New Soviet tank in the world. “New” Ukrainian tank
Modern battle tanks of Russia and the world photos, videos, pictures watch online. This article gives an idea of the modern tank fleet. It is based on the principle of classification used in the most authoritative reference book to date, but in a slightly modified and improved form. And if the latter in its original form can still be found in the armies of a number of countries, then others have already become museum pieces. And just for 10 years! The authors considered it unfair to follow in the footsteps of the Jane’s reference book and not consider this combat vehicle (very interesting in design and fiercely discussed in its time), which formed the basis of the tank fleet of the last quarter of the 20th century.
Films about tanks where there is still no alternative to this type of weapon for the ground forces. The tank was and will probably remain a modern weapon for a long time due to its ability to combine such seemingly contradictory qualities as high mobility, powerful weapons and reliable crew protection. These unique qualities of tanks continue to be constantly improved, and the experience and technology accumulated over decades predetermine new frontiers in combat properties and achievements of the military-technical level. In the eternal confrontation between “projectile and armor”, as practice shows, protection against projectiles is increasingly being improved, acquiring new qualities: activity, multi-layeredness, self-defense. At the same time, the projectile becomes more accurate and powerful.
Russian tanks are specific in that they allow you to destroy the enemy from a safe distance, have the ability to make quick maneuvers on off-road, contaminated terrain, can “walk” through territory occupied by the enemy, seize a decisive bridgehead, cause panic in the rear and suppress the enemy with fire and tracks . The war of 1939-1945 became the most difficult test for all humanity, since almost all countries of the world were involved in it. It was a clash of the titans - the most unique period that theorists debated in the early 1930s and during which tanks were used in large numbers by almost all belligerents. At this time, a “lice test” and a deep reform of the first theories of the use of tank forces took place. And it is the Soviet tank forces that are most affected by all this.
Tanks in battle have become a symbol of the past war, the backbone of the Soviet armored forces? Who created them and under what conditions? How did the USSR, which had lost most of its European territories and had difficulty recruiting tanks for the defense of Moscow, was able to release powerful tank formations onto the battlefields already in 1943? This book is intended to answer these questions, telling about the development of Soviet tanks “during the testing days ", from 1937 to the beginning of 1943. When writing the book, materials from Russian archives and private collections of tank builders were used. There was a period in our history that remained in my memory with some kind of depressing feeling. It began with the return of our first military advisers from Spain, and only stopped at the beginning of forty-three,” said former general designer of self-propelled guns L. Gorlitsky, “some kind of pre-storm state was felt.
Tanks of the Second World War It was M. Koshkin, almost underground (but, of course, with the support of “the wisest of the wise leaders of all nations”), who was able to create the tank that a few years later would shock the German tank generals. And not only that, he not only created it, the designer managed to prove to these military fools that it was his T-34 that they needed, and not just another wheeled-tracked "motor vehicle." The author is in slightly different positions, which formed in him after meeting the pre-war documents of the RGVA and RGEA. Therefore, working on this segment of the history of the Soviet tank, the author will inevitably contradict something “generally accepted.” This work describes the history of Soviet tank building in the most difficult years - from the beginning of a radical restructuring of the entire activity of design bureaus and people's commissariats in general. during the frantic race to equip new tank formations of the Red Army, transfer industry to wartime rails and evacuation.
Tanks Wikipedia, the author would like to express his special gratitude to M. Kolomiets for his assistance in selecting and processing materials, and also thank A. Solyankin, I. Zheltov and M. Pavlov, the authors of the reference publication “Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. 1905 - 1941” , since this book helped to understand the fate of some projects that was previously unclear. I would also like to remember with gratitude those conversations with Lev Izraelevich Gorlitsky, the former chief designer of UZTM, which helped to take a fresh look at the entire history of the Soviet tank during the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. For some reason today it is common for us to talk about 1937-1938. only from the point of view of repression, but few people remember that it was during this period that those tanks were born that became legends of the wartime...” From the memoirs of L.I. Gorlinky.
Soviet tanks, a detailed assessment of them at that time was heard from many lips. Many old people recalled that it was from the events in Spain that it became clear to everyone that the war was getting closer and closer to the threshold and it was Hitler who would have to fight. In 1937, mass purges and repressions began in the USSR, and against the backdrop of these difficult events, the Soviet tank began to transform from “mechanized cavalry” (in which one of its combat qualities was emphasized at the expense of others) into a balanced combat vehicle, simultaneously possessing powerful weapons, sufficient to suppress most targets, good maneuverability and mobility with armor protection capable of maintaining its combat effectiveness when fired upon by the most massive anti-tank weapons of a potential enemy.
It was recommended that large tanks be supplemented with only special tanks - amphibious tanks, chemical tanks. The brigade now had 4 separate battalions of 54 tanks each and was strengthened by moving from three-tank platoons to five-tank ones. In addition, D. Pavlov justified the refusal to form three additional mechanized corps in addition to the four existing mechanized corps in 1938, believing that these formations were immobile and difficult to control, and most importantly, they required a different rear organization. The tactical and technical requirements for promising tanks, as expected, were adjusted. In particular, in a letter dated December 23 to the head of the design bureau of plant No. 185 named after. CM. Kirov, the new boss demanded that the armor of the new tanks be strengthened so that at a distance of 600-800 meters (effective range).
The newest tanks in the world, when designing new tanks, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of increasing the level of armor protection during modernization by at least one stage...” This problem could be solved in two ways: Firstly, by increasing the thickness of the armor plates and, secondly, by “using increased armor resistance." It is not difficult to guess that the second way was considered more promising, since the use of specially strengthened armor plates, or even two-layer armor, could, while maintaining the same thickness (and the mass of the tank as a whole), increase its durability by 1.2-1.5 times. It was this path (the use of especially hardened armor) that was chosen at that moment to create new types of tanks.
Tanks of the USSR at the dawn of tank production, armor was most widely used, the properties of which were identical in all areas. Such armor was called homogeneous (homogeneous), and from the very beginning of armor making, craftsmen sought to create just such armor, because homogeneity ensured stability of characteristics and simplified processing. However, at the end of the 19th century, it was noticed that when the surface of an armor plate was saturated (to a depth of several tenths to several millimeters) with carbon and silicon, its surface strength increased sharply, while the rest of the plate remained viscous. This is how heterogeneous (non-uniform) armor came into use.
For military tanks, the use of heterogeneous armor was very important, since an increase in the hardness of the entire thickness of the armor plate led to a decrease in its elasticity and (as a consequence) to an increase in fragility. Thus, the most durable armor, all other things being equal, turned out to be very fragile and often chipped even from the explosions of high-explosive fragmentation shells. Therefore, at the dawn of armor production, when producing homogeneous sheets, the task of the metallurgist was to achieve the maximum possible hardness of the armor, but at the same time not to lose its elasticity. Surface-hardened armor with carbon and silicon saturation was called cemented (cemented) and was considered at that time a panacea for many ills. But cementation is a complex, harmful process (for example, treating a hot plate with a jet of illuminating gas) and relatively expensive, and therefore its development in a series required large expenses and improved production standards.
Wartime tanks, even in operation, these hulls were less successful than homogeneous ones, since for no apparent reason cracks formed in them (mainly in loaded seams), and it was very difficult to put patches on holes in cemented slabs during repairs. But it was still expected that a tank protected by 15-20 mm cemented armor would be equivalent in level of protection to the same one, but covered with 22-30 mm sheets, without a significant increase in weight.
Also, by the mid-1930s, tank building had learned to harden the surface of relatively thin armor plates by uneven hardening, known since the end of the 19th century in shipbuilding as the “Krupp method.” Surface hardening led to a significant increase in the hardness of the front side of the sheet, leaving the main thickness of the armor viscous.
How tanks fire video up to half the thickness of the slab, which was, of course, worse than cementation, since while the hardness of the surface layer was higher than with cementation, the elasticity of the hull sheets was significantly reduced. So the “Krupp method” in tank building made it possible to increase the strength of armor even slightly more than cementation. But the hardening technology that was used for thick naval armor was no longer suitable for relatively thin tank armor. Before the war, this method was almost not used in our serial tank building due to technological difficulties and relatively high cost.
Combat use of tanks The most proven tank gun was the 45-mm tank gun model 1932/34. (20K), and before the event in Spain it was believed that its power was quite sufficient to perform most tank tasks. But the battles in Spain showed that a 45-mm gun can only satisfy the task of fighting enemy tanks, since even shelling of manpower in the mountains and forests turned out to be ineffective, and it was only possible to disable a dug-in enemy firing point in the event of a direct hit . Firing at shelters and bunkers was ineffective due to the low high-explosive effect of a projectile weighing only about two kg.
Types of tanks photos so that even one shell hit can reliably disable an anti-tank gun or machine gun; and thirdly, to increase the penetrating effect of a tank gun on the armor of a potential enemy, since using the example of French tanks (which already had an armor thickness of about 40-42 mm), it became clear that the armor protection of foreign combat vehicles tends to be significantly strengthened. There was a sure way for this - increasing the caliber of tank guns and simultaneously increasing the length of their barrel, since a long gun of a larger caliber fires heavier projectiles with a higher initial velocity over a greater distance without correcting the aiming.
The best tanks in the world had a large-caliber gun, also had a larger breech, significantly greater weight and increased recoil reaction. And this required an increase in the mass of the entire tank as a whole. In addition, placing large-sized rounds in a closed tank volume led to a decrease in transportable ammunition.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that at the beginning of 1938 it suddenly turned out that there was simply no one to give the order for the design of a new, more powerful tank gun. P. Syachintov and his entire design team were repressed, as well as the core of the Bolshevik design bureau under the leadership of G. Magdesiev. Only the group of S. Makhanov remained in the wild, who, since the beginning of 1935, had been trying to develop his new 76.2-mm semi-automatic single gun L-10, and the staff of plant No. 8 was slowly finishing the “forty-five”.
Photos of tanks with names The number of developments is large, but mass production in the period 1933-1937. not a single one has been accepted..." In fact, none of the five air-cooled tank diesel engines, work on which was carried out in 1933-1937 in the engine department of plant No. 185, was brought to series. Moreover, despite the decisions At the very top levels of the transition in tank construction exclusively to diesel engines, this process was constrained by a number of factors. Of course, diesel had significant efficiency. It consumed less fuel per unit of power per hour. Diesel fuel was less susceptible to fire, since the flash point of its vapor was very high. high.
New tanks video, even the most advanced of them, the MT-5 tank engine, required a reorganization of engine production for serial production, which was expressed in the construction of new workshops, the supply of advanced foreign equipment (they did not yet have their own machines of the required accuracy), financial investments and strengthening of personnel. It was planned that in 1939 this diesel would produce 180 hp. will go to production tanks and artillery tractors, but due to investigative work to determine the causes of tank engine failures, which lasted from April to November 1938, these plans were not implemented. The development of a slightly increased six-cylinder gasoline engine No. 745 with a power of 130-150 hp was also started.
Brands of tanks had specific indicators that suited tank builders quite well. The tanks were tested using a new method, specially developed at the insistence of the new head of the ABTU, D. Pavlov, in relation to combat service in wartime. The basis of the tests was a run of 3-4 days (at least 10-12 hours of daily non-stop movement) with a one-day break for technical inspection and restoration work. Moreover, repairs were allowed to be carried out only by field workshops without the involvement of factory specialists. This was followed by a “platform” with obstacles, “swimming” in water with an additional load that simulated an infantry landing, after which the tank was sent for inspection.
Super tanks online, after improvement work, seemed to remove all claims from the tanks. And the general progress of the tests confirmed the fundamental correctness of the main design changes - an increase in displacement by 450-600 kg, the use of the GAZ-M1 engine, as well as the Komsomolets transmission and suspension. But during testing, numerous minor defects again appeared in the tanks. Chief designer N. Astrov was removed from work and was under arrest and investigation for several months. In addition, the tank received a new turret with improved protection. The modified layout made it possible to place on the tank more ammunition for a machine gun and two small fire extinguishers (previously there were no fire extinguishers on small tanks of the Red Army).
US tanks as part of modernization work, on one production model of the tank in 1938-1939. The torsion bar suspension developed by the designer of the design bureau of plant No. 185 V. Kulikov was tested. It was distinguished by the design of a composite short coaxial torsion bar (long monotorsion bars could not be used coaxially). However, such a short torsion bar did not show good enough results in tests, and therefore the torsion bar suspension did not immediately pave the way for itself in the course of further work. Obstacles to overcome: climbs of at least 40 degrees, vertical wall 0.7 m, covered ditch 2-2.5 m."
YouTube about tanks, work on the production of prototypes of the D-180 and D-200 engines for reconnaissance tanks is not being carried out, jeopardizing the production of prototypes." Justifying his choice, N. Astrov said that the wheeled-tracked non-floating reconnaissance aircraft (factory designation 101 or 10-1), as well as the amphibious tank variant (factory designation 102 or 10-2), are a compromise solution, since it is not possible to fully satisfy the ABTU requirements. Option 101 was a tank weighing 7.5 tons with a hull. according to the type of hull, but with vertical side sheets of cemented armor 10-13 mm thick, since: “The inclined sides, causing serious weighting of the suspension and hull, require a significant (up to 300 mm) widening of the hull, not to mention the complication of the tank.
Video reviews of tanks in which the tank’s power unit was planned to be based on the 250-horsepower MG-31F aircraft engine, which was being developed by industry for agricultural aircraft and gyroplanes. 1st grade gasoline was placed in the tank under the floor of the fighting compartment and in additional onboard gas tanks. The armament fully corresponded to the task and consisted of coaxial machine guns DK 12.7 mm caliber and DT (in the second version of the project even ShKAS is listed) 7.62 mm caliber. The combat weight of the tank with torsion bar suspension was 5.2 tons, with spring suspension - 5.26 tons. Tests took place from July 9 to August 21 according to the methodology approved in 1938, with special attention being paid to tanks.
Today we are talking about the rebalance of USSR equipment.
In update 9.22 we will bring back to life the nation's most unpopular tanks by adding new vehicles and changing the USSR research tree. Why is this necessary? “Object 263” and its “younger comrades” rarely participated in battles, like the Soviet Tier X ST “Object 430”, which is not surprising. They were not easy to play. In addition, cars of different levels differed too much in gameplay.
We plan to rework the mentioned vehicle branches in order to breathe life into the listed vehicles and make playing them consistent and understandable. In addition, in version 9.22 you will find new gameplay on Tier VIII-X heavy tanks with a rear turret.
Now let’s take a closer look at the changes and the reasons that led to them.
Medium tanks
Branch A -43 does not give any idea what kind of machine you will be able to play on at level X. After getting acquainted with all the advantages and disadvantages of ST with a rear turret at levels VII-IX, it was logical to expect similar gameplay at the top of the line. However, instead you received a classic melee medium tank and were disappointed. Naturally, the popularity of the branch fell.
If you are in the process of exploring the branch that leads to Object 430, keep in mind that this machine with the 9.22 output will “move” to another branch (which will be upgraded from the T-44). Please take this information into account.
What makes you give this thread a second chance? Perhaps what it lacked was gameplay consistency. This is what we focused on in update 9.22, moving “Object 430” to level IX. There he will form a mini-branch of well-armored assault STs with high one-time damage, pumped up from the T-44. And at level X a completely new car will appear: “Object 430U”.
The newcomer can boast of compact dimensions, decent mobility and good armor. He will easily enter the enemy’s flank, disable his equipment thanks to the high one-time damage, and get out from under fire unharmed.
The rear-mounted turret trio will eventually receive a top that will inherit the turret's strong armor and offer a logical post "Object 430 Option II" gameplay
![](https://i0.wp.com/ru-wotp.wgcdn.co/dcont/fb/image/obekt-430.jpg)
New branch of heavy tanks
Until recently, Great Britain and Germany were the only nations where Tier X tanks had a rear turret. Some of you liked these cars, while others preferred a more traditional option. However, few would claim that the FV 215b, Pz.Kpfw. VII and VK 72.01 (K) (which was awarded for playing on the Global Map) were uninteresting. In update 9.22, Soviet equipment will join this group: a new gaming experience awaits you from classic Soviet “heavy” vehicles at levels VIII-X (a branch studied from the IS). Classic, but with a rear turret.
The highly armored IS-M, Object 705 and Object 705A will receive higher one-time damage than usual for Soviet heavy tanks. This value is compensated by the aiming parameters: these vehicles are not suitable for long-range firefights. Their element is fighting at medium and close range. However, this is not the main thing - the rear location of the tower is important. In combination with durable armor, good mobility (for this type of equipment) and a powerful weapon, it will allow you to easily “out-tank” the enemy.
Use the advantages of your vehicle and you will be able to effectively support the attack or send breaking enemy tanks into the Hangar. The gameplay of these TTs is a cross between playing Pz.Kpfw. VII and IS-7, but at the same time it remains unchanged as the branch is studied. The same cannot be said about firepower: from the 122 mm gun at Tier VIII to the powerful 152 mm gun of the Object 705A.
Players love the agile T-10 Assault, which quickly shifts the focus of the attack, demolishing everything in its path. However, no matter how good it was, it did not fit into the IS-3 and IS-7 group, so we replaced it with the Object 257. Don't worry, T-10 won't leave the game. Over the years, it has repeatedly proven its effectiveness, so it will receive a mini-branch, where at level X there will be a car with similar gameplay. We continue to work on this newcomer, so we'll tell you about it later.
![](https://i1.wp.com/ru-wotp.wgcdn.co/dcont/fb/image/t-10_(1).jpg)
Alternative branch of tank destroyer
We have long planned to put this branch of tank destroyers in order. Simply changing the machine parameters did not give the expected result. We are well aware of the problem, and we have found a new solution for it: rebalancing the branch for medium-close combat assault tank destroyers.
Concept
- High forward/backward speed combined with average maneuverability will allow these vehicles to quickly reach and occupy key positions, as well as escape from fire.
- Good frontal armor is ideal for blocking enemy projectiles, but the armor on the sides and lower frontal part is quite thin.
- Average one-time damage and a long reload will compensate for mobility and security.
- Accuracy and aiming time are designed for effective close-to-medium range combat and are not suitable for long-range fire.
- Not the most comfortable gun declination angles are caused by design features.
Rebalancing the branch in accordance with the given concept required some structural changes. We started by moving the Object 263 down a level, where it can shine with its DPM and armor (which remains the same as at Tier X!). The next step is to select the appropriate vehicle for Tier X, and this role was suited to "Object 268 Option 4". It received good speed, armor and an extremely effective gun with a caliber of 152 mm and an average one-time damage of 650 units.
"Object 263" and "Object 268 Option 4" demonstrated excellent results in internal tests. The vehicles “tanked” damage well and performed well in the role of assault tank destroyers - fast, armored, with moderate one-time damage and not too high damage per minute for a tank destroyer.
You were against moving “Object 263” to level IX, and we could not ignore it. Therefore, we left both cars for another iteration of closed internal testing. “Object 263” has not changed, but we have reduced the one-time damage "Object 268 Option 4" from 750 to 650 units, maintaining the previous damage per minute value to smooth out the sharp change in one-time damage and reload speed between Tier VIII and X vehicles.
![](https://i0.wp.com/ru-wotp.wgcdn.co/dcont/fb/image/obekt-263.jpg)
The last (and probably the most difficult) task was to configure vehicles at the middle levels to serve as close- and medium-range assault tank destroyers. The SU-122-54 did not fit into this concept due to the traditional location of the wheelhouse. Here we were faced with a difficult choice: the car was clearly not suitable for the branch in terms of gameplay, but it was important from a historical point of view. We moved it down one level to see how it would perform there. Unfortunately, the vehicle demonstrated low efficiency in blocking damage even at level VIII and still did not fit into the gameplay concept of the branch. Therefore, we decided to remove the SU-122-54 from the game and create a branch entirely of vehicles with a rear turret.
![](https://i0.wp.com/ru-wotp.wgcdn.co/dcont/fb/image/su-122-54_(1).jpg)
The second iteration of the super test strengthened our belief that the concept we chose for the branch would give these tank destroyers what they were missing. These should be armored, fast vehicles with good one-time damage, the purpose of which is to lead the charge and provide interesting gameplay. The last assumption is based on supertest data. We want you to test this hypothesis yourself, determine if any further changes are needed, and together we will make the best decision. Let's wait for the start of the general test of update 9.22 and find out how ready the vehicles of this branch are for battle!
During the general test of version 9.22, which is coming soon, we will be monitoring your feedback and statistics. We want to make sure that the modified machines perform the way we expect them to.
First, let's figure out what will be added:
- appearance of the second branch of heavy Soviet tanks
- division of the KV tank into KV-1 (level 5) and KV-2 (level 6)
- instead of the KV-3, a new tank T-150 is being introduced (level 6)
- KV-3 is transferred to level 7 in the second branch
- appearance of KV-4 (level 8, second branch)
- introduction of the new ST-1 tank (level 9, second branch)
- IS-4 is transferred to level 10 and moved to the second branch
- introduction of the new IS-8 tank (tier 9) instead of the IS-4.
Division of the KV tank into KV-1 and KV-2
It is worth saying that the KV-1 tank is the KV we are used to in stock form, that is, with a KV-1 turret on which a 75 mm gun can be mounted, as well as the KV-1 chassis.
As for the KV-2, this is a top-end KV with a “shaitan pipe” (152 mm M-10) or 107 mm ZiS-6, as you wish. But in essence, these are the same tank from the outside (the hull is the same), but as for the characteristics, they are different. If you want to go to the “Pinocchio” S-51, then first you will need to pump up the KV-1, then the KV-2, and then the S-51.
For clarity, here is the KV-1
And here is the KV-2:
And with this we’ll finish with the HF and move on to our next “heavy”.
KV-3 becomes a Tier 7 tank
Well, what can I say, the KV-3 needs to be thoroughly polished so that it looks decent against the background of the IS, and besides, it is slower.
New T-150 tank
The T-150 tank with armor 90 mm thick - the only external difference from the serial KV is the presence of a commander's cupola with a periscope and three viewing devices.
Performance characteristics of the T-150 tank
Year of issue |
|
Crew |
|
Dimensions: |
6,850 |
Ground clearance, mm |
|
Weight, t |
|
Average specific |
|
Engine |
diesel V-5 |
Power, hp |
700 (515 kW) |
Max. speed, km/h |
|
Reservation, mm |
body forehead 75-90 mm |
Armament |
76 mm F-34 cannon |
Ammunition |
111 shells |
Obstacles to be overcome: |
35 |
Issued, pcs. |
We can safely say that the T-150 is the progenitor of the KV-3. Immediately after the release of the first KV model (March 1940), the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks adopted resolution No. 1288-495ss, which stated that by November 1 it was necessary to create a more reinforced KV with 90 mm armor and a gun 76mm F-32, but the work dragged on for 4 days and on November 5 an updated KV was created (according to the T-150 documents). The tank underwent field tests, in which shortcomings were revealed, and, perhaps, the most important shortcoming was revealed after traveling 199 km; these were problems with cooling the oil in the tank’s engine. As for the appearance, due to the fact that the armor was sewn inside, the external dimensions of the tank were preserved, but the inside became more cramped. The tank was sent for modification, some time later, after long repairs and corrections, on October 11, the tank was handed over to the 123rd Tank Brigade, operating near Leningrad. His further fate is unknown.
New KV-4 tank
Many tanks existed under the designation "KV".
KV-4 had about 20 projects that differed from each other. We don’t know which project the developer will choose.
The tank began development in April 1941. The order was very complex: the installation of two guns at once and 125-130 mm armor, which had never been used on domestic tanks, led to the need to strengthen the chassis and caused a sharp increase in the weight of the tank. The best designers worked on this tank. The tank was planned to be 100 tons. For example, the lightest KV-4 project was a success for designer N. Dukhov - 82.5 tons, and the heaviest was created by G. Kruchenykh - 107 tons. It was planned to install a 107 mm main gun, and a secondary gun located on a turret, which is mounted on the main 45 mm gun.
Other designers proposed creating a tank with a 107 mm gun and installing a 45 mm gun in the bow of the hull.
As an example, let's look at one of several projects.
Tank project by engineer M. Kreslavsky.
Performance characteristics of the KV-4 tank
Combat weight, kg |
|
Total length, m |
|
Full width, m |
|
Total height, m |
|
Track, m |
|
Ground clearance, m |
|
Support surface length, m |
|
Ud. pressure, kg/cm 2 |
|
Engine |
M-40 (diesel) |
Max. power, hp |
|
Max. speed, km/h |
|
Cruising range, km |
|
Crew, people |
|
Armor |
Buildings, 125 Towers, 140 Upper front sheet, 80 Lower frontal sheet, 130 Korma, 130 Roof, 50 Front bottom sheet, 40 Rear bottom sheet, 40 |
Armament |
107 mm ZiS-6 45mm 20-K Machine guns, pcs. 3 |
Chassis |
torsion bar |
Track rollers |
steel with internal shock absorption |
Walkie Talkie |
Valentin Asikritovich Ganin, better known as a rocket scientist, was tasked with creating this tank; it was he who came up with the idea of underwater missile launches. As for the tank, it was supposed to be a breakthrough in Soviet tank building. It was assumed that the entire crew (5 people) was to be housed in the turret, except for the driver. It was also planned to install a new transmission on the tank, which would significantly increase the driving characteristics of the tank.
Performance characteristics of the ST-1 tank
Booking |
Upper frontal plate: 140 mm / 62 degrees. |
Tower. |
Gun mantlet: 250-300 mm. |
Armament. |
- Cannon caliber 100/122 mm. |
Maximum speed |
40-45 km/h. |
Engine |
800 (850) hp |
54-56 tons |
New tank IS-8
T-10 (IS-8) - Soviet heavy tank. Produced in series from 1954 to 1966. The last of the IS series of heavy tanks, also one of the last heavy tanks in the world.
The development of the tank began in 1948, when the Main Armored Directorate ordered the design of a tank that in the future would replace the tanks in service with the IS-1 and IS-2. The experience of designing the IS-4 and IS-7 entailed limiting the combat weight of the future tank to 50 tons. The chief designer was Zh. Ya. Kotin. In April 1949, 10 test tanks were produced and underwent field testing. During testing, the tank revealed many shortcomings, such as insufficient engine life. It was decided that the tank was not ready for mass production and modifications were carried out until December 1952. During this time, the tank changed many names: IS-9, IS-10. After the death of Joseph Stalin in March 1953, it was decided to rename the T-10 tank, a long-time relative of the T-90A. On December 15, 1953, the tank entered service with the USSR. In subsequent years, the tank was modernized a lot until 1966.
Performance characteristics of the T-10 (IS-8) tank
Combat weight, t |
|
Crew, people |
|
Length with gun forward (along the body), m |
10,56 (7,25) |
Width, m |
|
Height, m |
|
Speed max., km/h |
|
engine's type |
carburetor diesel |
gun |
122 mm |
machine guns |
14.5 mm |
Armor thickness, max., mm |
In conclusion, I want to say that very good tanks await us, I myself am a big fan of Soviet tank building, and I am sure I will like these tanks. How do you like them? I look forward to your comments and see you soon!
23:51 — REGNUM
The loud statement by the President of Ukraine about the testing of a new Ukrainian tank, made by him on August 13 on his Facebook, could be completely ignored. How many loud statements are heard from the parallel reality into which the whole country has plunged?
Alexander Gorbarukov © REGNUM news agency
However, we will not ignore it. Let's try to parse, analyze and look for the most interesting things between the lines and behind the scenes of the advertising video.
So what do we have? A video from the testing of the Ukrainian T-72AMT tank and a number of messages about its “new” combat capabilities, weapons and various equipment.
Let's start with the name. It is telling, because a more or less knowledgeable person will immediately understand that the “new” Ukrainian tank is a modernization of the good old Soviet main battle tank T-72, which was put into service in 1973. For Ukraine, this is somewhat offensive, because the T-72 is a simplified variation of the T-64, created by the design bureau of the Kharkov plant. Let me remind you that the T-64 was such a revolutionary vehicle for its time, filled with technical innovations, that the USSR decided to develop a “tank of war” on its basis, reliable, durable and as simple as possible in field maintenance.
Anyway. In the end, the T-72 is still fighting all over the world, and everyone who has the opportunity to modernize it is doing this rewarding work. It’s no secret that the current record holder for sales on the world tank market, the Russian T-90, is also a deep modernization of the T-72.
Therefore, we need to figure out what the Ukrainian version of such modernization is.
The Ukrainians did not touch the engine. They left the old Soviet diesel V-84−1 with a power of 840 hp. With. Let's not speculate about the reasons for this choice. Let’s assume that we proceeded from the principle “the best is the enemy of the good.”
The tank's armor scheme, judging by the video, remains as pristine as the engine. Ukrainian media reported that the vehicle’s security would be enhanced due to new dynamic protection, but nothing specific was said about this.
The lattice screens around the turret and in the rear part of the side projection of the tank’s hull are clearly inspired by the technical solutions of the Syrian tank repair brigades and are not striking in their high-tech capabilities.
The director of the information and consulting company Defense Express, Sergei Zgurets, spoke in more or less detail about the electronic filling of the tank, so we will start from his data.
Two radio stations from the Turkish company Aselsan should provide reliable communication not only with neighboring tanks and command, but also with supporting infantry.
Navigation system SN-3003 "Basalt". Produced by the Ukrainian company SE "Orizon-Navigation". It was previously reported that this device is capable of working with GPS, GLONASS and EGNOS navigation systems. It has not yet received widespread use; there is almost no data for its objective assessment.
The 1K13 night sight, proudly mentioned among the advantages of the new combat vehicle, is an old Soviet sight from the 80s of the twentieth century.
The mysterious phrase that the new type of tank “provides for the installation of night vision devices with third-generation electro-optical converters on the tank” first made me tremble, but then caused a grin. The fact is that third-generation optical converters are currently produced only in the USA and Russia, but not yet at such a technical level that they can be used in armored vehicles. So let's assume that we are talking about what we would like ideally, but not in reality.
And finally, the main thing is what caused all the information fuss. The Ukrainian T-72AMT received a cannon from which it is possible to fire a Kombat guided missile with a tandem warhead at a distance of up to five thousand meters.
And again let us remember the USSR. Such firing capabilities were characteristic of many Soviet tanks, even the T-64, not to mention later vehicles such as the T-80.
Maybe the Kombat missile is unique? Also no. It is guided by a laser beam, and in modern conditions this is effective only in the event of a war with a state stuck at the technical level of the twentieth century. Systems to counter laser guidance of anti-tank missiles have long been produced and used both in Russia and in some NATO countries.
So what can we say as a result of examining the Ukrainian novelty?
The Ukrainian T-72AMT tank is an excellent illustration of the state of the military-industrial complex enterprises that Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union.
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
Most of them died irrevocably or moved in their entirety to other countries. Ukraine cannot create a new tank engine, and most likely, it can no longer produce even old diesel engines. Therefore, the “new” tank received the “old” heart. It is possible that this was done in anticipation of a “reserve” of engines that could be removed from 235 T-72 tanks, which were listed as faulty in Ukraine in 2016.
Armored hulls and tank turrets have to be used, too. This means that Ukraine successfully lost this part of the Soviet technological heritage on its way “to Europe.”
The term “tank” in Ozhegov’s dictionary is explained as “an armored self-propelled combat vehicle with powerful weapons on a tracked track.” But such a definition is not a dogma; there is no unified tank standard in the world. Each manufacturing country creates and has created tanks taking into account its own needs, the characteristics of the proposed war, the manner of upcoming battles and its own production capabilities. The USSR was no exception in this regard.
History of the development of tanks of the USSR and Russia by model
History of invention
The primacy of the use of tanks belongs to the British; their use forced military leaders of all countries to reconsider the concept of warfare. The use by the French of their Renault FT17 light tank determined the classic use of tanks for solving tactical problems, and the tank itself became the embodiment of the canons of tank building.
Although the laurels of first use did not go to the Russians, the invention of the tank itself, in its classical sense, belongs to our compatriots. In 1915 V.D. Mendeleev (the son of a famous scientist) sent a project for an armored self-propelled vehicle on two tracks with artillery weapons to the technical department of the Russian Army. But for unknown reasons, things did not go beyond design work.
The idea itself of installing a steam engine on a caterpillar propulsion device was not new; it was first implemented in 1878 by Russian designer Fyodor Blinov. The invention was called: “A car with endless flights for transporting goods.” In this “car”, a track turning device was used for the first time. The invention of a caterpillar propulsion device, by the way, also belongs to the Russian staff captain D. Zagryazhsky. For which a corresponding patent was issued in 1937.
The world's first tracked combat vehicle is also Russian. In May 1915, tests of the armored vehicle D.I. took place near Riga. Porokhovshchikov called “All-terrain vehicle”. It had an armored body, one wide track and a machine gun in a rotating turret. The tests were considered very successful, but due to the approaching Germans, further tests had to be postponed, and after some time they were completely forgotten.
In the same year, 1915, tests were carried out on a machine designed by the head of the experimental laboratory of the military department, Captain Lebedenko. The 40-ton unit was an artillery carriage enlarged to gigantic proportions, driven by two Maybach engines from a downed airship. The front wheels had a diameter of 9 meters. According to the creators, a vehicle of this design should easily overcome ditches and trenches, but during testing it got stuck immediately after it started moving. Where it stood for many years until it was cut up for scrap metal.
Russia ended the First World War without its tanks. During the Civil War, tanks from other countries were used. During the battles, some of the tanks passed into the hands of the Red Army, on which the workers’ and peasants’ fighters entered the battle. In 1918, in a battle with French-Greek troops near the village of Berezovskaya, several Reno-FT tanks were captured. They were sent to Moscow to participate in the parade. Lenin’s fiery speech about the need to build our own tanks laid the foundation for Soviet tank building. We decided to release, or rather completely copy, 15 Reno-FT tanks called Tank M (small). On August 31, 1920, the first copy left the workshops of the Krasnoye Sormovo plant in Nizhny Tagil. This day is considered to be the birthday of Soviet tank building.
The young state understood that tanks were very important for waging war, especially since the enemies approaching the borders were already armed with this type of military equipment. The M tank was not put into production due to its particularly expensive production price, so another option was needed. According to the idea that existed in the Red Army at that time, the tank was supposed to support the infantry during an attack, that is, the speed of the tank should not be much higher than the infantry, the weight should allow it to break through the defense line, and the weapons should successfully suppress firing points. Choosing between our own developments and proposals to copy ready-made samples, we chose the option that allowed us to organize the production of tanks in the shortest possible time - copying.
In 1925, the tank was launched into mass production, its prototype was the Fiat-3000. Although not entirely successful, the MS-1 became the tank that laid the foundation for Soviet tank building. At his production site, production itself and the coherence of the work of different departments and factories were developed.
Until the early 30s, several of their own models T-19, T-20, T-24 were developed, but due to the lack of special advantages over the T-18, and due to their high cost of production, they did not go into series.
Tanks of the 30-40s - a disease of imitation
Participation in the conflict on the Chinese Federal Railway showed the inadequacy of the first generation tanks for the dynamic development of the battle; the tanks practically did not show themselves in any way; the main work was done by the cavalry. A faster and more reliable car was needed.
To select the next production model, we went the beaten path and purchased samples abroad. The English Vickers Mk - 6 tons was mass-produced in our country as the T-26, and the Carden-Loyd Mk VI wedge was produced as the T-27.
The T-27, which at first was so tempting to produce due to its low cost, was not produced for long. In 1933, wedge heels were adopted for the army
amphibious tank T-37A, with weapons in a rotating turret, and in 1936 - T-38. In 1940, they created a similar amphibious T-40; the USSR did not produce more amphibious tanks until the 50s.
Another sample was purchased in the USA. Based on the model of J.W. Christie, a whole series of high-speed tanks (BT) was built; their main difference was the combination of two propellers, wheeled and tracked. To move when marching, BTs used wheels; when fighting, they used caterpillars. Such a forced measure was necessary due to the poor operational capabilities of the tracks, only 1000 km.
BT tanks, developing quite high speeds on the roads, fully suited the changed military concept of the Red Army: breaking through the defense and quickly deploying a deep attack through the resulting gap. The three-turret T-28 was developed directly for the breakthrough, the prototype of which was the English Vickers 16-ton. Another breakthrough tank was supposed to be the T-35, similar to the English five-turret heavy tank “Independent”.
During the pre-war decade, many interesting tank designs were created that did not go into production. For example, based on the T-26
self-propelled semi-closed AT-1 type (artillery tank). During the Second World War, they will again remember these cars without a cabin roof.
Tanks of the Second World War
Participation in the Spanish Civil War and in the battles at Khalkhin Gol showed how high the explosion hazard of a gasoline engine is and the inadequacy of bulletproof armor against the then nascent anti-tank artillery. The implementation of solutions to these problems allowed our designers, who had suffered from the disease of imitation, to create truly good tanks and KVs on the eve of the Second World War.
In the first days of the war, a catastrophically large number of tanks were lost; it took time to establish production of the uncompetitive T-34 and KV at the only evacuated factories, and the front desperately needed tanks. The government decided to fill this niche with cheap and quick-to-produce light tanks T-60 and T-70. Naturally, the vulnerability of such tanks is very high, but they gave time to expand the production of Victory tanks. The Germans called them “indestructible locusts.”
In battle under the railway. Art. Prokhorovka was the first time that tanks acted as “cementers” of the defense; before that they were used exclusively as attack weapons. In principle, until today, there have been no more new ideas for the use of tanks.
Speaking about WWII tanks, it is impossible not to mention tank destroyers (SU-76, SU-122, etc.) or “self-propelled guns” as they were called in the troops. The relatively small rotating turret did not allow the use of some powerful guns and, most importantly, howitzers on tanks; for this purpose, they were installed on the bases of existing tanks without the use of turrets. In fact, Soviet tank destroyers during the war, except for weapons, were no different from their prototypes, unlike the same German ones.
Modern tanks
After the war, light, medium and heavy tanks continued to be produced, but by the end of the 50s, all major tank manufacturers concentrated on the production of the main tank. Thanks to new technologies in the production of armor, more powerful engines and weapons, the need to divide tanks into types disappeared by itself. The niche of light tanks was occupied by armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, so the PT-76 eventually became an armored personnel carrier.
The first post-war mass-produced tank of a new type was armed with a 100 mm gun, and its modification for use in radioactive zones. This model became the most popular among modern tanks; more than 30,000 of these vehicles were in service in over 30 countries.
After tanks with a 105 mm gun appeared among potential enemies, it was decided to upgrade the T-55 to a 115 mm gun. The world's first tank with a 155mm smoothbore gun was named.
The ancestor of the classic main tanks was. It fully combined the capabilities of heavy (125mm gun) and medium tanks (high mobility).