PT-76
Encyclopedia
The PT-76 is a Soviet amphibious
light tank
which was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army
and the other Warsaw Pact
armed forces. It was widely exported to other friendly states, like India
, Iraq
, North Korea
and North Vietnam
. Overall, some 25 countries used the PT-76.
The tank's full name is Floating Tank–76 . 76 stands for the caliber of the main armament: the 76.2 mm D-56T series rifled tank gun
.
The PT-76 is used in the reconnaissance and fire-support roles. Its chassis served as the basis for a number of other vehicle designs, many of them amphibious, including the BTR-50 armored personnel carrier, the ZSU-23-4
self-propelled antiaircraft gun, the ASU-85
airborne self-propelled gun and the 2K12 Kub anti-aircraft missile launch vehicle.
, the concept of light tanks was resurrected in the USSR. They were to be used in reconnaissance units and therefore an amphibious ability was essential. The requirements stated that the vehicle should be able to cross water obstacles with little preparation. Many prototypes of such light tanks were built in the late 1940s. The most successful was "obyekt 740" (object 740) designed by the engineer N. Shashmurin working at the VNII-100 institute in Leningrad
(a research institute of Chelyabinsk
Tank Factory ChTZ) in 1949-1950, under an initial supervision of Zh. Kotin from Kirov Plant. The vehicle was successful because it had a simple design, good navigational traits and a good cross country capability. At the time, its water-jet design was innovative.
A prototype was built at Kirov Plant in 1950 and the tank was officially adopted on August 6, 1951 with the designation PT-76. Production started at the Stalingrad Tractor Factory (STZ). The tank was subsequently modified. In 1957 a gun D-56T was replaced with D-56TM with double-baffle muzzle brake and fume extractor, a hull was raised by 13 cm, and the tank was equipped with new vision and communications devices. First series tanks were subsequently modified, receiving D-56TM gun and new equipment. In 1959 an improved variant, the PT-76B, was adopted and remained in production until 1967 (main improvements were: D-56TS gun with stabilization and NBC protection).
The PT-76 has a typical tank layout: the steering compartment at the front, the combat compartment in the center and the engine compartment at the back. The tank has a three-man crew, with the commander also acting as the radio operator and gunner. This reduces his effectiveness as an observer. The commander and loader stations are located inside the turret, the commander sits on the left-hand side of the main gun and the loader sits on the right. They have a large oval shaped double hatch which opens forwards on top of the turret. The driver sits in the center of the front of the hull and has a one piece hatch that opens to the right, with three vision blocks and periscopes located beneath the main gun at the top of the sloping glacis plate. Under the driver's seat there is an emergency hatch which can be used by all crew members. At night the center periscope is swapped for a TVN-28 night vision device which gives the driver clear vision up to 60 meters.
Its main armament consists of a 76.2 mm D-56T series rifled tank gun which has an effective range of approximately 1,500 meters and a rate of fire of six to eight rounds per minute. This gun is 42 caliber
s long. The PT-76 carries 40 rounds for its gun. A typical ammunition load consists of 24 x OF-350 Frag-HE, 4 x subcaliber AP-T, 4 x AP-T and 8 x BK-350M HEAT rounds. The gun is mounted in an oval dish-type circular truncated cone turret with flat sloping sides which is mounted over the second, third, and fourth pair of road wheels. All PT-76s have a fume extractor for the main gun at the rear of the turret.
The 7.62 mm SGMT coaxial medium machine gun comes with 1,000 rounds. This weapon has a maximum effective range of 1,000 meters in daylight while the vehicle is stationary, 400 to 500 meters in daylight while the vehicle is on the move and 600 meters at night. Maximum range is 1,500 meters. It can be fired in 2 to 10 round bursts and has a practical rate of fire of 250 rounds per minute and a cyclic rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute. From 1967 the machine gun was replaced with PKT
of the same caliber.
The main gun is considered light for a modern tank which can fire BM-354P HVAP, sub-caliber AP-T, AP-T, BR-350 API-T and OF-350 Frag-HE rounds (as can the 76.2 mm M1942 (ZiS-3) divisional gun) and is capable of penetrating the armour of APCs and other lightly armored vehicles.
The commander/gunner has a cupola on the left side of the double hatch. The cupola has the TPKU-2B observation device and two TNP day periscopes and can be rotated 360 degrees by hand. The commander also has a 4X optical sight mounted to the left of the main armament and a TShK-66 sight/rangefinder. The loader has the MK-4 observation device mounted on the turret's roof in front of the hatch.
The BM-354P High Velocity Armor Piercing (HVAP) round has a maximum effective range of 650 meters by day and 600 meters at night. Its maximum aimed range is 1,060 meters. It can penetrate 127 mm of armour at muzzle and 50 mm at 1,000 meters. The armour piercing round can pierce 60 mm of armor inclined at 60 degrees from a range of 2,000 meters. The BK-350M High Explosive Anti Tank or HEAT round has a maximum effective range of 650 meters by day and 600 meters at night. Its maximum range is 1,000 meters. It can penetrate 280 mm of armour at 1,000 meters. The OF-350 Frag-HE round has a maximum effective range of 600 meters at night and a maximum range of 4,000 meters. The gun can be fired while the vehicle is afloat. The gun can also be depressed and elevated between -4 and +30 degrees so like most Soviet tanks, the PT-76 has a limited ability to depress its main gun, and therefore cannot fire effectively from higher ground. One of the greatest disadvantages of the gun used on the PT-76 Model 1 was that it had no stabilization system and therefore couldn't be effectively fired while the vehicle was on the move. The PT-76 Model 2 has a 1-axis stabilization system and the PT-76B has a 2-axis system.
The armor of the PT-76 consists of homogeneous, cold rolled, welded steel. Its turret has 20 mm at 35° at the front, 16 mm at 35° at the sides, 11 mm at 33° at the rear and 8 mm at 0° on top of the turret. The hull is made up of: 10 mm at 80° at the upper front, 13 mm at 80° at the lower front, 14 mm at 0° at the sides, 7 mm at 0° in the rear and 5 mm at 0° underneath. This gives it protection against 7.62 mm small arms fire and small artillery shell fragments. It does not protect it against 12.7 mm or .50-caliber heavy machine gun fire or larger shell fragments.
The torsion bar suspension consists of six evenly spaced large rubber-tired road wheels with the drive sprocket at the rear and the idler at the front. The road wheels are hollow to minimize weight. These hollow road wheels increase the tank's buoyancy by 30%. There are no track-return rollers. The first and last road wheels have a hydraulic shock absorber and the steel tracks have 96 links each when new, each link has a single pin. There is a small, thin, horizontal skirt over each track. Its V-6 6-cylinder 4-stroke in line water-cooled diesel engine develops 240 hp (179 kW) at 1,800 rpm which gives it a road speed of 44 km/h and a range of 370 km to 400 km. The vehicle can cross 1.1 m high vertical obstacles and 2.8 m wide trenches and climb 52° gradients. The engine has a cooling system and an initial heater (intended for use when the air temperature is -20 °C or colder). The PT-76 has a 5-speed manual shaft-type transmission system similar to the one in the T-34/85. The gearbox has four forward gears and one reverse. The vehicle has a side clutch that enables it to make turns and a bandbrake. The tank has four mounts for additional external fuel tanks at the rear of the hull. The two on the corners are for flat type external tanks and the two in the center are for a drum type. These additional tanks increase the range from 370 km - 400 km to 480 km - 510 km. The PT-76 is a reliable, simple to operate and highly mobile reconnaissance vehicle and is ideally designed for amphibious operations, but it has many limitations as a fighting vehicle.
The PT-76 is amphibious, it has a flat, boat-shaped hull which is hermetical and ensures minimal resistance when the tank is afloat. It can swim after switching on the two electric bilge pumps, erecting the trim vane which improves the vehicle's stability and displacement in the water and prevents water from flooding into the bow of the tank. Switching the driver's periscope for a swimming periscope enables the driver to see over the trim vane. When not in use the trim vane is stowed in the front of the bow over the barrel of the main gun and serves as additional armor. Bilge pumps keep the tank afloat even if it leaks or is damaged. There is a manual bilge pump for emergency use. The tank is propelled through the water by two hydrojets, one on each side of the hull, with the inlets undermeath the hull and the outlets at the rear. There are also additional assistant water-jet inlets on both sides of the hull over the last road wheels. The rear outlets have lids that can be fully or partially closed, redirecting the water stream to the forward-directed outlets at the sides of the hull, thus enabling the vehicle to turn or go in reverse. To go turn to the left for example, the left water-jet is covered, to turn to the right, the right water-jet is covered. To make a 180° turn, one water-jet sucks in water while the other pushes it out. This system was designed by N. Konowalow. It is the same system as the one used in the BTR-50 APC which was based on the PT-76. The tank can swim at up to 10.2 km/h and has a range of 100 km. It can cross most water obstacles and can also swim in the sea. However, its amphibious design makes it disproportionally large for a vehicle of its weight and allows less armor protection than other light tanks.
About 5,000 PT-76s were built during the vehicle's lifetime, of which some 2,000 were exported. Over 25 countries employed the vehicle, including Afghanistan
, Albania
, Angola
, China
, Congo, Cuba
, Egypt
, Finland
, Guinea
, Hungary
, India
, Indonesia
, Iraq
, Laos
, Madagascar
, Mozambique
, North Korea
, Pakistan
, Poland
, North Vietnam
, and Yugoslavia
.
The PT-76 was used as the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact armies. It was also intended for water obstacle fording operations and naval infantry landings. It served in the reconnaissance subunits of tank divisions and mechanized divisions of the Red Army and Soviet marines divisions. Although it has been replaced in front line service by the BMP-1
and BRM-1, it may still be found in the reconnaissance companies and battalions of some motorized rifle and tank regiments and divisions, as well as in naval infantry units. Aside from its reconnaissance role, it is also used for crossing water obstacles in the first wave of an attack and for artillery support during the establishment of a beachhead. The main disadvantage of the BMP-1 and the BRM-1 when compared to the PT-76 is the absence of a powerful main armament. However, the BRM-1 is fitted with more modern reconnaissance equipment. Also, both vehicles have stronger front armor and superior mobility features and the BMP-1 can carry up to 8 fully equipped soldiers inside. The PT-76 is still on active service in a number of countries mainly in the third world
. The Russian Army
is reported to have used PT-76 units in the ongoing war in Chechnya
.
The PT-76 is used/stationed by/in following Russian units/bases: 61st tank repair plant (1), 61st Kirkinesskaya marine brigade (26) from Sputnik which is part of the Murmansk military district, 175th marine brigade (26) from Tumannyy which is part of the Murmansk military district and 336th Belostokskaya marine brigade (26) from Baltyysk which is part of the Kaliningrad military district.
In Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (LWP), PT-76s and PT-76Bs were used by the reconnaissance subunits of tank divisions and mechanized divisions and Coastal Defense units including the 7th Lusatian Landing Division (officially known as 7th Coast Defense Division). Poland also operated FROG-5 "Luna" tactical missile launch vehicles.
PT-76s were in service with the Indian Army and they were in reserve status before they were withdrawn from service in 2009 after which they were used for target practice by the army and as static memorials at various military facilities.
PT-76s along with T-54s, T-55
s, Type 59
s and Type 63 tanks formed the bulk of the NVA armored forces.
The first successful action of NVA armor was against the Lang Vei Special Forces
camp on 6/7 February 1968. Thirteen PT-76s, of the NVA 202nd Armored Regiment spearheaded an assault against approximately 24 Green Berets and 500 irregulars. The defenders fought back with M72 LAW
s (Light Anti-Tank Weapons/66 mm), and requested support from nearby Khe Sanh
, who were unable to help, as they too, were under siege. The few survivors broke out, and were airlifted to safety.
The first tank to tank engagement occurred in mid 1968 when a US reconnaissance airplane observed a PT-76 being washed by its crew in the Ben Hai River in the DMZ (17th Parallel). The Forward Air Control
pilot radioed the tank's position to a nearby M48 Patton
tank unit of the US 3rd Marine Tank Battalion. With the FAC adjusting fire, the Patton fired three 90 mm rounds; obtaining a hit with the third round. The tank crew abandoned their vehicle. Shortly afterward, some returning F-4 Phantom jet fighter bombers, with ordnance to expend, observed the PT-76 and bombed the vehicle into scrap metal. As expected, the F-4's claimed the kill.
Of the US Army's three armor (tank) battalions in Vietnam, only the 1/69th engaged in a tank to tank duel. On March 3, 1969, the Special Forces camp at Ben Het was attacked by the NVA 202nd Armored Regiment. The 202nd was tasked with the mission of destroying the camp's 175 mm self propelled guns. One of the PT-76s had detonated a land mine, which not only alerted the camp, but also lit up the other PT-76s attacking the firebase. Flares had been sent up, thus exposing adversary tanks, but sighting in on muzzle flashes, one PT-76 scored a direct hit on the turret of a M48, killing two Patton crewmen and wounding two more. A second Patton, using the same technique, destroyed a PT-76 with their second shot. At daybreak, the battlefield revealed the wreckage of two PT-76s and one BTR-50 armored personnel carrier.
On May 9, 1972, a PT-76 unwillingly participated in changing the story of armored warfare. On April 24, 1972, a US special experimental UH-1B helicopter team, consisting of two helicopters mounting the new XM26 TOW anti-tank missile (Tube Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire guided), accompanied by technicians from Bell Helicopters and the Hughes Aircraft Corporation arrived in country. The team, labeled the 1st Combat Aerial TOW Team deployed to the Central Highlands in Vietnam and commenced gunnery training. From May 2, the team made daily flights in search of enemy armor. On May 9, NVA armored units attacked the Ranger camp at Ben Het; the TOW team destroyed 3 PT-76s and broke up the attack.
On May 26, the North Vietnamese Army made another attempt to retake the city of Kontum. TOW aircraft were brought in at first light and found NVA tanks moving almost at will through portions of the city. Conventional air strikes would prove risky to friendly forces, but the TOW proved to be ideal for picking off enemy tanks. At the end of the first day, the two TOW helicopters had destroyed 9 tanks and damaged one more. Five of the destroyed tanks had been T-54/55s and the remaining four destroyed and one damaged were PT-76s. By the end of the month, TOW missiles launched from helicopters had 47 confirmed kills, of which 24 were tanks.
main battle tanks from the 1st Battalion 69th Armored battalion. The garrison also included a CIDG
unit. The engagement took place on March 3, 1969 at Ben Het in Kontum Province near the Laotian
border. The North Vietnamese fired 639 artillery and mortar rounds into the camp, before a battalion from the 66th NVA Regiment supported by ten PT-76s and a few APCs attacked the west hill held by a CIDG company supported by the platoon of M48s. The PT-76s drove into a minefield in which two were destroyed. Two more PT-76s and one APC were destroyed by the M48As. Six PT-76s were destroyed by artillery fire and airstrikes. US casualties consisted of one M48 being lightly damaged.http://www.rjsmith.com/ben-het.html.
The PT-76 also saw action with Indian forces in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
and 1971
. Despite the PT-76 being obsolete by 1971, the superior tactics and overwhelming numbers of the Indian Army
enabled it to play a vital role in defeating the Pakistani Army. In the Eastern theater the high numbers of PT-76s proved superior to the Pakistani World War II era M24 Chaffee
light tanks. It was a different story in the western theater where they proved incapable of facing Pakistani M48 Patton
and Type 59
main battle tanks especially at the crucial Battle of Chamb
.
The PT-76 also saw service in the Six Day War (1967) during which the Israeli army destroyed or captured about 200 Egyptian T-54, T-55 and PT-76 tanks. During the Yom Kippur War
in 1973 PT-76s were used during the crossing of the Great Bitter Lake
by the Egyptian 135th Marines Brigade.
It also saw service in the Angolan Civil War
(1975–2002).
During the Yugoslav wars
, the PT-76 saw service with the Yugoslav Peoples Army and later the army of the Krajina Serbs in a few battles during the Ten-Day War
in Slovenia
(1991) and Croatian War of Independence
(1991–1995).
The Indonesian Navy
used its PT-76Bs on the Indonesia
n island of Ambon
during civil unrest from 2000 onwards.
amphibious light tanks. - 32 ordered in 1968 from Indonesia and delivered between 1969 and 1970 (the vehicles were second hand).
- 200 in service as of 1995, 1,100 as of 1996, 150 as of 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2008. As of now there are 79 PT-76s in service, 78 of which are currently used by the marines, 1 is in a tank repair base. - 80 ordered in 1971 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1972 and 1973 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). 100 in service as of 1996. - 50 ordered in 1973 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1974 and 1975 (the vehicles were possibly previously in Soviet service). Currently 20 are in service. - 500 were in service as of 1996. Currently 300 are in service. Vietnam also operates a number of North Korean PT-85
s. - 50 ordered in 1983 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1984 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). Currently 30 are in service.
- 8 in service as of 1995 and none as 2000. - 250 ordered in 1959 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1960 and 1964. Withdrawn from service. - 1 in service as of 1998 an 9 as of 2003. All were captured from JNA
. Scrapped. - 15 ordered in 1960 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1961. - 170 ordered in 1956 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1957 and 1959. PT-76 Model 2 and PT-76B, passed on to the unified German state./ - PT-76 Model 2 and PT-76B, taken from the GDR's army. All were scrapped or sold to other countries. - 178 ordered in 1962 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1964 and 1965. 100 in service as of 1990 and 1995, 90 in service as of 1996, around 90 as of 2000, 2002 and 2005 and around 100 as of 2008. Retired as of 2009. - 45 ordered in 1967 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1968 and 1970 (the vehicles were probably previously in Soviet service). 200 ordered in 1983 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1984 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). 100 in service as of 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2002. All destroyed or scrapped. - Designed a copy of the PT-76, known as the Type 60 but it proved to be unsatisfactory and was replaced by a Chinese design, the Type 63
. - 300 ordered in 1955 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1957 and 1958. 30 in service as of 1996. Poland operated both PT-76 Model 2 and PT-76B. They served with the reconnaissance subunits of tank divisions and mechanized divisions of Coastal Defense units including the 7th Lusatian Landing Division. Poland also used the FROG-5 "Luna" tactical missile launch vehicle. Some of them were converted into WPT-76 ARVs. All PT-76s and vehicles based on it were withdrawn from service. - About 12,000 produced (about 10,000 for the Soviet Army
and about 2,000 for export). 1,000 in service as of 1990. About 1,113 were in Soviet Union during the breakup of the USSR. They were passed on to successor states. - 50 were originally inherited from the former Soviet Union. 5 in service as of 1995 and none as of 2000. - The US Army used a number of PT-76s in the OPFOR role for training. - 150 ordered in 1964 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1959 and 1960 (aid, the vehicles were possibly previously in Soviet service). 100 ordered in 1971 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1971 and 1972 (aid, the vehicles were possibly previously in Soviet service). Passed on to the unified Vietnam state. - 100 ordered in 1962 from the Soviet Union and delivered 1963.
Amphibious vehicle
An amphibious vehicle , is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water – just like an amphibian....
light tank
Light tank
A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movement, and now primarily employed in low-intensity conflict. Early light tanks were generally armed and armored similar to an armored car, but used tracks in order to provide better cross-country mobility.The light tank was a major...
which was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
and the other Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
armed forces. It was widely exported to other friendly states, like India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. Overall, some 25 countries used the PT-76.
The tank's full name is Floating Tank–76 . 76 stands for the caliber of the main armament: the 76.2 mm D-56T series rifled tank gun
Tank gun
A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. Modern tank guns are large-caliber high-velocity guns, capable of firing kinetic energy penetrators, high explosive anti-tank rounds, and in some cases guided missiles. Anti-aircraft guns can also be mounted to tanks.-Overview:Tank guns are a specific...
.
The PT-76 is used in the reconnaissance and fire-support roles. Its chassis served as the basis for a number of other vehicle designs, many of them amphibious, including the BTR-50 armored personnel carrier, the ZSU-23-4
ZSU-23-4
The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored, self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system . ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount". The "23" signifies the bore diameter in millimeters. The "4" signifies the number of gun barrels. It...
self-propelled antiaircraft gun, the ASU-85
ASU-85
The ASU-85 is a soviet-designed airborne self-propelled gun of the Cold War Era. From 1959 it replaced the open-topped ASU-57 in service but was in its turn replaced by the BMD-1 from 1969.-Development history:...
airborne self-propelled gun and the 2K12 Kub anti-aircraft missile launch vehicle.
Development
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the concept of light tanks was resurrected in the USSR. They were to be used in reconnaissance units and therefore an amphibious ability was essential. The requirements stated that the vehicle should be able to cross water obstacles with little preparation. Many prototypes of such light tanks were built in the late 1940s. The most successful was "obyekt 740" (object 740) designed by the engineer N. Shashmurin working at the VNII-100 institute in Leningrad
Leningrad
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...
(a research institute of Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
Tank Factory ChTZ) in 1949-1950, under an initial supervision of Zh. Kotin from Kirov Plant. The vehicle was successful because it had a simple design, good navigational traits and a good cross country capability. At the time, its water-jet design was innovative.
A prototype was built at Kirov Plant in 1950 and the tank was officially adopted on August 6, 1951 with the designation PT-76. Production started at the Stalingrad Tractor Factory (STZ). The tank was subsequently modified. In 1957 a gun D-56T was replaced with D-56TM with double-baffle muzzle brake and fume extractor, a hull was raised by 13 cm, and the tank was equipped with new vision and communications devices. First series tanks were subsequently modified, receiving D-56TM gun and new equipment. In 1959 an improved variant, the PT-76B, was adopted and remained in production until 1967 (main improvements were: D-56TS gun with stabilization and NBC protection).
Design
Armament
Caliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
s long. The PT-76 carries 40 rounds for its gun. A typical ammunition load consists of 24 x OF-350 Frag-HE, 4 x subcaliber AP-T, 4 x AP-T and 8 x BK-350M HEAT rounds. The gun is mounted in an oval dish-type circular truncated cone turret with flat sloping sides which is mounted over the second, third, and fourth pair of road wheels. All PT-76s have a fume extractor for the main gun at the rear of the turret.
The 7.62 mm SGMT coaxial medium machine gun comes with 1,000 rounds. This weapon has a maximum effective range of 1,000 meters in daylight while the vehicle is stationary, 400 to 500 meters in daylight while the vehicle is on the move and 600 meters at night. Maximum range is 1,500 meters. It can be fired in 2 to 10 round bursts and has a practical rate of fire of 250 rounds per minute and a cyclic rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute. From 1967 the machine gun was replaced with PKT
PK machine gun
The PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service...
of the same caliber.
The main gun is considered light for a modern tank which can fire BM-354P HVAP, sub-caliber AP-T, AP-T, BR-350 API-T and OF-350 Frag-HE rounds (as can the 76.2 mm M1942 (ZiS-3) divisional gun) and is capable of penetrating the armour of APCs and other lightly armored vehicles.
The commander/gunner has a cupola on the left side of the double hatch. The cupola has the TPKU-2B observation device and two TNP day periscopes and can be rotated 360 degrees by hand. The commander also has a 4X optical sight mounted to the left of the main armament and a TShK-66 sight/rangefinder. The loader has the MK-4 observation device mounted on the turret's roof in front of the hatch.
Ammunition
Countermeasures
Tactical
Strategic
Equipment
The PT-76 is equipped with a tank communication device, a gyro compass, a 10-RT-26E radio and has an antenna for it which extends itself when needed. It also has two headlights in front of the hull and a searchlight on the right-hand side of the top of the turret. It lagged behind other Soviet armoured fighting vehicles because only the driver had a night vision device and also because it has no fire or NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection systems, which significantly reduced its effectiveness. The lack of NBC protection ended with the PT-76B which has the PAZ ("protivo-atomnaya zashchita") NBC protection system. Because only the driver has night vision equipment, the crew has a vision range of 4000 m (13,123.4 ft) by day and 600 m (1,968.5 ft) at night.Service history
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Congo, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
, and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
The PT-76 was used as the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact armies. It was also intended for water obstacle fording operations and naval infantry landings. It served in the reconnaissance subunits of tank divisions and mechanized divisions of the Red Army and Soviet marines divisions. Although it has been replaced in front line service by the BMP-1
BMP-1
The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty 1 , meaning "infantry fighting vehicle". The BMP-1 was the world's first mass-produced infantry fighting vehicle...
and BRM-1, it may still be found in the reconnaissance companies and battalions of some motorized rifle and tank regiments and divisions, as well as in naval infantry units. Aside from its reconnaissance role, it is also used for crossing water obstacles in the first wave of an attack and for artillery support during the establishment of a beachhead. The main disadvantage of the BMP-1 and the BRM-1 when compared to the PT-76 is the absence of a powerful main armament. However, the BRM-1 is fitted with more modern reconnaissance equipment. Also, both vehicles have stronger front armor and superior mobility features and the BMP-1 can carry up to 8 fully equipped soldiers inside. The PT-76 is still on active service in a number of countries mainly in the third world
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
. The Russian Army
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
is reported to have used PT-76 units in the ongoing war in Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
.
The PT-76 is used/stationed by/in following Russian units/bases: 61st tank repair plant (1), 61st Kirkinesskaya marine brigade (26) from Sputnik which is part of the Murmansk military district, 175th marine brigade (26) from Tumannyy which is part of the Murmansk military district and 336th Belostokskaya marine brigade (26) from Baltyysk which is part of the Kaliningrad military district.
In Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (LWP), PT-76s and PT-76Bs were used by the reconnaissance subunits of tank divisions and mechanized divisions and Coastal Defense units including the 7th Lusatian Landing Division (officially known as 7th Coast Defense Division). Poland also operated FROG-5 "Luna" tactical missile launch vehicles.
PT-76s were in service with the Indian Army and they were in reserve status before they were withdrawn from service in 2009 after which they were used for target practice by the army and as static memorials at various military facilities.
Vietnam War
T-55
The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...
s, Type 59
Type 59
The Type 59 main battle tank is a Chinese produced version of the Soviet T-54A tank, an improvement over the ubiquitous T-54/55. The first vehicles were produced in 1958 and it was accepted into service in 1959, with serial production beginning in 1963...
s and Type 63 tanks formed the bulk of the NVA armored forces.
The first successful action of NVA armor was against the Lang Vei Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
camp on 6/7 February 1968. Thirteen PT-76s, of the NVA 202nd Armored Regiment spearheaded an assault against approximately 24 Green Berets and 500 irregulars. The defenders fought back with M72 LAW
M72 LAW
The M72 LAW is a portable one-shot 66 mm unguided anti-tank weapon, designed in the United States by Paul V. Choate, Charles B. Weeks, and Frank A. Spinale et al...
s (Light Anti-Tank Weapons/66 mm), and requested support from nearby Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà.Khe Sanh Combat Base was a United States Marine Corps outpost in South Vietnam used during the Vietnam War. The airstrip was built in September 1962...
, who were unable to help, as they too, were under siege. The few survivors broke out, and were airlifted to safety.
The first tank to tank engagement occurred in mid 1968 when a US reconnaissance airplane observed a PT-76 being washed by its crew in the Ben Hai River in the DMZ (17th Parallel). The Forward Air Control
Forward air control
Forward air control is the provision of guidance to Close Air Support aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller . For NATO forces the qualifications and experience required to be...
pilot radioed the tank's position to a nearby M48 Patton
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
tank unit of the US 3rd Marine Tank Battalion. With the FAC adjusting fire, the Patton fired three 90 mm rounds; obtaining a hit with the third round. The tank crew abandoned their vehicle. Shortly afterward, some returning F-4 Phantom jet fighter bombers, with ordnance to expend, observed the PT-76 and bombed the vehicle into scrap metal. As expected, the F-4's claimed the kill.
Battle of Ben Het
First combat use of the TOW missile
On May 9, 1972, a PT-76 unwillingly participated in changing the story of armored warfare. On April 24, 1972, a US special experimental UH-1B helicopter team, consisting of two helicopters mounting the new XM26 TOW anti-tank missile (Tube Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire guided), accompanied by technicians from Bell Helicopters and the Hughes Aircraft Corporation arrived in country. The team, labeled the 1st Combat Aerial TOW Team deployed to the Central Highlands in Vietnam and commenced gunnery training. From May 2, the team made daily flights in search of enemy armor. On May 9, NVA armored units attacked the Ranger camp at Ben Het; the TOW team destroyed 3 PT-76s and broke up the attack.
On May 26, the North Vietnamese Army made another attempt to retake the city of Kontum. TOW aircraft were brought in at first light and found NVA tanks moving almost at will through portions of the city. Conventional air strikes would prove risky to friendly forces, but the TOW proved to be ideal for picking off enemy tanks. At the end of the first day, the two TOW helicopters had destroyed 9 tanks and damaged one more. Five of the destroyed tanks had been T-54/55s and the remaining four destroyed and one damaged were PT-76s. By the end of the month, TOW missiles launched from helicopters had 47 confirmed kills, of which 24 were tanks.
Other
North Vietnamese PT-76s were involved in the only tank-against-tank battle of the war prior to the US withdrawal. In a night assault on a US Special Forces camp, in which the Americans had been warned, the garrison, which had been reinforced with a platoon of M48A3M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
main battle tanks from the 1st Battalion 69th Armored battalion. The garrison also included a CIDG
CIDG
CIDG can refer to:*CIDG-FM, a new Canadian radio station*Civilian Irregular Defense Group, an irregular military unit used during the Vietnam War...
unit. The engagement took place on March 3, 1969 at Ben Het in Kontum Province near the Laotian
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
border. The North Vietnamese fired 639 artillery and mortar rounds into the camp, before a battalion from the 66th NVA Regiment supported by ten PT-76s and a few APCs attacked the west hill held by a CIDG company supported by the platoon of M48s. The PT-76s drove into a minefield in which two were destroyed. Two more PT-76s and one APC were destroyed by the M48As. Six PT-76s were destroyed by artillery fire and airstrikes. US casualties consisted of one M48 being lightly damaged.http://www.rjsmith.com/ben-het.html.
The PT-76 also saw action with Indian forces in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
and 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
. Despite the PT-76 being obsolete by 1971, the superior tactics and overwhelming numbers of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
enabled it to play a vital role in defeating the Pakistani Army. In the Eastern theater the high numbers of PT-76s proved superior to the Pakistani World War II era M24 Chaffee
M24 Chaffee
The Light Tank M24 was an American light tank used during World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War and with the French in the War in Algeria and First Indochina War. In British service it was given the service name Chaffee, after the United States Army General Adna R...
light tanks. It was a different story in the western theater where they proved incapable of facing Pakistani M48 Patton
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
and Type 59
Type 59
The Type 59 main battle tank is a Chinese produced version of the Soviet T-54A tank, an improvement over the ubiquitous T-54/55. The first vehicles were produced in 1958 and it was accepted into service in 1959, with serial production beginning in 1963...
main battle tanks especially at the crucial Battle of Chamb
Battle of Chamb
In 1971, India and Pakistan clashed at the Battle of Chamb. The Pakistani Army's primary objective was to capture the town of Chamb and surrounding areas which had strategic importance for both Pakistan and India. Previously, in 1965, the Pakistani Army was able to reach further beyond Chamb and...
.
The PT-76 also saw service in the Six Day War (1967) during which the Israeli army destroyed or captured about 200 Egyptian T-54, T-55 and PT-76 tanks. During the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
in 1973 PT-76s were used during the crossing of the Great Bitter Lake
Great Bitter Lake
The Great Bitter Lake is a salt water lake between the north and south part of the Suez Canal. It is adjoined by the Small Bitter Lake . Before the Canal was built, their site was occupied by dry salt valleys. Together, the Bitter Lakes now have a surface area of about 250 km²...
by the Egyptian 135th Marines Brigade.
It also saw service in the Angolan Civil War
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
(1975–2002).
During the Yugoslav wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, the PT-76 saw service with the Yugoslav Peoples Army and later the army of the Krajina Serbs in a few battles during the Ten-Day War
Ten-Day War
The Ten-Day War or the Slovenian Independence War was a military conflict between the Slovenian Territorial Defence and the Yugoslav People's Army in 1991 following Slovenia's declaration of independence.-Background:...
in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
(1991) and Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
(1991–1995).
The Indonesian Navy
Indonesian Navy
The role of the Indonesian Navy is to patrol of Indonesia's immense coastline, to ensure safeguard the territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone , to protect Indonesia's maritime strategic interests, to protect the islands surrounded Indonesia and to defend against seaborne threats. The TNI...
used its PT-76Bs on the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n island of Ambon
Ambon Island
Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of , and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of 2 territories: The main city and seaport is Ambon , which is also the capital of Maluku province and Maluku Tengah Ambon Island is part of the...
during civil unrest from 2000 onwards.
List of conflicts
- 1959–1975 Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
- 1965 Indo-Pakistani WarIndo-Pakistani War of 1965The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
- 1967 Six Day War
- 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of CzechoslovakiaWarsaw Pact invasion of CzechoslovakiaOn the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
- 1971 Indo-Pakistani WarIndo-Pakistani War of 1971The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
- 1973 Yom Kippur WarYom Kippur WarThe Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
- 1975 Operation Seroja ( Indonesian military operation in East Timor)
- 1975–2002 Angolan Civil WarAngolan Civil WarThe Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
- 1990–1991 First Persian Gulf War
- 1991–2001 Yugoslav warsYugoslav warsThe Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
- 1991 Ten-Day WarTen-Day WarThe Ten-Day War or the Slovenian Independence War was a military conflict between the Slovenian Territorial Defence and the Yugoslav People's Army in 1991 following Slovenia's declaration of independence.-Background:...
- 1991–1995 Croatian War of IndependenceCroatian War of IndependenceThe Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
- 1992–1995 Bosnian warBosnian WarThe Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
- 1991 Ten-Day War
- 1999– Second Chechen WarSecond Chechen WarThe Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
- 2000 Civil unrest on the Indonesian island of AmbonAmbon IslandAmbon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of , and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of 2 territories: The main city and seaport is Ambon , which is also the capital of Maluku province and Maluku Tengah Ambon Island is part of the...
- 2000-2003 Indonesian military operation against the Insurgency in AcehInsurgency in AcehThe insurgency in Aceh was waged by the Free Aceh Movement between 1976 and 2005 in order to obtain independence from Indonesia. Destruction caused by the armed conflicts and 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake brought a peace deal and an end to the insurgency....
- 2003– Second Persian Gulf War
- 2003 Invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
Soviet Union
- PT-76 (Ob'yekt 740, 1951) - An original PT-76 armed with the D-56T 76.2 mm rifled tank gun (no bore evaluator, long multi-slotted muzzle brake, no fume extractor). It was produced between 1953 and 1957.
- PT-76 (Ob'yekt 740, 1957) - PT-76 armed with the D-56TM 76.2 mm rifled tank gun (double-baffle muzzle brake, bore evaluator, fume extractor) and a height of the hull was increased by 13 cm. It has night vision driver device TVN-2B, new headlamps, a new R-113 radio instead of the old 10-RT-26E set (it was later replaced by the R-123) and TDA thermo smoke generating system. It also has a spotlight fitted to a bracket on the right-hand edge of the turret roof.
- PT-76B (Ob'yekt 740B, 1959) - PT-76 armed with the D-56TS 76.2 mm rifled tank gun (double-baffle muzzle brake, cartridge ejector, fume extractor and STP-2P 'Zarya' 2-axis stabilization system), the PAZ (protivo-atomnaya zashchita) NBC protection system, an automatic fire extinguishing system, improved TShK-2-66 sight, a filtration-ventilation system, improved observation devices, improved electric equipment, a new V-6B 6-cylinder 4-stroke in line water-cooled diesel engine developing 263 hp (196 kW) at 1800 rpm and additional internal fuel tanks for which the shape of the armour had to be slightly changed. These additional internal fuel tanks increased the fuel capacity from 250 l to 400 l. The new engine is the same as that used in one bank of that fitted to the T-54. With the new engine and additional fuel tanks, the range of the vehicle has been increased to 480 km on the road, (590 km with external fuel tanks) and 120 km on the water. The 76.2 mm D-56TS rifled tank gun can fire a new undercaliber AP projectile piercing up to 75 mm at 60° from 2,000 meters. One such round has been added to a PT-76B typical ammunition load and so it can now carry 41 rounds. It was produced between 1959 - 1967.
- PT-71 (Not to be confused with the Israeli PT-71) - is a PT-76B fitted with 9M14 "Malyutka" (NATO code: AT-3 Sagger) anti-tank guided missile pack mounted on the rear of the turret. It didn't reach operational stage, and the name is not official.
- PT-76A - A designator for different PT-76 and PT-76B models armed with the DShK 1938/46DShKThe DShK 1938 is a Soviet heavy machine gun firing the 12.7x108mm cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield...
12.7 mm antiaircraft heavy machine gun on a rotatable mount on top of the turret. - PT-76K - Command version with an additional antenna on the right hand side of the turret and a generator at the rear of the deck.
- PT-76M (Ob'yekt 740M) - PT-76 with improved amphibious features thanks to slightly larger displacement. This variant was developed for the Russian Naval MarinesRussian MarinesThe Russian Naval Infantry, are the amphibious force of the Russian Navy. The first Russian naval infantry force was formed in 1705, and since that time they have fought in the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the Russo-Japanese War, and the First and Second World Wars...
but was not adopted because it did not have improved combat features. Instead the Marines adopted the PT-76B (with a snorkel). - PT-85 (Not to be confused with Ob'yekt 906 or North Korean Type 82) - A PT-76 with a cast turret and a 85 mm gun. It was used during the Invasion of Czechoslovakia.
- Ob'yekt 280 - PT-76 fitted with a 16x130 mm multi barrel rocket launcher.
- PT-76RKh - PT-76 converted to a light amphibious NBC reconnaissance tank. It has a dome cupola and a flag marker at the rear.
- BTR-50PBTR-50The BTR-50 The BTR-50 The BTR-50 (BTR stands for Bronetransporter (БТР, Бронетранспортер, literally "armored transporter") is a Soviet amphibious armored personnel carrier (APC) based on the PT-76 light tank. The BTR-50 is tracked, unlike most in the BTR series, which are wheeled. The BTR-50...
- amphibious tracked APC, based on the chassis of the PT-76. - Ob'yekt 911 - experimental IFV, developed by the Gavalov design bureau. The Ob.911 had a tracked suspension but additionally 4 retractable wheels under the hull. The performance advantages of this wheel-cum-track design didn't prove themselves and was deemed too complex.
- Ob'yekt 914 - experimental IFV. This vehicle was developed in the early 1960s by a design team led by I. V. Gavalov at the Volgograd Tractor Works (VTZ) and the prototype was ready for trials in 1964. The Ob.914 was armed with two 7.62 mm PKT general-purpose machine guns mounted in the hull on either side of the driver. It had a crew of two and could transport up to eight fully equipped soldiers (two of whom operated the PKTs). Its combat weight was 14.4 tons. After a series of trials in 1964, the Ob.765 was selected to become the BMP-1BMP-1The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty 1 , meaning "infantry fighting vehicle". The BMP-1 was the world's first mass-produced infantry fighting vehicle...
due mostly to the rear engine design which obliged the infantry to mount and dismount through the single door in the rear of the right hand side of the vehicle and roof hatches. It was also felt that the Ob.765 had a better overall layout. - ASU-85ASU-85The ASU-85 is a soviet-designed airborne self-propelled gun of the Cold War Era. From 1959 it replaced the open-topped ASU-57 in service but was in its turn replaced by the BMD-1 from 1969.-Development history:...
- airborne assault gun that uses components of the PT-76. - SPU 2P2 (S-119A) - launch vehicle of the tactical missile system 2K1 "Mars" (S-122A) (FROG-2).
- TZM 2P3 (S-120A) - transloader vehicle of the tactical missile system 2K1 "Mars".
- SPU 2P16 (S-123A) - launch vehicle of the tactical missile system 2K6 "Luna"2K6 LunaThe 2K6 Luna is a Soviet short-range ballistic missile complex. Luna rockets are solid-fuel, unguided and spin-stabilized. "2K6" is its GRAU designation. Its NATO reporting names are FROG-3 and FROG-5...
(S-125A) (FROG-3/5). - TZM 2P17 (S-124A) - transloader vehicle of the tactical missile system 2K6 "Luna". This was only a prototype.
- GM-568GM chassisthumb|300px|[[Tor missile system]] on GM-5955 chassis.GM is a series of tracked vehicle chassis. Generally, the series is produced by Metrovagonmash , part of the Transmashholding since 2002...
- Chassis used for the 1S91 guidance vehicle of 2K12 Kub surface-to-air missile system. It uses some elements from the PT-76 including the drive train and wheels. It's nearly identical to the GM-578 chassis. - GM-575GM chassisthumb|300px|[[Tor missile system]] on GM-5955 chassis.GM is a series of tracked vehicle chassis. Generally, the series is produced by Metrovagonmash , part of the Transmashholding since 2002...
- Chassis used for the ZSU-23-4ZSU-23-4The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored, self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system . ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount". The "23" signifies the bore diameter in millimeters. The "4" signifies the number of gun barrels. It...
self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. It uses a number of components from PT-76. - GM-578GM chassisthumb|300px|[[Tor missile system]] on GM-5955 chassis.GM is a series of tracked vehicle chassis. Generally, the series is produced by Metrovagonmash , part of the Transmashholding since 2002...
- Chassis used for the 2P25 launch vehicle 2K12 Kub surface-to-air missile system. It uses some elements from the PT-76 including the drive train and wheels. It's nearly identical to the GM-568 chassis. - GSP (Ob'yekt 55) or GSP-55 - This is a tracked self-propelled amphibious ferry. It consists of two non-interchangeable left and right half units with large outer pontoons. The units use many components of the PT-76, for instance parts of the suspension, the (modified) engine, the electrical system and the steering system. A GSP ferry could carry up to 52 tonnes and had a speed of 6 km/h.
Belarus
- PT-76M - An upgraded PT-76 with a UTD-20 engine developing 300 hp (224 kW), new steering and brake systems, designed by Minotor-Service in Minsk. A similar upgrade exists for the BTR-50 series.
People's Republic of China
- Type 60 - The Chinese obtained a few PT-76s in the mid 1950s. In October 1958, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), decided to develop an indigenous amphibious tank based on the PT-76. The development program was carried out by 201 Institute and 615 Factory. A prototype known as the WZ221 was built and tested in 1959, but the design suffered from a number of problems including engine overheating. The PLA wasn't satisfied with the performance of the vehicle, which led to the development of a new vehicle based on the Type 60, Type 63 amphibious light tank.
Czechoslovakia
- OT-62 TOPASOT-62 TOPASThe OT-62 TOPAS is a series of amphibious tracked armoured personnel carriers developed jointly by Poland and Czechoslovakia . OT-62 stands for Obrněný Transportér vzor 62 – "armoured personnel carrier model 62"...
(OT-62 stands for Obrněný Transportér vzor 62 - "Armored Personnel Carrier model 62") ("TOPAS" stands for Transportér Obrněný PÁSový - "Tracked Armored Personnel Carrier") - A series of BTR-50 variants developed jointly by Poland and Czechoslovakia. They are similar to the BTR-50PK but have hatches in the hull sides, a more powerful PV-6 engine of 300 hp (224 kW) and two projecting bays like the BTR-50PU.http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/ot-62.htm.
East Germany
- K1 - Command tank based on PT-76 Model 2s and PT-76Bs. It is equipped with an extra R-112 radio.
Indonesia
- PT-76B fitted with Cockerill 76.2 mm smooth bore tank gun (with multi-slot muzzle-brake) and larger gunners sight.
Israel
- PT-71 (Not to be confused with the Soviet PT-71) - Is a PT-76 upgrade built by Nimda Group Ltd., which includes a 90 mm Cockerill tank gun, a new machine gun, a new fire control system, a laser range finder, night vision devices and a 300 hp (224 kW) diesel engine. The only known customers were the Israeli and Indonesian armies. http://nimda.co.il/projects2.html.
North Korea
- PT-85PT-85The PT-85 is a North Korean produced amphibious light tank, based on the lengthened VTT-323 APC chassis, and featuring a turret similar in appearance to PT-76 one with several modifications. The PT-85 is armed with the 85 mm main gun and an ATGM launcher capable of firing 9M14M Malyutka ATGM. It is...
(Type 82) (Not to be confused with Ob'yekt 906 or PT-85 with a cast turret) - North Korea developed their own vehicle based partly on the PT-76.
Poland
- PT-76 with additional 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46DShKThe DShK 1938 is a Soviet heavy machine gun firing the 12.7x108mm cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield...
antiaircraft heavy machine gun on a rotatable mount and separate hatches for the commander and loader. - PT-76 with additional periscopes fitted on the right of the turret roof.
- PT-76 without the muzzle brake.
- PT-76B with additional 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46DShKThe DShK 1938 is a Soviet heavy machine gun firing the 12.7x108mm cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield...
antiaircraft heavy machine gun on a rotatable mount and separate hatches for commander and loader. - OT-62 TOPASOT-62 TOPASThe OT-62 TOPAS is a series of amphibious tracked armoured personnel carriers developed jointly by Poland and Czechoslovakia . OT-62 stands for Obrněný Transportér vzor 62 – "armoured personnel carrier model 62"...
(OT-62 stands for Obrněný Transportér vzor 62 - "Armoured Personnel Carrier model 62") ("TOPAS" stands for Transportér Obrněný PÁSový - "Tracked Armoured Personnel Carrier") - Series of BTR-50 variants developed jointly by Poland and Czechoslovakia. They are similar to the BTR-50PK but have hatches in the hull sides, a more powerful PV-6 engine with 300 hp (224 kW) and two projecting bays like the BTR-50PU.http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/ot-62.htm. - WPT-76 - FROG launch vehicle 2P16 converted into a technical support vehicle (Polish: Wóz Pogotowia Technicznego).
Russia
- PT-76B fitted with a new V-6M diesel engine developing 300 hp (224 kW) which increased the maximum road speed from 44 km/h to 45 km/h and the maximum swimming speed from 10,2 km/h to 11,2 km/h. This increased the power-to-weight ratio from 17.1 hp/tonne (12.3 kW/tonne) to 19.5 hp/tonne (14.5 kW/tonne).
- PT-76E - This is the most recent PT-76 modernization program. It increases the vehicle's battle efficiency by including a radical growth in firepower, which required a new turret AU-220M and other weapons. This variant is armed with a 57 mm autocannon (which is a modification of the 57 mm L/76.6 S-60 AA gun57 mm AZP S-6057 mm AZP S-60 ; literally: Automatic anti-aircraft gun S-60) is a Soviet towed, road-transportable, short- to medium-range, single-barrel anti-aircraft gun from the 1950s. The gun was extensively used in Warsaw Pact, Middle Eastern and South-East Asian countries.-History:In the late 1940s, the...
. It was developed by CB Burevestnik (Nizhniy Novgorod). Its armor-piercing tracer rounds fired from 1,120 m can penetrate 100 mm of steel armor. The new weapon can destroy most modern APCs and IFVs. It can also engage aerial targets out to 6 km. The autocannon uses two types of ammunition, splinter-tracer and armor-piercing-tracer. However, it is possible to fire a special zenith shell. The gun can fire single shots, short bursts (2 to 5 rounds), or long bursts (up to 20 rounds). It can also fire continuously up to 120 rounds per minute. This system functions by using the energy generated by each round, not by using an external power source. Firepower is improved 5.5 times in the PT-76E over the PT-76B. The PT-76E is fitted with a more powerful UTD-20 6-cylinder 4-stroke V-shaped airless-injection water-cooled multifuel 15.8 litre diesel engine. It develops 300 hp (224 kW) at 2,600 rpm and is taken from the BMP-1 as is the transmission. The power-to-weight ratio has been improved to 20 hp per ton. This also increases the maximum road speed from 44 km/h to 60 km/h, with an average cross country speed from 32 km/h to 42 km/h. Other engine options are the UTD-23 or V-6BF. The vehicle has new tracks. Driver fatigue has been reduced. The vehicle's survivability on the battlefield is improved with the introduction of a new fast-acting firefighting system. The vehicle also has improvements in fire control and optical equipment, for instance the new sights 1P67 and "Liga-S". This modernization program increases the PT-76's performance by 2.7 times, which is still comparatively low. The vehicle was accepted by the Russian marines in 2006 and about 40 or 50 vehicles were ordered.
United States of America
- The PT-76 was used by the US Army for OpFor training. They were modified in a number of ways including the replacement of the engine with a Caterpillar diesel engine, changing the turret hatch to a rear hinged arrangement and the fitting of US radios and antennae mounts. Due to the new engines different exhaust arrangements, the exhausts were rerouted to use the water-jet ports rather than the original engine exhaust.
Operators
- 50 ordered in 1958 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1959 and 1961. 60 in service as of 1996. - 150 - 68 ordered in 1975 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1975 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). 12 were in service as of 1996 and are currently in service. - 20 ordered in 1981 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1982 (the vehicles were second hand). 20 in service as of 1996. - 10 ordered in 1983 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1983 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). 10 ordered in 1988 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1989 as aid (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). - 3 ordered in 1971 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1972 (the vehicles were second hand). - 60 bought in 1970 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1971 and 1973 50 in service with the marines as of 1996. Of the 60, 6 were destroyed in the Angolan War and 4 were sank to create artificial reefs. - 50 ordered in 1965 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1966. 200 ordered in 1970 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1970 and 1972 (the vehicles were probably previously in Soviet service). - 20 ordered in 1977 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1977 (the vehicles were second hand). 18 in service as of 1996. - 20 ordered in 1977 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1978 (the vehicles were second hand). - 100 ordered in 1957 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1959 and 1960. - Used by the Marine Corps. 50 PT-76Bs ordered in 1962 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1964. 60 PT-76Bs were in service as of 1996. At the peak there were 170 PT-76Bs in service. Currently 30 PT-76Bs are in service. - Captured a number of Syrian and/or Egyptian PT-76s during the Six Day War (1967). - 30 were in service as of 1996. Currently 25 are in service. - 12 ordered in 1983 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1983 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). Currently 32 are in service. - One battalion armed with PT-76s and Type 62s. - 16 - 22 ordered in 1983 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1984 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). Currently 10 are in service. - 100 ordered in 1965 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1966 and 1967. 100 in service as of 1985, 600 as of 1990, 550 as of 1995, 300 as of 1996, 550 as of 2000, 400 as of 2002 and 560 as of 2005. North Korea also operates a number of North Korean PT-85PT-85
The PT-85 is a North Korean produced amphibious light tank, based on the lengthened VTT-323 APC chassis, and featuring a turret similar in appearance to PT-76 one with several modifications. The PT-85 is armed with the 85 mm main gun and an ATGM launcher capable of firing 9M14M Malyutka ATGM. It is...
amphibious light tanks. - 32 ordered in 1968 from Indonesia and delivered between 1969 and 1970 (the vehicles were second hand).
- 200 in service as of 1995, 1,100 as of 1996, 150 as of 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2008. As of now there are 79 PT-76s in service, 78 of which are currently used by the marines, 1 is in a tank repair base. - 80 ordered in 1971 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1972 and 1973 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). 100 in service as of 1996. - 50 ordered in 1973 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1974 and 1975 (the vehicles were possibly previously in Soviet service). Currently 20 are in service. - 500 were in service as of 1996. Currently 300 are in service. Vietnam also operates a number of North Korean PT-85
PT-85
The PT-85 is a North Korean produced amphibious light tank, based on the lengthened VTT-323 APC chassis, and featuring a turret similar in appearance to PT-76 one with several modifications. The PT-85 is armed with the 85 mm main gun and an ATGM launcher capable of firing 9M14M Malyutka ATGM. It is...
s. - 50 ordered in 1983 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1984 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). Currently 30 are in service.
Former
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
. Scrapped. - 15 ordered in 1960 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1961. - 170 ordered in 1956 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1957 and 1959. PT-76 Model 2 and PT-76B, passed on to the unified German state./ - PT-76 Model 2 and PT-76B, taken from the GDR's army. All were scrapped or sold to other countries. - 178 ordered in 1962 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1964 and 1965. 100 in service as of 1990 and 1995, 90 in service as of 1996, around 90 as of 2000, 2002 and 2005 and around 100 as of 2008. Retired as of 2009. - 45 ordered in 1967 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1968 and 1970 (the vehicles were probably previously in Soviet service). 200 ordered in 1983 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1984 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service). 100 in service as of 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2002. All destroyed or scrapped. - Designed a copy of the PT-76, known as the Type 60 but it proved to be unsatisfactory and was replaced by a Chinese design, the Type 63
Type 63 light tank
The Norinco Type 63 is a Chinese amphibious light tank. First fielded in 1963, it is in many ways similar to the earlier Soviet PT-76. However, contrary to the popular belief, it does have some essential differences from the PT-76 in the vehicle's waterjet propulsion system, etc...
. - 300 ordered in 1955 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1957 and 1958. 30 in service as of 1996. Poland operated both PT-76 Model 2 and PT-76B. They served with the reconnaissance subunits of tank divisions and mechanized divisions of Coastal Defense units including the 7th Lusatian Landing Division. Poland also used the FROG-5 "Luna" tactical missile launch vehicle. Some of them were converted into WPT-76 ARVs. All PT-76s and vehicles based on it were withdrawn from service. - About 12,000 produced (about 10,000 for the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
and about 2,000 for export). 1,000 in service as of 1990. About 1,113 were in Soviet Union during the breakup of the USSR. They were passed on to successor states. - 50 were originally inherited from the former Soviet Union. 5 in service as of 1995 and none as of 2000. - The US Army used a number of PT-76s in the OPFOR role for training. - 150 ordered in 1964 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1959 and 1960 (aid, the vehicles were possibly previously in Soviet service). 100 ordered in 1971 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1971 and 1972 (aid, the vehicles were possibly previously in Soviet service). Passed on to the unified Vietnam state. - 100 ordered in 1962 from the Soviet Union and delivered 1963.
External links
- PT-76 at FAS.org
- PT-76 walkarounds (Hungarian)
- PT-76 Light Tank at enemyforces.com
- PT-76 description (in Russian) and photo gallery at armoured.vif2.ru
- PT-76 Model 2 at battletanks.com
- Chinese Type 63 at sinodefence.com
- Cuban PT-76