Land Weapons

Heavy Tank (1952)

OKMO

T-10

IS-10
T-10M

The T-10 has the distinction of being the last heavy tank produced by the USSR, before these were fully replaced by main battle tanks. It was also the last in the IS (Iosef Stalin) series, but renamed due to political considerations after his death. The T-10 is broadly similar to the IS-3, although it features a longer hull, a more powerful gun as well as improved armor protection. Like most Soviet heavy tanks, they were deployed as part of independent tank units in support of infantry or to provide additional anti-tank support for the MBTs as well as to exploit breakthroughs. However, their limited speed made them impractical in the Cold War battlefield, and the design had numerous shortcomings, not least the gun's limited depression and a slow rate of fire. Ultimately, the T-10 was replaced in Soviet service by the 1960s although they saw action with Egyptian and Syrian armies in the Middle East with only mixed success.

The initial IS-10 (Ob'yekt 730) entered service in 1952 and was renamed I-10 following Stalin’s death. Gun stabilizers were added in the T-10A (single-plane) and T-10B (dual-plane). A modernized variant was designed T-10M with a longer-barreled M-62-T2 gun and higher-caliber machine guns, as well as infra-red searchlights and an NBC system. A snorkel could also be fitted for river-crossing operations.

Preceded by:

IS-3 (1945)

Succeeded by:

None

Datafile

DesignT-10T-10M
TypeHeavy TankHeavy Tank
Year19521957
Crew44
Dimensions
Length (w/Gun)7.04 m (9.88 m)7.04 m (10.60 m)
Width3.533 m3.566 m
Height2.250 m2.430 m
Ground Clearance0.430 m0.430 m
Track2.600 m2.600 m
Track Width720 mm720 mm
Track on Ground4.600 m4.600 m
Weight
Combat50,000 kg52,000 kg
Ground Pressure0.76 kg/cm²0.78 kg/cm²
SuspensionTorsion barTorsion bar
Performance
Speed (Off-Road)42 km/h42 km/h
Range (Off-Road)250 km250 km
AmphibiousNoNo
Fording1.20 m1.20 m (5.5 m)
Vertical Obstacle0.90 m0.90 m
Trench3 m3 m
Gradient62.5%62.5%
Powerplant
Engine1 x 700-hp
V-2-IS
1 x 700-hp
V-2-IS
FuelDiesel: 900 LDiesel: 900 L
Power/Weight14.00 hp/t13.46 hp/t
Armament
Main1 x 122-mm L/43
M-62-T2

Rifled Gun
↑ 17° / ↓ -3° / ↔ 360°
1 x 122-mm L/43
M-62-T2

Rifled Gun
↑ 17° / ↓ -3° / ↔ 360°
SecondaryCoaxial:
1 x 12.70-mm
DShK
Anti-Aircraft:
1 x 12.70-mm
DShK
Coaxial:
1 x 14.50-mm
KPVT
Anti-Aircraft:
1 x 14.50-mm
KPVT
Ammo12.7-mm: 1,000
14.5-mm: 744
Armor
TypeSteelSteel
Thickness20 - 250 mm20 - 250 mm
Max Effective20 - 250 mm RHAe20 - 250 mm RHAe
Production
Builtn/an/a
Total1,439