"Object 775" - experimental Soviet missile tank: characteristics, weapons

Even in the pre-war years, designers in many countries made repeated attempts to create a missile tank that would use guided missiles as its main armament. The closest to this goal were German engineers, who at the end of World War II were the first in the world to create anti-tank guided missiles, but did not have time to organize their mass production.

The French were the first to think of installing ATGMs as the main weapon on tanks. This was implemented on the LT AMX-13 in 1959-1960. A little later, the same idea was picked up by Soviet engineers, who in 1964 presented a prototype of a fundamentally new tank, the Object 775. A small and maneuverable combat vehicle with powerful missile weapons was supposed to become a threat to any enemy equipment.

Back to basics

It must be said that by the second half of the 20th century, Soviet engineers already had experience in designing missile tanks, because it was in the USSR in the early 30s that the world's first model of this class of military equipment, RBT-5, was developed (it has not survived to this day, the progenitor - BT-5 - can be seen by visiting the tank museum in Kubinka). It was equipped with two unguided missiles, had low survivability, short range and was considered ineffective, which is why its development was soon stopped.

For more than 30 years, Soviet scientists have accumulated considerable experience in the development of tank equipment. In addition, the dream of guided anti-tank missiles was realized, and ATGMs were now actively used not only by European countries, but also by the United States. All this served as the impetus for the start of work on the development of a Soviet missile tank.

Work began in 1962 in the design bureau at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. Pavel Pavlovich Isakov was appointed project manager, who by this time had distinguished himself by creating a fundamentally new class of military equipment - infantry fighting vehicles. Having vast experience behind him, he was the first to propose not just equipping the equipment with ATGMs, but creating a new tank.

The last Soviet heavy tank destroyers

During World War II, heavy self-propelled guns played an important role on the battlefield. It is not surprising that after its completion, the development of heavy self-propelled guns, one of the main tasks of which was the fight against enemy armored vehicles, was continued by designers from different countries. All the more surprising is the fact that only a few projects reached the stage of manufacturing in metal, and not a single one of these formidable machines went into series. And the Soviet Union, in which the heavy self-propelled gun Object 268

, was no exception in this regard.

Weight limit

As in the case of heavy tanks, it was assumed that the promising Soviet heavy self-propelled guns would be very well protected vehicles with long 152 mm caliber guns. The first requirements for such installations date back to 1945, although actual work began a year later. They were designed on the basis of the Object 260 (IS-7) and Object 701 (IS-4) tanks.

For the self-propelled gun based on the IS-4, designated Object 715, it was planned to use the 152-mm M31 cannon developed by plant No. 172, which had the same ballistics as the 152-mm high-power BR-2 cannon. The same weapon was planned to be used for the self-propelled project of the Kirov plant in Leningrad. What exactly it was called is not entirely clear. Some sources indicate the index Object 261, others call it Object 263.

Later, the design bureau of plant No. 172 developed an even more powerful weapon, designated M48. In general, it was similar in design to the M31 and had a similar muzzle brake, but the initial velocity of its projectile was increased to 1000 m/s. For such a powerful weapon, destroying any enemy tank or bunker was not a big problem. The same gun was supposed to be placed in the semi-open Object 262 self-propelled gun.

The main obstacle to all these plans was the delay in work on the IS-7 and problems with mastering mass production of the IS-4. The last activity on both self-propelled guns dates back to 1947, after which work was frozen “until better times.” Which never came.

Installation of a 152 mm M48 cannon in one of the heavy self-propelled guns. It is currently unknown which self-propelled gun project is depicted here.

On February 18, 1949, Resolution No. 701–270ss of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued, according to which the development and production of heavy tanks weighing more than 50 tons was stopped. It is natural that, following the IS-4 and IS-7, the development of self-propelled guns based on them was given a long life.

According to the same resolution, SKB-2 ChKZ and a branch of pilot plant No. 100 (Chelyabinsk) were given the task of developing a heavy tank with a combat weight of no more than 50 tons. The work, which received design code 730, led to the creation of the IS-5 heavy tank. The preliminary design of the new heavy tank was presented in April 1949, and already on September 14, the assembly of the first prototype was completed at ChKZ.

It was quite logical to develop a self-propelled gun on the same basis, but the designers were in no hurry to do this. The memory of how the work on self-propelled vehicles based on the IS-7 and IS-4 ended was still vivid. The go-ahead was given only at the moment when it became clear that the 730th object turned out to be quite successful, and its adoption was not far off.

Self-propelled gun Object 116 (SU-152P) being tested. The 152-mm M53 cannon mounted on it was used by OKTB of the Kirov plant as a base for the gun of the new self-propelled gun

In the literature devoted to the T-10 and vehicles based on it, the start of work on an assault self-propelled gun is usually dated to July 2, 1952. In fact, the chronology of events is somewhat different. The fact is that a self-propelled gun is usually made for a very specific artillery system. And the gun that was eventually “registered” on the vehicle known as Object 268 was not even in the project for another 1.5 years after the start of work. But work on this weapon began much earlier.

From this point of view, the history of the new heavy self-propelled gun began back in 1946, when, in parallel with the M31 and M48, the design bureau of plant No. 172 began developing the 152-mm M53 gun. This weapon, with a muzzle velocity of 760 m/s, was developed for the Object 116 self-propelled gun, known as the SU-152P. Both the gun and the installation itself were built in 1948. Tests showed insufficient accuracy of the system, and the project was closed. Nowadays the SU-152P can be seen in the exhibition of the Patriot park. So, it was this artillery system, in a slightly modified form, that was intended as the weapon of a promising self-propelled gun.

Draft design of a 152-mm M53 cannon modified for installation in a heavy self-propelled gun, 1952

Work on the new machine, which initially did not have any designations, was initially headed by P. P. Isakov. The development of the plant was carried out by the team of the Special Design and Technology Bureau (OKTB) of the Leningrad Kirov Plant. The car was designed in three versions at once, two of which were noticeably different from the Object 268, which is now quite widely known. The fact that the design began before July 1952 is eloquently indicated by the dates in the preliminary designs of the 2nd and 3rd options - April 25, 1952. Already by that time the main parameters of the machine were known. One of the main requirements for the self-propelled guns was a weight limit: its combat weight should not exceed 50 tons.

Self-propelled guns based on Object 730, option No. 2. By the way, the first heavy self-propelled gun with a rear-mounted fighting compartment was developed by N. F. Shashmurin back in 1944

Option No. 2 of the designed heavy self-propelled guns provided for the aft placement of the fighting compartment. Due to this, the length of the body was reduced to 6675 mm. The entire bow of the car was occupied by the engine and transmission compartment, so there was no place for the driver there. He was put in the fighting compartment, where he was located on the right in the direction of travel. With this arrangement, the driver's visibility turned out to be unimportant.

Such inconveniences were compensated for by the relatively small reach of the gun beyond the dimensions of the vehicle - 2300 mm. The thickness of the front of the cabin ranged from 150 to 180 mm, the sides 90 mm. The upper frontal sheet of the hull was only 75 mm thick, but its angle of inclination was 75 degrees. In a word, the car had quite decent protection. The crew of the car consisted of four people. To facilitate the work of the loader, the shells were placed in a special drum behind the gun.

Project No. 3, which involved installing a gun in a rotating turret, April 1952

The third version of the self-propelled gun looked no less original. By and large, it was not even a self-propelled gun, but a tank, whose armor thickness had to be reduced due to its more powerful and heavier gun.

However, the difference between the Object 730 and the projected SU-152 (as this vehicle is designated in the documentation) is quite significant. The designers developed the turret for the self-propelled gun from scratch, and for the normal installation of a 152-mm gun in it, the diameter of the shoulder strap had to be increased from 2100 to 2300 mm. The maximum thickness of the turret armor reached 200 mm. The turret also housed ammunition, the size of which remained the same - 30 rounds. The main ammunition rack was supposed to be placed in the rear niche, which made the loader’s work a little easier.

Because of the new turret, the body also had to be changed, the length of which, compared to the 730, increased by 150 mm. The thickness of the upper side sheets was reduced to 90 mm, and the lower ones to 50 mm, this was done to maintain the combat weight within 50 tons. For the same purpose, the thickness of the upper frontal sheet and the stern sheets was reduced to 60 and 40 mm, respectively. There was no provision for a coaxial machine gun on the self-propelled gun, but an anti-aircraft installation of a KPV heavy machine gun was to be installed at the top.

Thus, by the summer of 1952, the design of a self-propelled unit based on the Object 730 had not begun, but had already taken full shape. The order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated July 2, 1952 rather “legalized” the work on the machine, and also introduced a number of amendments to the design work already underway. Around the same time, the self-propelled gun received the design index 268, and the topic itself began to be called Object 268.

Soviet "Jagdtiger"

The literature indicates that a total of 5 versions of the machine were developed on the subject of Object 268. This is both true and not true at the same time. The fact is that the two options mentioned above were developed even before the final tactical and technical requirements were received. And they didn't even carry the code 268.

Therefore, in fact, we are talking about three versions of the machine, two of which were an evolution of previously developed preliminary designs. Both of these revised versions were ready in December 1952. At the same time, the artillery system that was supposed to be installed in these vehicles was still being designed.

According to preliminary calculations, the initial speed of its projectile was supposed to be 740 m/s. The basis was taken on the M53 self-propelled gun, which was redesigned using individual components of the 122-mm M62-T tank gun. According to calculations, the total mass of such a system, which did not have an official designation, was 5100 kg.

Option No. 4 featured enhanced armor protection and a more spacious fighting compartment, which already housed 5 crew members

The revised project of the second version of the self-propelled gun, which received serial number 4, was prepared by OKTB of the Kirov Plant by December 18, 1952. This time the machine already had the code 268, and Zh. Ya. Kotin appeared as its chief designer. Externally, the 4th option was very similar to the 2nd, but in fact the differences turned out to be significant.

To begin with, the length of the hull was increased to 6900 mm, that is, almost to the length of the Object 730. At the same time, the length of the gun barrel beyond the dimensions of the hull decreased by 150 mm. The designers abandoned the beveled aft sheet of the deckhouse, which had a positive effect on the internal volume of the fighting compartment. Such changes were extremely necessary, since, according to the new technical specifications, the crew of the vehicle was increased to 5 people.

The new crew member was the second loader, located behind the commander. The commander himself received a new commander's cupola with a rangefinder, and in front of him appeared a machine gun mount with a “crooked” barrel. The driver's seat was also slightly altered and received new viewing devices. The system with the “drum” remained in place, while the authors of the preliminary design emphasized that due to the large internal volume, it was possible to install more powerful weapons. In parallel with the increase in the volume of the fighting compartment, armor protection increased. The thickness of the lower frontal sheet of the hull was raised to 160 mm. The thickness of the cutting edge remained 180 mm, but the bevels, 160 mm thick, were made at a large angle. With all this, the weight of the vehicle remained within 50 tons.

On December 10, 1952, a revised version of the 3rd version of the self-propelled gun was completed, receiving the 5th serial number. The length of its hull was reduced to the level of the 730th object (6925 mm), while the upper side sheets were redone and became bent. The forehead of the body has also changed slightly, but the thickness of these parts has remained unchanged. Maintaining the hull length within the base tank was due to the installation of the V-12–6 engine, which, by the way, eventually appeared on the T-10M heavy tank. The enlarged turret shoulder strap was later “migrated” to it.

The tower, designed for 4 people, also underwent alterations. The commander here also received a new commander's cupola, but the OKTB Kirov Plant engineers gave the curved-barreled machine gun to the loader. By the way, both redesigned projects also inherited the installation of the KPV anti-aircraft machine gun.

Option No. 5 differed from the previous option No. 3 by a number of alterations and an increase in the crew to 5 people

Both of these options, however, did not go beyond sketch development. In January 1953, the projects were presented to the scientific and technical committee of the Main Armored Directorate (GBTU) and the Ministry of Transport and Heavy Engineering (MTiTM). Having studied them, members of the Scientific and Technical Committee came to the conclusion that these projects require a major rework of the Object 730 hull and are therefore not suitable.

The commission approved a completely different, much more “calm” project for further work, which required minimal modifications to the base chassis. Of the major changes, it only required the installation of a slightly more compact V-12-6 engine, which, by the way, was also included in option No. 5.

A revised version of the project was presented in June 1953. The commission was also presented with a wooden model on a scale of 1:10. And on August 25, a conclusion was given on the topic of Object 268 signed by Colonel General A.I. Radzievsky.

A number of sources indicate that at this stage the design work stalled, but this is not the case. Of course, work on the self-propelled gun was somewhat influenced by the adoption of the Object 730 into service on November 28, 1953, which later became the T-10 tank. However, work on the car continued. The leading engineer of Object 268 was N.M. Chistyakov, who had previously worked in Nizhny Tagil as head of the new design sector. There, under his supervision, work began on the Object 140 medium tank, but for a number of reasons the designer left Nizhny Tagil and moved to Leningrad. General management fell on N.V. Kurin, a veteran of the Kirov plant and the author of a number of self-propelled guns.

Draft design of the final version of Object 268, June 1954

There was, however, another reason that slowed down the work on Object 268, which some researchers do not take into account. The fact is that the gun, which was supposed to be mounted on a self-propelled gun, was still at the design stage. Meanwhile, the staff of plant No. 172 did not sit idle. Following the 122-mm M62 cannon, proposed for installation in the promising Object 752 and Object 777 tanks, Perm gunsmiths finally reached the 152 mm caliber at the beginning of 1954.

7 years have passed since the design of the M53, a modified version of which was supposed to be installed on Object 268, and the development of artillery in these years has not stood still. As a result, a project for a 152-mm gun was born, designated M64. The initial velocity of its projectile was almost the same as that of the M53 (750 m/s), but the barrel length was noticeably reduced. Considering that the fighting compartment of Object 268 was located approximately in the same place as the fighting compartment of the T-10, this was very important. For comparison, the modified M53 had a total horizontal length from the turret rotation axis to the tip of the muzzle brake of 5845 mm, and the M64 - 4203 mm. With the new gun, the barrel extension was only 2185 mm.

This machine was made in metal. Spring-summer 1957

Officially, the technical design of the M64 was reviewed by the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) in August 1954. In fact, the OKTB team at the Kirov plant received information on the new weapon earlier. The already mentioned thesis that design work on Object 268 had stalled by the fall of 1953 sounds a little strange given the fact that the drawing documentation for the vehicle is dated 20 June 1954.

The drawings (in total, the design documentation contained 37 sheets) depict a machine that is as similar as possible to the Object 268, which was subsequently built in metal. Conceptually, the vehicle was very reminiscent of the German Jagdtiger self-propelled gun, which was maximally unified with the Pz.Kpfw heavy tank. Tiger Ausf.B.

The fundamental difference between the two vehicles was that Soviet engineers managed not only to fit into the dimensions of the T-10 hull, but also to maintain the same combat weight. And in height, Object 268 turned out to be even slightly lower than the T-10. From previous projects, the vehicle inherited a commander's cupola with a rangefinder. As with its predecessors, the thickness of the hull on the sides and stern had to be reduced, but the thickness of the deckhouse sides increased to 100 mm. The protection of the conning tower from the forehead turned out to be quite impressive - 187 mm. Due to the fact that the cabin was expanded to the total width of the hull, it turned out to be quite spacious.

Between past and future

The final estimate for Object 268 was completed in March 1955. At the same time, the terms for the production of prototypes were approved. According to plans, the first sample of Object 268 was expected to be received in the first quarter of 1956, two more copies were to be manufactured in the fourth quarter. Alas, it was during this period that work began on heavy tanks of a new generation; Chistyakov led the work on the heavy tank Object 278, and this directly affected the time frame for the self-propelled guns to be ready.

As for plant No. 172, it completed the creation of a prototype of the 152-mm M64 gun in December 1955. And in February 1956, after a factory test program, the gun with serial number 4 went to Leningrad, to the Kirov plant.

From the front the car looked very impressive. Surprisingly, it turned out to be lower in height than ISU-152

The delay in work led to the fact that the first prototype of Object 268 was completed only by the fall of 1956. In general, the car corresponded to the design documentation, although some changes still took place. For example, it was decided to abandon the convex roof of the cabin. Instead, the self-propelled gun received a roof of a design that was easier to manufacture. The vehicle did not have a machine gun with a “crooked” barrel; in its place, the experimental vehicle had a plug. The shape of the stern sheet of the deckhouse, which they decided not to make bent, also became simpler. This part was made removable, since the gun was mounted and dismantled through it.

The crew of the car remained the same and consisted of 5 people. Thanks to the successful layout, the inside of the machine was not at all cramped; even a very tall person could work in it. And this despite the fact that the large-caliber gun’s ammunition load was 35 rounds. The convenience of the crew’s work was also due to the design features of the gun. Firstly, the M64 had an ejector, which made it possible to minimize the entry of powder gases into the fighting compartment. Secondly, the gun received a loading mechanism, which significantly facilitated the work of the loaders.

Object 268, view from the starboard side

Factory tests of the prototype Object 268 began in the fall of 1956 and ended in the spring of 1957. In general, the machine demonstrated characteristics close to the calculated ones. In terms of driving performance, the Object 268 almost coincided with the T-10, including maximum speed.

Soon after the tests, the self-propelled gun went to the NIIBT Test Site in Kubinka. Firing tests showed that Plant No. 172 did not delay the development of the gun in vain. The M64 was clearly superior in fire accuracy to the ML-20S, which was installed on the ISU-152. The new gun turned out to be the best in terms of initial projectile speed, firing range, and rate of fire.

Alas, all this no longer played any role. It was decided to abandon the construction of two more prototypes of Object 268, and the first prototype of the machine went to the museum at the NIIBT Test Site. Nowadays this copy is on display in the Patriot Park. Recently, museum staff managed to bring the self-propelled guns into running condition.

From this angle you can clearly see that the roof of the cabin differs from the design

If Object 268 had appeared five years earlier, its chances of going into production would have been very high. The vehicle turned out to be successful, quite convenient for the crew to work with and well protected. But by 1957, a number of events had occurred that together made the launch of a series of similar self-propelled guns pointless.

To begin with, in 1955, the development of new generation heavy tanks began (Objects 277, 278, 279 and 770), which had a significantly higher level of armor protection. Even the M64 cannon was no longer enough against them. The GBTU was well aware that the designers of armored vehicles abroad were also not sitting still. It turned out that the promising self-propelled gun was armed with an artillery system that was already outdated.

In addition, just in the mid-50s, a program to modernize the ISU-152 began, which significantly extended the service life of these machines. Unlike the Object 268, which was just about to go into production, these self-propelled guns were already here and now. Yes, the ML-20 was inferior to the M64 in all respects, but not so significantly.

Finally, production of the T-10 proceeded at an extremely slow pace. Loading the Kirov Plant and ChTZ with self-propelled guns also meant further narrowing the already narrow trickle of T-10s entering the troops. In addition, plant No. 172 needed to master a new gun to produce a new self-propelled gun.

There was another reason, which largely coincided with why the British at about the same time gave up on their heavy self-propelled guns FV215 and FV4005. The fact is that in 1956, work began on projects for anti-tank guided missile systems. On May 8, 1957, the USSR Council of Ministers authorized work on the development of tanks and self-propelled guns armed with guided missiles.

Many will immediately remember “bad Khrushchev,” but let’s face the truth. The anti-tank missile launcher is much more compact than the cannon. Launching a rocket is much easier, and most importantly, it can be controlled in flight. As a result, with a similar charge power, the rocket turns out to be an order of magnitude more efficient. It is not surprising that the Object 268 became the last Soviet heavy assault self-propelled gun with cannon armament.

Draft design of the Object 282T missile tank destroyer, 1958

Work on self-propelled guns based on the T-10 did not stop there. In the same 1957, OKTB of the Kirov plant began developing a vehicle designated Object 282. It is often called a tank, but in fact it was a heavy tank destroyer. It was created to be armed with 170-mm Salamander anti-tank missiles, but due to the fact that the NII-48 team was unable to bring them to fruition, the armament was changed. In the final configuration, the vehicle, designated Object 282T, was to be equipped with either 152 mm TRS-152 anti-tank missiles (22 missiles ammunition) or 132 mm TRS-132 missiles (30 missiles ammunition).

Object 282T during testing, 1959

The vehicle, which entered testing in 1959, was strikingly different from previous self-propelled units. Despite such an impressive ammunition supply and a crew of 2-3 people, the tank became somewhat shorter than the T-10. And most importantly, its height was only 2100 mm. The frontal part of the tank was redone. In addition, the designers moved the fuel tanks forward, separating the crew from them with a 30-mm partition. The car received an uprated V-12–7 engine with a power of 1000 hp. Its maximum speed increased to 55 km/h.

In a word, it turned out to be an extraordinary machine, which was ultimately destroyed by weapons. Tests showed that the Topol control system installed at Object 282T did not work reliably enough, which led to the project’s curtailment.

This was supposed to be the redesigned project, designated Object 282K. It didn’t even get to the point of making it in metal.

In the same 1959, OKTB of the Kirov plant developed a project for an improved machine, designated Object 282K. Its combat weight increased to 46.5 tons, and its overall height decreased to 1900 mm. As planned, the vehicle was equipped with two TRS-132 launchers (20 missiles for each), located on the sides. At the rear there was a 152-mm PURS-2 launcher with ammunition for 9 missiles. The fire control system was completely borrowed from the Object 282T. Due to failures with testing of Object 282T, work on Object 282 did not leave the design phase.

This marks the end of the history of designing self-propelled guns based on the T-10.

The author thanks Igor Zheltov for his help in working on the material

Sources and literature:

Archive of Sergei Netrebenko
Photo archive of Evgeniy Ivanov
Domestic Armored Vehicles of the 20th Century Volume 3: 1946–1965, A. G. Solyankin, I. G. Zheltov, K. N. Kudryashov, Tseykhgauz, 2010
Photo album “History of KBM”, 1967
Author's archive

Yuri Pasholok

Super heavy paper tank destroyers

Projects of the German self-propelled guns Sturmgeschutz Maus and Sturmgeschutz E-100

WWII
tanks
Germany

Gem Tank

The engineers of the ChTZ design bureau managed to do the almost impossible - in a minimally short period of time (less than two years) they managed to create a new, fully combat-ready missile tank. This can be explained by the fact that development was carried out simultaneously in two directions - variants of the anti-aircraft missile system and the design of the new tank were developed separately.

A team of engineers led by Isakov was supposed to create a new chassis for the Object 775 tank, as well as a layout diagram. We can say that all work was completed by March 1, 1964.

The development of the air defense system began on March 30, 1963. Work was carried out to simultaneously create two complexes - “Astra” and “Rubin”, the best of which was to be used as the main weapon. By decision of the scientific and technical council on March 1, 1964, the Rubin air defense system was recognized as the best option.

Development of the Object 775 tank

was conducted for two years - from 1962 to 1964, under the leadership of
Pavel Pavlovich Isakov
.
By decree of the USSR Council of Ministers of March 30, 1963, work began on the creation of two missile systems, Astra and Rubin
, the best of which was to be used in Object 775.
By the decision of the NTS section of the State Committee on Defense Equipment dated March 1, 1964, Rubin was chosen from the two complexes, and work on Astra was stopped. Thus,
Rubin

was used Object 775 .

Unlike other missile tanks (Object 287, IT-1), Object 775 had a full-fledged cast steel turret, which was equipped with a 125-mm rifled missile launcher,

which could fire both guided and unguided missiles.

The main weapon of the tank was the 125-mm gun-launcher D-126

, from which it was possible to fire guided missiles of the Rubin ATGM and unguided active-rocket missiles "Bur" with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The D-126 launcher gun, developed by OKB-9 UZTM, was a recoilless system with a rifled barrel.

Guided missile

"Rubin" with a caliber of 125 mm and a length of 1505 mm had a cumulative warhead that pierced vertically located steel armor 500 mm thick. The missile was aimed at the target using a semi-automatic system using radio commands. The rate of fire of the Rubin ATGM was 4-5 rounds/min, the maximum firing range was 4000 m, and the maximum missile flight speed was 550 m/s. The firing range of the "Bur" projectile was 9000 m, the direct shot range was 750 m, and the rate of fire was 8-10 rounds/min.

Rocket launcher

“D-126” had 32 grooves on the inside of the barrel and was created at OKB-9 specifically for “Object 775”. It had a semi-automatic loading mechanism and was remotely controlled by the commander-operator. D-126 was stabilized in two planes by a 2E16 stabilizer.

The tank crew consisted of two people

- driver mechanic and weapons commander-operator. They were placed in the tank turret in an insulated polyethylene cabin. The driver's seat was equipped with a complex special system that allowed him to constantly look forward while rotating the turret. This system was a rotating turret, which was placed inside the main turret, and when the tank turret rotated in one direction, the driver’s turret rotated in the opposite direction. Thus, the driver and his viewing device constantly remained directed forward to the movement of the tank base, along the longitudinal axis of the hull, which ensured continuous observation of the road. Thanks to this placement of the crew in the tank turret, and not in the hull under the turret, the overall height of the tank was reduced to 1740 mm.

The Object 775 used hydropneumatic suspension

instead of the widely used torsion bar. It had a dosing (stepped) device that made it possible to change the tank's ground clearance. The diesel power plant and transmission of the Object 775 were borrowed from the T-64 tank and underwent minor changes. Also borrowed were an ejection cooling system, a power transmission with two side seven-speed gearboxes, road wheels with internal shock absorption, idler wheels and a caterpillar track with rubber-metal joints.

The Object 775 tank had a low overall height, which was achieved by the specific location of the crew, the absence of recoil devices and a compact bolt. The low height, combined with its relatively small size, made it possible to enhance the armor protection of the Object 775 compared to gun tanks of the same mass. To reduce the impact of ionizing radiation on the crew in the event of a nuclear explosion, plastic supports were used. Additionally, the crew had a set of anti-nuclear and fire protection.

During testing of "Object 775"

its good mobility and maneuverability, stealth and a lower degree of vulnerability were revealed due to its low silhouette and variable ground clearance. This gave impetus to the development of a new branch of armored vehicles - “tank destroyers”, characterized by their small height and dimensions, but quite powerful weapons.

The Object 775 missile tank itself

was not adopted for service due to the complexity of the device and the low reliability of the guided missile guidance system, as well as due to the crew’s poor visibility of the battlefield. Due to the fact that “Object 775” was not accepted for service, the option of installing “Rubin” in the T-64 tank (“Object 432”) was studied. But it turned out that the placement of the Rubin control equipment, which occupied a volume of 200 dm3? with a weight of 180 kg, it was very difficult and unprofitable. In addition, a guided missile with a length of about 1.5 m also required modernization of the T-64 layout. Therefore, the installation of “Rubin” in the T-64 was considered inappropriate, and work on the topic was closed.

The Object 780 tank was developed on the basis of the Object 775 .

, the crew of which consisted of three people located in the turret, and the driver’s position was similarly stabilized along the direction of movement of the tank’s base. The 125-mm rifled mount could fire both tank guided missiles and conventional artillery shells.

Modifications Object 775 - basic version Object 775T - modification with installation of the GTD-700 gas turbine engine. Created in early 1968. Work on this option was stopped along with work on the main modification of the tank.

At the moment (2018), the preserved copy is located in the Patriot Park.

SAM "Rubin"

The development of the air defense system was carried out by a team of designers at the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau under the leadership of Boris Shavyrin. The complex included a radio command guidance system and 125-mm guided missiles with a length of 150 cm. Let's consider why it was decided to install weapons of this type on the Object 775.

To hit a target, it was enough to point an infrared beam at it. The fired projectile instantly picked up a speed of 550 m/s and easily pierced vertically located armor sheets 500 mm thick at a distance of up to 4 km. This, combined with a high rate of fire (5-6 rounds/min), allowed the air defense system to easily destroy any target.

However, this complex had a significant drawback - when an obstacle appeared, even a smoke screen, the fired projectile was “blind”, lost its target and went into self-destruction. Subsequently, this fact did not allow the experimental Soviet missile tank to be put into service.

TOP 10 largest tanks in the world

The first tanks appeared almost simultaneously in three countries:

Great Britain;
Russian empire;
France.

In the post-war years, when combat vehicles began to be developed in Germany, they began to classify this equipment in this way (in each country the weight was determined individually):

heavy (the Red Army accepted everything that exceeded 30 tons);
medium (in the USSR - up to 30 tons);
light (all other tanks).

Modern realities have forced us to reconsider these categories and add one more to them - superheavy. The TOP 10 includes absolute giants.

Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus"

The name of this super-heavy tank is translated from German as “Mouse”. Unlike the Rat tank, which was being designed in parallel, it was built and tested. The weight of the vehicle was a record 188.9 tons. Designed during the Second World War in the Third Reich. A copy that has survived to this day is exhibited at the Armored Museum in Kubinka.

Kummersdorf training ground, where Soviet soldiers inspect the Maus tank. 1945

Case dimensions: 9.03*3.67*3.66 meters. Protected by cast steel armor. The Mouse project won a competition organized by Hitler to build a machine with the highest possible protection. The development was led by the founder of the Porsche company, Ferdinand Porsche. Weapons:

rifled guns of 75 and 128 mm caliber;
flamethrower;
machine gun.

The crew consisted of 6 people. It is noteworthy that the tank has relatively low ground pressure. Was not used in battle.

Diamond K-Wagen

It is one of the first developments in Germany. The project was approved by the government, and construction began in 1918. Combat weight - 150 tons. It was developed on the basis of available English drawings, had a diamond shape, and the tracks covered the body.

Drawing of a K-Wagen tank

It had rolled steel armor and 4 cannons located in the side sponsons. Already during construction it became clear that the crew should be expanded to 22 people. A modern expert will say that everything about the K-Wagen was superfluous: its enormous size, record crew size. All prototypes of the tank were destroyed and have not survived to this day.

E-100

In addition to the Mouse project, Ferdinand Porsche additionally submitted drawings for the E-100, which were also approved. In 1943, the design of a super-heavy model based on the Adler company began.

Prototype E-100 during transport to the UK

When the Soviet troops advanced, the Fuhrer gave the order to curtail all tank building projects, however, Porsche continued construction, and one of the E-100 copies was completed. Later the car was captured by the British and transported to England. There it was assessed as unpromising and dismantled for scrap. The combat weight of the specimen was estimated at 140 tons.

Armed to the teeth

To hit targets, the missile tank could use not only Rubin missiles, but also Typhoon missiles, which were somewhat weaker and were capable of penetrating only 250 mm of armor at the same distance. In addition, unguided high-explosive fragmentation missiles "Bur" with a maximum destruction range of 9 km were also used.

To launch various types of projectiles, OKB-9 developed a 125-mm caliber D-126 cannon specifically for the Object 775. It had a semi-automatic loading mechanism, a 2E16 stabilizer, which stabilized it in two planes, and was controlled by a commander-operator. In total, the ammunition load included 72 projectiles - 24 ATGMs of the Typhoon type and 48 NURSs of the Bur type.

Additionally, the tank was equipped with a 7.62-mm SGMT tank machine gun, which could be used to destroy manpower and lightly armored vehicles.

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In the early 60s of the last century, with the accelerated development of missile weapons, tank engineers again turned their attention to the possibility of installing missile weapons on a tank. As it seemed then, one of the promising directions for the development of tank weapons was the installation of missile weapons on the tank, no longer as an additional weapon, but as a main one. The idea of creating a small, maneuverable “tank destroyer” equipped with powerful missile weapons with a long range was very relevant for Soviet engineers at that time. One example of this trend in the history of domestic tank building is the project to create a missile tank, known as “object 775”. Work on this new project was carried out in the USSR, in the design bureau of the Chelyabinsk plant, from 1962 to 1964 of the twentieth century. The manager and leading engineer of the project was Pavel Isakov. In a short time, design bureau engineers developed working drawings of the future vehicle, a new chassis design and a layout diagram. It differed from the classic layout scheme in that both crew members, the driver and the commander, also known as the gunner-operator, were located in a special, isolated cabin located in the tank turret. As the turret rotated, the cabin rotated with it. Moreover, the driver’s seat had a separate, independent design, allowing the driver to always face forward, regardless of which direction the tank’s turret was turned. A distinctive feature of the design of the hull and turret was that, thanks to the original layout of the crew, it was possible to achieve a significant reduction in the height of the vehicle and thereby reduce its vulnerability, allowing even the smallest folds of terrain to be used as cover in battle. However, the low silhouette of the vehicle limited the crew members' visibility and observation of changes taking place on the battlefield. Combined with the fact that the vehicle was equipped with special equipment and self-entrenchment mechanisms, the vehicle’s survivability in modern combat conditions should have been very high.

The power unit chosen was a 5TDF opposed 5-cylinder diesel tank engine with liquid cooling with a power of 700 hp, providing an average speed of movement on hard ground of up to 70 km per hour. The capacity of the fuel tanks allowed the vehicle to travel more than 550 km without additional refueling. Unlike its predecessors (IT-1, “object 287”, “object 430”), it was decided to change the design of the suspension on the “object 775”. Instead of a torsion bar suspension, a hydropneumatic one was installed, equipped with a mechanism for changing the ground clearance, depending on the combat situation and the nature of the terrain. The turret of the missile tank was cast, flattened, with a very low silhouette, due to which the height of the vehicle was 1740 mm. The armored body of the vehicle was assembled by butt welding from rolled sheet armor with a sheet thickness from 30 to 120 mm, which made it possible, taking into account the small dimensions and low weight for this type of vehicle (no more than 37 tons), to make the armor protection of the vehicle comparable to that of heavy tanks . In addition, to protect the crew from radioactive radiation in the event of the use of nuclear weapons, the armor plates were coated on the inside with a special plastic-based compound.

The main weapon of the new tank destroyer was a rifled 125-mm cannon - a missile launcher with a semi-automatic loading mechanism D-126, created at OKB-9 and capable of firing both conventional unguided anti-tank missiles and guided missiles at a range of up to 4,000 (NURS) and (ATGM) up to 9,000 meters. In addition, one 7.62-mm SGMT tank machine gun was installed. The ammunition consisted of 22 high-explosive fragmentation projectiles and 15 9M15 Typhoon guided missiles, the cumulative warhead of which is capable of burning through up to 250 mm of armor at an impact angle of 60° and up to 500 mm at an angle of 90° at a distance of up to 4,000 meters. This was more than enough to guarantee the destruction of any heaviest and well-armored tank that was in service with any foreign army at that time. Targeting was carried out using infrared rays using a semi-automatic guidance complex created at the Rubin Design Bureau. The vehicle was tested until 1965, and the “tank destroyer” showed good driving and combat qualities. However, the tank was never accepted for service, what was the reason for this is now difficult to say. Perhaps due to shortcomings and poor reliability of the missile guidance system or due to the complexity and high cost of production. The only “Object 775” that has survived to this day is currently on display at the tank museum in Kubinka.

https://topwar.ru/8291-neobychnye-tanki-roscii-i-sssr-raketnyy-tank-obekt-775.html

Tenacious and invisible

If the Object 775 went into mass production, it could be called a stealthy tank destroyer. And all thanks to its layout and a special system for accommodating the crew - driver and commander.

They were in a special polyethylene capsule located in the tower, which could rotate with it. Moreover, the driver’s seat had a special design, which allowed him to always look forward in any position of the turret.

By introducing such design solutions, it was possible to significantly reduce the height of the tank - now it could use even minor folds in the terrain for protection. The vehicle was also equipped with a self-digging mechanism, as well as plastic linings, which reduced the force of penetrating radiation on the crew in the event of a nuclear explosion. All this significantly increased the survivability of the tank.

Unusual tanks of Russia and the USSR. Missile tank "Object 775"

In the early 60s of the last century, with the accelerated development of missile weapons, tank engineers again turned their attention to the possibility of installing missile weapons on a tank.
As it seemed then, one of the promising directions for the development of tank weapons was the installation of missile weapons on the tank, no longer as an additional weapon, but as a main one. The idea of creating a small, maneuverable “tank destroyer” equipped with powerful missile weapons and a long range was very relevant for Soviet engineers at that time. One example of this trend in the history of domestic tank building is the project to create a missile tank, known as “object 775”. Work on this new project was carried out in the USSR, in the design bureau of the Chelyabinsk plant, from 1962 to 1964 of the twentieth century. The manager and leading engineer of the project was Pavel Isakov. In a short time, design bureau engineers developed working drawings of the future vehicle, a new chassis design and a layout diagram. It differed from the classic layout scheme in that both crew members, the driver and the commander, also known as the gunner-operator, were located in a special, isolated cabin located in the tank turret. As the turret rotated, the cabin rotated with it. Moreover, the driver’s seat had a separate, independent design, allowing the driver to always face forward, regardless of which direction the tank’s turret was turned. A distinctive feature of the design of the hull and turret was that, thanks to the original layout of the crew, it was possible to achieve a significant reduction in the height of the vehicle and thereby reduce its vulnerability, allowing even the smallest folds of terrain to be used as cover in battle. However, the low silhouette of the vehicle limited the crew members' visibility and observation of changes taking place on the battlefield. Combined with the fact that the vehicle was equipped with special equipment and self-entrenchment mechanisms, the vehicle’s survivability in modern combat conditions should have been very high.

The power unit chosen was a 5TDF opposed 5-cylinder diesel tank engine with liquid cooling with a power of 700 hp, providing an average speed of movement on hard ground of up to 70 km per hour. The capacity of the fuel tanks allowed the vehicle to travel more than 550 km without additional refueling. Unlike its predecessors (IT-1, “object 287”, “object 430”), it was decided to change the design of the suspension on the “object 775”. Instead of a torsion bar suspension, a hydropneumatic one was installed, equipped with a mechanism for changing the ground clearance, depending on the combat situation and the nature of the terrain. The turret of the missile tank was cast, flattened, with a very low silhouette, due to which the height of the vehicle was 1740 mm. The armored body of the vehicle was assembled by butt welding from rolled sheet armor with a sheet thickness from 30 to 120 mm, which made it possible, taking into account the small dimensions and low weight for this type of vehicle (no more than 37 tons), to make armor protection for the vehicle comparable to that of heavy vehicles tanks. In addition, to protect the crew from radioactive radiation in the event of the use of nuclear weapons, the armor plates were coated on the inside with a special plastic-based compound.

The vehicle was tested until 1965, and the “tank destroyer” showed good driving and combat qualities. However, the tank was never accepted for service, what was the reason for this is now difficult to say. Perhaps due to shortcomings and poor reliability of the missile guidance system or due to the complexity and high cost of production. The only “Object 775” that has survived to this day is currently on display at the tank museum in Kubinka.

Heart of the tank

The Object 775 was equipped with a 5-cylinder 5TDF diesel engine with a power of 700 hp. s., which was previously used on the T-64. To meet the new standards, the motor has undergone minor modifications. Without changes, it was decided to use liquid cooling, a transmission with two 7-speed gearboxes.

Isakov decided to abandon the torsion bar suspension system in favor of hydropneumatic suspension. This solution allowed the tank to change its ground clearance while moving. Track rollers with an internal shock absorption system, as well as tracks with rubber-metal joints, were also borrowed from the T-64.

The largest German tank

Mechanical engineering and tank building in Germany have attracted the attention of the world since the 30s of the 20th century. Many self-propelled guns and armored models were among the top most reliable in the world.

E-100

This is the largest developed German tank in the world, a photo and a brief description are presented above. The model was characterized by the location of the engine in the stern, and the drive wheels in the front of the hull. The developer was aimed at increasing the speed to 40 km/h, which was impossible with a weight of 140 tons.

Further fate

Despite high maneuverability, survivability, stealth and high firepower, proven during field tests, the tank was not accepted for service. Only one example has survived to this day, which can be seen by visiting the tank museum in Kubinka. There are many reasons that prevented the launch of mass production of cars:

Low reliability of the guidance system.
Poor visibility of the battlefield by the crew, which was due to the low silhouette of the vehicle.
A complex device that required large resources to manufacture.

“Object 775” gave rise to a new branch of military equipment - tank destroyers. Later, on its basis, the Object 780 was developed, and the development of the Object 287 was also carried out, but these representatives were never accepted into service. Success awaited only IT-1, which adopted all the best from its ancestors and became a “pure” missile tank.

Super-heavy tanks: steel giants

With the advent of tanks, many designers had a completely logical idea that the significant size of the tank would allow it to be maximally armored and make it invulnerable to enemy fire, and its large payload would enhance its armament. Such tanks could actually become mobile forts that support infantry when breaking through enemy defensive formations. During the First World War (hereinafter referred to as WWI), when governments around the world directed multimillion-dollar funds to supply rapidly growing armies, funding for the most fantastic projects that promised an early victory also increased.

Starting from WWII until the very end of the Second World War (hereinafter referred to as WWII), hundreds of the most unimaginable armored monsters were developed, of which only a few reached the point of being embodied in metal. This article provides an overview of the ten heaviest, largest and most incredible armored vehicles from around the world, which were partially or fully brought to life.

"Tsar Tank"

The largest in size was the Russian Tsar Tank. Its developer Nikolai Lebedenko (in honor of him the car is also sometimes called the “Lebedenko tank” or “Lebedenko machine”), in ways unknown to us, achieved an audience with Emperor Nicholas II, which took place on January 8 (according to the new style - January 21), 1915. To the audience, the engineer brought a skillfully made wooden self-propelled model of his brainchild, which started and moved thanks to a gramophone spring. According to the recollections of the courtiers, the designer and the tsar spent several hours fiddling with this toy “like little children,” creating artificial obstacles for it from improvised means - volumes of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire. The Tsar was so impressed by the model that Lebedenko eventually gave him that he approved the financing of the project. The design of the tank resembled a huge artillery carriage with two large front wheels. If the model was held by the back of the “carriage” with the wheels down, then it looked like a bat sleeping under the ceiling, which is why the car received the nicknames “Bat” and “Bat”.

Model of the Tsar Tank by designer Lebedenko

Source – obobrali.ru

Initially, it was clear that the project was not viable. The largest and most vulnerable element of the new tank were the huge 9-meter wheels, the supporting structure of which were spokes. They were created in such a way to increase the maneuverability of the tank, but they were easily disabled even by artillery shrapnel, not to mention high-explosive or armor-piercing shells. There were also problems with the vehicle's maneuverability. However, thanks to the royal patronage, the tank was quickly built. Already in August 1915, it was assembled at an improvised site near the city of Dmitrov, Moscow region, but due to unsatisfactory maneuverability, it remained to rust in the open air until the early 20s, until it was dismantled for scrap. As a result, thousands of rubles of public funds were wasted.

The tank's fighting compartments were housed in a hull located between its giant wheels. The armament was placed in a machine gun turret for six machine guns, built above the hull, as well as in sponsons located at its ends, protruding beyond the wheels. The sponsons could accommodate both machine gun and artillery weapons. It was envisaged that the tank's crew would be 15 people. A “carriage” was located perpendicular to the hull, the main purpose of which was to create a stop when firing. The "carriage" led the crew into the tank's fighting compartments.

Photo of “Tsar Tank” Source – student.kpi.ua

The dimensions of the Tsar Tank were amazing - its length was 17.8 meters, width - 12, height - 9. It weighed 60 tons. This vehicle became the largest and most ridiculous tank in world history.

Char 2C (FCM 2C)

This French tank became the largest and heaviest production tank in the entire history of tank building. It was created by the FCM shipbuilding company at the very end of WWII, but never took part in hostilities. According to the designers, the Char 2C was supposed to be a breakthrough tank that could effectively overcome German trenches. The French military liked this idea, and on February 21, 1918, 300 vehicles were ordered from FCM. However, while the shipbuilders were starting production, the war ended. The tank turned out to be low-tech and expensive, and the production of each unit took a lot of time. As a result, only 10 machines were manufactured until 1923. Since the French government was experiencing certain financial difficulties after WWI, and the Char 2C was very expensive, a decision was made to stop its production.

Char 2C (FCM 2C) tank with the crew lined up next to it Source – military.ir

Char 2C weighed 75 tons and had a crew of 13 people. It was armed with one 75 mm cannon and 4 machine guns. The tank’s engines “ate” an average of 12.8 liters per kilometer covered by the vehicle, so a tank with a capacity of 1280 liters was enough for a maximum of 100–150 km of travel, and on rough terrain this distance was even less.

The Char 2C was in service with the French army until 1940. With the outbreak of hostilities on French territory during WWII, a battalion of these already obsolete tanks was sent to the theater of operations. On May 15, 1940, a train with the battalion's equipment got into a railway traffic jam while en route to the unloading sites near the city of Nechateau. Since it was not possible to unload such heavy tanks from the platforms, and German troops were approaching the station where the train was stuck, the French crews destroyed their armored vehicles and retreated. However, as it soon became clear, not all Char 2Cs were destroyed. In particular, vehicle No. 99 fell into the hands of the Germans undamaged and was tested by them at the Kummersdorf training ground. Her further fate is unknown.

German soldiers pose against the background of the captured French giant tank Char 2C No. 99 “Champagne”. Next to the tank are disassembled parts of its engine Source – waralbum.ru

K-Wagen

At the end of March 1917, the Inspectorate of Automotive Troops of Imperial Germany instructed the chief engineer of its experimental department, Joseph Vollmer, to create a tank that, according to its technical parameters, would be capable of breaking through enemy defense lines.

Model of the K-Wagen tank Source – werk-halle.de

If completed successfully and on time, this tank would become the heaviest WWII tank - its weight would reach 150 tons. Two six-cylinder gasoline engines with a power of 650 hp each were chosen as power plants. every. The tank was supposed to be armed with 4 77 mm guns located in sponsons and 7 7.92 mm MG.08 machine guns. Of all the super-heavy tanks, the K-Wagen had the largest crew - 22 people. The length of the tank reached 12.8 meters, and if not for the Russian Tsar Tank, it would have become the longest super-heavy tank in the history of tank building. In the design documentation, the tank was called Kolossal-Wagen, Kolossal or K. It is generally accepted to use the index “K-Wagen”.

Construction of these machines began in April 1918, but the rapid end of the war stopped all work. German tank builders had almost finished assembling the first copy of the tank, and for the second the armored hull and all the main components, except the engines, were ready. But the Entente troops were approaching German enterprises, and everything produced was destroyed by the manufacturers themselves.

K-Wagen tank on the factory floor Source – mg-tank.ru

FCM F1

In the early 30s, it became clear to French military officials that the FCM 2C tank was hopelessly outdated. Since French military thought believed that future wars would be of the same positional nature as WWII, it was decided in Paris that the army needed new heavy breakthrough tanks.

In February 1938, the Armaments Advisory Council, headed by General Duflo, determined the main tactical and technical characteristics of the future tank to announce a design competition. The Council put forward the following requirements for the vehicle's armament: one large-caliber cannon and one rapid-fire anti-tank gun. In addition, the new tank had to be equipped with anti-shell armor that could withstand hits from shells from all anti-tank artillery systems known at that time.

3D model of the FCM F1 tank Source – desura.com

The largest French tank builders (FCM, ARL and AMX companies) took part in the competition, but only FCM was able to begin creating a prototype. Its engineers designed a tank with two turrets, located like battleships at different levels, so that they would not interfere with each other's all-round firing. A 105 mm main caliber gun was to be installed in the rear (higher) turret. A 47-mm rapid-fire anti-tank gun is mounted in the front turret. The thickness of the frontal armor of the vehicle was 120 mm. The prototype was expected to be ready by the end of May 1940, but this was prevented by the rapid German offensive in France. The further fate of the semi-finished prototypes is unknown.

FCM F1 tank standing on the factory floor Source – worldwartwozone.com

TOG II

In October 1940, the first copy of the experimental British TOG I tank was created. Its name, which stands for “The Old Gang,” hinted at the considerable age and experience of its creators. The old principles of tank building were evident in the layout and appearance of this combat vehicle, as well as in its characteristics. The TOG I had a WWI-era layout and a low speed of 5 mph (8 km/h). The guns and machine guns, originally located in the sponsons, were eventually replaced by a turret from the Matilda II tank, mounted on the roof of the hull. Its tracks, like those of other tanks from WWII, covered the hull, and were not placed on the sides of it, like modern tanks. Since the weight of the vehicle was 64.6 tons, it is difficult to classify it as a super-heavy tank. The tank was modernized several times until 1944, but it never went into production.

Tank TOG I Source – weaponscollection.com

In 1940, in parallel with TOG I, the creation of TOG II began. It was realized in metal by the spring of 1941. This tank was made heavier than the previous model - it weighed 82.3 tons. Thanks to its long length, independent torsion bar suspension, and the fact that each track was driven by a separate electric motor, this tank had increased maneuverability. The electric motors were powered by a generator driven by a diesel power plant. Therefore, despite its heavy weight, the tank could overcome walls 2.1 meters high and ditches 6.4 meters wide. Its negative qualities were low speed (maximum 14 km/h) and the vulnerability of the tracks, the design of which was hopelessly outdated. The tank received a specially designed turret, which housed the only 76.2 mm tank gun and a machine gun. Subsequently, design upgrades continued, and the TOG II(R) and TOG III projects appeared, but none of them were put into mass production.

Tank TOG II Source – zyc.tzsnw.com

Pz.Kpfw VIII Maus

In December 1942, Ferdinand Porsche, whose company’s designers completed the project of the super-heavy tank Maus (German for “mouse”), was summoned to an audience with Hitler. A year later, on December 23, 1943, the first prototype of the tank came out of the gates of the Alkett tank-building enterprise (Almerkische Kettenfabrik GmbH), which was part of the Reichswerke state concern. It was the heaviest manufactured tank in the entire history of world tank building - its weight reached 188 tons. The frontal armor plate reached a thickness of 200 mm, and the rear armor plate – 160 mm. Despite the fact that the tank had a huge mass, during its testing it turned out that it was very maneuverable, easy to control and had high maneuverability. The tank underwent modifications, passed field tests, and its second copy was manufactured. But in the second half of 1944, Germany ran out of funds to ensure regular supplies of even serial tanks, not to mention the launch of new expensive vehicles.

Radio-controlled scale model of the Maus tank is shown to Hitler Source – ww2incolor.com

In mid-April 1945, the Kummersdorf training ground was captured by Soviet troops. Both tanks, which were disabled during the battles for the training ground, were sent to the USSR. There, from two damaged vehicles, one whole one was assembled, which is still on display in the Central Museum of Armored Weapons and Equipment in Kubinka.

Pz.Kpfw VIII Maus Porsche Type 205/1 with a Krupp turret at the Böblingen factory, April 9 or 10, 1944 Source – stuttcars.com

A39 Tortoise

From the beginning of 1943, the development of a new breakthrough tank began in Great Britain. The project was called Tortoise (English - “land turtle”), as it envisaged that the future tank would have thick armor, powerful weapons and would be unlikely to have high speed. As a result of design research, a number of projects for vehicles with the “AT” index appeared, which never went into production. In the end, designers and customers from the Committee for the Development of Special Equipment of the British Ministry of Supply settled on the AT-16 model, which received the official index “A39”. In February 1944, 25 units were ordered for production, which were to be produced by September 1945. However, in May 1945, fighting in Europe ended, and the committee reduced the order to 12 vehicles. In February 1946, the order was again halved, and as a result, only 5 vehicles were manufactured. The units of the sixth copy of the A39 were used as a source of spare parts.

Super-heavy assault self-propelled artillery unit (according to the British classification - a tank) A39 project "Tortoise" Source - moddb.com

In fact, the Tortoise was not a tank, but a self-propelled gun, since the A39 did not have a turret, and the 94-mm cannon was located directly in the frontal part of the conning tower. However, according to the British classification, the self-propelled gun could not be so heavy (the weight of the A39 reached 89 tons), and it was decided to classify it as a tank. To the left of the gun was a BESA machine gun (English version of the Czechoslovakian ZB-53), and two more such machine guns were installed in the turret on the roof of the vehicle. The self-propelled gun did not go into large production, since compared to the heavy Soviet tanks of its day (after the war, Britain considered the USSR as the main potential enemy), it was outdated both in mobility (maximum speed - 19 km/h) and in armament, although its powerful the 228 mm thick frontal armor impressed contemporaries.

The UK's heaviest tank, the A39 project "Tortoise" at the Bovington Tank Museum Source - weaponscollection.com

Pz.Kpfw. E-100

This vehicle was created as an alternative to the Pz.Kpfw VIII Maus tank, designed by Porsche. In fact, Ferdinand Porsche took advantage of his position, being a good acquaintance of the Reich Minister of Armaments Todt and being on good terms with Hitler himself. Using his connections, Porsche contributed to the closure of the project of another super-heavy tank, the VK 7201 “Heavy Lion” (Schwere Löwe), produced by the Krupp concern. Meanwhile, another German tank designer and functionary, Heinrich Ernst Kniepkamp, in defiance of Porsche, initiated the development of a whole series of tanks that were supposed to replace all types of armored tracked combat vehicles in the army, from reconnaissance tanks to super-heavy breakthrough tanks. The last one was supposed to be the E-100.

Image of Pz.Kpfw. E-100 Source – war-arms.info

Of all the E-Series vehicles, the development of the E-100 tank has advanced the furthest. This tank was supposed to be lighter than the Maus (140 tons versus 188), and at the same time armored at the same level. It was designed in such a way that the armor plates had as few right angles as possible (unlike the Maus tank, the sides of which were almost vertical). Three turret variants for this tank were developed, the first of which was the Maus tank turret with a 128 mm gun. True, in the version for the E-100 tank, they decided to replace the 128 mm gun with a 150 mm one. The turret was to be manufactured by the Krupp concern, and they were also to develop a method for installing the gun. This option turned out to be preferable to the other two, but neither of them was implemented in metal. If the Germans still had enough time, the E-100 would have received the most powerful gun in the entire history of the creation of super-heavy tanks. Only one copy of the chassis of this tank was created, which was tested at the Heistenbeck training ground with a dummy turret. At the end of the war, this chassis fell into the hands of the British troops as a trophy and was later taken to Great Britain, where it was carefully studied by local engineers.

A Pz.Kpfw tank loaded onto a transport platform. E-100 with a British soldier posing on top Source – armyman.info

T28-T95 (Turtle)

They didn’t sit idly by overseas either. In September 1943, the United States began work on its own breakthrough tank. The United States was preparing to enter the war in Europe and feared that it would not be easy to overcome the Atlantic Wall, built by the Germans on the coast, and then the Siegfried Line. But, as often happens, army functionaries realized it quite late (apparently, they forgot to take into account that creating fundamentally new tanks is a long process).

T28-T95 (Turtle) Source – aeronavale-porteavions.com

It was planned to install a 105 mm T5E1 cannon as the main armament on the tank. The initial speed of its projectile, as military officials believed, was sufficient to pierce the concrete walls of bunkers. The gun was supposed to be placed in the frontal armor plate of the vehicle - this decision was reached in order to reduce the silhouette of the T-28. In fact, the new vehicle was not a tank, but a breakthrough self-propelled gun - the American military realized this over time, and the vehicle was renamed the T-95 self-propelled gun. As Americans like to do, at the same time they gave her the nickname “Turtle”. The self-propelled guns were equipped with an electric transmission designed for installation on T1E1 and T23 tanks.

Design studies and bureaucratic delays led to the fact that the decision to manufacture prototypes was made only in March 1944. But the military rejected the finished project and ordered three vehicles, the frontal armor of which was supposed to reach 305 mm, which was one and a half times higher than the previously planned 200 mm. After the changes made, the weight of the vehicle increased to 86.3 tons. To reduce the pressure on the ground and increase the maneuverability of the self-propelled gun, it was decided to make its tracks double. As a result, the new project was not ready until March 1945, when hostilities in Europe and the Pacific Front were drawing to a close. The first prototype was shipped to the Aberdeen Proving Ground when it was no longer needed, on December 21, 1945. Production of the second copy was completed on January 10, 1946.

As a result of lengthy tests carried out in 1947, the American military again renamed the T95 into the T28 breakthrough tank, since, in their opinion, the self-propelled gun could not weigh that much. Almost simultaneously, they came to the conclusion that the low speed of the vehicle did not meet modern conditions of warfare. As a result, the T28 (T95) was abandoned, but perhaps American bureaucrats were simply tired of puzzling over the classification of this vehicle.

T28 (T95) on display at the Patton Museum in Fort Knox, Kentucky Source – wallconvert.com

"Object 279"

It would be unfair to ignore the USSR, a country that can rightfully be called the most “tank” power of the 20th century. In the last century, Soviet enterprises produced the largest number of tanks and designed the largest number of their models. However, the country of the Soviets was not keen on super-heavy tanks. Before WWII there simply wasn’t enough money for them, and during the war there wasn’t even enough time. Thus, in the summer of 1941, the Leningrad Kirov Plant developed a project for a super-heavy tank KV-5, the weight of which would reach 100 tons, but in August German troops approached Leningrad, and work on this project was stopped.

After the end of WWII, with the advent of cumulative ammunition, it became clear to all tank designers that it was irrational to create combat vehicles heavier than 60 tons. With such a large weight, it is impossible to make them fast and maneuverable, which means that, despite the most powerful armor, they will quickly be shot down. But the specter of nuclear war loomed on the horizon, and designers began to develop vehicles that were supposed to conduct combat operations in unprecedented conditions.

“Object 279” at the training ground Source – panzer35.ru

In 1957, an amazing tank was created at the Zh. Ya. Kotin Design Bureau of the Leningrad Kirov Plant under the leadership of L. S. Troyanov. Although it weighed only 60 tons and in terms of mass cannot claim the title of a super-heavy tank, in terms of its level of armor it does. The thickness of the walls of its cast tower along the perimeter was 305 mm. At the same time, the thickness of the frontal armor reached 269 mm, the sides - 182 mm. This thickness of armor was achieved thanks to the original shape of the hull, more like a flying saucer than a tank. The unusual product was given the index “Object 279”. The experimental armored vehicle was armed with a 130-mm M-65 rifled cannon with a barrel blowing system. Of all the super-heavy tanks realized in metal, the caliber of the main gun of the Object 279 is the largest.

The vehicle was equipped with a complex system of non-adjustable hydropneumatic suspension and double tracks. This technical solution made it possible to reduce the pressure on the ground and increase the tank's maneuverability, but seriously worsened its maneuverability. This factor, as well as the complexity of the machine to maintain, was the reason that the project did not go beyond the creation and testing of a prototype.

“Object 279” on display at the Central Museum of Armored Weapons and Equipment in Kubinka Source – panzer35.ru

Advantages and disadvantages

Summing up the tactical and technical characteristics of the Ob. 259A we can highlight its strengths and weaknesses.

Advantages:

large one-time damage;
high armor penetration;
high flight speed of the base projectile;
strong tower;
high maximum speed;
large viewing radius.

Flaws:

long mixing time;
gun tilt angle;
long recharge;
low DPM.