T-64А tank

The T-64 is a family of main battle tanks that were produced serially in the USSR from 1963 to 1987. During this time, about thirty different modifications of the tank were created. Work on the tank began in Kharkiv in 1951 under the leadership of Oleksandr Morozov. The first modification, the "medium tank T-64" (object 432), was adopted for service in January 1967, and the T-64A modification (object 434) became the first main battle tank of the Soviet Union.

The design of the T-64 incorporated the latest developments of the time, giving the medium tank the firepower of a heavy tank. It was the first to use composite armor, a stereoscopic rangefinder, an opposed diesel engine, a smoothbore gun capable of firing guided missiles, and for the first time a loading mechanism was created for a large-caliber gun mounted on a tank of traditional layout, which reduced the crew to three people. Some design elements and layout principles were later used in the T-72, T-80, and T-84 tanks.

Due to the high level of secrecy, the Soviet Union did not export T-64 tanks, and they did not participate in armed conflicts. At most, T-64 tanks of all modifications were used by Soviet Army tank units stationed in the Soviet Forces Group in Germany. Even in military parades in Moscow, T-64 tanks participated only once - on May 9, 1985.

For the first time in the world, T-64 tanks of all modifications were equipped with a gun loading machine. The design of the machine gun required the abandonment of unitary shots. Some of the shells were placed in rotating L-shaped cassettes in the ammunition magazine, while others were horizontally stacked in the bottom, in the least vulnerable part of the tank.

The automatic loading machine, located in the aft part of the turret, worked as follows:

• Before the next shot was fired, it removed a cartridge from the magazine, deployed the projectile and charge in a burning cartridge case in a line and delivered them to the breech.
• The powder gases were removed from the combat compartment, and the metal tray of the cartridge case was placed in the released cartridge.

This innovation allowed the T-64 crew to fire 10 rounds per minute. The installation of the automatic loading device made it possible to reduce the armor space, reduce the dimensions of the vehicle, and use the saved weight to strengthen the armor protection.

The T-64 tank (Object 432) was equipped with a 115-mm D-68 smoothbore gun with a 2E18 two-plane stabilizer.

The T-64A, T-64AK and T-64AKM tanks were equipped with a 125-mm smoothbore D-81 gun with a 2E23 double-plane stabilizer. Also, the T-64A modification of 1980 was equipped with a 125-mm smoothbore gun 2A46-1, with a two-plane stabilizer 2E28M2 and a charging mechanism 6EC43.

Starting from 1975, all modifications of the T-64 tank were equipped with a thermal protection cover for their guns. Beginning in 1972, all modifications were fitted with the ZU-64A remote-controlled anti-aircraft gun and the NSV-12.7 "Utyos" machine gun, which provides firing capability against airborne targets up to a distance of 1500 meters and up to 2000 meters for ground targets. The T-64BM "Bulat" and T-64E tanks were equipped with a 12.7 mm KT-12.7 machine gun. The tank's combat debut occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union, during the battles for the city of Bender during the 1992 Transnistria War. Currently, active modernization of the T-64 is being carried out in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.