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In August 2026, the Soviet T-62 medium tank marks 65 years since entering military service. Over more than six decades, the vehicle has taken part in numerous armed conflicts, while extensively upgraded versions are now operating in the special military operation zone in Ukraine.
The T-62’s defining feature was its 115-mm 2A20 gun, also known as the U-5TS Molot. It became the world’s first mass-produced smoothbore tank cannon, placing Soviet tank development almost two decades ahead of comparable Western systems. The German 120-mm Rh120 gun fitted to the Leopard 2, for example, entered service only in 1979.
During fighting in the Middle East, T-62 crews used the weapon against American M48 and M60 tanks, British Centurion and Chieftain vehicles, as well as US-made Hughes 500 MD and AH-1J combat helicopters.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted that some sources identify the military parade on November 7, 1967, as the T-62’s first public appearance. However, surviving footage indicates that the tanks had already crossed Red Square during the May 9 parade in 1965.
Thousands of T-62s later took part in the large-scale Dnepr-67 exercises, which involved about 1.5 million military personnel. The maneuvers concluded with numerous columns of the tanks appearing in a military parade.
In August 1968, T-62s were deployed during Operation Danube in Czechoslovakia. They were subsequently involved in the events on Damansky Island.
In October 1973, T-62s operated with the Egyptian and Syrian armed forces during battles near the Suez Canal and on the Golan Heights. Tanks produced in Nizhny Tagil were later used in conflicts in Ethiopia and Lebanon, during the deployment of Soviet forces to Afghanistan and throughout the Iran-Iraq War.
The T-62 remains subject to extensive modernization. Current upgrades include additional armor, new sighting systems equipped with thermal imagers, more powerful engines and other improvements designed for effective use under modern combat conditions.