PT-76 floating tank: description, characteristics and interesting facts

Before World War II, the Soviet Union had a lot of experience in creating floating armored vehicles. In the forty-first year the Red Army had the largest fleet of such equipment, but during the fighting, the overwhelming majority of the specimens were destroyed by enemy troops. The remaining cars clearly did not meet the goals of the government and could hardly strengthen the army. The PT-76 model was a floating tank, serial production of which was established in the post-war years. Several versions have been released on its base. Consider the characteristics and characteristics of amphibians.

History of creation

The floating tank PT-76 was planned to be equipped with a gun of 76 mm caliber. He had to be able to transport a solid stock of ammunition and have the possibility of transferring up to two dozen paratroopers on the armor. The design of the shipbuilding plant in Nizhny Novgorod (Krasnoye Sormovo) was engaged in the development of new equipment.

The first pair of prototypes was made in 1948. Unfortunately, the models did not pass the testing, after which the design was taken up by the Research Institute of Transport Engineering in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). The Stalingrad transport plant was appointed the manufacturing enterprise. The overall project management was carried out by J. Ya. Kotin. At one time under his management, heavy self-propelled artillery installations were created. In the role of the leading designer was Shamshurin NF

The new project received an index of 740. By the summer of 1950, prototypes had been produced. In severe tests, the new combat vehicle overstepped its competitor (K-90 from Moscow manufacturers), having successfully passed all obstacles. In August 1951, the object was named "floating tank PT-76" and was adopted.

Structural features

The military machine under consideration possesses a classic layout, refers to an easy class. Armored case is equipped with three compartments:

1. Department of Management, located in the bow.
2. The combat compartment, located in the center of the hull, equipped with a conical configuration tower.
3. Power section in the stern of the hull. Here there is a diesel engine and a pair of water jet propellers (first used on the basis of this technique).

In serial production the machine was launched already in 1951. Mass production continued until 1967. A total of about four thousand copies came off the assembly line. In 1967 the technology was withdrawn from the armament.

The PT-76 tank: characteristics

Below are the characteristics of the tactical and technical plan:

• Type of machine - floating tank.
• Year of manufacture - 1951.
• The crew consists of three people.
• The layout is classical.
• Length / width / height - 6,91 / 3,18 / 2,19 m.
• Thickness of armor - from 5 to 13 mm, depending on the location (nose, side, bottom, tower).
• Base - 4.08 m.
• The track is 2.74 mm.
• Road clearance - 37 cm.
• Type of armor - rolled homogeneous of steel with increased strength.
• Armament - rifled gun caliber 76 mm, machine gun SGMT caliber 7.62 mm.
• The range of the shot is up to 12 km.
• The type of sight is telescopic TSC-66.
• Power plant - diesel engine V-6 with a capacity of 240 horsepower.
• The speed indicator (maximum) is 44 km / h on dry land, 10.2 km / h - afloat.
• Weight - 14 tons.
• The overcoming moat is 2.8 m.
• Cruising range for rough terrain / afloat - 210/70 km.
• Suspension - individual torsion type.
• The specific power is 17.1 liters. C / t.

Observation and communication devices

The light floating tank PT-76 is equipped with three periscope devices, which are placed in the rotating turret of the commander. The devices are mounted tightly and provide a qualitative overview of a rather narrow sector.

Instruments have a fivefold increase and a field of view of 7.5 degrees horizontally. On the sides there are periscopes of TNP with a single magnification. Charging for the review of the terrain can use only one rotary device of a single increase in MK-4. It is in front of the hatch in the tower roof.

In non-combat conditions, the driver-mechanic observes the terrain through an open hatch. In combat conditions, three devices of the TNP type serve as a review. To control the machine in conditions of poor visibility or at night, a binocular night vision device TVN-2B is provided. It includes an infrared filter, electronic stuffing and optics. The range of vision is about 60 meters, with a viewing angle of not more than 30 degrees.

PT-76 tank: a description of the engine and the chassis

By and large, the power unit of the amphibian under consideration is an upgraded motor of the T-34 tank. The gearbox is also borrowed from this model. A decent speed and good maneuverability on the water provide water jet propulsion. Thanks to these elements, the floating tank PT-76 could easily overcome the reservoirs overgrown with shrubs.

At the same time there is a low specific pressure of the tracks on the soil, which guaranteed the car easy crossing of heavily waterlogged areas. The fighting amphibian became more compact and easier to maintain, and also received hydraulic shock absorbers interacting with an individual torsion suspension. These nodes provided the technician with improved ride and increased cruising speed. The floating tank PT-76 C 60 was equipped with a protection system against WMD and an automatic fire-fighting device. The technique showed itself well in forced marches with a range of up to 500 kilometers.

Modifications

Several modifications have been made on the basis of the machine under consideration. Among them:

1. Model with a 76-millimeter gun D-56TM with a two-chamber muzzle brake. In addition, she had an ejector, an internal walkie-talkie, a night vision device, an anti-smoke thermal device. The height of the case is increased by 13 millimeters. The year of improvement is 1957.
2. The upgraded PT-76B tank was released in 1959. It is equipped with a two-plane gun D-56TS, stabilizing device STP-2P, ventilation unit with filters. On later versions, a gyro compass was installed.
3. In 1967, the PKT course machine gun, intercom P-123, was installed on the tank under consideration. The machine was in service with reconnaissance corps and in the Marine Corps.
4. On the basis of PT-76, an armored personnel carrier BTR-50, launchers for Luna missile complexes, and a UR-67 demining complex for mine were created.

Interesting Facts

The first serious military clash of PT-76 took place in March 69 in Vietnam. A team of twelve vehicles and armored personnel carriers attacked the American base of Ben-Hat with the aim of destroying the cannon battery. The head PT-76 was blown up on a mine, but the crew did not fail and continued to fire. The rest of the cars entered into a confrontation with the Patton platoon and a pair of anti-aircraft self-propelled vehicles. Both sides suffered losses, but the attack did not continue after the loss of two tanks and one APC.

In the spring of 1995, India appealed to the USSR for help in getting protection from Pakistan's possible invasion. The first batch of amphibians India received in the summer of the 65th. In total, the country had two regiments of such machines with a total number of about 90 copies.

In September 1965, the PT-76 brigade, as part of the seventh Indian machine-gun regiment, attacked a village captured by the Pakistanis. As a result, the enemy managed to knock out, having lost one tank for its part. During the war, India lost near the company PT-76, some of which were captured by the army of Pakistan.

Participation in other military conflicts

Among the most famous confrontations involving the machine in question, we can note the following armed conflicts:

• The war between India and Pakistan in 1971. During fourteen days of fighting, 13 PT-76 tanks were destroyed and damaged, and the Pakistanis lost all their heavy vehicles. This was one of the weighty contributions to the victory.
• War of 1967 (six-day) between Egypt and Israel. The Egyptians in the arsenal had 29 machines in question. However, they were used inappropriately. As a result, two units were destroyed, 7 - abandoned. The trophy models of the Israelis were reworked and installed American weapons on them.
• The war of the day of judgment in 1973. In it, PT-76 participated both from Egypt and from Israel.
• In addition, the cars took part in the Yugoslav wars and the confrontation in Chechnya.

In conclusion

Now the light floating tank PT-76 and BTR-50 are magnificent and unnecessary "floats". In the USSR, they were removed from service in 1967. Nevertheless, the decommissioned cars gained popularity among the countries of the Middle East and were actively used. For the time, this technique proved to be very successful, both on land and on water.

Lightweight floating tanks were actively exported to the Warsaw Treaty states, as well as most pro-Soviet African and southeastern countries. The captured Egyptian cars were modernized by Israeli engineers, and China produced its own analogue under the "type-63" index.