T-55M1

## Crew

* Commander
* Driver
* Gunner
* Loader

The **T-55M1** is a Tier 4 special premium Main Battle Tank under Marat Shishkin's dealership.

## History

Class: Medium Tank

Developed: 1981-1983

Service: 1983+

Vehicles Built: N/A (est. several thousand)

Operators: Soviet Union, Syria, Angola, Cuba, Finland, Georgia, Sudan, Somalia and Uganda

The T-54/55 Medium Tank family is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic armored vehicles of all times. Throughout the Cold War, even with the appearance of much more modern vehicles, its distinctive silhouette remained one of the symbols of Soviet armored might. It was widely exported and used by dozens of countries and even though it was already quite obsolete by the 1970s, it received numerous upgrades and continues to serve in some countries to this day, participating in many (if not most) third world conflicts.

By the late 1960s and the 1970s, the T-55 was becoming increasingly obsolete, which was a problem for the Soviet Union and the entire Warsaw Pact, which was operating very high numbers of the T-54/55 series. The Soviet T-55M was one of these improved variants. The decision to develop it was taken on July 25 1981 and the goal was to improve T-55 protection and firepower to T-64A/T-72 levels.

The armor of the tank was increased by adding applique BDD plates to the upper frontal hull and additional BDD armor plates (nicknamed Ilyich's Eyebrows by some western publications) to the most exposed frontal parts of the turrets. The BDD armor is not a simple applique kit. Inside, it consists of thin angled steel plates with the rest filled with polyurethane. This composition, while space-intensive, adds increased protection value against HEAT rounds. The vehicle kept its 100mm D-10T2S gun (the barrel also received a new thermal shroud), but received a new Volna Fire Control System. The accuracy was significantly improved as a result, but the vehicle received something else to add to its destructive capabilities: the 1K116-1 Bastion system, allowing it to launch guided missiles from its barrel.

The T-55M1 is the same vehicle but without the Bastion system. It's difficult to track how many T-55s were modified to one of the M variants in the Soviet Union. The best estimate is several thousand, which then made their way across the globe. Details about their combat performance are equally sketchy, although some were apparently used in Afghanistan. A considerable number of T-55Ms was sold to Syria and sources of varying quality place hundreds of T-55M variants in Angola, Cuba, Finland, Georgia, Sudan, Somalia and Uganda, although (given the nomenclature chaos) at least some of these are very likely tanks of Polish or Czechoslovak origin, which are not identical to the Soviet ones.

## Vehicle Traits

* Armored: This vehicle's armor can withstand a lot of punishment, allowing it to survive even serious firefights.
* Smoke Generators: This vehicle generates smoke all around it and lays down smoke cover by driving forward.

## Upgrades

### Armor

T-55M1 Stock Armor
 This MBT features heavy appliqué armor on top of its basic steel body, providing some extra protection over the standard variant.

### Weapon

**Stats:**

* **Depression/Elevation**: -5.0° / 16.0°

## Footnotes

1. ↑ 510 mm at 150m;
383 mm at 500m
2. ↑ 152 for Partial Penetration;
38 for Non-Penetrating Hits
3. ↑ 18 mm at 100m;
9 mm at 1000m

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