T-54 (1949)

This page is about the Soviet medium tank T-54 (1949). For other versions, see T-54/55 (Family).

T-54 (1949)

T-54 (1947)

T-54 (1951)

T-54 (1949)

T-54 (1947)

T-54 (1951)

USSR

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:61 000

Purchase:340 000

Description

The T-54 Model 1949 is the second variant of the T-54 main battle tank family. The T-54 Model 1949 variant, manufactured from 1949 to 1952, incorporated several improvements to the turret from the previous T-54 Model 1949 variant, as well as a wider track and a better, modernized transmission. The turret is dome-shaped with flat sides, and the shot trap has been removed to provide slightly better protection. The new turret was inspired by the one used on the IS-3 heavy tank but with a distinctive rear overhang and shorter bustle. The original fender machine gun mounts were replaced with more traditional bow machine gun mounts.

Introduced in Update 1.47 "Big Guns", the T-54 (1949) is an upgraded variant of its predecessors. It has a better-designed turret without the shot-trap and slightly improved protection. However, this is offset by weaker hull armour, which has a small impact on its overall survivability. Access to new armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) ammunition, which has superior penetration but lacks post-penetration damage, is another upgrade. As a result, this new ammunition should only be used to engage the most heavily armoured targets.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull100 / 80 / 45

Turret200 / 125 / 50

Crew4 people

Visibility83 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	100 mm (61°) Front glacis 100 mm (53°) Lower glacis	80 mm	45 mm (18°) Upper 30 mm (73°) Lower	30 mm
Turret	200 mm (7-64°) Turret front 200 mm Gun mantlet	90 - 160 mm (9-48°)	50 mm (16-52°)	30 mm
Cupola	100 mm	100 mm	100 mm	30 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 18 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB56 / 9 km/h

RB and SB51 / 8 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight35.5 t

Engine power

AB992 hp

RB and SB520 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB27.9 hp/t

RB and SB14.6 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	56	9	35.5	806	992	22.7	27.94
Realistic	51	8		460	520	12.96	14.65

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 224 → 5 715

RB4 790 → 6 480

SB6 759 → 9 144

Total cost of modifications99 000

166 000

Talisman cost2 200

Crew training98 000

Experts340 000

Aces1 300

Research Aces780 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 210 / 230 %

202 / 202 / 202 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 195 Suspension Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 400 220 Brake System Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 400 220 Filters Research: 5 100 Cost: 8 200 240 Transmission Research: 6 600 Cost: 11 000 310 Engine Research: 6 600 Cost: 11 000 310	Improved Parts Research: 2 700 Cost: 6 600 195 Improved FPE Research: 3 000 Cost: 7 400 220 Crew Replenishment Research: 5 100 Cost: 8 200 240	Horizontal Drive Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 195 100mm_APHE_ammo_pack Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 195 100mm_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 195 Adjustment of Fire Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 400 220 Smoke grenade Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 400 220 Elevation Mechanism Research: 5 100 Cost: 8 200 240 100mm_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 5 100 Cost: 8 200 240 100mm_ussr_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 5 100 Cost: 8 200 240 Artillery Support Research: 6 600 Cost: 11 000 310 100mm_APDS_ammo_pack Research: 6 600 Cost: 11 000 310 100mm_HEAT_ammo_pack Research: 6 600 Cost: 11 000 310

After Parts and FPE, the player should focus on mobility upgrades or the Horizontal Drive modification, since both mobility and turret rotation are limited when the tank is stock.

Armaments

Main armament

100 mm D-10T cannon

Ammunition34 rounds

First-order20 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

9.7 → 7.5 s

Vertical guidance-4° / 17°

100 mm D-10T					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	34	-4°/+17°	±180°	-	9.5	13.2	16.0	17.7	18.8	9.75	8.63	7.95	7.5
Realistic					5.9	7.0	8.5	9.4	10.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
BR-412	APHE	218	212	189	164	142	124
BR-412B	APHEBC	218	215	201	184	169	155
BR-412D	APCBC	239	236	220	202	185	170
BR-412P	APCR	224	216	186	153	127	105
3BM-8	APDS	336	332	317	299	282	265
OF-412	HE	27	27	26	24	23	21

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
BR-412	APHE	895	15.88	1.2	19	100.1	47°	60°	65°
BR-412B	APHEBC	895	15.88	1.2	19	100.1	48°	63°	71°
BR-412D	APCBC	887	15.88	1.2	19	100.1	48°	63°	71°
BR-412P	APCR	1,050	8.53	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
3BM-8	APDS	1,415	4.13	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°
OF-412	HE	900	15.6	0.2	0.1	1,460	79°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
3D3	880	15.6	16	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the T-54 (1949)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
34	33 (+1)	27 (+7)	24 (+10)	23 (+11)	21 (+13)	1 (+33)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• If you pack 27 (+7) shells, it will keep the turret empty of ammo.
• Rack 6 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 20 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
  • This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 5.
  • Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-5 into rack 6. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.

Machine guns

12.7 mm DShK machine gun

Ammunition250 rounds

Belt capacity50 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

Vertical guidance-4° / 82°

7.62 mm SGMT machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 500 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

12.7 mm DShK
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	250 (50)	600	-4°/+82°	±180°

7.62 mm SGMT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,500 (250)	600	-	-

Usage in battles

The T-54 (1949) is an upgraded version of the T-54 (1947), it has a turret without the shot-trap, and it has generally more armour, however this is counteracted with weaker hull armour, and this does make a difference for some early APFSDS and some HEAT rounds (the War Thunder community generally accepts the T-54 (1947) as having the best armour overall). Another upgrade is the new APDS round, which has superior penetration. This round should be used to take on only the most armoured targets frontally because it does minimal damage - BR-412D still is considered the better round because it has enough penetration and it knocks out vehicles with a single shot easily.

General Playstyle

The T-54 (1949) continues in the steps of its predecessor, still being a Jack-of-All-Trades tank, on the same platform with the same gun. Importantly, it has improved turret armour, although at the cost of hull armour, which promotes hull-down gameplay. In Arcade, the T-54 (1949) retains the mobility of the T-54 (1947), but now you have the back-up option of using APDS. (Read the T-54 (1947) article, as it covers general playstyle with more depth)

For the major gameplay differences from the T-54 (1947), read the T-54 (1947) article prior to reading this.

• You are now able to snipe more accurately, because of your APDS round that goes over 1,400 m/s. This can be taken advantage of at the start of matches, especially in Realistic Battles.
• Your upgraded turret is now able to outright block some rounds, especially in a downtier, and it's not worth wiggling or angling it.

The Stock Grind

When grinding the first modifications, Arcade Battles might be more fun, because of faster-paced gameplay and the ability to see all threats. Now, it's a priority to research Parts and FPE. (Activating universal back-ups for this vehicle to speed up the grind is an option, but it is not an exceptional vehicle, and it's best to just research the T-54 (1951), as it has more ammunition choices).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Potent D-10 100 mm gun
• Access to APDS ammunition
• Fast reload rate
• New elliptical turret removes the frontal turret shot trap found on the T-54 (1947)
• Good mobility

Cons:

• Armour is not as thick in comparison to the T-54 (1947)
• Angling the armour is not advised, as the side armour will be exposed
• Ammo racks can be detonated fairly easily from the side
• Slow turret traverse speed in general

History

Predecessors

During World War II, the Soviet Union fielded the T-34 in large numbers to overrun the German tanks. The initial T-34 variant with the 76 mm gun soon became insufficient due to further German development on potent anti-tank weaponry. The response was the development of the T-34-85 with the more powerful 85 mm gun. However, the T-34-85 was still insufficient fighting against the German "big cats" tanks. This prompted for further tank development to make a more protected medium tank for the Soviet armoured forces. This developed into the T-44, which proved superior to the T-34 in armour, but retained the same 85 mm gun.

Development

The army then requested that the gun on the tank be increased for additional firepower. This developed into adding the 100 mm gun onto the T-44 and was designated the T-44-100. The T-44-100 proved successful in testing, but still suffered drawbacks that impeded its efficiency. It was decided that instead of quickly sending the tank into production, further development and modernization on the overall tank design should be made to make the tank the full transition from a World-War-II-era tank into the next generation. This developed into the T-54 tank that was accepted into service on 29 April 1946.

The tank would enter production at Nizhni Tagil in 1947 and Kharkov in 1948. However, the initial production was slow as the serial production models underwent 1,490 different modifications. The first model produced was designated the T-54-1 (Object 137), which had a thicker hull armour than its future model. This production model suffered a quality deficiency, and was cancelled and upgraded into the T-54-2 (Object 137R) in 1949 that featured a new turret and other changes to the hull, transmission, and track design. In 1951, another change was made to the design and was designated the T-54-3 (Object 137Sh). The T-54-3 design featured a new turret design that removed shot traps. New gun sight and the smoke generating system were also installed into the tank. The T-54-3 would become the basis of future T-54 design, with the turret design staying in all of its successors.

Despite the T-54's great performance in its design, the T-54 did not stop at its base model. The first upgrades done was in 1953 and 1955 when the tank's D-10 gun was given stabilization gear, first with a vertical stabilizer in 1953 before upgrading again with a 2-plane stabilizer in 1955. These tank upgrades renamed the T-54 to T-54A and T-54B for the respective years. While an improvement in the tank's performance, the biggest jump came with the advent of nuclear technology in the Soviet arsenal. When testings show that a T-54 can survive the blast of a 2 - 15 kt nuclear charge at 300 m (700 m for crew survival), the T-54 was slated for the instalment of a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) protection system to protect the crew from the weapons of mass destruction. This project was given to the KB-60 design bureau in Kharkov and this was finished in 1956. Along with many other changes to the tank interior, such as a new engine, heating system, fuel tanks, ammo storage, and new guns sights, the tank became the more common T-55 tank, which would replace the T-54 design in production past 1958. The difference in the T-54 and the T-55 other than the mechanical differences is the presence of a dome-shaped ventilator in front of the loaders hatch, it is a T-54 if present as it was removed in order to seal the tank with NBC protection. All in all, the T-54/55 tank series became the most widely produced tank ever, surpassing the T-34 with an estimated 100,000+ built, many due to the export market and licensed manufacturing the Soviets gave to their allies.

Design

The T-54 is a simple and reliable, yet deadly machine compared to its contemporaries at its introduction. The T-54 retained the same interior compartments as traditional designs, with the driving in the front, fighting and turret in the centre, and the engine at the rear. The most distinctive features on the T-54 is the dome turret and the space between the first and second road wheels in the front, which would be absent in its successor, the T-62.

The T-54 simplicity and reliability made it a very easy tank to operate, not requiring a thoroughly trained crew to operate (though a better crew can give better performance). The T-54 also presents a very low profile compared to the American and British tank, which makes it a smaller target to hit. The lightweight of the design at only 36 tons made it very easy to transport around on flatbed. The tank also features extra abilities like a cold-weather starting system and a snorkel for deep-wading that were mostly absent on similar vehicles. Finally, the 100 mm D-10T gun was much better than anything fielded as tank armament, able to defeat the American Patton and the British Centurions, which were their mainstay tanks. Even after the introduction of superior tanks like the M60 tank with the 105 mm M68 gun, the T-54 is able to keep up with new HEAT and APDS rounds.

However, the T-54 design suffered from some of these advantages. The small profile gave the tank a small interior volume, which causes such a constraint to crew space that a height limit had to be set. The low turret silhouette also made the tank unable to depress the gun in a large angle due to the gun's breech hitting the roof, which restricts the T-54 ability to enter a hull-down position. Like other tanks in its generation, the T-54 also had unprotected ammo storage, which increased the chance of a catastrophic explosion of the ammunition if the tank is penetrated in battle.

Despite that, the T-54 design, upgraded into the T-55, proved very successful as a cost-effective weapon of war that can still stand on its own today. Its utility is further demonstrated by the many variants created from the chassis, such as bridge-layers, fire-fighting vehicles, flamethrowers, armoured-personnel carriers, engineer vehicles, and anti-aircraft vehicles.

Combat usage

Most of the service recorded in the T-54 and the T-55 are interchangeable as the two are essentially identical aside from the NBC protection. They will be referred to as the "T-54/55" unless specified otherwise.

The Soviets main tank during the course of the Cold War was the T-54/55 and the T-62 tanks, comprising about 85% of the Soviet armoured force in the mid-1970s. The first combat usage of the T-54 was in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. During the conflict, one T-54A was captured by the Hungarian rebels and delivered it to the British embassy. This act inspired the production of the 105 mm L7 gun and the M60 MBT when tests on this T-54 found it superior in firepower and armour. Afterwards, the Soviets did not have many activities with the T-54/55, but they are still in reserve status after being replaced by the Soviet T-72 and T-90 tanks.

The Middle East region saw more usage of the T-54/55 in the conflicts that ensured there, notably in the Israel-Arab conflicts in the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War. Israel was able to beat back the T-54/55 in both conflicts due to superior tactics and air superiority in the Six-Day War, and the presence of superior tanks such as the 105 mm equipped M60 and Centurion tanks, which could more easily deal with the T-54/55 in the Yom Kippur War. Israel was able to capture many T-54/55 tanks intact in both wars and upgraded these tanks with the 105 mm L7 gun, designated as the Tiran-5. The T-54/55 also saw usage in the Jordanian Civil War of 1970 on the Syrian side, the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, and even as recent as Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, a testament to the utility and reliability of the T-54/55 tanks to still be in use 60 years after its introduction despite its inferiority to the American M1A1 Abrams and the British Challenger II's.

The T-54/55 also saw use in the Vietnam War on the North Vietnamese side, equipping the NVA 203rd Armoured Regiment and many other divisions. The T-54/55 also made an appearance in Angola and Mozambique, which were supplied from the Soviets to support the rising Marxist influences in South Africa. These T-54/55s saw use in the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War, but many were lost against the turreted armoured car with HEAT rounds. Many other countries in the world used the T-54/55 as well, whether given by the Soviets and their allies or licensed to produce in-country, up to 50 countries in the world used the T-54/55 in their military, including irregular forces in these countries. Notable conflicts using the T-54/55 was in the Indo-Pakistani War in the Indian Army, in the Ugandan-Tanzanian War, Yugoslav Wars, Sino-Vietnamese War, and the Sri Lankan Civil War. The T-54/55 is still being used today in the modern century, such as the Libyan Civil War in 2011, and the ongoing conflicts of the Syrian Civil War in many sides, including ISIS and the Syrian Army.

Archive of the in-game description

The tank received a streamlined cast turret with an improved shape designed to reduce ricochets to the hull roof. Its weapon was equipped with a new gun mantlet. One fender-mounted SG-43 machine gun was removed from the driver's compartment. The upper frontal hull plate was reduced to 100 mm thickness and the lower armour plate's slope was increased. The engine cooling system was modernised. The 500 mm wide tracks were replaced by new 580 mm wide tracks, which reduced ground pressure to acceptable levels. The tank's wheels received independent torsion-bar suspension, reducing its weight by 1,700 kg. This lead to a significant increase in the tank's durability, a height reduction of 30 cm and an increase in its driving performance. The T-54's armoured hull was fully welded from rolled plates and homogeneous steel sheets. The tanks were manufactured until 1951, and around 2,523 of them were made. The T-54 tank was noted for its adequate mobility, well-designed hull and turret and greater firepower in comparison to vehicles of this class made by other countries. However, although the hull's configuration ensured the Soviet tank's advantages over its foreign counterparts, it also restricted opportunities for further increasing the tank's defences, particularly against the new 90 and 105 mm high-explosive anti-tank warheads and armour-piercing subcalibre rounds. The unstabilised 100 mm D-10T tank cannon's accuracy and rate of fire were too low when firing on the move. In addition, it became necessary to introduce new armour-piercing subcalibre rounds and high-explosive rounds in particular to the cannon's ammunition complement. These vehicles served in the armies of the former Warsaw Pact member states. Additionally, they were supplied to many countries in Asia and the Middle East.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the T-54 (1949) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

T-54/T-55 family discusses the T-54 (1949) at 3:53 - War Thunder Official Channel

Optional, Yet Potent - T-54 (1949) - Virus

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] A-20G-25 and T-54 1949

Kharkov Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering named after A. A. Morozov
Light Tanks
BT-5	BT-5 · RBT-5
BT-7	BT-7 · BT-7M · BT-7A (F-32)
Medium Tanks
T-34-76	T-34 (Prototype) · T-34 (1940) · T-34 (1941) · T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.) · T-34 (1942) · T-34E STZ · T-34E
T-34-57	T-34-57 · T-34-57 (1943)
T-34-85	T-34-85 (D-5T) · T-34-85 · T-34-85E
T-34-100	T-34-100
T-44	T-44 · T-44-100 · T-44-122
Main Battle Tanks
T-54	T-54 (1947) · T-54 (1949) · T-54 (1951)
T-64	T-64A (1971) · T-64B
Export/Captured
T-34	▀T 34 747 (r) · ▄T-34 · ▄T-34-85 · ␗T-34 (1943) · ␗Т-34-85 (S-53)
T-54	▄T-54
See Also	Uralmashzavod · Uralvagonzavod