The MT-55A ( sk, Mostný tank) is an
armoured vehicle-launched bridge
An armoured vehicle-launched bridge (AVLB) is a combat support vehicle, sometimes regarded as a subtype of military engineering vehicle, designed to assist militaries in rapidly deploying tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles across gap-t ...
(AVLB) tank, manufactured by
ZŤS Martin in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. The AVLB is based on a
T-55A
The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...
medium tank chassis, with the turret detached and replaced by a special bridge launching equipment.
The MT-55A was produced for the armies of the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
(including the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
), as well as for export clients.
Design and development
The MT-55, Base T-55, was designed and produced by ZŤS Martin from 1962 (the former Czechoslovakia was one of the countries that build the T-54/55 series under licence). The development phase ended in 1967 after which five pre-series vehicles were built. The MT-55A, Base T-55A, series production started in 1969.
The transformed T-55A chassis differs by the arrangement of the compartments in the hull. The bridge tank is proposed for an easy and swift crossing of
antitank
Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first de ...
barriers (trenches) and other obstacles with the purpose of facilitating the passage of mechanised and tank units.
The bridge initiating equipment is controlled by a system of
hydraulic
Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...
cylinders; the allocation of
hydraulic oil
A hydraulic fluid or hydraulic liquid is the medium by which power is transferred in hydraulic machinery. Common hydraulic fluids are based on mineral oil or water. Examples of equipment that might use hydraulic fluids are excavators and backhoes, ...
can be controlled both manually by mechanical levers and automatically. The pressure of the liquid is provided by high-pressure piston pumps motorized by the tank
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
. All mechanisms of the MT-55A used for laying and recovering the bridge can be controlled by the crew from inside the tank with the hatch covers closed.
To begin the launching process, the vehicle stops short of the gap; then, the bridge swings ahead and down while its two sections open like scissors.
The MT-55A span is 18 meters long and can support loads of up to 50 tons. Later, the MT-55A was modified with a gap measuring mechanism and infrared equipment for bridge laying in darkness.
Total production of the MT-55A between 1969 and 1983 amounted to 1,762 vehicles, including 183 export versions MT-55KS (from 1971) and 301 hulls for East Germany's
BLG-60 programme.
Variants
* MT-55 - Pre-series model, equipped with the bridge of the
MT-34 bridge-layer. In Western sources, this model is often erroneously referred to as the MT-55L with "long" bridge.
* MT-55A - Standard model, as described.
* MT-55KS (''Kapitalstické Státy'') - Export model for "capitalist" non-Warsaw Pact countries. Based on the
T-55A
The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...
without radiation protection layer both otherwise similar.
* PM-55 (''Přepravník Mostu'') - Wheeled version, based on a
Tatra 813 "Kolos" 8x8 truck.
Operators
* - MT-55A
* - MT-55KS
* - MT-55A
*
- MT-55A
*
- MT-55A
* - MT-55KS, known as Bridge Laying Tank MT-55
* - MT-55KS
* : The
Israeli Defence Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
(IDF) were able to capture a small number of MT-55KSs from their
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
counterparts and used them with some small modifications.
* - MT-55A
* - MT-55A
*
* - In 2000, the
Sri Lanka Army
ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம்
, image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
bought eight MT-55As from the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
along with 40 T-55AM2 tanks, 16 VT-55 recovery vehicles, three mobile workshop vehicles, 12
Tatra T815
The Tatra 815 is a truck family, produced by Czech company Tatra. It uses the traditional tatra concept of rigid backbone tube and swinging half-axles giving independent suspension. The vehicles are available in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8, 10x8, 10x10, 12 ...
tank transporters and several
RM-70
The RM-70 (''Raketomet vzor 1970'') multiple rocket launcher is a Czechoslovak Army version and heavier variant of the BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, providing enhanced performance over its parent area-saturation rocket artillery system tha ...
122 mm multiple rocket launchers.
[Saferworld's research project on arms and security in EU Associate Countries, Czech Republic]
*
The Arab Republic of Syria, Tel Aviv University
- MT-55KS
* - MT-55A
See also
* Germany: Panzerschnellbrücke 2, based on the Leopard 2 MBT.
* Russia: MTU-72 AVLB, based on the T-72 MBT.
* M60A1 AVLB, based on the M60 MBT
* BLG-60, based on T-55
References
External links
{{Commons, MT-55 bridgelayer
Panzermodelkit: Bridging tank MT-55A
Valka.cz: MT-55A
Armoured vehicle-launched bridges
Armoured fighting vehicles of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia–Soviet Union relations
Cold War armoured fighting vehicles of the Soviet Union
Armoured fighting vehicles of Russia
Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s