T55 Tank

A Russian T55 tank, V55 V-12 diesel engine 580bhp at 2000.
Contemporary: Chieftain (UK). - 4wd.sofcom.com/Mil/Mil.html

The T55 was designed in 1955 on the base of T-54B, in 1958 it was put into service. T-55M and T-55AM - a modifications with more powerful engine B-46 - 5M (V-46-5M in English) (690 hp) or B-55Y (V-55U in English) (620 hp). The T-55 was produced under license in Poland (since 1964) and in Czechoslovakia (1965).

• T-55 characteristics:
• crew - 4
• weight - 36 metric tons; body length - 620cm, length with the cannon - 900cm, width - 327cm, height - 235cm.
• Armor: front of the body - 100mm, side of the body - 80mm, front of the turret - 200mm, top - 15mm, bottom - 20mm.
• Armament: Cannon - D10T2C; caliber - 100mm, length of barrel - 560cm; 43 shells. 2 machine-guns 7.62mm; 3500 cartridges.
• Engine B-55 (V-55) Power - 580 hp Max speed - 50 km/h Fuel reserve - 680 litre Range - 500 km
• Pressure on the ground - 0.81 kg/cm2
• - Dmitry

A mechanised bridge based on a T55 [T54?] tank. The bridge mechanism swings forward and down (towards the right of the picture) until the foot contacts the ground. The bridge section is raised to the vertical at which point its two sections start to open out in a scissor action. It is then lowered across the gap. The bridge can be recovered from either end.

This is probably a Czech MT-55, the GDR BLG-60 being rather similar.

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