Hungarian T-55 Live Fire Tests

The articles cover the results of live fire tests conducted by the Hungarian People’s Army in 1989.

 The weapons tested were: 

- RPG-7 w/ PG-7V HEAT 

- SPG-9 recoilless rifle w/ PG-9V HEAT 

- 100mm MT-12 anti-tank gun w/ UBK-2 HEAT

- 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika SPH w/ 3VBK-9 HEAT

- 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya SPH w/ 3VBP-2 HEAT

- T-55AM tank w/ 100mm BR-412M APHE

- T-72 tank w/ 125mm 3BK-14M HEAT

- 9P133 Malyutka w/ 9M14P1 ATGM

- 9K111-2 Fagot ATGM

- 9P148 Konkurs w/ 9M113 ATGM

- UKA-63 AT mine (Not translated)

- GYATA-64 AP mine (Not translated)

- MON-200 side attack mine (Not translated)

The BMP-1’s 2A68 Grom w/ PG-15V was not tested due to it being functionally identical to the SPG-9 firing PG-9V.

Target vehicles: Decommissioned T-54 and T-54B tanks from a recently disbanded HPA unit. The tanks were in perfect working order before the tests.

In order to make the tests more realistic, the crew were simulated by 25-30cm thick logs covered in tanker uniforms. The fuel tanks and lines were filled with water, the batteries replaced with defective tank batteries, and ammunition was replaced by inert training rounds. The shells were filled with concrete and the warheads made of wood to simulate the weight of real ammunition. Other working fluids such as hydraulic fluid, engine oil, and other lubricants were kept in the vehicles.

Note: There was a film crew present to document the results. The resulting material was edited to make training films for new conscripts, but after a few screenings it was no longer shown because of the severe effect on morale.