Relatively recently, in the conditions of the most popular computer war game "shooter" was announced Soviet heavy tank X-level ("object 260"). This machine, judging by the indicated characteristics, is a formidable combat weapon capable of hitting almost all types of armored vehicles.
So what is this "object 260"? WOT (World of Tanks - "World of Tanks") gives not very detailed information. The creators of the game limited themselves to stingy data, indicating the year of release and the main combat characteristics, without specifying many of the circumstances associated with the creation of this outstanding, but little-known example of the Soviet Stalinist defense industry. But this topic seems very interesting…
Moscow parade
At the end of World War II, the industry of the USSR was almost completely militarized. The reason is clear: the country strained every effort to defeat a strong enemy. However, the transfer of the economy to a military footing began to take place long before 1941, just from the beginning of the German attack, this process became hypertrophied. Excellent examples of military equipment, ahead of modern counterparts ondecades, were created in the second half of the thirties. These are T-34, BT-7 and KV tanks.
By the end of the war, the production of armored vehicles in the USSR reached a scale unprecedented in history, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. The crown of this era was the "object 260" of 1945 release. It was a real masterpiece in the field of tank building art.
Military attaches who were present at the 1945 Victory Parade in Moscow, seeing the ISs, could not contain their emotions.
The faces of the representatives of the Western countries reflected a mixture of two feelings that took possession of their minds: surprise and fear. The Soviet comrades slapped them good-naturedly on the back: "Nothing, don't be afraid, because we are allies!" But for some reason the fear didn't go away. At the same time, the tanks that the Western military experts saw were no longer the most modern at that time, they were the IS-3. "Object 260" was not shown to them. Even his appearance was a state secret at the time.
Allies and their tanks
USSR as of 1945 possessed tank power, quantitatively exceeding all the armored forces of other countries combined. But it's not about the number of cars. The US military industry was seriously developed, there was enough money in the budget to increase production, and if necessary, the Americans could produce tens of thousands of tanks. Another question, which ones? "Sherman" "rivet"? Yes, in the truest sense, since the armored hull of this tank had riveted joints. The sample in all respects is morally and technologically obsolete. Next to themthe usual Soviet “thirty-four” looked like a miracle of technology, not like the IS-7 tank. The remaining examples of allied armored power made no less depressing impression. The scheme that Soviet designers came up with at the end of the thirties, world tank building will get only in the mid-fifties.
Four main differences between Soviet tanks
The main drawback of all foreign tanks of the forties was a carburetor engine running on gasoline. The second design flaw is the front-wheel drive, which “eats up” the internal space, complicates the kinematic scheme and forces you to increase the profile, simultaneously increasing the mass of the armor protection, and, consequently, the entire vehicle. The third problem was in most cases the insufficient caliber of the turret gun. And the fourth unpleasant moment for the British, American, French, German and other tankers of the war years was the irrational arrangement of armor plates, the absence of correctly adjusted angles of their inclination. In other words, most of the combat vehicles of the Allied armies did not have a worthwhile anti-shell reservation. Some German models at the end of the war received powerful guns and thick protection, sometimes even sloping. The Nazi designers never got around to a rational layout and a powerful diesel engine.
The "object 260" did not have all the listed disadvantages. The tank, the photo of which clearly shows the long "trunk" of the 130-mm gun, the streamlined outlines of the turret and armored hull, cannot give an idea of everything that is hidden underarmor. But experts in appearance could guess a lot.
Chelyabinsk-Leningrad
"Object 260" (IS-7 tank) was developed under the guidance of the brilliant general designer Nikolai Shashmurin, and the author of the sketch drawings was Zh. Ya. Kotin, who worked at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. It happened shortly after the victory, in September 1945, from which we can conclude that the improvement of our armored vehicles took place in an unceasing mode.
The project was a further development of the concept implemented on the example of the IS-3, but in the course of work on it, many new ideas appeared that turned out to be very successful and applied in other samples, later, including the latest Russian and foreign tanks. "Object 260" was brought to perfection already in Leningrad.
Why did Stalin need such a tank
In a socialist society, the economy (like science, culture, and everything else) was planned. It was some American Christie who could invent a pendant, and then think about who to sell this thing to. Soviet engineers did not work like that. If an “object 260” was created (the IS-7 tank, named after the most important leader), then on the direct instructions of Stalin. And he just didn't order anything.
Do you need such a machine to fight the armored vehicles of a potential enemy? In World of Tanks, this is exactly what the Soviet Tier X heavy tank is used for. "Object 260" opposes "Tigers" and "Panthers" (which in re althere never was a life), shoots at them and wins, adding points to the gamer. But this was not what it was created for in 1945, when there were no worthy rivals for it.
The IS-7 tank is designed to assault fortified defenses. He had to freely pass through any URs, sowing panic and destruction. The name itself says it. After all, even the thought that Joseph Stalin was burned or defeated could be expensive at the time.
Against the "object 260" all anti-tank weapons of the mid-forties were practically powerless. This explains the surprise and fear of foreign observers during the parade on September 7, 1945. It was completely clear to military specialists how the IS attack on any line of defense of the borders of the "free world" would end in the event of an armed conflict with the USSR. This tank is like a crushing heavy hammer that can pierce a wide opening. And then thousands of T-34s, fast and also powerful, will rush into the gaping hole, making coverage, surrounding, cutting communications, as just recently, in the spring of 1945 …
Armored hull and turret
"Object 260" arr. 1945 has a smoothly streamlined shape, which, even taking into account the lethal purpose of this sample, looks aesthetically.
Tower - flattened hemispherical cast with a spacious interior. The armored hull is technologically impeccable, the methods of press bending, welding are used, the bow has the shape of a "pike nose" similar to that used in the IS-3.
"Object 260" has a powerful armor, its thickness ranges from 20 (some sections of the roof of the engine compartment and the bottom)up to 210 mm, and on the gun mantlet it reaches 355 mm. Such differentiated solutions speak of a desire to rationalize the weight that affects the combat characteristics of the vehicle. The angle of inclination of the reflecting planes ranges from 51 to 60 degrees. Tank IS-7 is not just a successful technical sample, it is beautiful.
Power section
In order to appreciate the military model at its true worth, it's time to move from reasoning about the concept to dry numbers. What was technically "object 260"? The tank was built according to the scheme, which today is considered classical. The engine is located in the aft compartment, its power is over a thousand horsepower. Marine diesel M-50T was used, which says a lot.
The transmission was designed in two versions. In the first, the number of gears was limited to six, the "object 260-2" had an eight-speed planetary gearbox. The tank included fourteen dual road wheels (seven per side). Caterpillars for the first time in the USSR were equipped with rubber-metal hinges.
Ride and Geometry
There is a well-established stereotype of a heavy tank as a clumsy, slow-moving monster. The dimensions and weight of the last "Joseph Stalin" are impressive: length - 10 meters (with a gun), width - 3.4 m, weight - more than 60 tons. But all these cyclopean parameters do not at all speak of the low mobility that the "object 260" has. The tank can reach speeds of up to 55 km / h, overcome slopes with a steepness of 30 degrees, wade at a depth of up to one and a half meters. The power reserve is 300 km, which is not so little. TankThe IS-7 is not tall, its profile is only 2.5 meters. That's good, because it's hard to hit him.
Cannon
The S-70 gun is rifled, originally shipborne, its caliber is 130 mm. The projectile is charged separately from the cartridge case, this process is laborious, which necessitated an increase in the “combat vehicle crew” to 5 people and the use of an electric drive.
The gun is equipped with fire control devices that were perfect for those times. Ammunition consists of 30 shells (high-explosive fragmentation and caliber) located in the rear of the tower. The rate of fire is low - up to 8 rounds per minute. The muzzle brake is single-chamber, mesh type. Barrel length exceeds 57 calibers.
Machine guns
There are eight of them, and with them the "object 260" had to fight its main enemy - infantry armed with anti-tank weapons. KPVT caliber 14.5 mm is mounted on the mantlet of the gun together with two SGMT (7.62 mm). One large-caliber - on the turret turret. Two HCMPs protect the rear hemisphere on the tower. And two more - on the sides of the case. Getting close to the IS-7 tank would not be an easy task, because it is covered from all sides. And one more interesting fact: the machine guns were controlled remotely-telemetrically by means of electromechanical units.
A waste of effort?
So why didn't he go into the "object 260" series? The tank, so perfect, remained experimental, only a few copies were produced. Apparently, the reason is a change in the military doctrine of the USSR. In 1945, the atomic bomb appeared in the arsenal of the American army,and this fact made deep strategic operations (in Western Europe, for example) an adventurous affair. The country is faced with a science-intensive task, which also requires huge material costs to create its own nuclear weapons.
Despite the small number of copies produced, the "260 project" can be considered successful. In the course of its implementation, Soviet tank building made a qualitative leap, the results of which are also used by modern engineers.
