The need for a new engine arose during the development of the
T-64 tank in the early 1950s. The chief designer of the new tank demanded a compact, relatively small engine compartment, and could not use the existing
Kharkiv model V-2. Among the options considered was a prototype engine developed by O. D. Charomsky, which was based on the engine from a
Junkers Ju 86 captured during the
Spanish Civil War. However, Charomsky did not have access to the actual engine at the time, but only a test stand with a single-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine. In 1953, Charomsky went on a business trip to
Kharkiv, where the 4TD engine was created under his leadership. But since the capacity of this engine was not enough, an additional cylinder was needed, leading to the creation of the 5TD engine with five cylinders and a total capacity of . Over time the engine was improved, increasing the engine life from 100 to 500 hours. During the
Russo-Ukrainian war, efforts intensified for the modernization of the
T-64 tank. In June 2016, the 5TD engine was modernized into the 5TD-F engine. At the state enterprise "Kharkiv Armored Plant", at the experimental station of diesel engines with a computer information collection system, the 5TDF engine was modernized. With this engine, the driving performance and engine life of the combat vehicle increase significantly. As of September 2018, Ukrainian enterprises had begun overhauling 5TD-F engines, and had created a certain stock of repaired engines. Since all past production was carried out with cooperation from Russia, production began for critical components that were previously not manufactured in Ukraine. == Characteristics ==