The Ukrainian military showcased the aftermath of a direct hit by a Russian Krasnopol laser-guided projectile on the turret of an M-55S tank.

The photo was published by Andrii Tarasenko, a blogger and renowned researcher of tank construction history.

During the battles near Kreminna in July 2023, one of the M-55S tanks, transferred by Slovenia to Ukraine, sustained a direct hit on its turret from the Krasnopol 152mm semi-automatic laser-guided projectile.

Russian propagandists released a video showing the live recording of the combat vehicle hit, being hit, claiming its destruction.

However, the Ukrainian tank withstood the strike and was able to leave the position on its own. The tank crew survived and managed to take the tank to safety.

Almost a year later, Andrei Tarasenko published detailed images of the turret and combat compartment of the tank, along with the consequences of a hit by a Russian projectile.

The 152mm high-explosive artillery shell hit the welded joint, causing the welds to burst and form a “gap.” Despite this, the crew inside the turret’s combat compartment survived.

As a result of the hit, the gun guidance drives and their attachment points, as well as optical devices, were also damaged. These optical devices likely cannot be replaced due to a lack of spare parts, which is attributed to the tank’s uniqueness.

Given the relatively good condition of the tank, it can be converted into an armored evacuation vehicle or for other tasks.

Such modest consequences of a direct hit by a projectile are due to its design, or rather, to its high-explosive warhead. The latter carries about six kilograms of explosives and has a weak effect on armor.

M-55S

M-55S is a modernization of the Soviet T-55 tank, which was developed in the 1940-50s. Slovenia improved the combat vehicle in the late 1990s as part of a joint project between the Slovenian company STO RAVNE and the Israeli Elbit.

The updated Slovenian T-55 received a L7 105mm gun with stabilizers, a Fotona SGS-55 gunner sight with a laser rangefinder, and a fire control system with a digital ballistic computer.

The armor protection of the combat vehicle was reinforced by Israeli elements of the Blazer mounted dynamic protection on the tower and frontal part of the hull. Already in Ukraine, M-55S also received on-board elements of Kontakt-1 reactive armor and slat armor on the aft part of the hull.

Judging by the chronicle of the M-55S combat engagement, the Ukrainian military is trying not to bring these vehicles into direct contact with the enemy. This is due to their weak protection, which, even with the reactive armor, is not able to withstand the direct hit of modern anti-tank ammunition.