Soviet armor during the cold war

[Rumsfailed]

Does anyone know how long each tank fleet was in service, approximately. I can usually find the dates when they entered service with the Soviets, but the dates when they were retired are harder to find. And BTW, I don't mean the date when production ended but the date when they finally threw the damn things away.

For example:

T-54 (1947-?)
T-55 (1958-?)
T-62 (1961-?)
T-64 (1967-?)
T-72 (197?-?)
T-80 (198?-?)

[ronin2172]

thats proabbly because they dont throw stuff away! There are probably reserve untis or storage areas with extstensively modified tanks just chilling

[Violet Fashion by Mindy]

I would the russkies to have literally 1000's of tanks just sitting quitely with tar poured into the engine.

[NicNZ]

'tis true, it is heart to attach absolute dates to Soviet and (subsequently) Russian gear. While there are dates that each design was approved, put into production, and deployed on various fronts, modular upgrades complicate the process of attaching dates. Russian upgrades are such that T72s eventually cease being T72s; they may grow into T90s, T-64s may become modern units, and T55's may become high speed air interceptors.

[hughdotoh]

They still have T-10m turrets in the Far East in pillboxes; their chassis are hauling missiles around or have been converted into recovery vehicles for reserve units.

Right now, they'd be converting T54/55 chassis into Achzarit-type APC's.

But just for chucking a guess, the last T55's were taken out of GSFG sometime in the 60's; the last T64's in the early 80's; and the last stock T72's in the last Russian pullout from Germany in the 90's. But by that time the upgrades (T80, etc.) were already online.

GFSG=Group of Soviet Forces Germany, mostly first-line units with the most up-to-date weapons in the Soviet Army.

[Rumsfailed]

They still have T-10m turrets in the Far East in pillboxes; their chassis are hauling missiles around or have been converted into recovery vehicles for reserve units.

Right now, they'd be converting T54/55 chassis into Achzarit-type APC's.

But just for chucking a guess, the last T55's were taken out of GSFG sometime in the 60's; the last T64's in the early 80's; and the last stock T72's in the last Russian pullout from Germany in the 90's. But by that time the upgrades (T80, etc.) were already online.

GFSG=Group of Soviet Forces Germany, mostly first-line units with the most up-to-date weapons in the Soviet Army.

Thanks!

I thought that T-64(B, BV) and T-80(B, BV, U) were the main tanks in the forward deployed forces through the 80's tho? Were the 64s replaced by newer variant 72s at some time (T-72B?)

[Sergei]

No, T-64 was meant to be for elite troops like Guards Tank Divisions.
Like Kantemirovskaya Guards Division.


While T-72 was more for the support role and conscript service.

[Sergei]

thats proabbly because they dont throw stuff away! There are probably reserve untis or storage areas with extstensively modified tanks just chilling

Why throw the good stuff away? It can still serve as either recovery vehicles or some other miscelaneous stuff.

[Hellfish]

But just for chucking a guess, the last T55's were taken out of GSFG sometime in the 60's;

You sure about that? I remember reading somewhere that each division retained approx. 30 T-55s for training purposes (driver training, basic tactics training, etc.) and these were also to be used as replacement tanks if absolutely necessary.

[Mr.K]

Russia has about 20 000+ tanks (mostly T-55 and T-72), an anti-putin, anti-goverment site grani.ru (ran by oligarch Berezovsky) says that 9000 of them are not operational and need major repairs.
Could be true...

[hughdotoh]

But just for chucking a guess, the last T55's were taken out of GSFG sometime in the 60's;

You sure about that? I remember reading somewhere that each division retained approx. 30 T-55s for training purposes (driver training, basic tactics training, etc.) and these were also to be used as replacement tanks if absolutely necessary.

Like I said, it was a guess. From Viktor Suvurov's book, Inside the Soviet Army, Soviet tankers trained not with the newer tanks themselves, but with current issue tanks modified to simulate the new ones. So those T55's probably had T72 components in them for training.

[NicNZ]

Russia has about 20 000+ tanks (mostly T-55 and T-72), an anti-putin, anti-goverment site grani.ru (ran by oligarch Berezovsky) says that 9000 of them are not operational and need major repairs.
Could be true...
Depends how you look at it, doesnt it? It sounds to me like Russia has twenty thousand tanks stored for spare parts, eleven thousand of which are operational.

[Mr.K]

Russia has about 20 000+ tanks (mostly T-55 and T-72), an anti-putin, anti-goverment site grani.ru (ran by oligarch Berezovsky) says that 9000 of them are not operational and need major repairs.
Could be true...
Depends how you look at it, doesnt it? It sounds to me like Russia has twenty thousand tanks stored for spare parts, eleven thousand of which are operational.

i agree completely. besides mantaining a force of 20 000 tanks would cost a lot

[NicNZ]

I guess it depends if Putin actually claimed that Russia has twenty thousand tanks available. If so, well, then we know that Putin is a politician for sure.