The best (and most dangerous) tanks from Russia
The American edition has compiled its own small list of the best tanks made in Russia. The article emphasizes that the Soviet Union produced more battle-tested tanks than anywhere else, and describes the advantages and disadvantages of Russian armored vehicles.
Caleb Larson
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited a powerful and very diverse tank armada. Soviet tank builders appreciated the simplicity of manufacturing tanks, which helped to establish mass production, and ease of operation, which partially compensated for the lack of training of crews. Compactness and low weight are also a distinctive feature of the Soviet/Russian tank building. Here are the most formidable tanks from among those created in Russia. Some of them are still actively used in different countries of the world.
T-34
Any conversation about tanks will be incomplete without mentioning the Soviet T-34. The debut of this legendary tank took place in 1940. He had to compensate for the shortcomings of high-speed tanks from the BT series, which were light, high-speed, had light weapons and weak armor protection.
Unlike the BT, the T-34 had heavier armor. The frontal part of the hull was covered with armor 45-47 millimeters thick and was positioned at an angle, which reduced the effectiveness of German anti-tank guns, especially Pak 36, whose 37-millimeter shell bounced off the T-34 hull.
The first production models were quite light, weighing 26 tons. Wide tracks were installed on them, which made these tanks more mobile off the roads. This was crucial when traveling through the Russian countryside during the spring thaw.
The first T-34 tanks were armed with a 76.2 mm cannon, which proved effective in the fight against the German machines of the beginning of the war. Later, the Germans strengthened the armor protection of their tanks, which required the installation of an 85-mm gun.
Although the design of the T-34 was generally superior to German models, the combat effectiveness of the tank decreased due to the heterogeneous manufacturing quality. The United States conducted tests of the T-34 at the Aberdeen proving ground, and they showed that the tank hulls were made of different grades of steel, which was not sufficiently tempered, because of which it was often too soft or too brittle.
Tank tracks often flew off the rollers and broke down, and the low-quality turret drives became a real disaster for the T-34, as well as the tightness in the internal compartments, because of which the crew was very tired, and combat effectiveness was further reduced.
Nevertheless, it is believed that the T-34 with its variants took second place among the most massive tanks. And another sad distinguishing feature of the T-34 is that it suffered the greatest losses, although most likely this is primarily due to the poor training of tank crews.
T-54/55
The T-54 family of tanks was created after World War II in order to eliminate the design flaws of the T-34 identified at its final stage. These disadvantages include an improved, but still weak 85 mm cannon, as well as thin armor. Externally, the T-54 and T-55 are very similar. Frequent minor improvements of the T-54 during routine maintenance and maintenance made it very similar to the T-55. Hence the designation 54/55.
Following the Soviet tradition, the T-54/55 turned out to be simple in terms of mechanics and very convenient to operate. Thanks to its compact design, wide tracks and good specific engine power, this tank was very mobile. However, due to the low landing of the T-54/55, only short people could become tankers. This tank had a 100-mm rifled cannon, which at the time of the adoption of the machine into service fully met all the requirements, but by today's standards is weak.
Tanks of the T-54/55 family were exported in large quantities to the Warsaw Pact countries, the Middle East, as well as to Asia and many African countries. The relative simplicity of the machine allowed it to be upgraded gradually, installing additional armor plates, more powerful main guns, improved engines, and thereby increasing its service life. Some tanks from this family work to this day, and will certainly work in the future. T-54/55 took part in the civil war in Syria, fought in Libya, Yemen and Iraq. Thanks to this, this tank probably has the richest combat experience of any machine ever made.
T-90 family
The T-90 is the brainchild of the late Soviet era. This tank was supposed to replace the outdated T-64, T-72 and T-80 vehicles. According to reports, this is the most numerous third-generation tank from the Russian arsenal.
The T-90 looks a bit like Frankenstein's monster. In fact, this is a seriously upgraded T-72 with more powerful armor, with a turret from the unsuccessful T-80 and with the same 125 mm smoothbore gun. He has a complex of active protection, and he weighs only 50 tons. But because of the 1,000 horsepower engine, the specific power per unit mass of this tank is very weak.
Since many T-90 tanks and their variants were shot down and destroyed in Syria, the T-90A car will be upgraded with a more advanced active protection complex and a more powerful cannon. However, any tank is only as good as its crew is qualitatively prepared.
Despite the flaws of the engine, the T-90 with its variants is a worthy competitor to the American M1, especially due to its more powerful armor.
T-95
Perhaps this is the deadliest Russian tank, but it exists in a single copy as a prototype.
Work on the creation of this vehicle began in 1988 with the aim of surpassing the main NATO battle tanks in armor protection and firepower. The crew was reduced to three people thanks to the installation of an automatic loader and an uninhabited tower.
The main gun had to become very powerful — and a 152 mm smoothbore cannon was installed on the tank. This is a bow towards artillery, since it is possible to fire artillery shells from this gun, which allows you to use a wider range of ammunition and theoretically makes it possible to carry out over-the-horizon targeting.
The T-95 is a departure from the traditional Soviet tank doctrine because of its turret, which is unusually high by the standards of Soviet designers. However, this increases the angle of elevation and declination of the gun, which is very important for firing artillery ammunition.
This tank is also equipped with the first version of dynamic protection, which is the norm for all main battle tanks today. It is unclear for what reason this project was abandoned, but most likely it was due to costs that could be too high.
T-14 "Armata"
The T-14 Armata tank is the first Russian main battle tank of the new generation. This tank did not receive a baptism of fire, but there are several innovations in its design that make it possible to call this machine the deadliest in the world.
Conforming to the Soviet traditions of tank building, the T-14 has a very small weight of 48 tons for the main battle tank (some variants of the M1 "Abrams" weigh more than 69 tons). It is also very compact and has an uninhabited tower, automatic loader and a crew of three people.
Under normal operating conditions, a powerful 1,500 horsepower diesel engine gives the T-14 an incredible power-to-weight ratio of 31 hp per ton (for comparison, the M1 has this indicator from 23 to 27 hp per ton, depending on the variant). A short increase in power to 2,000 hp allows you to increase this ratio to almost 42 hp per ton. Thanks to this, the T-14 becomes incredibly agile, but such an increase in performance greatly reduces the engine life.
The T-14 has three layers of protection. The crew is housed in an armored capsule equivalent to 900 millimeters of rolled homogeneous steel armor. The turret and body of the tank are covered with the latest Russian dynamic protection of the fourth generation "Malachite", which provides increased resistance to armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles.
And finally, the T-14 has an active protection complex "Afghanit", which uses a pulse-Doppler radar to detect, intercept or deflect incoming ammunition with an explosive charge. However, the degree of its effectiveness when used against low-caliber ammunition with depleted uranium raises questions.
Tanks forever
Probably, the Soviet Union produced more battle-tested tanks than anywhere else, although the design of these machines is hardly ideal. Nevertheless, due to the simplicity of the design and ease of operation, these tanks are exported all over the world, and some Soviet models are still actively used. In the near future, we are unlikely to see the T-14 Armata in large quantities, but because of this, the tank does not become less formidable and deadly.
