T-55

T-55
Vehicle information
Manufacturer	KhPZ, UVZ (USSR)
Production	1946–81 (USSR)
Class	Medium tank, Main battle tank
Armament	D-10T 100 mm rifled gun 7.62 mm SGMT coaxial machine gun
Engine	Model V-55(V-54) V-12 water-cooled. 38.88-l diesel 800hp (597 kW)
Power	14.6 hp/tonne
Top Speed	48 km/h (30 mph)
Dimensions	L 6,450 mm (254 in), W 3,370 mm (133 in), H 2,400 mm (94 in)
Weight	36 tonnes (39.7 ST)
Behind the scenes
First seen	GoldenEye (film)
Last seen	Die Another Day (film)

The T-55 is a Soviet-Russian main battle tank, featured in the 1995 James Bond film, GoldenEye, as well as a "cameo appearance" in Die Another Day (film).

The T-55 and its predecessor, the T-54, were designed in the Soviet Union to replace the World War II-era T-34 tank. The T-54 would become the main battle tank of the Soviet Soviet Army in late 1940s/1950s, with the T-55 introduced in 1955 and supplanting it in 1959.

The T-55s were involved in many of the world's armed conflicts during the late 20th century. The T-54/55 series eventually became one of the most-produced tank in military history. Estimated production numbers for the series range from 86,000 to 100,000.

History

GoldenEye (film)

At the Ministry of Defense's St. Petersburg Archival Building, General Ourumov murders Defense Minister Mishkin, with James Bond and Natalya Simonova forced to escape from the the Janus Syndicate collaborator. After escaping into the archives, the soldiers luck out when one of the steel grating panels fail due to gunfire, causing Natalya to fall right into Ourumov's hands.

Being outnumbered, Bond is forced to use his Rappelling Belt to get out of the difficult situation at the archival room. Knocking out another Russian soldier, Bond dives through the window and lands into a munitions-filled courtyard.

Bond hides from the troops coming find him and spots Ourumov strong-arming Natalya into the General's state car - the GAZ-31029. In order to catch the two, 007 steals a Russian T-55 tank and chases after the General's car, destroying much of St. Petersburg in the process.

After evading the Russian authorities, Bond finally tracks the pair to a train yard where Ourumov and Natalya board Alec Trevelyan's Soviet Missile Train. Unable to stop them, 007 intercepts the train further down the tracks at the mouth of a tunnel and uses the tank to derail the train; destroying the T-55 in the process.

Die Another Day (film)

An T-55 (the very same used in GoldenEye) appears at Colonel Moon's compound at the beginning of the film.

Behind the Scenes

The largest stunt sequence in the film was the tank chase, which took around six weeks to film, partly on location in St. Petersburg and partly at Leavesden Film Studios in Hertfordshire, England. A Russian T-54/55 tank, on loan from the East England Military Museum, was modified with the addition of fake explosive reactive armour panels. To avoid destroying the pavement on the city streets of St. Petersburg, the steel off-road tracks of the T-54/55 were replaced with the rubber-shoed tracks from a British Chieftain tank. The T-55 Tank used in the film is now on permanent display at Old Buckenham Airport where the East England Military Museum is based.

Gallery

T-55/Gallery

Trivia

• One of the tanks used in the filming of the St. Petersburg chase sequence was later used in the Beyond A Joke episode of Red Dwarf.