T-54 (1951)

T-54 (1951)

T-54 (1949)

T-55A

T-54 (1951)

T-54 (1949)

T-55A

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 (1951) is a rank V Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 8.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

In 1951, a new hemispherical turret with improved ballistic shaping was introduced for the T-54 medium tank. This turret eliminated the turret shot-traps of earlier models and became the definitive one for all T-54 and T-55 variants that followed. A new telescopic gunsight was also introduced.

Ingame, the 1951 model plays similarly to the 1949 model. It has the same reduced hull armour compared to the 1947 model but makes up for this with its better mobility and turret, which is not vulnerable to shot-traps like the 1947 and 1949 models are. The 1951 model also has access to a powerful HEAT-FS round.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

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

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	100 mm (60°) Front glacis  100 mm (54°) Lower glacis	80 mm	45 mm (16°) Upper  30 mm (72°) Lower	30 mm Front 20 mm Back
Turret	160 mm (14-39°) Turret front  200 mm (4-78°) Gun mantlet	115 mm (45-50°) Upper 155 mm (10-30°) Lower	65 mm (9-35°)	30 mm

Notes:

• Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick

Mobility

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

Armaments

Main armament

100 mm D-10T
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
34			-4°/+17°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	9.52	13.18	16.00	17.69	18.82
Realistic	5.95	7.00	8.50	9.40	10.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
11.05	9.78	9.01	8.5

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
BR-412	APHE	218	213	192	169	148	130
BR-412B	APHEBC	218	214	195	173	154	137
BR-412D	APCBC	239	236	223	207	192	178
BR-412P	APCR	224	216	186	153	127	105
3BM-8	APDS	299	298	291	272	253	249
3BK-5	HEATFS	380	380	380	380	380	380
OF-412	HE	19	19	19	19	19	19

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
BR-412	APHE	895	15.9	1.2	19	100.1	-1°	47°	60°	65°
BR-412B	APHEBC	895	15.9	1.2	19	100.1	+4°	48°	63°	71°
BR-412D	APCBC	887	15.9	1.2	19	93.94	+4°	48°	63°	71°
BR-412P	APCR	1,050	8.53	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°
3BM-8	APDS	1,415	4.13	N/A	N/A	N/A
3BK-5	HEATFS	900	12.38	0.0	0.1	1,440
OF-412	HE	880	15.2	0.1	0.5	1,460	+0°	79°	80°	81°

Smoke characteristic
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):
3D3	880	15.6	20	5	25	272

Machine guns

12.7 mm DShK
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
250 (50)				600	-10°/+60°	±180°

7.62 mm SGMT
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
3,500 (250)				600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The T-54 '51 is practically the same tank as the T-54 '49, it has the same armour as the T-54 '49 and the only difference is the addition of the new HEAT-FS round capable of going through 380mm of armour (the War Thunder community generally accepts the T-54 '51 as having the best ammunition overall). Again, the new round should be taken as a back-up option for the most armoured enemies, while BR-412D should remain the main round.

General Playstyle

The T-54 '51 is simply the better tank than the T-54 '49, because it has the same armour, and the only difference is the addition of HEAT-FS round, which penetrates through 380mm. (Read the T-54 '47 and the T-54 '49 articles, as they cover the T-54 playstyle).

Major Gameplay Differences from the T-54 '49 (Read the T-54 '47 and the T-54 '49 articles prior to reading this!)

• You can now penetrate all vehicles that you can see.
• If the map is very big, and you are forced to snipe, you may prefer to take APDS ammunition, because it's much easier to aim.

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, and it may also be a good idea to activate 3-5 universal vehicle back-ups to be able to respawn twice in one match. In this case, it's worth it, because the T-54 '51 is a grinder for rank V and first rank VI vehicles - the faster you spade it, the faster you can grind!

General tips for the stock grind are the same as those for the T-54 '47, read that article.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	BR-412B	Horizontal Drive	BR-412P
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE		Adjustment of Fire	Smoke grenade
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	BR-412D	Elevation Mechanism	3D3
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	3BM-8	3BK-5

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. Also, the 3BK-5 HEATFS shell greatly increases the tank's damage output, and should be considered quite important as well.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Improved turret shape and armour thickness, with no shot-traps (Same turret as the T-54 '49)
• Lighter than the 1947 model, with improved mobility
• Wide ammunition selection, including 380 mm penetration 3BK-5 HEAT-FS and powerful APHE rounds
• Well-sloped hull glacis plate, resistant to most full-bore AP rounds
• Roof-mounted DShK heavy machine gun for use against aircraft or light vehicles

Cons:

• Unstabilised main gun and very slow turret traverse make it vulnerable to being flanked in close combat
• Relatively low rate-of-fire
• Small magazine size of the DShK heavy machine gun
• Weaker hull armour than the 1947 model
• Poor penetration with APHE rounds

History

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In-game description

The new 1951 tank model received a cast semi-spherical turret without shot traps and with improved traverse sealing and an apparatus for attaching a minesweeper. Its two SG-43 machine guns were replaced with a 7.62 mm SGMT machine gun. The T-54's main armament remained as before - a 100 mm D-10T cannon with a 56 calibre barrel length. This weapon was developed in the No. 9 artillery factory's design bureau under the direction of F.F. Petrov. The 100 mm cannon's armour-piercing round was able to penetrate a 125 mm thick vertical armour plate at a range of 2,000 m. After the Second World War, improved variants of this tank served for forty years after the basic model was developed. From 1946, all the characteristics of the T-54 and its variants surpassed those of foreign medium tanks, and its weapon had the best armour-piercing properties.

In total, 7,009 of them were made between 1952 and 1955. The T54 Mod. 1951 became widespread outside the USSR's borders and was licensed for production in Poland, Czechoslovakia and China. Its Chinese variant was designated Type 59. Tanks of this type were used in a multitude of armed conflicts in the 20th century. These vehicles are still in service in many countries in Asia and the Middle East.

A disadvantage of the tank was the hull layout is inherited from the T-44. It ensured the Soviet tank's advantages over its foreign counterparts, but 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 tank cannon's accuracy and rate of fire were too low when firing on the move. The T-54's transmission and undercarriage restricted opportunities to increase its mobility after installing a more powerful weapon or increasing its armour.

Media

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See also

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

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
• other literature.