GUN FALL 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
ICONIC T-55M HUNGARIAN BUILD OF THE RUSSIAN T-55 MAIN BATTLE TANK.The T-55 main battle tank was an upgrade of the T-54 which in turn was the replacement for the T-34/85 by the Russians and much of the Warsaw Pact. It was a major improvement over the T-34 in many aspects. It had more horsepower, better transmission and steering and a larger gun. This tank would be produced in greater numbers than any other tank in history and fielded by more than 50 countries. The T-55 series was produced in the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia and in China as the Type 59. The T-55 is one of the most iconic tanks in history; it shows up in the news everywhere and has been involved in conflicts all over the globe for more than 50 years. The T-55M has been a major player in Afghanistan, Iraq and many of the wars in Africa. The T-55M is still a front line tank that is known for its reliability and lethality on the battlefield. In the front left of the hull sits the driver with his controls. In the center of the vehicle is the large helmet shaped turret where the commander, loader, and gunner sit. The main armament of the T-55M was a 100mm D-10T main gun with a 7.62mm coax SGMT machine gun. Deactivated main gun is present without 12.7mm DSHK AA machine gun present on roof of turret. The turret is electrically operated and has mechanical backup systems as well. The T-55M engine is a V-55 V12 water cooled diesel developing 580 HP at 2000 rpm. The engine can be started by either air or electricity and has an engine mounted air compressor to refill the onboard tanks during normal operation. Air is used as the primary starting system and is not affected by extremes in temperature unlike the electrical system. The air system is used for other systems on board including periscope cleaning and clutch assist. The T-55M is designed to operate in cold climates and has an electrically powered preheater to heat the engine before starting at very low temperatures. The T-55M was designed to ford rivers without the need of bridges by driving on the bottom. This is done by sealing the tank, erecting the snorkel that is stored on the rear of the hull and driving through the river. The tank weighs 40 tons, is 21' long, 10'6" wide and 8' in height. [b]Note: This vehicle is displayed off site. Please contact our office for viewing information.[/b] SIZE: CONDITION: This T-55M was driven regularly up until 8 years ago when it was deemed as too dangerous to carry passengers around the grounds of the museum. Before that, it had played in a few movies including "Courage under Fire" and "Mars Attacks." It had sat still since then and shows the wear of outside storage in its paint. With a little time this tank could be brought back to its former glory. This T-55M shows the unusual life of Soviet tanks in its features. It has many of the features of a T-54 that was upgraded to a T-55M sometime in its life. In the turret roof, one can see where the turret ventilator once was and that it has a fixed turret floor, both signs of a T-54 but the hull doesn't have a bow machine gun and late decks over the engine, signs of a T-55. It still has the early dry pin track seen mostly on T-54's. These signs all show a long service history with many modifications and upgrades during its service. The tank comes with a snorkel, tow cable, search light, spare periscopes and pioneer tools. 52675-3 MS (40,000-70,000)