.rusi.org/403-SR-Russian-Tactics-web-final.pdf|archive-date=28 August 2023}}</ref> RUSI further claimed it is due to shortages of Russian infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), which normally fulfil the role of providing organic fire support to infantry.<ref name="RUSI"/> The T-55s' main armament range and optics are superior to those of many Russian IFVs such as the [[BMP-2]], prompting Russian commanders to favour using them in support of infantry engagements at longer standoff ranges, where they cannot be easily countered by Ukrainian [[Man-portable anti-tank systems|man-portable anti-tank weapons]].<ref name="RUSI"/>

===Other conflicts===
T-54 tanks<ref name="FightsEverywhere">{{cite news |last=Au-Yeong |first=S.K. |date=26 June 2015 |url=https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2015/06/27/61-year-old_tank_still_fights_everywhere_108132.html |title=61-Year-Old Tank Still Fights Everywhere |website=RealClearDefense |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124142/https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2015/06/27/61-year-old_tank_still_fights_everywhere_108132.html |archive-date=2019-02-09}}</ref> were used during the [[Cambodian Civil War]] and the [[Cambodian–Vietnamese War]] between the 1970s to the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book |first=Sorpong |last=Peou |title=Intervention & Change in Cambodia: towards democracy? |year=2000 |location=New York |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |page=129 |isbn=978-0-312-22717-3}}</ref><!-- The Cambodian army website http://www.army.gov.kh/ has a photo of T-54 on their mainpage --> During the [[Uganda–Tanzania War]] of 1978 to 1979, [[Libya]] sent an expeditionary military force to aid Ugandan dictator [[Idi Amin]] in his conflict with Tanzania, which included the supply of a few dozen T-54/55 tanks. Some of these tanks saw action against Tanzanian forces.,<ref>{{cite book |first=Kenneth M. |last=Pollack |title=Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–91 |year=2002 |location=Lincoln |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=0-8032-8783-6}}</ref> with at least limited success.

In Poland in 1983–83, [[T-54/T-55 Operators and variants#Poland|T-55L]] tanks were deployed during the imposition of [[Martial Law in Poland|martial law]] to intimidate the population (seemingly growing ever-more anti-communist) and to suppress overt displays against their communist government.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wierzynski |first=Gregory H. |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949411,00.html |title=Poland: Tanks Amid the Eerie Calm |publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=1981-12-28 |access-date=2013-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217015821/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949411,00.html |archive-date=2013-02-17 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The T-55 was the most numerous tank of the [[Yugoslav People's Army]] (JNA). It was the mainstay of armoured combat units during the [[Yugoslav Wars]], where it proved vulnerable to infantry equipped with anti-tank rockets and weaponry and to misemployment in urban areas and unfriendly terrain. But there were too many of them in service for them to be replaced entirely. During the [[Battle of Vukovar]], where the JNA grouped a large part of its tank force, several were destroyed, almost exclusively by infantry-carried anti-tank weapons. The T-55 tank remained the most common tank in the armies of the various Yugoslavian successor states until recently, and it was the most used tank by all armies during the decades-long wars.<!-- which wars? --> T-55s were also used by Yugoslavia in the [[Kosovo War]] and Macedonia (now [[North Macedonia]]) during the [[2001 insurgency in Macedonia]] and by Russian peacekeepers after the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo. The [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] (National Liberation Army of Kosovo) captured a T-55 from the Macedonian Army during the [[battle of Raduša]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A soldier of the Albanian National Liberation Army stands atop a T-55 |url=https://www.gettyimages.com.mx/detail/fotograf%C3%ADa-de-noticias/soldier-of-the-albanian-national-liberation-fotograf%C3%ADa-de-noticias/1610396 |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=Getty Images |date=11 November 2002 |language=es |archive-date=22 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322202626/https://www.gettyimages.com.mx/detail/fotograf%C3%ADa-de-noticias/soldier-of-the-albanian-national-liberation-fotograf%C3%ADa-de-noticias/1610396 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:T-55 tank in Valpovo, Croatia.jpg|thumb|Yugoslav T-55 tank captured by the Croatian army during the Croatian War of Independence now displayed in the city of Valpovo, Croatia]]

The T-55 has been used by [[Ethiopia]] in the conflict with the [[Islamic Courts Union]] in [[Somalia]] and used by various warring factions in the [[Somali Civil War]] after the fall of the dictatorial [[Siad Barre]] regime in the 1990s.

China produced thousands of Type 59 tanks (based on the Soviet T-54A) for the [[People's Liberation Army]], which were used during the Vietnam War and used en-masse against Vietnam in the Sino-Vietnamese War and sold the similar (but upgraded) [[Type 69 tank|Type 69]] tanks to both Iran and Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War between 1980 and 1988. A considerable number saw action against Coalition forces during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Kuwait in January and February 1991 and during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 ([[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]), with an abysmal showing against more modern tanks fielded by US and British troops, such as the [[M1 Abrams]] and the [[Challenger 1]] and [[Challenger 2]] tanks.

The [[Sri Lanka Army]] acquired 25 T-55As and 2 T-55 ARVs from Czechoslovakia in 1991, forming its first tank unit, the 4th Armoured Regiment of the [[Sri Lanka Armoured Corps]]. The T-55s were first used in Operation Balavegaya II in an offensive capacity. Due to the operation demands of the escalating [[Sri Lankan civil war|Sri Lankan Civil War]], T-55As of the regiment were deployed in pairs to forward bases to support infantry with limited training. This resulted in the capture of two T-55A tanks by the [[LTTE]] in the [[Battle of Pooneryn]] in November 1993. One of these was destroyed soon after by the [[Sri Lanka Air Force]], while the other was operated by the LTTE until the last days of the war when it was re-captured. The T-55s spearheaded [[Operation Riviresa]]. In 2000, the army acquired Czech T-55AM2s deployed in offensive operations supporting infantry during the pitch battles of the last stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War including the [[Battle of Jaffna (2006)|Battle of Jaffna]].<ref>{{cite web |title=4th Armoured Regiment |url=https://alt.army.lk/slac/4slac |website=army.lk |publisher=Sri Lanka Army}}</ref>

T-55 tanks have seen use on both sides of the [[2011 Libyan civil war]], with [[anti-Gaddafi forces]] either stealing them or having them contributed by defecting members of the [[Libyan Army (1951–2011)|Libyan Army]].

T-55s have been used by the [[Sudanese Armed Forces]] during the [[Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile|conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile]]. At least 4 were captured and 1 destroyed by the [[Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North]] on 10 December 2012.<ref name="SAS Kordofan">{{cite book|url=http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/facts-figures/arms-ammunition-tracing-desk/HSBA-Tracing-Desk-SPLA-N-SK-Feb-2013.pdf|series=HSBA Arms and Ammunition Tracing Desk|title=SPLA-N weapons and equipment, South Kordofan, December 2012|publisher=Small Arms Survey|date=February 2013|page=10|access-date=2019-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322044524/http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/facts-figures/arms-ammunition-tracing-desk/HSBA-Tracing-Desk-SPLA-N-SK-Feb-2013.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-22|url-status=live}}</ref>

The T-55 has seen active combat service with the {{abbrlink|FARDC|Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo}} of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], supported by the [[United Nations Force Intervention Brigade]] (UN FIB), in 2013–14 during the campaign to suppress the [[March 23 Movement]] (M23) rebel group.

Russia announced that several T-55 tanks used by [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] in Syria were destroyed in an air attack conducted by its forces on 5 October 2015.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

===List of conflicts===
[[File:People on a tank in Benghazi1.jpg|thumb|Civilians crowding atop a T-55 tank in [[Libya]] in 2011.]]
[[File:June2001Aracinovo.jpg|right|thumb|A Macedonian Army T-55A tank and its crew, shown here in 2001.]]
* 1955–1975: [[Vietnam War]] (North Vietnam)
* 1956: [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]] (Soviet Union)
* 1961–1991: [[Iraqi–Kurdish conflict]] (Iraq and Peshmerga)
* 1961–1991: [[Eritrean War of Independence]] (Ethiopia and [[Eritrean People's Liberation Front|EPLF]])
* 1966–1990: [[South African Border War]] (Angola)
* 1967: [[Six-Day War]] (Egypt and Syria)
* 1968: [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia]] (Soviet Union and Poland)
* 1970: [[Black September]] (Syria)
* 1971: [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] (India)
* 1973: [[Yom Kippur War]] (Egypt, Syria and Iraq)
* 1974-1975: [[1974–75 Shatt al-Arab conflict|Shatt al-Arab conflict]] (Iraq)
* 1974–1991: [[Ethiopian Civil War]] (Ethiopia, [[Tigray People's Liberation Front|TPLF]] and EPLF)
* 1975–1990: [[Lebanese Civil War]] (Lebanese government forces and militias) 
* 1975–1991: [[Western Sahara War]] (Morocco and Polisario)
* 1975–2002: [[Angolan Civil War]] (Angola and UNITA)
* 1977–1978: [[Ogaden War]] (Ethiopia, Somalia and Cuba)
* 1978–1987: [[Chadian–Libyan War]] (Libya)
** 1986–1987: [[Toyota War]]
* 1978: [[Uganda–Tanzania War]] (Uganda and Libya)
* 1978–1989: [[Cambodian–Vietnamese War]] (Vietnam)
* 1979–1988: [[Soviet–Afghan War]] (Afghanistan and Soviet Union)
* 1979: [[Rhodesian Bush War]] (Rhodesia)
* 1980–1988: [[Iran–Iraq War]] (Iran and Iraq)
* 1981–1991: [[Somaliland War of Independence]] (Somalia and [[Somali National Movement|SNM]])
* 1982–1983: [[1982 Lebanon War]] (Syria and PLO)
* 1983–2009: [[Sri Lankan civil war]] (Sri Lankan government forces and LTTE)
* 1983–2005: [[Second Sudanese Civil War]] (Sudanese government forces and SPLA)
* 1989-1992: [[Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)]] ([[Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin]] and Afghanistan)
* 1989: [[Romanian Revolution]] (Romania)
* 1988–1993: [[Georgian Civil War]]
** 1991–1992: [[1991–1992 South Ossetia War]] (Georgia)
** 1992–1993: [[War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)]] (Georgia and Abkhazia)
* 1990–1991: [[Gulf War]] (Iraq)
* 1991: [[1991 Iraqi uprisings]] (Iraq)
* 1991–present: [[Somali Civil War]]
* 1991: [[1991 Iraqi uprisings]] (Iraq, [[Peshmerga]] and Shiite rebels)
* 1991–1995: [[Yugoslav Wars]] (Yugoslavia)
** 1991: [[Ten-Day War]] (Yugoslavia)
** 1991–1995: [[Croatian War of Independence]] (Yugoslavia, Croatia and Republic of Serbian Krajina)
** 1992–1995: [[Bosnian War]] (Bosnia and Herzegovina and [[Republika Srpska (1992–1995)|Republika Srpska]])
** 1994: [[Operation Bøllebank]] (Republika Srpska and [[UNPROFOR]] forces)
** 1994: [[Operation Amanda]] (Republika Srpska and [[UNPROFOR]] forces)
* 1994: [[Yemeni Civil War (1994)]] (Yemen and [[Democratic Republic of Yemen|South Yemeni separatist forces]])
* 1997: [[1997 clashes in Cambodia]] (Cambodian government forces)
* 1998–1999: [[Kosovo War]] ([[Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro|Army of Yugoslavia]])
* 1998–2000: [[Eritrean–Ethiopian War]] (Eritrea and Ethiopia)
* 1998: [[Guinea-Bissau Civil War]]
* 2001: [[2001 insurgency in Macedonia]] (Macedonia)
* 2001–2021: [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]] (Northern alliance and Afghanistan)
* 2003–2020: [[War in Darfur]] (Sudanese government forces)
* 2003–2011: [[Iraq War]]
** 2003: [[2003 invasion of Iraq|Invasion of Iraq]] (Iraq)
* 2005–2010: [[Chadian Civil War (2005–2010)]] (Chadian government forces)
* 2006-2009: [[War in Somalia (2006–2009)]] (Ethiopia)
* 2008: [[Russo-Georgian War]] (Abkhazia and South Ossetia)
* 2011: [[First Libyan Civil War]] ([[Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya|Gaddafi Government]] and [[anti-Gaddafi forces]])
* 2011–present: [[Syrian Civil War]] (Syrian government forces, ISIS and Rebels)
* 2011–2020: [[Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile]] (Sudanese Government forces)
* 2012–2013: [[M23 rebellion (2012–2013)|M23 rebellion]] (Democratic Republic of Congo and March 23 Movement)
* 2014–2017: [[War in Iraq (2013–2017)]] (Iraq and ISIS)
* 2014–present: [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]
** 2022–present: [[Russian Invasion of Ukraine]] (Ukraine<ref>{{cite web |last1=Axe |first1=David |title=Slovenia is Giving Ukraine Some Very Old Tanks. But Age Can be Deceiving |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/09/19/slovenia-is-giving-ukraine-some-very-old-tanks-but-age-can-be-deceiving/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128063612/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/09/19/slovenia-is-giving-ukraine-some-very-old-tanks-but-age-can-be-deceiving/ |archive-date=28 November 2022 |access-date=25 November 2022 |website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> and Russia<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russia Appears to Be Deploying 75-Year-Old Tanks to Ukraine |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/russia-appears-to-be-deploying-75-year-old-tanks-to-ukraine/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=Vice.com |date=22 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref>)
* 2014–2020: [[Second Libyan Civil War]] ([[Libyan National Army]] and [[Government of National Accord]])
* 2015–present: [[Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)|Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)]] (Hadi-government forces and Houthis)
* 2020: [[Second Nagorno-Karabakh War]] ([[Azerbaijani Land Forces]])
* 2020–2022: [[Tigray War]] (Ethiopian government forces and [[Tigray Defense Forces]])
* 2023–present: [[Sudanese civil war (2023–present)]] (Sudanese-government forces and [[Rapid Support Forces]])

==Operators and variants==
{{Main list|T-54/T-55 operators and variants}}

The T-55 has been used worldwide by as many as 50 countries and quasi-armies. They have been subject to many improvements throughout their production history and afterwards, and many are still in service today.

Modifications to the T-54/55 series over the years have changed almost every aspect of the vehicle. Initially, Soviet modifications included a better turret shape, improved NBC protection and an improved powerplant. Later, enhanced fire-control equipment and night-vision equipment was added.

Foreign improvements, both in Warsaw Pact nations and elsewhere, have further improved protection, powerplant, and firepower. T-54/55s have been re-armed with improved tank guns, AA machine guns, advanced armour arrays, and technologies, such as laser range finders and computerized fire control systems, that did not exist when the tank was first being built in the early days of the [[Cold War]].

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Marksman SPAAG.jpg|A Finnish T-55-based [[Marksman anti-aircraft system|Marksman]] self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) vehicle, which is referred to locally as the ItPsv 90.
File:Abgasloeschfahrzeug Hurricane - FW-Museum Fulda (1997).jpg|"Hurricane" firefighting vehicle, which uses the engine from a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21]] to blow water mist over a fire.
</gallery>

==Museums with T-54/T-55 on display==
{{incomplete list|date=March 2022}}
* There is a T-55 captured from Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm at USS Alabama Battleship Park, Mobile Alabama.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ussalabama.com/explore/tanks/|title=Tanks & Artillery – USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park|website=www.ussalabama.com|date=5 January 2017 |access-date=5 January 2023|archive-date=5 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105042404/https://www.ussalabama.com/explore/tanks/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* There is a T-55 on outdoor display at the Fort Polk Museum, Fort Polk Louisiana, United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortPolk/|title=Fort Polk Museum|website=history.army.mil|access-date=5 January 2023|archive-date=5 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105040707/https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortPolk/index.html#Gallery|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Ontario Regiment Museum has an operational T-54.<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Vehicle Collection |url=https://www.ontrmuseum.ca/tankmuseum/our-vehicle-collection/#Heavy |website=The Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum |date=23 July 2019 |access-date=29 June 2022 |archive-date=7 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407172432/https://www.ontrmuseum.ca/tankmuseum/our-vehicle-collection/#Heavy |url-status=live }}</ref>
* There is a T-54 outside of K-W Surplus in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/38762|title=Kitchener, ON, Canada - Russian T-54 Tank|website=RoadsideAmerica.com|access-date=2 December 2021|archive-date=2 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202182008/https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/38762|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Museum of Military Technology "Gryf" in Gdynia, Poland offers rides in T-55A.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rides with military and historical vehicles|url=http://muzeumgryf.pl/en/prices/rides-with-military-and-historical-vehicles/|website=Museum of Military Technology "Gryf"|date=29 June 2016 |access-date=2022-08-04|archive-date=4 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804000122/http://muzeumgryf.pl/en/prices/rides-with-military-and-historical-vehicles/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* There is a T-54 at the Tank Museum in Thun, Switzerland.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-23 |title=Panzermuseum Thun |language=de-ch |url=http://www.armeemuseum.ch/uploads/media/Panzermuseum.pdf |access-date=2023-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923173846/http://www.armeemuseum.ch/uploads/media/Panzermuseum.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2015 }}</ref>
* The Musée des Blindés in Saumur, France has both an original T-54 and a T-54/55 upgrade.
* The American Armored Foundation (AAF) Tank Museum in Danville, VA, USA has an Iraqi T-55 tank captured during the Persian Gulf War.
* A T-55 of the 73 Armoured Regiment of the [[Indian Army]] that has seen combat in the [[Indo-Pakistani war of 1971|Indo-Pak war of 1971]] has been installed at Terrier Chowk, Red Fields in the city of [[Coimbatore]].<ref>{{Cite news |author=The Hindu Bureau |date=2025-01-30 |title=T-55 tank used in 1971 Indo-Pak war installed at Red Fields in Coimbatore |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/t-55-tank-used-in-1971-indo-pak-war-installed-at-red-fields-in-coimbatore/article69156160.ece/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130103324/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/t-55-tank-used-in-1971-indo-pak-war-installed-at-red-fields-in-coimbatore/article69156160.ece/amp/ | archive-date=2025-01-30 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
* [[Yad La-Shiryon|The Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum at Latrun]]
* There is a T-54AM at the [[German Tank Museum]] in [[Munster, Lower Saxony|Munster]], Germany.<ref>On the page [[T-54/T-55 operators and variants]], under section "T-54" under "Models and Variants" there is a picture with the caption "T-54AM at the German Tank Museum in Munster, Germany."</ref>
* One Czechoslovak made T-55A gifted by Germany after [[German reunification|reunification]] in 1991, as OPFOR familiarization aid is on display at the [[Etimesgut]] Tank Museum in [[Ankara]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Know Thy Enemy: Türkiye's T-55A MBT|website=www.oryxspioenkop.com|date=26 December 2022|url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/12/know-thy-enemy-turkiyes-t-55a-mbt.html}}</ref>
There is a T-55 at the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum in Cairns, Australia

==See also==
* {{lwc|AT-T}} - tractor based on the T-54 chassis
* {{lwc|Al-Zarrar}}
* {{lwc|Ramses II tank}}
* {{lwc|T-54/T-55 operators and variants}}
* {{lwc|TR-85}}
* {{lwc|Type 59 tank}}
* {{lwc|Type 59G(BD) Durjoy}}
* {{lwc|Type-72Z Safir-74}}

===Tanks of comparable role, performance and era===
* [[Centurion tank]] – approximate British equivalent
* [[M48 Patton]] – approximate American equivalent

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==General bibliography==
* Cockburn, Andrew (1983). ''The Threat: Inside the Soviet Military Machine''. New York: Random House. 3 May 1983 {{ISBN|0-394-52402-0}}.
* Dunstan, Simon (1982). ''Vietnam Tracks: Armor in Battle 1945–75''. Osprey Publications. {{ISBN|0-89141-171-2}}.
* Foss, Christopher F., ed (2005). ''Jane's Armour and Artillery 2005–2006'', 26th edition. 15 August 2005 {{ISBN|0-7106-2686-X}}.
* {{cite book |first=Marsh |last=Gelbart |year=1996 |title=Tanks: Main Battle and Light Tanks |publisher=Brassey's |location=London |isbn=1-85753-168-X}}
* Starry, Gen. Donn A. (1989). ''[http://www.history.army.mil/books/Vietnam/mounted/ Mounted Combat in Vietnam] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716081543/http://www.history.army.mil/books/Vietnam/mounted/ |date=16 July 2009 }}''. Washington, D.C.: Vietnam Studies, Department of the Army. First printed in 1978-CMH Pub 90–17.
* Hunnicutt, R. P. ''Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank''. {{ISBN|0-89141-230-1}}.
* Hunnicutt, R. P. ''Abrams: A History of the American Main Battle Tank.'' Volume 2. Presidio Press 1990.
* Hunnicutt, R. P. ''Sheridan: A History of the American Light Tank'' Volume 2; 1995, Presidio Press. {{ISBN|0-89141-462-2}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Zaloga |first1=Steven J |author1-link=Steven J. Zaloga |last2=Johnson |first2=Hugh |title=T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2004 |publisher=Osprey |year=2004 |location=Oxford |isbn=1-84176-792-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tbZhcjy0-5IC&pg=PT7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Zaloga |first1=Steven J |author1-link=Steven J. Zaloga |last2=Katz |first2=Samuel |title=Tank Battles of the Mid-East Wars 1: The Wars of 1948–1973. |publisher=Concord |date=1 September 1996 |isbn=978-962-361-612-6}}
* James Kinnear, Stephen Sewell and Andrey Aksenov, ''Soviet T-54 Main Battle Tank'', General Military series, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2018. {{ISBN|978 1 4728 3330 3}}
* James Kinnear, Stephen Sewell and Andrey Aksenov, ''Soviet T-55 Main Battle Tank'', General Military series, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2019. {{ISBN|978 1 4728 3855 1}}
* Anthony Tucker-Jones, ''Images of War: T–54/55, The Soviet Army’s Cold War main battle tank – rare photographs from wartime archives'', Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley 2017. {{ISBN|978 1 47389 109 8}}
* Krzysztof M. Gaj, ''Czołg T-55AM i pochodne (T-55AD-1M, T-55AD-2M, T-55AMS)'', Sowa Sp. z o.o., 2013, {{ISBN|978-83-936039-3-0}}

==External links==
{{Commons|T-55}}
* [http://www.urrib2000.narod.ru/Tanques2-e.html Cuban T-55]
* [http://www.armyrecognition.com/Russe/vehicules_lourds/T_54_55/T_54_55_description1.htm Technical data sheet and pictures T-55 from ArmyRecognition.com]
* [http://www.primeportal.net/apc/t-55.htm T-55 Variant walk arounds and photos on Prime Portal]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100613143910/http://www.military-today.com/tanks/jaguar.htm Jaguar prototype main battle tank]}}

{{Post WWII Soviet AFVS|T}}
{{Cold War tanks|style=wide}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:T-54 55}}
[[Category:Main battle tanks of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Medium tanks of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Cold War tanks of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Main battle tanks of the Cold War]]
[[Category:Medium tanks of the Cold War]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced from 1945 to 1949]]