Obyekt 279
Encyclopedia
Object 279 was a Soviet experimental heavy tank
developed at the end of 1959.
This special purpose tank was intended to fight on cross country terrain, inaccessible to conventional tanks, acting as a heavy breakthrough tank, and if necessary withstanding even the shockwave of a nuclear explosion. It was planned as a tank of the Supreme Command Reserve.
, by a group headed by the engineer L. Troyanov. The work on the tank started in 1957, which was based on a heavy tank operational requirements developed in 1956, and a pre-production tank was completed at the end of 1959.
This unique tank boasted increased cross-country capability. It featured four-track running gear mounted on two longitudinal, rectangular hollow beams, which were also used as fuel tanks. The tank suspension was hydro-pneumatic with complex hydrotransformer and three-speed planetary gearbox. The track adjuster was worm-type. The specific ground pressure of this heavy vehicle did not exceed 0.6 kgf/cm2. The track chain, running practically along the whole track length provided for increased cross-country capabilities on swampy terrain, soft soils and area full of cut trees, Czech hedgehog
s, antitank obstacles and the like.
The tank was equipped with the powerful 1000 hp 2DG-8M diesel engine, enabling the 60 metric ton tank to attain 55 km/h speed, with active range of 300 km on one refuel. It also had an auto fire-fighting systems, smoke laying equipment and combat compartment heating/cooling system.
and shaped charge
ammunition, and preventing it from overturning by the shockwave in case of a nuclear explosion. It comprised large cast irregular shape structures of variable thickness and slope. The all-cast front part of the hull was rounded in shape with thin armour panels against HEAT
projectiles, which ran around the edges of the front and sides of the hull. The sides of the hull were also cast and had similar protective armour panels.
The all-cast turret, with a maximum armor thickness of 319 mm , was rounded and had anti-HEAT protective panels. The turret ring was also heavily protected. The tank was equipped with a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection.
(RHA) at 90°. The secondary armament was a 14.5 x 114 mm KPVT coaxial machine gun with 800 rounds. The weapons were stabilized in two planes by a "Groza" stabilizer. Object 279 carried 40 rounds of ammunition, with charge and the shell to be loaded separately.
The gun was provided with a semi-automatic loading system with a rate of fire of 5-7 rounds/min. Firing control system comprised optical/radar rangefinder, auto-guidance system and L2 night-sight with an active infrared searchlight.
An improved variant of the gun was later, late 1970s, tested on the experimental tank Object 785
.
, Nikita Khrushchev
strictly forbade any tanks with a weight of more than 37 metric tons to be adopted by the military, having thus written off the entire program of heavy tanks which proven to be so successful).
Nikita Khrushchev himself was a supporter of guided missile tanks, which apparently added to the decision, the most prominent of which was the Object 775
.
Furthermore, the Russians wanted tanks with a suitable weight for crossing their own bridges, in case of a homeland defence situations similar to the World War II ones, which at that time seemed to be unreliable for heavy vehicle crossings.
Other reason was the fact that a number of serious deficiencies of the running gear appeared during the trials. Low nimbleness, efficiency loss during swampy area crossings, complex and expensive production, maintenance and repair, and impossibility of reduction in the overall height of the tank.
Heavy tank
A heavy tank was a subset of tank that filled the heavy direct-fire role of many armies.Heavy tanks have usually been deployed to breakthrough enemy lines, though in practice have been more useful in the defensive role than in the attack...
developed at the end of 1959.
This special purpose tank was intended to fight on cross country terrain, inaccessible to conventional tanks, acting as a heavy breakthrough tank, and if necessary withstanding even the shockwave of a nuclear explosion. It was planned as a tank of the Supreme Command Reserve.
Design
The tank was developed at the Kirov Industrial Plant, LeningradLeningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, by a group headed by the engineer L. Troyanov. The work on the tank started in 1957, which was based on a heavy tank operational requirements developed in 1956, and a pre-production tank was completed at the end of 1959.
This unique tank boasted increased cross-country capability. It featured four-track running gear mounted on two longitudinal, rectangular hollow beams, which were also used as fuel tanks. The tank suspension was hydro-pneumatic with complex hydrotransformer and three-speed planetary gearbox. The track adjuster was worm-type. The specific ground pressure of this heavy vehicle did not exceed 0.6 kgf/cm2. The track chain, running practically along the whole track length provided for increased cross-country capabilities on swampy terrain, soft soils and area full of cut trees, Czech hedgehog
Czech hedgehog
The Czech hedgehog or ježek, was a static anti-tank obstacle defence made of angled iron deployed during World War II by various combatants....
s, antitank obstacles and the like.
The tank was equipped with the powerful 1000 hp 2DG-8M diesel engine, enabling the 60 metric ton tank to attain 55 km/h speed, with active range of 300 km on one refuel. It also had an auto fire-fighting systems, smoke laying equipment and combat compartment heating/cooling system.
Armour
The tank hull, with a maximum armor thickness of 269 mm, was covered by a thin, elliptical shield protecting it against APDSArmour-piercing discarding sabot
Armour-piercing discarding sabot is a type of kinetic energy projectile fired from a gun to attack armoured targets. APDS rounds are sabot rounds and were commonly used in large calibre tank guns, but have now been superseded by armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot projectiles in such...
and shaped charge
Shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Various types are used to cut and form metal, to initiate nuclear weapons, to penetrate armor, and in the oil and gas industry...
ammunition, and preventing it from overturning by the shockwave in case of a nuclear explosion. It comprised large cast irregular shape structures of variable thickness and slope. The all-cast front part of the hull was rounded in shape with thin armour panels against HEAT
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
projectiles, which ran around the edges of the front and sides of the hull. The sides of the hull were also cast and had similar protective armour panels.
The all-cast turret, with a maximum armor thickness of 319 mm , was rounded and had anti-HEAT protective panels. The turret ring was also heavily protected. The tank was equipped with a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection.
Armament
The tank was armed with the 130 mm M-65 rifled gun, firing APDS rounds with a muzzle velocity of 1000 m/s, for the 33 kg armor-piercing tracer shell, and a maximum armor penetration of 450 mm of rolled homogeneous armourRolled homogeneous armour
Rolled homogeneous armour is a type of steel which is used to armour vehicles.-Composition:Armoured steel must be hard yet impervious to shock in order to resist high velocity metal projectiles. Steel with these characteristics is produced by processing cast steel billets of appropriate size and...
(RHA) at 90°. The secondary armament was a 14.5 x 114 mm KPVT coaxial machine gun with 800 rounds. The weapons were stabilized in two planes by a "Groza" stabilizer. Object 279 carried 40 rounds of ammunition, with charge and the shell to be loaded separately.
The gun was provided with a semi-automatic loading system with a rate of fire of 5-7 rounds/min. Firing control system comprised optical/radar rangefinder, auto-guidance system and L2 night-sight with an active infrared searchlight.
An improved variant of the gun was later, late 1970s, tested on the experimental tank Object 785
Object 785
Object 785 was a Soviet experimental main battle tank built in the late 1970s. It was an improved variant of the T-80B, with seven road wheels....
.
History
One of the reasons this tank project to be abandoned, as other heavy tank projects, was the fact that the Russians stopped operating with heavy fighting vehicles of that type, tanks and similar, as of 1960. Since then, the heaviest ones are kept at about 50 metric tons of weight, that is without counting in any additional equipment such as additional reactive armor, mine clearing devices (mine ploughs, mine rollers) etc. It was something concerning the current Soviet policy ("А 22 июля 1960 г. на демонстрации новой техники на полигоне Капустин Яр Н. С. Хрущев категорически запретил прием на вооружение любых танков массой более 37 т, тем самым поставив крест на всей программе тяжелых танков, оказавшейся столь результативной" / On July 22, 1960 at the demonstration of new technology on the range of Kapustin YarKapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar is a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, between Volgograd and Astrakhan. Known today as Znamensk , it was established 13 May 1946 and in the beginning used technology, material, and scientific support from defeated Germany...
, Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
strictly forbade any tanks with a weight of more than 37 metric tons to be adopted by the military, having thus written off the entire program of heavy tanks which proven to be so successful).
Nikita Khrushchev himself was a supporter of guided missile tanks, which apparently added to the decision, the most prominent of which was the Object 775
Object 775
Object 775 was a Soviet experimental missile tank built in 1964.The tank had an extremely low profile, with a crew of two placed in an isolated compartment in the turret. The main armament was a 125 mm rifled missile launcher, with a maximum range of 4 km for the "Rubin" anti-tank guided...
.
Furthermore, the Russians wanted tanks with a suitable weight for crossing their own bridges, in case of a homeland defence situations similar to the World War II ones, which at that time seemed to be unreliable for heavy vehicle crossings.
Other reason was the fact that a number of serious deficiencies of the running gear appeared during the trials. Low nimbleness, efficiency loss during swampy area crossings, complex and expensive production, maintenance and repair, and impossibility of reduction in the overall height of the tank.