The T-55 remains the most massive armored vehicle in Syria. This is an armada of about 1200 tanks, which were in storage before the civil war. Some of the T-55s were modernized in the early 1980s with the help of North Korea, during which they installed a fire control system with an atmospheric parameter sensor and a ballistic computer. Externally, the North Korean modernization is distinguished by the presence of a laser rangefinder located above the gun. The "elite" among the tanks of the 55th series are the T-55MV vehicles, which were modernized in 1997 at the Lviv Tank Repair Plant according to the documentation from Omsk.
The vehicles were intended for land clashes with the Israeli army and were located near the Golan Heights, in the south and in the center of the Daraa province as part of the 5th and 7th Mechdivisions. The list of improvements to the T-55MV: DZ "Contact-1", onboard anti-cumulative screens, smoke grenade launchers 902B "Tucha", system "Soda" for MTO, protecting against napalm, thermal casing for 100-mm cannon, FCS "Volna" with a laser rangefinder KDT- 2, ballistic computer BV-55, anti-aircraft DShKM and KUV 9K116 "Bastion" with missiles 9M117, allowing to penetrate up to 600 mm of armor. Among the advantages of this rocket is the range (up to 4000 m) and the ability to operate in hot conditions with temperatures up to 500S. In addition, the Lviv craftsmen installed the V-46-5M engine, changed the tracks and equipped the tank with the R-173 radio station with the R-173P radio receiver. The T-55MV turned out to be a good combat vehicle in the conditions of the Syrian conflict: "Contact-1" successfully withstood grenade hits, both in the forehead and in side projections, and the rifled gun became a formidable weapon, especially when working with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile. On a number of video evidences there are isolated moments of the use of guided weapons in Syria by this tank.
Like many conflict tanks, the T-55 is equipped with lattice screens, armor shields to protect DShK shooters, and bulldozer dumps. Some of the vehicles received thermal imaging sights of the Syrian design "Viper" and complexes of optical-electronic countermeasures (KOEP) "Sabar". The latter functions by jamming the coordinator of the TOW ATGM sight of various modifications, which tracks the missile's xenon tracer. The disadvantage of such a system is its vulnerability against the Russian Kornet ATGM, in which, as you know, control is carried out in the field of a laser beam.
The T-62 (more precisely, its modification M) was generally distinguished by a heroic act - at the beginning of 2017, it withstood being hit by the American TOW-2 ATGM in the "Brezhnev eyebrow". For a long time already morally and technically outdated tank was able to withstand a sufficient modern anti-tank missile. The metal-polymer container on the T-64M tower is a development of the Soviet Union since the reign of Leonid Brezhnev and was intended to increase the armor's resistance to a cumulative jet. The emergence of such a serious anti-tank technology in the hands of Assad's opponents is the result of US intervention in the Syrian conflict since 2014. The main recipients of the TOW-2 systems were the secular opposition "Free Syrian Army", whose fighters, under the guidance of CIA instructors, began to actively master the new technology. Large missile shipments have also been seen from Saudi Arabia. Since the appearance of the TOW-2 at the front, the total superiority of Assad's troops on the battlefield in heavy and medium armored vehicles has evaporated. Now "babakhs" were able to strike at enemy strongpoints from distances exceeding 3.5 kilometers, which makes them invulnerable to tank gunfire (except, of course, guided tank armament). This, by the way, is about the appearance on tanks of a 152-mm gun capable of reaching the enemy at a distance of 5,000 meters - there is a lot of controversy about this, and the experience of Syria shows that a tank needs such a long-range weapon. The importance of supplies to TOW fighters and their volumes can hardly be overestimated. So, on October 7, 2015, the Liwa Fursan al-Haq and the 13th Division of the Free Syrian Army were able, according to official data, to launch 14 missiles at targets in the province of Hama. In general, in October 2015, the activity and effectiveness of the use of guided missiles by the militants was so high that it made it possible to stop the massive offensive of government forces in the area. And in the future, and capture the city of Murek south of Khan Sheikhun. Before the militants had TOW, they had to be content with the following anti-tank weapons: RPG-29, PG-7VR "Resume" grenades for RPG-7, ATGM "Cornet" and "Metis", which were obtained from captured warehouses of the Syrian army. Early models of the Konkurs, Milan and Fagot systems were spotted, as well as trophy and obsolete TM-46 and -57 anti-tank mines. A number of experts note the weak effectiveness of the hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers of the NATO countries, used by the militants in single copies, due to the powerful jet of gases, which makes it difficult to fire from enclosed spaces. In open areas, a bright flash and a loud pop with a noticeable smoky trail are powerful unmasking signs of such weapons. The main supply channels for anti-tank equipment were the countries of the former Warsaw Pact and the CIS, as well as plundered warehouses of the Libyan army. Money for this was allocated by Saudi Arabia, in particular, this is how the purchases of the Kornet and Metis M anti-tank systems from unknown countries were financed. Through Turkey and Jordan, along with other weapons, there were supplies of Yugoslavian M79 grenade launchers. The main danger in urban battles was the domestic RPG-29 Vampire grenade launcher, whose tandem warhead reliably hits the tanks of the Syrian army.
But back to the T-62, for which Syria was already the fifth war after Afghanistan, Tajikistan and two Chechen campaigns. The Syrian leadership planned to upgrade the machines of this model to an acceptable level just in time for the start of the civil war, which naturally disrupted these projects. Before the conflict, T-62 tanks were in the central, northern and eastern parts of Syria as part of the 11th and 18th armored divisions and the 17-1 mechanized division. The overall combat readiness of these formations was at a fairly low level. Nevertheless, tanks were used from the very beginning of hostilities, replacing the failing T-55 and T-72 in tank divisions. In 2015, together with Russian specialists, the tank repair plant in Homs was restored, where all the damaged equipment from the battlefields went. Since January 2017, with the help of the "Syrian Express", T-62Ms, taken from the storage bases of Russia, have gone into the country, which are distinguished by more serious protection of the tower and hull. They were thrown into battle in the area of the T-4 airbase in the vicinity of Palmyra almost immediately after arriving in the Arab republic.
The T-62M also distinguished itself as a successful hunter for shahidmobiles stuffed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives through the use of a 9M117-2 guided missile. Now part of the tanks has been transferred to the rear to be equipped with locally produced optical-electronic countermeasures "Sabar-2". In this development, the shortcomings of the first model were taken into account and the working electromagnetic range was significantly expanded, which made it possible to knock the Russian Kornet missiles off course. Engineers of Damascus Research Center additionally equip tanks with Viper thermal imagers, which can detect targets at a distance of up to 4 kilometers.
According to official information, the T-90A of Russian origin was used for the first time in a combat situation in Syria during the capture of the settlements of Khan Tuman and Karasi in December 2015. These are the most advanced heavy armored vehicles in the Syrian conflict of all time. The early T-90s, also fighting in the republic, are distinguished, in particular, by a cast turret and the absence of a thermal imaging sight (instead of an infrared "Buran PA"). It was the T-90 of 1992 release that successfully withstood the hit of the TOW-2A missile in the forehead and became the hero of the Internet for many months. The Syrian troops are now armed with a little more than 30 tanks of this series, mostly they are part of the 4th armored division, as well as units of the Afghan and Iraqi Shiites. It is officially known about one damaged T-90 and one captured in the Aleppo area. Along with the T-72B vehicles, these tanks became the "leaders of attacks" due to their high protection - they are usually followed in battle formation by the early versions of the T-72, T-55 and T-62.
The intermediate results of the use of tanks in Syria suggest that morally and technically obsolete vehicles such as the T-55, T-62 and T-72 are effective combat units in low and medium-intensity conflicts. Reasonable modification of tanks ensures their success in battle even with an enemy equipped with modern mobile anti-tank systems and grenade launchers. However, there are also serious shortcomings of technology (this also applies to the latest MBT models), especially manifested in urban conditions. These disadvantages include: insufficient protection of the side, rear and upper projections with excessive frontal armor; weak mine protection; small angle of elevation of the gun; excessive "hyperopia" of the MSA, with poor panoramic visibility, especially in the upper hemisphere; long barrel length, making it difficult to maneuver on city streets; the absence of a thermobaric projectile in the ammunition rack and the low cross-country ability of tanks in mountainous terrain.
