The Russians deployed tanks that were already 50 years old. Is the T-62 Tank still effective in real combat?

Why did Russia deploy the Soviet-era T-62 tanks to real battles in Ukraine. Is Russia running out of tank armored vehicles?

Some time ago, a video circulated on Facebook showing a group of T-62 tanks Deployed to real fighting in Ukraine, this became a major topic in Russian Ukrainian talks.

The delivery of the 50-year-old T-62 tank to Ukraine seems as if Russia has run out of modern tanks that have been exhibited during Russian military exercises.

According to a source from The Kyiv Independent about Russian losses, it is estimated that more than 1300 tanks have been destroyed by Ukrainian forces as of May 25, 2022. Independent open-source analyst Oryx has mentioned there are about 700 visually confirmed destroyed tanks.

While the International Institute for Strategic Studies mentions that Russia has 10000 tanks and 8500 armored vehicles in storage warehouses. However, that number did not take into account its condition, and about 2500 of them were T-62 tanks.

The delivery of the old T-62 tank to Ukraine raises a question mark from the analysis, such as the T-72AB and T-62 variants. Because, the Russians must have chosen more modern tanks, such as the T-72, T-80, and T-90 tanks, to deal with the attack of Ukrainian artillery.

For information, the Russian T-62 tank was first introduced in the early 1960s as a way to compete with the British Chieftain FV4201 and the United States M60 Patton main battle tank.

The T-62 tank was designed with a more powerful main gun, improved armor protection and a smaller and more efficient engine than its predecessor.

After the initial production, which began in 1962, it is estimated that there were about 20000 units of the T-62 built over the next eight years. However, the T-62 did not end as expected by the Soviet manufacturer.

The slow rate of fire and problems with the main gun propulsion sometimes prevented the T-62 tank from destroying the target, so the production of this tank stopped in 1975.

In the early 1980s, the Soviets began a modernization program for the T-62 featuring an improved armored package, more powerful engines, and an improved fire control system to better equip the platform in modern combat.

The model is known as the T-62M variant which is now reportedly being shipped to the Ukrainian battlefield. The T-62MV also looks almost identical to the T-62M, without the Kontakt-1 reactive protective package which differs from the BDD protective package mounted on the T-62M.

A number of analysts assess it is quite possible that the T-62 tank was used by separatist forces, which were already accustomed to receiving weapons from Russia. Separatist groups have been seen for years using a variety of tanks and armored vehicles supplied by Russia.

The presence of the T-62 tank is useful for securing the territory of the rear line that Russia has captured. If the Russians seize more territory, securing it will only become more difficult. This is a war zone with lower risk, and the deployment of T-62 tanks can still be a lethal weapon.

So the T-62 tank can help other missions on the rear line, since more advanced Russian tanks are needed at the front. However, as a result of military operations in Ukraine the number of T-62 tanks was reduced as a result of Ukrainian missiles.