The idea of creating an atomic tank driven by a nuclear power plant appeared in the middle of the 20th century, when humanity naively believed that an ideal source of energy had been found, safe, practically eternal and applicable even in everyday life.
In addition, some believe that the Object 279 is a Soviet nuclear tank, although it had a traditional diesel engine.
American developments
So, the concept of nuclear tanks began to develop in the United States at the Question Mark III conference in Detroit in June 1954. It was assumed that the nuclear reactor would make the power reserve practically unlimited and allow the equipment to be combat-ready even after long marches. Two options were developed, the first proposed a special machine that would supply power to others during a long drive. The second option involved creating a tank with a nuclear reactor inside, protected on all sides by powerful armor.
TV-1 and TV-8
As a result of the development of the second result, the TV-1 project weighing 70 tons and frontal armor 350 mm appeared. The power plant consisted of a reactor and a turbine, and was capable of operating for more than 500 hours without refueling. The tank was armed with a 105 mm T140 cannon and several machine guns.
In August 1955, a conference was held under the number Question Mark IV, at which an improved and lightweight R32 project appeared, characterized by a weight reduced by 20 tons, 120 mm armor located at a high angle and a 90 mm T208 gun. The tank was protected at the level of contemporary medium tanks, but had a power reserve of more than 4,000 without refueling. As in the case of its predecessor, the matter was limited to the project.
It was planned to convert the M103 into nuclear tank for various tests, but the car was never built.
Also in the United States, they created an interesting nuclear tank, the Chrysler TV-8, which accommodates the crew and most of the mechanisms along with a nuclear reactor inside a huge tower mounted on a maximally reduced body with electric motors driving it inside. To be fair, it is worth noting that the first version of the tank was equipped with a 300-horsepower eight-cylinder diesel engine driving a generator. Besides the unusual appearance, TV-8 was supposed to float thanks to the displacement of the tower. It was armed with a 90 mm T208 cannon and 2 7.62 machine guns. A very progressive solution for its time was the installation of external cameras designed to save the crew’s eyes from flashes of explosions outside.
Work was also carried out in the USSR, although less actively. It is sometimes believed that a Soviet nuclear tank was created on the basis of the T-10, built in metal and tested, but this is not true. In 1961, TPP-3 was built and put into operation, which is a transportable nuclear power plant that moved on an extended heavy tank chassis and provided power to itself along with power to military and civilian facilities in the Far North and Siberia.
It is worth mentioning once again the so-called Object 279 nuclear war tank, which in fact is unlikely to be able to withstand an explosion and protect its crew.
Also sometimes I remember a certain tank with nuclear shells. Probably they could call it the T-64A, with a turret-mounted launcher, capable of firing both conventional TURS and tactical missiles with a nuclear charge. This fighting machine received the name Taran, had a mass of 37 tons, a crew of 3 people and was intended to disable enemy forces from a distance beyond their reach.
Despite the abundance of projects, a nuclear tank was never created. Why? If only because the slightest damage in battle turned it into a small nuclear bomb, with a guarantee that it destroyed its crew and allies around. Even without damage, the crew had to be constantly changed to avoid excessive radiation exposure. Such shortcomings turned out to be critical and even in our time there is no way to overcome them.
In the 50s of the 20th century, after the appearance of the first nuclear reactors, projects appeared to equip ships, planes, rockets and even trains with them. At that time, these projects seemed almost impossible to implement. Of course, the American military could not help but notice such a promising power plant for military equipment. Tanks were not spared either.
What is the history of the creation of atomic tanks?
The first such project was developed at a conference called “Question Mark III”, which took place in June 1954 in Detroit. Such a tank was called TV-1, which weighed 70 tons, was protected by 350 mm armor and would have been armed with 105 mm. gun. Thanks to a nuclear reactor, it could operate for 500 hours without needing to change fuel. In this project, we did not forget about the machine that would supply energy to the equipment during forced marches.
At the next conference called "Question Mark IV", which took place a year later, another nuclear tank was presented. Over the years since Question Mark III, the design of the reactors has changed, which has made it possible to reduce the size and weight of the machine. It was called R-32, and it already weighed 50 tons. The caliber of the gun was reduced to 90 millimeters. The frontal armor has also become smaller – “only” 120 mm. The vehicle's reactor allowed it to travel over distances of 4,000 miles, that is, almost 6,500 kilometers.
Diagram of a nuclear tank model R32 (side section)This project was considered more promising than its predecessor TV-1, and they even thought that the R-32 could in the future replace the then main tank of the American army, the M-48. But reality dictated its conditions: the expected cost of the future nuclear tank alone discouraged any desire to produce them in series. The R-32 did not progress beyond sketches. After that, the idea was to remake the heavy American tank M-103 into a nuclear reactor test vehicle. But she didn’t go beyond the project on paper.
But what about the USSR with its “catch up and overtake America”? In the Soviet Union, such projects simply did not exist. Based on the T-10 heavy tank, they created a mobile nuclear power plant called TPP-3, which began to be used in 1961. Then this program was curtailed and only returned to it in the 80s.
What are the reasons for refusing to create and produce nuclear tanks? Firstly, this high price such machines. Secondly, the crews of such tanks must undergo more thorough and thorough training. In addition, the question immediately arose of creating specialized repair and refueling machines. But damage to such vehicles in battle most likely led to radioactive contamination.
“Object 279” – very original Soviet project heavy tank for nuclear war conditions...The emergence of atomic weapons required the military to reconsider both the strategy and tactics of warfare. But the role of tanks has only increased. After all, as it turned out, of all types of military equipment, tanks turned out to be the most resistant to the effects of all damaging factors nuclear explosion. Of course, improvements were required... Object 279 is a tank optimized for operation in a full-scale nuclear war. Its design has two “highlights”: an original chassis with four tracks, and a body in the shape of an elongated ellipsoid.
The cast hull was complemented by anti-cumulative screens, which gave the tank unusual shape, reminiscent of a “flying saucer”. According to the designers, this was supposed to prevent the tank from capsizing when exposed to a powerful shock wave.
The four-track undercarriage gave the heavy tank unique maneuverability: when overcoming obstacles, it was almost impossible to plant it “on its belly,” and the ground pressure of the 60-ton vehicle was only 0.6 kg/sq.cm.
It was assumed that such super cross-country ability would be needed to pass through the destruction zone near the epicenter of an atomic explosion. In addition, to protect against Soviet tank armies, the Europeans were seriously planning to use nuclear land mines to destroy reservoirs and river channels to flood and swamp the area.
But the original design also had its very significant drawbacks: large power losses, turning resistance increased by 12 times compared to the “classic”, difficulty in maintenance and repair. Object 279 was manufactured and tested, but for many reasons it did not become a production vehicle. Now the unique tank is in the tank museum in Kubinka...
Rumors are heard from behind the scenes of military developments that this unique car will still receive the right to life, having undergone serious modernization in the conditions modern world. Well, let's hope so! Performance characteristics tank Object 279:
Dimensions:
length – 10.2 m (without trunk 6.77 m)
height – 2.5 m
width – 3.4 m
Weight – 60 t
Armor:
forehead – 93-269 mm
side – 100-182 mm
tower – 217-305 mm
Weapons:
M-65 gun 130 mm caliber
KPVT machine gun 14.5mm caliber – 1 pc.
Ammunition – 24 rounds
Engine– diesel 16-cylinder H-shaped four-stroke DG-1000 or 2DG-8M
Power reserve – up to 250 km
Speed – up to 55 km/h
Crew – 4 people
Model of tank TV-1, presented at the conference Question Mark III
By the time of the next conference, Question Mark IV, carried out in August 1955, the development of nuclear reactors made it possible to significantly reduce their size, and therefore the weight of the tank. The project presented at the conference under the designation R32 envisioned the creation of a 50-ton tank armed with a 90-mm smoothbore gun T208 and protected in the frontal projection by 120 mm armor located at an angle of 60° to the vertical. The reactor provided the tank with an estimated range of more than 4,000 miles. R32 was considered more promising than the original version of the nuclear tank, and was even considered as a possible replacement for the M48 tank, which was in production, despite obvious disadvantages, such as the extremely high cost of the vehicle and the need for regular replacement of crews to prevent them from receiving a dangerous dose of radiation exposure . However R32 did not go beyond the preliminary design stage. Gradually, the army's interest in nuclear tanks faded, but work in this direction continued at least until 1959. None of the nuclear tank projects even reached the stage of building a prototype, just as the project to convert the M103 heavy tank into an experimental vehicle for testing a nuclear reactor on a tank chassis remained on paper.
USSR [ | ]
General Concept Problems[ | ]
The main problem with the concept of a nuclear-powered tank was that a large power reserve did not mean high autonomy of the vehicle. The limiting factor was the supply of ammunition, lubricants for mechanical parts, and the service life of caterpillar tracks. As a result, the elimination of refueling vehicles from tank units and the simplification of the supply of combustible materials to nuclear tanks in practice did not lead to any significant increase in autonomy. At the same time, the cost of nuclear-powered tanks would be significantly higher than conventional ones. Their maintenance and repair would require specially trained personnel and special repair machines and equipment. In addition, damage to the tank would most likely lead to
60 years ago, an “atomic tank” was created in conditions of absolute secrecy.
In 1956, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev instructed the designers to begin work on a project for a unique tank that was not afraid of an atomic explosion, radiation contamination of the crew, or chemical or biological attacks. The project received article number 279.
The armor is strong at 300 millimeters
And such a heavy tank weighing 60 tons was designed by 1957 at SKB-2 of the Kirov Plant of Leningrad (KZL) under the leadership of the chief designer, Major General Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin. It was immediately and rightly called atomic. Moreover, the lion's share of its weight was armor, in some places reaching up to 305 millimeters. That is why inner space for the crew was much less than that of heavy tanks of similar mass.
The atomic tank embodied new tactics for waging World War III and a more “vegetarian” era, when human life was at least worth something. It was the concern for the crew of this armored vehicle that dictated some of the tactical and technical specifications of this tank. For example, if necessary, the hermetically sealed turret hatch and breech of the gun prevented even a speck of dust from entering the interior of the vehicle, not to mention radioactive gases and chemicals infection. Bacteriological danger was also excluded for tankers.
Thus, even the sides of the hull were protected by almost twice as thick armor as the German Tigers. It reached 182 mm on the 279th. The frontal armor of the hull generally had an unprecedented thickness - from 258 to 269 mm. This exceeded the parameters of even such a cyclopean German development of the Third Reich as the heaviest monster in the history of tank building, as if jokingly called by its developer Ferdinand Porsche Maus (“Mouse”). With a vehicle weight of 189 tons, its frontal armor was 200 mm. Whereas in an atomic tank it was simply covered with impenetrable 305 mm high-alloy steel. Moreover, the body of the Soviet miracle tank was shaped like a turtle shell - shoot, don’t shoot, and the shells simply slipped off it and flew on. In addition, the giant’s body was also covered with anti-cumulative shields.
Eh, not enough shells!
It was no coincidence that this configuration was chosen by the leading designer of the SKB-2 KZL, Lev Sergeevich Troyanov: after all, the tank was not just called nuclear - it was intended to conduct combat operations directly near a nuclear explosion. Moreover, the almost flat body prevented the vehicle from tipping over even under the influence of a monstrous shock wave. The tank's armor could withstand even a frontal hit from a 90-mm cumulative projectile, as well as a close-range shot from an armor-piercing charge from a 122-mm cannon. And not only in the forehead - the side also withstood such hits.
By the way, for such a heavyweight he had a very good speed on the highway - 55 km/h. And being invulnerable, the iron hero himself could cause a lot of trouble to the enemy: his gun had a caliber of 130 mm, and easily penetrated any armor existing at that time. True, the stock of shells gave rise to pessimistic thoughts - according to the instructions, only 24 of them were placed in the tank. In addition to the gun, the four crew members also had a heavy machine gun at their disposal.
Another feature of Project 279 was its tracks - there were four of them. In other words, a nuclear tank, in principle, could not get stuck - even in complete off-road conditions, thanks also to the low specific pressure on the ground. And he successfully overcame mud, deep snow, and even anti-tank hedgehogs and gouges. During the tests in 1959, in the presence of representatives of the military-industrial complex and the Ministry of Defense, the military liked everything, especially the thickness of the armor of the nuclear tank and its complete protection from everything. But the ammunition load plunged the generals into despondency. They were not impressed by the difficulty of operating the chassis, as well as the extremely low ability to maneuver.
And the project was abandoned. The tank remained manufactured in a single copy, which is today exhibited in Kubinka - in the Armored Museum. And two other unfinished prototypes were melted down.
Flying tank
Another exotic development of our military engineers was the A-40 or, as it was also called, “KT” (“Tank Wings”). According to the alternate name, he could even... fly. Design "CT" (namely we're talking about about the airframe for the domestic T-60) began 75 years ago - in 1941. In order to lift the tank into the air, a glider was attached to it, which was then towed by a TB-3 heavy bomber. It was none other than Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, who then worked in the Glider Directorate as the chief engineer at the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry, who came up with such a non-standard solution.
It is clear that with a weight of almost eight tons (including the glider), the tank, equipped with wings, could fly behind the bomber at a speed of only 130 km/h. However, the main thing they wanted to teach him was to land in the right place, unhooking from the BT-3 in advance. It was planned that after landing, two crew members would remove all unnecessary flight “uniform” from the T-60 and be ready for combat, having at their disposal a 20 mm caliber gun and a machine gun. The T-60 was supposed to be delivered to surrounded units of the Red Army or partisans, and they also wanted to use this method of transportation for the emergency transfer of vehicles to the necessary sections of the front.
Tests of the flying tank took place in August-September 1942. Alas, due to its low speed, the glider only just stayed at a height of forty meters above the ground due to poor streamlining and its rather solid mass. There was a war going on, and at that time such projects were not welcome. Only those developments that could become combat vehicles in the very near future were welcomed.
For this reason, the project was canceled. This happened in February 1943, when Oleg Antonov was already working in the design bureau of Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev - his deputy. Another important point, due to which work on the A-40 was stopped, was the condition for transporting its ammunition along with the tank - this question remained open. The flying tank was also made in just one copy. But it was not the only project of our designers. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of such developments. Fortunately, our country has always had enough talented engineers.