To be fair, they were careful enough to write Герань-2 on them. Presumably sent to Russia as kits for local assembly with the engine ordered directly from China via AliExpress so it qualifies as made in Russia
The War in the Ukraine
- Thread starter SampanViking
- Start date
Ukr POWs, Kherson region...
So why are the Russians upgrading the T-62 instead of using something with 125mm cannon? They have plenty of T-64 and T-72s, don't they?
But here is what the Russians themselves say:
"
Russia could put several hundred upgraded T-62 tanks into service, the MWM reports. Some Western sources have pitched the modernization and relaunch of Soviet vehicles as a symbol of desperation over sanctions, but the authors of the article explain why this argument is untenable.
The Russian defence corporation Uralvagonzavod has launched a major programme to modernise Soviet T-62 tanks. Despite more than a decade of downtime, Russia will be able to introduce several hundred tanks with upgraded gauges and 21st century armour.
The T-62 first entered service in 1961 and was acknowledged as the most combat-ready tank in the world at the time. This assessment was confirmed even by American and Israeli experts who analysed the captured vehicles during the 1973 Judgment Day. The tank was the first in the world to receive a smoothbore cannon and armour-piercing rounds with a detachable pallet and stabilising fins, and during the Iran-Iraq war it demonstrated a clear superiority over the M60 and Chieftain tanks supplied by the US and Britain, as attested by officers on both sides.
The T-62s were produced until the mid-1970s in huge quantities, with over 22,000 entering service worldwide.
Although even the upgraded T-62s are obsolete by twenty-first century standards, they have some significant advantages over the more modern T-72 and T-90 tanks that form the backbone of Russia's armored forces. This partly explains why Moscow is investing in repairing them, although it has a large number of T-72s in reserve.
The -62 is valued for its much lower maintenance requirements and operating costs, as well as its ease of training - it takes much less time to train the crew. This is reportedly what prompted Russia in 2016 to allocate upgraded T-62Ms from its reserves to equip new units in the Syrian army. These vehicles were subsequently moved to eastern Ukraine, where they are reportedly being used by Donbass militias.
Like its predecessor the T-55, the T-62 is well suited for operations in both mountainous and urban areas.
This is the main reason why improved versions of the T-62 have, until recently, been the backbone of North Korea's armoured units. In more than a decade of counterinsurgency operations, the Syrian Arab Army has come to prefer the T-55 and T-62 to more modern vehicles for urban warfare. Many of these vehicles have been upgraded with North Korean technology, including laser rangefinders and, reportedly, new types of anti-personnel munitions.
With the upgraded T-62s, Russia will be able to equip not only regular units if mass mobilisations continue, but also militias from eastern Ukrainian regions, which recently joined the Russian state and whose forces have not yet been finally absorbed into its army.
Some Western sources present the modernisation and relaunch of the T-62 as a symbol of desperation and proof of the effectiveness of Western sanctions against the Russian defence sector. However, in order to upgrade the vehicles to the state-of-the-art level, it is precisely sanctions-sensitive technology such as thermal imaging sights that is needed.
If sanctions were so acute, it would be much easier for Russia to get the T-72 and T-80 from the reserve than to modernise the T-62 - thus this argument is untenable. A T-62 upgraded with Contact-5 or Relikt dynamic protection, third-generation thermal imaging sights and possibly armour-piercing rounds with a detachable pallet and stabilising plumage would gain significant performance advantages over the unmodernised T-72.
Thanks to new technology, the vehicles are certain to receive a new designation - possibly "T-62M2".
Given Ukraine's lack of modern tanks and its reliance on the T-64 from the 1970s with minor improvements, it will have nothing to counter the upgraded T-62s, especially in light of NATO members' reluctance to supply Kiev with more modern armoured vehicles. It is not yet known exactly how many T-62s will be upgraded (some sources suggest there could be more than 500, and possibly as many as a thousand), but the tank has useful potential: rearmament would be inexpensive and large numbers could be deployed.
But here is what the Russians themselves say:
"
Russia could put several hundred upgraded T-62 tanks into service, the MWM reports. Some Western sources have pitched the modernization and relaunch of Soviet vehicles as a symbol of desperation over sanctions, but the authors of the article explain why this argument is untenable.
The Russian defence corporation Uralvagonzavod has launched a major programme to modernise Soviet T-62 tanks. Despite more than a decade of downtime, Russia will be able to introduce several hundred tanks with upgraded gauges and 21st century armour.
The T-62 first entered service in 1961 and was acknowledged as the most combat-ready tank in the world at the time. This assessment was confirmed even by American and Israeli experts who analysed the captured vehicles during the 1973 Judgment Day. The tank was the first in the world to receive a smoothbore cannon and armour-piercing rounds with a detachable pallet and stabilising fins, and during the Iran-Iraq war it demonstrated a clear superiority over the M60 and Chieftain tanks supplied by the US and Britain, as attested by officers on both sides.
The T-62s were produced until the mid-1970s in huge quantities, with over 22,000 entering service worldwide.
Although even the upgraded T-62s are obsolete by twenty-first century standards, they have some significant advantages over the more modern T-72 and T-90 tanks that form the backbone of Russia's armored forces. This partly explains why Moscow is investing in repairing them, although it has a large number of T-72s in reserve.
The -62 is valued for its much lower maintenance requirements and operating costs, as well as its ease of training - it takes much less time to train the crew. This is reportedly what prompted Russia in 2016 to allocate upgraded T-62Ms from its reserves to equip new units in the Syrian army. These vehicles were subsequently moved to eastern Ukraine, where they are reportedly being used by Donbass militias.
Like its predecessor the T-55, the T-62 is well suited for operations in both mountainous and urban areas.
This is the main reason why improved versions of the T-62 have, until recently, been the backbone of North Korea's armoured units. In more than a decade of counterinsurgency operations, the Syrian Arab Army has come to prefer the T-55 and T-62 to more modern vehicles for urban warfare. Many of these vehicles have been upgraded with North Korean technology, including laser rangefinders and, reportedly, new types of anti-personnel munitions.
With the upgraded T-62s, Russia will be able to equip not only regular units if mass mobilisations continue, but also militias from eastern Ukrainian regions, which recently joined the Russian state and whose forces have not yet been finally absorbed into its army.
Some Western sources present the modernisation and relaunch of the T-62 as a symbol of desperation and proof of the effectiveness of Western sanctions against the Russian defence sector. However, in order to upgrade the vehicles to the state-of-the-art level, it is precisely sanctions-sensitive technology such as thermal imaging sights that is needed.
If sanctions were so acute, it would be much easier for Russia to get the T-72 and T-80 from the reserve than to modernise the T-62 - thus this argument is untenable. A T-62 upgraded with Contact-5 or Relikt dynamic protection, third-generation thermal imaging sights and possibly armour-piercing rounds with a detachable pallet and stabilising plumage would gain significant performance advantages over the unmodernised T-72.
Thanks to new technology, the vehicles are certain to receive a new designation - possibly "T-62M2".
Given Ukraine's lack of modern tanks and its reliance on the T-64 from the 1970s with minor improvements, it will have nothing to counter the upgraded T-62s, especially in light of NATO members' reluctance to supply Kiev with more modern armoured vehicles. It is not yet known exactly how many T-62s will be upgraded (some sources suggest there could be more than 500, and possibly as many as a thousand), but the tank has useful potential: rearmament would be inexpensive and large numbers could be deployed.
The tooling and factory to upgrade T-72 are probably used to build new T-72 anyway... maybe T-62 don't use the same chain of manufacture putting more tanks on the field..
Wow, they stopped using them 20 years ago in the US, they are still used in Europe and elsewhere tho. I would not stand near the ones that the United States has available to transfer when they put the switch on !
It would be half of their 700millions package. It's clearly not new money, it's clearly emptying the junkyards.
Please add a link or a source for such posts … only a single statement is rather useless
There’s no cauldron there to begin with. The front line experienced only minor changes in the last couple of months. The Russian never made inroads into the town according to ISW maps.