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| Russia Plans to Revive 800 Units of Cold War-Era T-62 Tanks |
Moscow - Russia is likely to reactivate 800 cold war-era T-62 tanks. This will be done in the next three years to offset the significant losses during the Ukraine war. As is known, the wars between Russia and Ukraine did cause quite severe damage. Moreover, Russia has experienced considerable weapons losses.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, Andrey Gurulyov, a retired Russian general said in his Telegram post on October 12 that he recently went on a tour of the 103 Armored Repair Plants in the country's Far. Eastern Transbaikal Krai Territory.
The 103 Armored Repair Plant is a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned conglomerate UralVagonZavod. The company is the country's leading tank manufacturer. Gurulyov also posted a video of his visit to the factory showing employees working on the T-62.
The decision to reactivate and upgrade Cold War-era tanks shows that Western sanctions are affecting Russia's defense industry.
In March 2022, it was reported that UralVagonZavod was forced to halt production due to supply shortages. The latest decision is a testament to the heavy tank losses suffered by the Russian military in Ukraine.
So far, the Russian military has lost about 7000 tanks and other vehicles, according to figures compiled by military tracking blog Oryx based on visual confirmation.
Russia has also deployed T-62 tanks in Ukraine. The T-62 tank was developed in 1957. It was developed from the T-55 and the first prototype of the T-62 was completed in 1959.
Quoted from Military Today, the T-62 is the last medium tank, produced in the Soviet Union. It was replaced in production and frontline units by the newer T-72 and is the main battle tank. Currently the T-62 is still in service with about 20 countries. Russia keeps these tanks in storage for secondary mobilization.
Its largest carriers are Cuba, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen. Some countries also no longer use these tanks, but store them in warehouses.