T-54/55

The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet medium 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. From the late 1950s, the T-54 eventually became the main tank for armoured units of the Soviet Army, armies of the Warsaw Pact countries, and many others. T-54s and T-55s have been involved in many of the world's armed conflicts since their introduction in the second half of the 20th century. The T-54/55 series is the most-produced tank in history. Estimated production numbers for the series range from 96,500 to 100,000.
The T-54/55 was designed for ease of manufacture and simplicity of operation by a largely conscript army. As the T-54/55 was removed from front line to reserve service in most armies, its chassis was used as a basis for a wide variety of self-propelled guns, engineering and bridging vehicles, and armoured recovery vehicles - many still in use today.
The T-54/55 were replaced by the T-62, T-64, T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks in Soviet and Russian armies, but are still used by up to 50 other armies worldwide, some having received sophisticated retrofitting. The Chinese version of the...