Tank origin

In response to the escalating threats that new Western main battle tanks posed during the Cold War, the Soviet Army decided to improve the firepower of the T-55. The result was the T-62, a vehicle with a 115mm smoothbore gun housed in a larger turret atop a longer hull. Although the T-62 became the principal Soviet main battle tank, it cost more to manufacture than either the T-55 or the T-54 and was phased out of production by 1975.