T-64

The T-64 is a Soviet second-generation main battle tank introduced in the early 1960s. It was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62: the T-64 served tank divisions, while the T-62 supported infantry in motorized rifle divisions. It introduced a number of advanced features including composite armor, a compact engine and transmission, and a smoothbore 125-mm gun equipped with an autoloader to allow the crew to be reduced to three so the tank could be smaller and lighter. In spite of being armed and armored like a heavy tank, the T-64 weighed only 38 tonnes (42 short tons; 37 long tons).

These features made the T-64 expensive to build, significantly higher than previous generations of Soviet tanks. This was especially true of the power pack, which was time consuming to build and cost twice as much as more conventional designs. Several proposals were made to improve the T-64 with new engines, but chief designer Alexander Morozov's political power in Moscow kept the design in production in spite of any concerns about price. This led to the T-72 being designed as an emergency design, only to be produced in the case of a war, but its 40% lower price led to it entering production in spite of Morozov's objections.

Users

• Belarus
  • Belarusian Ground Forces
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo Land Forces
• Kazakhstan
  • Kazakh Ground Forces
• Russia
  • Russian Army
• Soviet Union
  • Soviet Army - passed onto successor states
• Ukraine
  • Ukrainian Ground Forces
• Uzbekistan
  • Uzbekistan Ground Forces