Armament, armor protection and mobility are the main characteristics of any modern tanks. The ability to destroy a target from a maximum distance, quickly change position, and, if necessary, withstand an enemy strike are considered mandatory qualities for this type of armored vehicle. Nevertheless, the fantasy of weapon designers has no limits. As a result of their experimentation, unusual tanks are obtained. With a fairly original design, they are not adapted to military realities. Amazing monster tanks were never put into mass production. What eccentric concepts did not have further development? What are the tanks? In order to achieve a consensus between mobility, security and armament, the gunsmiths of many countries created their own unique models of armored vehicles. An overview of the strangest tanks in the world is presented in this article.
Heavy tank N. Barykov
T-35 is a development of Soviet engineers. The designer N. Barykov supervised the process. Designed during 1931-1932. According to experts, with a multi-turret layout, the T-35 is the first Sovietarmored vehicle, which belongs to the heavy class. Structurally, this model consisted of five towers, thanks to which it became possible to fire from all guns at once. The five-tower tank was equipped with three cannons (one 76.2 mm and two 45 mm) and six 7.62 mm machine guns. Armament control was carried out by eleven soldiers. However, according to experts, the real monster tanks during the First World War were at the disposal of the German army. One German A7V was operated by 18 people. Despite its uniqueness, the T-35 was not further developed in Soviet tank building. Military parades became the only scope of its application. As it turned out, this unusual tank with a multi-turreted layout was absolutely not suitable for a real battle. The reason was the presence of the following shortcomings:
- The commander could not simultaneously coordinate the firing of all guns.
- Due to its large size, this tank was an easy target for the enemy.
- Due to the too large mass for the T-35, only thin bulletproof armor was provided.
- The tank developed a very low speed: it could cover no more than 10 km per hour.
T-35 is a rather beautiful and very formidable example, but completely unpromising. For this reason, the Soviet leadership decided not to develop the idea of multi-turret combat armored vehicles.
Stridsvagn 103
This model is the exact opposite of N. Barykov's tank. Designed by Swedishweapon designers. It has been in service with the Swedish army since 1966. In the history of tank building, the Strv.103 is the only example of a main battle tank without a turret. Armored vehicles are equipped with a 105-millimeter cannon, the place for which was the frontal hull plate. To aim the guns horizontally, this unusual tank was rotated around its axis. For aiming vertically, there was a special electro-hydraulic suspension system, with which the stern was raised or lowered.
Due to such an unusual layout, the Swedish tank is very squat, with a height of no more than 2150 mm, thanks to which the Strv.103 could be reliably camouflaged and used for ambushes. The only weak point of the tank is its undercarriage. When it was damaged, the armored vehicles became completely helpless: without the presence of caterpillars, aiming the gun was impossible. Despite this shortcoming, the Strv.103 was used as the main battle tank by the armed forces of the kingdom until the 1990s. Replaced by German Leopards-2.
Amphibian
This armored vehicle was designed by American inventor John Christie. The Amphibian tank, according to experts, swam across the Hudson during testing. To transport military guns or any other cargo by water was considered its main purpose. Especially for this purpose, on top of the tracks on both sides, the Amphibian was equipped with balsa floats. From above, they were covered with casings, for the manufacture of which thin sheets of steel were used. Tankequipped with a 75 mm gun. In an effort to eliminate the roll of the tank during the voyage, the gun was mounted on a movable frame. With this design, the gun, if necessary, could be moved forward, thus evenly distributing the mass of the tank. During the battle, the gun was moved back. This unusual tank was demonstrated to the public in June 1921. Despite the originality of the design, the US Department of the Amphibian was not interested. In total, the American arms industry produced one single copy.
Chrysler TV-8
This sample was developed by Chrysler employees in 1955. The peculiarity of the tank is as follows:
- TV-8 was equipped with a huge fixed tower. Lightweight chassis became the place of its installation.
- The tower was equipped with a compact nuclear reactor, which was used to power armored vehicles.
- Tank turret with special television cameras. This design decision was made to prevent atomic bombs from blinding crew members.
TV-8 was designed to fight with nuclear weapons. It was planned to install two 7.62 mm machine guns and one T208 90 mm cannon on the tank. The project made a strong impression on the army command of the United States. However, the idea of creating a small atomic reactor turned out to be difficult to implement. In addition, there was a risk that water could get into it. This would lead to disastrous consequences, both for the soldiers in the tank and for the nearest units.armored vehicles. The atomic tank was created in a single copy. Further design had to be abandoned.
Tortuga 1934 tank
This model of armored vehicles was created by weapons designers in Venezuela. The developers pursued the goal - to intimidate neighboring Colombia with their creation. However, according to experts, the result was questionable. Even the name of the tank does not contain a threat, and translated into Spanish means "turtle". Tortuga with pyramid-shaped armor mounted on a 6-wheeled Ford truck. The turret is equipped with one 7mm Mark 4B machine gun. In total, 7 copies of these combat vehicles were made.
Russian Tsar Tank
The author of this model was the Soviet engineer Nikolai Lebedenko. His creation is a wheeled combat vehicle. When creating the undercarriage, 9-meter front wheels and a rear roller with a diameter of 150 cm were used. In the central part of the tank there is a place for a fixed machine-gun cabin, which is in a suspended position 8 m from ground level. The width of the Tsar Tank is 12 m. By 1915, the author prepared a new project, according to which they planned to equip the tank with three machine guns: two on the sides and one near the wheelhouse. The idea was approved by Nicholas II and soon the engineer began to implement it. We tested a new tank in the forest. However, the testing did not go smoothly: the rear roller was very bogged down and it was not possible to extract the unit even with the help of the most powerful Maybach trophy engines, which were used in the padded German airship. After giving up unsuccessful attempts to get the tank, it was left to rust. ATno one remembered this model during the revolutionary time, and in 1923 it was cut into metal.
About "Object 279" by J. Kotin
During the Cold War, there was a rivalry between the engineers of the Soviet Union and the United States to create a heavy tank capable of effectively performing combat missions in the epicenter of a nuclear explosion. However, the designers of both states did not progress beyond the creation of prototypes. In the city of Leningrad, the design work was led by the legendary designer of armored vehicles, Joseph Kotin. In 1959, under his command, the Soviet heavy tank "Object 279" was created; Its unusual appearance is as follows:
- Tank with a curvilinear hull, elongated in the form of an ellipsoid. This design decision was made to prevent the tank from being overturned by the shock wave generated during a nuclear explosion.
- The undercarriage consisted of four caterpillar belts, which had not been practiced in tank building until that time. This chassis design made it possible to use armored vehicles in the most difficult areas. The tank easily traveled in swampy and snowy places. Such army means for planting tanks as "hedgehogs" and "stumps" did not pose a danger to the "Object 279". Due to the design of the chassis, when overcoming them, the landing of the tank was excluded.
Despite the presence of undeniable advantages, the release of this model has not been established. The tank turned out to be inflexible. In addition, forits serial production required significant financial investments. Difficulties could arise during the maintenance and repair of the "Object 279". This tank was made in a single copy. Today it can be seen at the Central Museum of Tank Weapons in Kubinka.
AMH-13
Is the fastest-firing light tank developed by French designers in 1946-1949. Armored vehicles are characterized by an unusual design. The tank used a oscillating turret, which uses trunnion bushings to mount weapons. The tower itself contains two parts: a swivel lower and a swinging upper, which was equipped with a gun. Unlike traditional designs of tank turrets, the oscillating turret has an advantage - due to its immobility relative to the gun, armored vehicles can be equipped with the simplest possible loading mechanism.
Shells in the AMX-13 are fed according to the "drum" scheme. Behind the breech of the gun there is space for two drum magazines, each of which contains 6 ammunition. The rotation of stores and the release of the next ammunition is carried out due to the force of the rollback. In this case, the projectile rolls onto a special tray, which coincides with the axis of the barrel gun channel. Shooting is carried out after the ammunition is in the barrel with the shutter closed. According to experts, within one minute, the AMX-13 can fire up to 12 shots. This rate of fire is quite high. In addition, due to the use of a drum circuit, a loader is not needed in a tank crew. Idea Frenchgunsmiths was successful. The production of these tanks was put on stream. The number of issued AMX-13 was 8 thousand units. Today, this model is used by the armies of more than ten countries.
Skeleton Tank
Is an experienced light tank of the United States, developed during the First World War. According to experts, at that time armored vehicles of this class, due to the short length of the tracks, were not suitable for crossing wide ditches. The increase in length led to the weighting of the tank itself. The solution to the problem was the invention of the original design, which was as follows: for the manufacture of a frame supporting large tracks, they decided to use ordinary pipes, and between the tracks they allotted space for the fighting compartment. The US skeletal tank was built in 1918. The Aberdeen Proving Ground became the test site. In the post-war period, the design of this sample was discontinued. During the Cold War, attempts were made to resume the development of tanks and other types of armored vehicles with a skeletal layout.
Despite the fact that the samples within the framework of the "Combat Systems of the Future" program successfully passed field tests, they never entered service with the American army. Also, their serial production was not established. The matter was limited only to conceptualization and design. One of these models was the robotic, remote-controlled combat vehicle RIPSAW (ARAS program). This model was created under the standard combat module "Crose". It also excluded the usemachine gun armament of calibers 7, 62 and 12, 7 mm. This project was launched in 2006 and is considered one of the most promising. Work is being carried out by American officers and scientists at the Weapons Engineering Research Center.
Fahrpanzer
According to experts, light mobile armored wheeled structures turned out to be quite effective. Small-caliber artillery is used as weapons. Such models are called armored carriages. Various modifications were designed. Also, the caliber of artillery was not limited. Weapon samples were also called "self-propelled armored guns." Widely used during the First World War. Carriages were mainly used to fortify field positions. They also tried to exploit them as an offensive weapon. One of these samples was the invention of the German engineer Maximilian Schumann. The thickness of the armored dome was 2.5 cm. The carriage bed became the place for its installation. Major Schumann's tank with a rectangular hull and a slight recoil of the gun used direct fire. The combat crew consisted of two people. The creation of the German designer weighed up to 2200 kg. Widely used in World War I. Germany and Austria-Hungary became the producing countries of this unusual tank. Until 1947, it was in service with the Swiss army.
A-40
This model is a hybrid of a tank and a glider. The Soviet T-60 was used as a base. The design was carried out under the guidance of the USSR designer Antonov. It was created to deliver armored vehicles to partisans by air. After the A-40 landed on the ground, the airframe was detached and the A-40 became the standard T-60. Due to the fact that the combat vehicle weighed a lot (almost 8 tons), so that the glider could lift it into the air, Soviet engineers had to remove all ammunition from the T-60. According to experts, due to this, the design became completely useless. A-40 made a single flight in September 1942. This tank was assembled in one copy.
Tracklayer Best 75
It is a 1916 tracked armored vehicle. According to experts, the Tracklayer Best 75 is a tractor manufactured by Best employees. The equipment was equipped with an armored hull and a turret with two machine guns and a cannon.
Outwardly, the creation has much in common with an overturned boat. Due to too little visibility, weak armor and poor handling, this unusual tank could only drive straight ahead. The military commission approved the "Besta" yt machine for serial production.
