In the 50s and 60s, the militarily leading powers were actively engaged in the creation of gas turbine engines for armored vehicles. Work in this direction was also carried out in Nizhny Tagil, in the design bureau of the famous Uralvagonzavod.
Here, in 1964, a modification of the experimental medium-sized "Object 167" made three years earlier appeared. In this variant, with the letter "T", instead of the 700-horsepower diesel V-26, the GTD-3T of the Omsk Engine-building Design Bureau OKB-29 of the same power was installed. This engine was a version of the power unit for helicopters.
Its weight is only 350 kg, length - 1700 mm, width - 640 mm, height - 770 mm. The exhaust gas temperature is 857 degrees. The warranty period is 100 hours.
Since the weight of the tank was 36700 kg, the specific power was 19.07 hp per ton. The maximum speed is 64 km/h. At the same time, the engine had a "good appetite": the power reserve did not exceed 211 km, while the usual 167th it reached 450-500 km.
The 115-mm U5-TS "Hammer" cannon tested on the T-62 was used as an armament with a 40-round ammunition set, with which a 7.62-mm SGMT machine gun with a reserve of 2500 rounds was paired. The sight is a telescopic TSH-2, and the night sight is TPN -1, the weapon stabilizer is a Meteor.
Reservation: the forehead of the hull is 100 mm, the towers are 190 mm. The crew is 4 people.
"Object 167T" is considered to be the world's first tank with a gas turbine engine. Its tests took place until 1965, but the decision to launch into mass production was not made.
A talented designer, Eriy Borisovich Babylonsky, who passed away at the age of 88 on November 21, 2021, took an active part in the creation of this machine.
Currently, the only instance of a unique tank is on display at the UVZ Armored Vehicles Museum.
Alexey Moiseev
