The T-62 first appeared in a Moscow parade in May 1965, and went on to become a symbol of Soviet power.
It was the first tank to carry a smooth bore rather than a rifled gun, more than ten years before the West introduced something similar. The T-62 was longer and wider than the earlier Soviet tanks, and had a larger turret ring which enabled it to mount a bigger gun.
The Soviets still relied on numbers to win battles. More than 20,000 T-62s were produced, outnumbering the West’s tanks by 10 to 1. The highly-successful T-62 was supplied to 23 countries around the world. It was used by the Iraqis in the First and Second Gulf Wars, and by the Soviet Union in the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the war in Afghanistan (1979 – 1988).
The Tank Museum’s T-62
Our vehicle was captured from Iraqi forces in the 1991 Gulf War, then shipped back to Britain for evaluation. It was later passed to The Tank Museum. Apart from a new coat of paint, it is in the same condition as when captured.
