Russian tanks magazine graphic. Russian tanks
Finally, the Ministry of Defense presented photographs of the latest Russian tanks and combat vehicles on its official website. Now we can see what armored vehicles look like on the Armata, , and Boomerang platforms and the Coalition self-propelled artillery mount, as well as the Kornet anti-tank missile corps.
Russian tank building is in constant development. The new types of combat vehicles are based on the latest achievements of science and technology. In terms of their tactical and technical characteristics, the latest Russian tanks are significantly superior to vehicles of previous generations.
Developments in recent years have been aimed at creating a heavy unified platform under the code “Armata”. This is a promising tracked platform, on the basis of which fifth-generation battle tanks will be created for the Russian Armed Forces. It is planned to produce a number of different types of military equipment on their chassis.
The layout of the "Almata" is almost identical to the unfinished project of the T-95 or "Black Eagle" tank. Inside the hull there is a habitable armored capsule in which the crew is placed. Behind it is the fighting compartment, which includes an uninhabited turret on top, and the engine compartment is located behind it.
The T-14 "Armata" will replace the T-72, T-80, T-90 tanks currently in service.
New battle tank
Many functional developments and parameters of the new machine significantly distinguish it from similar designs. It has fundamentally different tactical and technical characteristics. A scheme was used to accommodate the crew in an armored isolated capsule in the front of the tank behind powerful frontal armor. This ensures isolation of the crew from the gun's ammunition.
Tactical and technical data
- Total weight – 48 t
- Crew – 3 people
- Engine power – 1500-2000 hp.
- There is an additional power unit
- Time required to replace the engine – 0.5 hours
- Maximum speed – 90 km/h
- Power reserve – 500 km
- Target detection range – 5 km
- Target engagement range – 8 km
- Combat rate of fire – 12 rounds per minute
There is the possibility of all-round visibility using a special camera, a commander’s panoramic sight is also installed, and there is active and dynamic protection. The new radar station is capable of simultaneously tracking 25 aerodynamic and 40 dynamic targets and monitoring an area with a radius of more than 100 kilometers. The T-14 is capable of automatically destroying all missiles or shells of any type flying at it.
For the first time in Russia, a tank will be equipped with a digital information and control system - a “digital board”. It launches, controls, diagnoses and adjusts the parameters of mechanisms. If a problem is detected, the electronics reports what exactly has gone wrong and suggests a solution to the problem and the necessary measures. In other words, the breakdown will be repaired not by a repair team or crew, but by electronics.
Armament
The main caliber of the Armata is the 2A82 125 mm smoothbore gun. It is controlled completely remotely. It is also possible to install a 2A83 152 mm gun. A fundamentally new automatic ammunition feeder is used, the capacity of which reaches 40 shells for various purposes. Shooting can be carried out effectively both from a stationary position and on the move. The tank's ammunition is located in a special protected module.
"Armata" fires high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing and cumulative projectiles, as well as electronic, satellite and infrared guided missiles. In fact, the T-14 is not just a tank, but a universal attack vehicle. It combines a tactical missile system, an anti-aircraft anti-aircraft system, a reconnaissance complex and the tank itself.
The weapon system of the vehicle includes a 7.62 mm machine gun coaxial with the cannon. It is located on the outside of the tower, connected to the gun by a drive. The loaded ammunition of the machine gun contains 1000 rounds of ammunition, the same amount is stored in belts at the rear of the turret in a box for spare parts. Additionally, a 12.7 mm Kord machine gun can be installed with a loaded ammo cartridge for 300 rounds and the same amount in a spare parts box. The machine gun is controlled remotely using a computer and electric drives.
Since 2014, especially for the new generation tank of the Russian Armed Forces, a new guided missile with improved characteristics has been developed. It is subject to high requirements for armor penetration, target engagement range and armor-damaging power, but while maintaining the 125 mm caliber.
Tank fire control
Firing in the T-14 is controlled by an aiming system. Its main advantages:
- Availability of sighting and built-in laser control channels, range finder
- Possibility of adjusting the sighting channel with a magnification of 4 to 12
- The range at which the object is recognized is 5 km
- The maximum distance measured by the rangefinder is 7.5 km
- Equipment for a backup sight on the dependent sight line
- Ballistic computer device
- Automatic target tracking
- Advanced weapon stabilizer
The tank is equipped with radars based on an AFAR antenna array, consisting of a large number of cellular microwave transmitters. Such an antenna has the ability to quickly change the location direction.
Powerplant, transmission and control
The tank's power plant is based on a domestic diesel engine of the A-85-3A brand. Its resource is at least 2000 hours. Specifications:
- Engine type – X-shaped, 12-cylinder, four-stroke with gas turbine supercharging and intermediate air cooling
- Mixture formation - fuel injection
- Power – 1500 hp
- Weight – 1550 kg
- Dimensions: length – 813 mm, width – 1300 mm, height – 820 mm
- The Armata's suspension is controlled, 6-roller, with vane shock absorbers. The differential mechanism is equipped with a hydrostatic transmission. The 12-speed automatic transmission can be shifted manually. The controls include: a steering wheel, brake and gas pedals, and a gear shift lever.
Comprehensive protection system
The protection system of the T-14 tank consists of several components:
- Armor protection. The new tank on the Armata platform is protected by specially developed armor steel. Its characteristics make it possible to reduce the thickness of the sheet and the overall weight of the structures.
- Active protection "Afganit", adopted for implementation in 2014. Specially designed charges are fired against enemy shells and missiles, hitting them at a distance of no more than 20 meters. The launcher is made of a carriage that rotates in horizontal and vertical planes. The impact core is aimed at the target using programmed initiation of fuses.
- Dynamic protection. Its essence lies in the fact that three blocks are installed on the sides of the tower. These are containers with dynamic protection elements that are separated by filler. The sides are protected by installing seven similar blocks. The aft area is covered with lattice screens on the hull and turret. Installed before military operations in special cases, for example, in urban conditions. The additional weight amounts to almost a ton, but this does not significantly reduce the mobility of the tank.
The T-14 is not just a new tank, it determined the prospects for tank building in Russia for decades to come. In the coming years, it is planned to produce at least 2-3 thousand tanks of this type and armored vehicles based on it.
Video: new Russian tanks
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Russian tanks became a formidable weapon that defended the country throughout almost the entire twentieth century. To this day they stand guard, developing and improving year after year. And today the perfection of these giants attracts the attention of not only specialists, but also weapon lovers. Nothing superfluous, just strong armor, dressed with jewelry precision and a powerful engine that rushes forward.
Magazines are published once every two weeks. Approximate release schedule for “Russian Tanks” magazines (dates may change at the discretion of the manufacturer):
1. T-72 - 08/18/2010
2. IS-2 - 09/07/2010
3. T-80 - 09/21/2010
4. KV-1- 05.10.2010
5. BTR-80 - 10/19/2010
6. T-34/76 - 02.11.2010
7. T-62 - 11/16/2010
8. SU-85 - 11/30/2010
9. ISU-152 - 12/28/2010
10. PT-76 - 01/11/2011
11. KV-2 - 01/25/2011
12. T-55 - 02/08/2011
13. T-34-85 - 02/22/2011
14. BMP-1 - 03/08/2011
15. T-28 - 03/22/2011
16. IS-3 - 04/05/2011
17. SU-122 - 04/19/2011
18. T-35 - 04/30/2011
19. BMD-1 - 05/17/2011
20. BM-13 - 05/31/2011
21. T-90 - 06/14/2011
22. T-64 - 06/28/2011
23. T-34 (1942) - 07/12/2011
24. BT-5 - 07/26/2011
25. T-54 - 08/09/2011
26. SU-100 - 08/23/2011
27. BTR-60P - 09/06/2011
28. KV-1S - 09.20.2011
29. BM-30 - 10/04/2011
30. ASU-85 - 10/18/2011
31. T-26 - 01.11.2011
32. 2С1 CLOVE - 11/15/2011
33. BM-21 GRAD - 12/06/2011
34. BTR-60 - 12/20/2011
35. BMP-2 - 01/04/2012
36. BTR-40 - 01/17/2012
37. BM-27 HURRICANE - 01/31/2012
38. IS-4 - 02/14/2012
39. ZSU-23-4 Shilka - 02/28/2012
40. BT-7 - 03/13/2012
41. BTR-90 - 03/27/2012
42. T-40 - 04/10/2012
43. ISU-152 - 04/24/2012
44. T-26 - 05/08/2012
45. BTR-152 - 05/22/2012
46. T-10 - 06/05/2012
47. BA-20 - 06/19/2012
48. BMD-4 - 07/03/2012
49. 2S19 MSTA-S - 07/17/2012
50. SU-76M - 07/31/2012
51. BTR-70 - 08/14/2012
52. T-70 - 08/28/2012
53. BA-10 - 09/11/2012
54. BRDM-1 - 09/25/2012
55. Peony - 10/09/2012
56. BA FAI - 10/23/2012
57. Acacia - 06.11.2012
58. T-60 - 11/20/2012
59. Nona-S - 12/04/2012
60. GAZ-2330 Tiger - 12/18/2012
61 Mk 2 Matilda - 01/01/2013
63 T-34-85 (winter camouflage) -
64 Mk 3 Churchill -
68 2K12 Cube -
71 M3 ZSU M16 -
72 T-26 (new color) -
73 T-62 (new color) -
74 BT-7 (new color) -
75 BMP-1 (new color) -
76 BRDM (new color) -
77 SU-76 (new color) -
78 BTR-152 (new color) -
79 T-54 (new color) -
80 Acacia (new color) -
Tanks are a formidable weapon, a symbol of the power and strength of world powers. Our country is no exception. Let's remember 7 legendary Russian tanks
MS-1 (T-18) became the first Soviet mass-produced tank. In total, about 960 units were produced. For the first time in battle, MS-1s were used in the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929, when an attack by 9 tanks put the Chinese infantry to flight. In the second half of the 30s - early 40s, a significant part of these vehicles were used as fixed firing points on the border in the Far East and the Karelian Isthmus. There are occasional references to the participation of MS-1 in hostilities in the first months of the Great Patriotic War. To this day, no more than 10 MS-1 have survived as museum exhibits and monuments.
BT-7 is a fast tank. Its military debut was combat against Japanese troops at Lake Khasan in the summer of 1938. However, the BT-7 showed its best performance a year later in Mongolia in the battles of Khalkhin Gol, where the high speed and maneuverability of this tank were fully demonstrated in the steppes. BT-7 operated successfully during the Red Army's campaign in Poland in September 1939, when the rapid advance of mobile tank groups made it possible to paralyze possible active actions of the Polish troops. At the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War, the BT-7 was not inferior in its combat qualities to most German tanks and was used until the first half of 1942. The final episode in the combat biography of the BT-7 was the Soviet-Japanese war in August-September 1945. At that time, these already outdated tanks were part of the second battalions of tank regiments and went into the breakthrough behind the more powerful T-34 and IS-2.
T-34/76. One of the best medium tanks in 1940. It combined good armor protection and powerful weapons. The tank's 76 mm gun could effectively fight both manpower and equipment. At least until mid-1942, the enemy could do little to oppose him. Often T-34s, having received numerous hits, remained in service. The most successful Soviet tankman who fought on the T-34, D.F. Lavrinenko (4th Tank Brigade) from October to December 1941 destroyed or disabled 52 two German tanks. With the advent of heavy equipment from the enemy in 1943, the T-34 also underwent serious modernization. The armor protection was strengthened, a fifth crew member was added, and the tank was armed with a new 85 mm cannon, capable of hitting almost all German tanks at close and medium ranges. New T-34/85s began arriving at the front in March 1944. The T-34 turned out to be not ideal in many ways, but it was easy to produce and master, and also the most popular tank in the world. In the second half of the 20th century, T-34s were used in conflicts until the 90s (the war in Yugoslavia).
KV-1 - Soviet heavy tank. The first KVs underwent military tests in the last weeks of the Soviet-Finnish war. As of June 1941, the KV could be considered one of the strongest heavy tanks in the world. There is a known case in June 1941 in the Rasseney area, when one KV-1 hampered the actions of a German division for almost two days. One German document noted: “There were practically no means to cope with the monster. The tank cannot be bypassed; the surrounding area is marshy. It was impossible to transport ammunition, the seriously wounded were dying, they could not be taken out. An attempt to destroy the tank with fire from a 50-mm anti-tank battery from a distance of 500 meters led to heavy losses in crews and guns. The tank was not damaged, despite the fact that, as it turned out, it received 14 direct hits. All that remained were dents in the armor. When the 88-mm gun was brought to a distance of 700 meters, the tank calmly waited until it was placed in position and destroyed it. Attempts by sappers to blow up the tank were unsuccessful. The charges were insufficient for the huge tracks. Finally he fell victim to the trick. 50 German tanks feigned an attack from all sides to divert attention. Under cover, they managed to move forward and camouflage the 88-mm gun from the rear of the tank. Of the 12 direct hits, 3 penetrated the armor and destroyed the tank." Unfortunately, most of the KV was lost not due to combat reasons, but due to breakdowns and lack of fuel. At the end of 1943, the KV was replaced by heavy IS tanks.
IS-2 ("Joseph Stalin") heavy tank. It was created to break through heavily fortified enemy positions and fight enemy heavy tanks. There is a known case when, during the Lviv-Sandomierz operation, two IS-2s, acting from an ambush, destroyed 17 German tanks and self-propelled guns in two days. The IS-2 turned out to be indispensable as an assault weapon when breaking through enemy defenses, especially in the Berlin direction and near Koenigsberg. In the post-war period, the tank underwent modernization and officially remained in service until 1995.
The T-54 was created taking into account the experience of World War II and became the main participant in military conflicts of the second half of the 20th century. The T-54 and its later modification T-55 with atomic protection were used in Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968), Vietnam, and wars in the Near and Middle East until the beginning of the 21st century. One of the last conflicts where the T-55 was used was the fighting in South Ossetia, where it was used by units of the South Ossetian Republic. In addition, the T-55 became the basis for the creation of a number of military engineering equipment.
T-72 is the main tank. Production of this tank began in 1973. Since the conflict in Lebanon in 1982, the T-72 was actively used in wars in the Middle East and in the territory of the former USSR. Noteworthy are the actions of a group of four Russian tanks under the command of Captain Yuri Yakovlev in August 2008, which fought street battles in Tskhinvali for two days. Having lost one tank (one crew member was wounded), the group ensured the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers, destroying at least 8 enemy tanks and combat vehicles.
Read also: editor's choice of "Russian Seven"
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 the 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 into 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 during the march, BTs used wheels; when conducting battles, 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-turreted 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).