After World War II, the Soviet military officially replaced its line of war-winning T-34 medium tanks with the T-54 series. These were then upgraded to NBC protection and many other features, only for a short time to become the T-55 series, designed to counteract the new developments in the United States that were taking place at the same time. In addition to upgrading the T-55, work has also begun on a new tank design based on the same proven T-54/T-55 system, but with a more powerful 115mm main gun. To accommodate the new weapons, the hull of the T-55 base was lengthened and fitted with a new turret assembly designed for the high-speed smoothbore 115mm main gun - the U-5TS (2A20 "Lapira"). This weapon is particularly important because it is the first mass-produced main battle tank to be equipped with a "smoothbore" barrel - all main battle tanks so far have had a rifled barrel, and Soviet directives called for significant improvements to the new The 105-mm proven rifled main gun used by the American M60.

The new Soviet tank was named "T-62" and the production of this type led to the delivery in July 1961.

In any sense, the T-62 is more or less an evolution of the T-55 itself, while the T-54 remains the "true" starting point of the series. Thus, the genre offers much the same purposeful look as its founder and subsequent modifications. The tank has a flat design with a central turret position.

The glacis plates are very flat and well sloping for excellent point ballistic protection. The sides are dominated by a track system that includes five wheels on one side of the hull. The drive sprocket remains at the front and the chain idler at the rear.

Like the T-54 and T-55 before it, the T-62 has no track idlers on the upper track section. A single diesel engine is located in the rear compartment and can generate its own smoke screen if desired.

The overall appearance of the turret is well-bent and squat, with a 115mm U-5TS main gun armament and three of the four crew members. The crew consists of the driver in the left front hull and the tank commander, gunner and loader in the turret/hull central area.

The turret front fairing is protected by armor up to 242 mm thick. A pair of external fuel tanks can be mounted aft of the fuselage to improve range and discarded when empty. The main gun is equipped with a smoke extractor and has two-axis stabilization for adequate "shooting while driving". The main gun is also fitted with a recoil-operated case ejector, in which the spent case is automatically ejected from the rear of the turret through a spring gate after firing. The main gun is supplemented by a coaxial 7.62mm PKT series machine gun in the turret for anti-infantry.

The heavy 12.7mm DShK anti-aircraft machine gun on top of the turret is optional and not common in early production units. Projectiles up to 40x115mm were loaded onboard and stored in the turret itself, mostly along the sides of the hull.

2,500 x 7.62mm machine gun ammunition is also available for the coaxial machine gun. Power comes from a 580-horsepower V-55 12-cylinder diesel engine. This gives the vehicle a top speed of 280 mph on ideal road surfaces, regardless of environmental factors.

The main gun is released to fire the required 115mm High Explosive (HE) and Armor Penetrating (AP) projectiles. The HE race consists of HE-FRAG-FS, which stands for High Explosive, Fragmented, Fin Stabilized. The HEAT-FS round is a high-explosive, anti-armor, stabilized fin.

AP rounds are APFSDS - Armor Piercing, Stabilizing, Drop Sabot. The projectile can reach targets up to 1,100 yards away and penetrate up to 330mm of armor plate - a significant improvement over the type of projectile fired by the 100mm main guns of the T-54 and T-55 series . Main gun elevation is limited to -6 to +16 degrees. One of the main limitations of the T-54/55 models was their lack of true "hull down" fire due to the depression angle limitations of the main guns.

The T-62 somewhat improved this limitation.

The T-62 has several notable standardized features, including NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection for the crew and an automatic fire suppression system that can also be manually operated. A full snorkel can be installed before entering a body of water, giving the T-62 a limited amphibious capability. The engine is used to create a smoke screen, which is basically achieved by injecting raw diesel into the engine to obtain the desired result.

Commander, gunner and driver positions all include infrared night vision goggles for true day/night combat capability. To prevent the tank from getting stuck in ditches or obstacles, a unique "stripping" bar was added under the rear of the hull.

Despite improvements and advancements, the T-62 ultimately exhibited some design limitations. This new advanced tank turned out to be more expensive to produce, which derailed foreign interest as they were still content to keep/produce/modernize their T-54/55 series.

The lack of major interest in the T-62 eventually forced the factories that produced the T-55 to continue producing the series, and the T-62 was eventually discontinued. Additionally, the original Russian engines proved unreliable and lacked crew protection - battles would soon prove.

During the T-62's initial combat operations during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the tank showed a tendency to catch fire when hit, making the T-62 as serious a threat to its own crew as any Israeli tank . Like the T-54 and T-55, hundreds of T-62 tanks were seized by the Israelis from the Syrians and Egyptians, modified and restored against their previous owners. The Israeli version features improved armor protection, US-based engines, and technological additions such as a laser rangefinder and thermal imaging camera. This modified T-62 tank was designated "Tiran-6" in Israel's inventory and proved to be more valuable and of higher quality than the original design. The unmodified captured Israeli T-62 was referred to as the "Tiran-3".

The T-62 wasn't much better in the case of the Libyan invasion of Chad in 1982, with a large number of them destroyed or unusable.

Despite combat limitations, the T-62 has been in service with a sizable portion for decades. This model has been released since the Sino-Soviet border war in 1969. These include the Ethiopian Civil War from 1974-1991, the Angolan Civil War from 1975-2002 and the Soviet-Afghan War from 1979-1988.

The tank was used in the bloody Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988 and the Lebanese civil war of 1982-1983. Iraqi T-62s were also used in combat during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, in which Saddam Hussein's forces were routed.

The use of the Russian T-62 extended to the First and Second Chechen Wars in the 1990s. The Afghan T-62 played a role during the 2001 U.S. invasion, and the Iraqi T-62 was fodder again during the 2003 U.S. invasion.

The 2008 South Ossetia war brought the T-62 back to prominence, and it wasn't until 2011 that Libya used this type of civil war in the fight to end Muammar Gaddafi's authoritarian rule.

Operators include Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, North Korea, Russia/Soviet Union, South Ossetia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, USA (OPFOR training only), Uzbekistan, Vietnam, North/South Yemen and Yemen. Poland, Czechoslovakia and China all evaluated the T-62 but did not purchase the series.

The T-62 series ultimately consisted of several production variants and improvements. The T-62A designation refers to a modified T-55 prototype with a 100mm main gun. The T-62 was used to denote the correct first production models, which used the 115mm smoothbore main gun. The T-62K is the command tank variant of the production T-62.

The T-62KN is similar, but with extended equipment. The T-62K introduced the ability to fire AT-3 "Sagger" anti-tank missile launchers.

In 1967, the T-62 was upgraded with an improved engine deck design. In 1972, the series led to the use of the 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun in the loader hatch to counter threats from low-flying aircraft. A new drive sprocket design was also introduced.

In 1975, the series had a KTD laser rangefinder mounted above the main gun.

The T-62D was delivered in 1983 with the "Drozd" active vehicle protection system. This version also features a new V-55U series diesel engine, as well as applied armor protection. The T-62D-1 is similar, but with a V-46-5M diesel engine.

A modernization program produced the 1983 T-62M. The Fire Control System (FCS) has been upgraded and decal armor is now standard. The suspension system was improved, and the tracks developed for the new T-72 series were introduced into the T-62 series. The bottom of the hull is protected to a certain extent by mines.

Other upgrades include new stabilizers, thermowells on the barrel, sights, ballistic computers, external smoke grenade launchers, and support for AT-10 Bayonet anti-tank missiles. The T-62M appeared as the T-62M-1 to match the V-46-5M diesel engine, as well as the T-62M1 with improved frontal armor and lack of anti-tank missile launch capability. The T-62M1-1 was equipped with a V-46-5M diesel engine, while the T-62M1-2 lost mine protection and decal armor. The T-62M1-2-1 is equipped with a V-46-5M diesel engine. Like previous designs, the T-62MD uses the Drozd Active Vehicle Protection System.

The T-62MK is the command tank version. The T-62MK-1 has similar capabilities but is equipped with a V-46-5M diesel engine. The T-62MK is another command tank version with additional equipment. However, the T-62MK-1 is similar to the V-46-5M series diesel engine.

T-62MV received blocks of the explosive reactive armor (ERA) series "Kontakt-1". The T-62MV-1 is similar, but with a V-46-5M diesel engine. The T-62M1V lacks anti-tank missile capability. The T-62M1V-1 is equipped with a V-46-5M diesel engine.

The T-62/122 is a Combat Engineering Vehicle (CEV) variant equipped with a 122mm howitzer system. The T-62/160 is a combat engineer vehicle with a 160mm mortar for demolition work. The T-67 is a variant that matches the T-72 MBT's 125mm main gun and its engine and transmission.

The TO-62 is a flamethrower version that still retains the 115mm main gun. The Obyekt 167 is a prototype model equipped with a V-26 family of engines with a capacity of 700 hp. The Obyekt 167T is equipped with a GTD-3T series gasoline powered turbo engine.

The T-62 was later converted into a dedicated tank destroyer with a completely new turret design and no 115mm main gun. It was replaced by the 2K8 series of anti-tank missile launchers. These eventually became armored recovery vehicles in the IT-1T after their useful life on the battlefield was exhausted. This includes similar BTS-4V/BTS-4U models as well as the BTS-4V1.

Damaged T-62s that could be salvaged were also converted to ARVs under the designation BTS-4V2. A lesser-known variant of the T-62 is the "Impuls-2M" fire truck.

Bulgaria designated its T-62 as TV-62. The modified ARV form was named TV-62M. Egyptian brands include RO-115 Mk 1, T-62E Mk 2 and RO-120 Mk 3. North Korea's line of Ch'onma-ho tanks is based on the T-62 and includes Panzer I, II, III, IV and from the V production brand.

The modernization of the Ukrainian T-62 gave birth to the T-55AGM brand as well as the T-62AG family.

Production of the T-62 spanned from 1961 to 1975, with more than 22,000 eventually produced, far below the numbers of the previous T-54 and T-55 series, which totaled between 85,000 and as high as 100,000. Plants in Czechoslovakia also produced, although these were only for export. North Korea produced a local version under license as well as a lighter version of the T-62, named Ch'onma-ho I (Ga).

Production in the Czech Republic was extended from 1975 to 1978.