T-62R
| TR-65 / TR-68 Rammah | |
|---|---|
 A TR-65MJ on trials in a foreign country. | |
| Type | Main Battle Tank |
| Place of origin |  Riysa |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1965 - 1999 |
| Used by | Riysa |
| Production history | |
| Designer | 'Adra Tank Factory |
| Designed | 1960 - 1964 |
| Produced | 1965 - 1985 |
| No. built | 680 (TR-65) 3,780 (TR-68) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 37.6 tonnes (TR-65) 38.3 tonnes (TR-68) |
| Length | 9.496 m gun forward |
| length | 6.068 m (TR-65) 6.63 m (TR-68) |
| Width | 3.30 m |
| Height | 2.395 m |
| Crew | 4 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver-mechanic) |
Main armament | 115 mm/51 64M smoothbore cannon |
Secondary armament | Coaxial 7.92 mm RMAS-D machine gun Cupola 12.7 mm RThT anti-aircraft machine gun or RMTR machine gun |
| Engine | Motor Adra MA428 12-cylinder diesel/multi-fuel, 730 hp (544 kW) |
| Transmission | Semi-automatic transmission Five forward, two reverse gears |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 450 mm |
Operational range | 550 km on internal fuel |
| Speed | Up to 58 km/h on road, 42 km/h off-road |
The TR-65 and TR-68 Rammah (رماح, English: Lancer) are Riysian main battle tanks of the second generation, replacing the first-generation TR-56 Fateh. Created on the basis of the T-62 tank mixed with domestic engineering solutions and other foreign components, they are commonly referred to collectively as the "T-62R" series of tanks. From 1965 to 1985, around 680 TR-65s and 3,780 TR-68s were completed.
History
Technical characteristics
General description
Optics and communication
Armament
Protection
The TR-65 and TR-68 have a classic all-steel protection scheme, similar in layout to the TR-56, but revised with thicker armor. With the TR-65/68 being intended to be used in an offensive, MBT-like multipurpose role, significant emphasis was placed on making the new medium tank resistant to the latest tank guns and ammunition. Despite the widespread belief that shaped charges rendered heavy armor obsolete, having a high level of protection was still considered important due to AP ammunition remaining the most common threat.
As defined in development, the primary objective was to resist APDS shots from the 105 mm guns just entering service, at combat distances of at least 1,000 meters, and allow for a field of maneuver of at least 30° off-center. Using the L28A1/DM13/M392 as a representative round, such a shot would penetrate 300 mm of armor steel perpendicularly and 120 mm of steel angled at 60° from the horizontal.
| Tank section | Armor thickness | Angle |
|---|---|---|
| Upper glacis | 135 mm | 60° |
| Lower glacis | 132 mm | 50° |
| Side hull | 80 mm (+ 20 mm HHS sideskirts on TR-68) | - |
| Rear hull | 45 mm | 2° |
| Hull top | Up to 30 mm | - |
| Hull bottom | 20 mm | - |
| Turret front | 275 mm | 20° |
| Turret sides | 165 mm (175 mm on TR-68) | - |
| Turret rear | 65 mm | - |
| Turret roof | Up to 54 mm | - |
Based on official data, the upper glacis plate of the TR-65 and TR-68 has a thickness of 135 mm and is angled at 60°, and the lower glacis plate is 132 mm thick and is angled at 50°. The turret is as thick as 275 mm with a slight angle of 20° at its front, and with its heavy sloping and optimized shape, a similar level of protection is maintained throughout the frontal arc. The tanks are thus resistant to early APDS at at least a distance of 1,000 m, and likely so even until close range.
For the sides, the TR-65 features 80 mm of hull armor, and 165 mm of turret armor at a slight angle. The TR-68 adds 20 mm high hardness steel (HHS) ballistic sideskirts - believed approximately equivalent to 24 mm of armor steel against KE threats - mounted approximately 610 mm away from the hull, and increases the turret's side armor to 175 mm. The side hull of the TR-65 is resistant at an angle of 20° at 1,000 m, giving it a field of maneuver of 40 degrees, and the TR-68 boosts this to 54° of maneuvering, both values being greater than the amount specified in the tanks' original requirement.
With this degree of protection, the TR-65/68 were a formidable opponent for their time. Even when faced by the most advanced generation of APDS represented by the mid-1970s L52 series, they are able to remain resistant and maneuver at 1,000 meters or greater, though they become vulnerable closer than that. Although it wasn't specified in the initial requirement, the thickness of the armor also gives the tank some protection against 120 mm APDS;
As a consequence however, the tanks dedicate a significant amount of weight to armor - around 19.3 tonnes for the TR-65, and 19.5 tonnes for the TR-68. This makes up about 51-52% of the total weight for both production versions, which is slightly more than the TR-56, and relatively on the high end for tanks, but not extremely so.
The base armor is obsolete against modern tank ammunition, and has no countermeasures against HEAT, but is still effective against some threats. Both the TR-65 and TR-68 are frontally resistant to small-caliber APFSDS rounds - including 40 mm-class autocannons - and APFSDS and some HEAT munitions from low-pressure guns, including the 90 mm-class cannons commonly mounted on recce vehicles and tank destroyers. From the side, both tanks retain this amount of protection in their turrets from at least 1,000 meters if not closer. The side hull of the TR-65 is resistant to 30 mm APFSDS, while the TR-68's remains resistant to 40 mm APFSDS, thanks to the ballistic skirts and air gap acting as spaced armor.