Algeria T-62 Berezhok Fire Support Vehicle Conversion

[Christopher Wang]

On July 2, 2022, footage from Algeria have emerged showing Algeria's T-62 Main Battle Tanks converted into fire support vehicles. The vehicles were taking part in rehearsals for a military parade to be held on July 5, celebrating the 60th year of Algeria’s independence. These T-62s had their three-man turret housing the 115-mm U-5TS / 2A220 smoothbore tank gun removed and replaced with the two-man B05Ya01 Berezhok turret (or "combat module" in Russia) armed with the 30-mm Shipunov 2A42 autocannon, a 7.62-mm PKMT coaxial machine gun, a 30-mm AGS-30 automatic grenade launcher, two twin launchers for the 9M133M Kornet-M ATGMs, and new day/night sights. The B05Ya01 Berezhok turret was provided by KBP Instrument Design Bureau of Tula, Russia and also arms the modernized BMP-2M Infantry Fighting Vehicle.


As the T-62 had a 2,245-mm turret ring while the B05Ya01 Berezhok is adapted to the 1,740-mm turret ring of the BMP-2, an armored "collar" was fitted to ensure the integration of the BMP-2M turret with the T-62 hull.




Further information on the conversion of Algeria's T-62 Main Battle Tanks into fire support support vehicles can be found on Tank Encyclopedia: https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/algerian-t-62/

Perhaps a similar fire support vehicle conversion could also be done for the T-54/55 which has a smaller turret ring diameter of 1,825-mm.

 

[Christopher Wang]

Here are more pictures of Algeria's BMPT-62 fire support vehicle conversions taking part in the military parade commemorating Algeria's Independence Day on Tuesday, July 5, 2022:



Source: https://www.military.africa/2022/07...-vehicle-based-on-t-62-with-berezhok-turrets/

 

[Christopher Wang]

Here's a YouTube video clip depicting Algeria's BMPT-62s participating in Algeria's Independence Day military parade on Tuesday, July 5, 2022:

 

[klem]

Infos on the subject here.https://www.menadefense.net/category/algerie/

 

[GTX]

Ukraine looks to be doing something similar:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655284235308023810

View: https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1655284235308023810

 

[riggerrob]

... curious about what motivated this down-gun conversion.
Do neighboring countries only field threats less than main battle tanks?
... perhaps only infantry and soft-skinned vehicles?
Is this variant supposed to shoot down helicopters?

 

[F.L.]

Ukraine looks to be doing something similar:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655284235308023810

View: https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1655284235308023810

This is not a bad idea for Ukraine. They must have a lot of vehicles of both types in reserve to be able to do this.

 

[World B4]

This is not a bad idea for Ukraine. They must have a lot of vehicles of both types in reserve to be able to do this.

Ukraine seems to be mostly uninterested in using captured T-62s as mbts, probably due to the inefficiency of bringing in a new tank gun caliber for only a few vehicles. Most of them are getting turned into arvs

 

[Colonial-Marine]

Didn't Ukraine have some T-62s of their own to start with though?

 

[Christopher Wang]

Ukraine looks to be doing something similar:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655284235308023810

View: https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1655284235308023810

If Ukraine still has T-54s / T-55s in storage or if it managed to capture enough T-54s / T-55s being brought over by Russia, perhaps a similar fire support vehicle conversion could be constructed by placing the BMP-2 turret (Turret Ring Diameter: 1740mm) onto the T-54 / T-55 hull (Turret Ring Diameter: 1825mm).

 

[Apophenia]

Ukraine looks to be doing something similar:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655284235308023810

View: https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1655284235308023810

If Ukraine still has T-54s / T-55s in storage or if it managed to capture enough T-54s / T-55s being brought over by Russia, perhaps a similar fire support vehicle conversion could be constructed by placing the BMP-2 turret (Turret Ring Diameter: 1740mm) onto the T-54 / T-55 hull (Turret Ring Diameter: 1825mm).

Covered in what-if form, if interested ...

-- https://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=351.msg205950#msg205950
-- https://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=351.msg205970#msg205970
-- https://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=351.msg206026#msg206026

 

[dan_inbox]

... curious about what motivated this down-gun conversion.
Do neighboring countries only field threats less than main battle tanks?
... perhaps only infantry and soft-skinned vehicles?
Is this variant supposed to shoot down helicopters?

Algeria has more modern MBTs (T-90, T-72) to deal with their neighbors' MBTs. And tensions with Morocco are not particularly high right now.
They need IFVs, which are also more useful in dealing with their internal Islamist insurgency problem, and with spill-overs from Libya's chaos. Those are currently much more pressing issues.
They bought BMPT-72 Terminators, they upgraded BMPs with Berezhok turrets. Now they're doing the same with BMPT-62s.
It make sense to convert obsolete assets into something useful for facing today's priorities.

Conversely, Ukraine is facing a conventional invasion, and preparing a counter-offensive. The key is mobile combined operations with lots of MBT + FSV + IFV. They are successful sourcing MBTs from Russia and from the West. Again it make sense to convert second-rate MBTs into what's missing.