Tank nuclear explosion. American nuclear tank projects

In the mid-1950s, as part of work to create a tank applicable in nuclear war, designers from the American company Chrysler presented unusual project tank under the designation TV-8.
The design of the TV-8 tank is modular; the lower part can be separated from the main body for easier transportation. Additionally, unlike most tanks, where the crew is located in the hull and the rotating turret is located above, the TV-8 has the entire crew, gun and machine guns, and engine all located in a massive turret. The tank was supposed to have a crew of four people, but if necessary, it could be controlled by only two people - the driver and the gunner.

At first it was assumed that there would be an electric generator in the rear part of the tower, which would power two tracked engines, then they considered the option of a gas turbine engine, and finally settled on a steam engine that received heat from a small nuclear reactor, installed, again, in the tower.
The Chrysler TV-8 tank was equipped with a 90 mm T208 gun with hydraulic cylinders. The ammunition was stored behind a steel bulkhead that separated it from the crew compartment. Two .30 caliber co-axial machine guns were located in the front, and on the roof was a 50 caliber machine gun, which was controlled by remote control.

The TV-8 tank was equipped with external video cameras that relayed the image to screens in the crew compartment. This was done so that the crew could see their surroundings without having to open any hatches. It was also supposed to protect the crew from the flash of a tactical nuclear explosion.
The tank's armor consisted of two layers around the fighting compartment. The outer part was multilayer armor, which was supposed to protect the inner layer by diverting the jet of cumulative shells exploding on it. The curved shape of the tower was supposed to ensure its strong rebound. The inner layer of armor was a traditional thick metal plating.

Despite its 25 tons of weight, the Chrysler TV-8 tank could float. Movement on water was to be carried out using jet water cannons.
The project to create the Chrysler TV-8 tank was never realized. Chrysler was unable to convince the US military that this unusual tank had any significant advantages over traditional combat vehicles. In 1956, the TV-8 project was canceled.

Performance characteristics Chrysler TV-8 tank
Combat weight: 25 tons;
Crew: 4 people;
Dimensions: length - 8.9 m; width – 3.4 m; height - 2.9 m;
Armament: 90 mm T208 gun; 0.3 caliber coaxial machine gun (coaxial), 0.5 caliber machine gun with remote control;
Engine: Chrysler V-8 steam engine powered by a nuclear reactor located in the turret

In 1956, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev instructed the designers to begin work on a project for a unique tank that was not afraid of atomic explosion, no radiation contamination of the crew, no chemical or biological attacks. The project received article number 279.

And such a heavy tank weighing 60 tons was designed by 1957 at SKB-2 of the Kirov Plant of Leningrad (KZL) under the leadership of the chief designer, Major General Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin. It was immediately and rightly called atomic. Moreover, the lion's share of its weight was armor, in some places reaching up to 305 millimeters. That is why the internal space for the crew was much smaller than that of heavy tanks of similar weight.

Atomic tank embodied the new tactics of waging the Third World War and a more “vegetarian” era, when human life was at least worth something. It was the concern for the crew of this armored vehicle that dictated some of the tactical and technical data of this tank. For example, if necessary, the hermetically sealed turret hatch and breech of the gun prevented even a speck of dust from entering the interior of the vehicle, not to mention radioactive gases and chemicals infection. Bacteriological danger was also excluded for tankers.

Thus, even the sides of the hull were protected by almost twice as thick armor as the German Tigers. It reached 182 mm on the 279th. The frontal armor of the hull generally had an unprecedented thickness - from 258 to 269 mm. This exceeded the parameters of even such a cyclopean German development The Third Reich, as the heaviest monster in the history of tank building, as if jokingly named by its developer Ferdinand Porsche Maus (“Mouse”). With a vehicle weight of 189 tons, its frontal armor was 200 mm. Whereas in an atomic tank it was simply covered with impenetrable 305 mm high-alloy steel. Moreover, the body of the Soviet miracle tank was shaped like a turtle shell - shoot, don’t shoot, and the shells simply slipped off it and flew on. In addition, the giant’s body was also covered with anti-cumulative shields.

* * *

It was no coincidence that this configuration was chosen by the leading designer of the SKB-2 KZL, Lev Sergeevich Troyanov: after all, the tank was not just called nuclear - it was intended to conduct combat operations directly near a nuclear explosion. Moreover, the almost flat body prevented the machine from tipping over even under the influence of a monstrous shock wave. The tank's armor could withstand even a frontal hit from a 90-mm cumulative projectile, as well as a close-range shot from an armor-piercing charge from a 122-mm cannon. And not only in the forehead - the side also withstood such hits.

By the way, for such a heavyweight he had a very good speed on the highway - 55 km/h. And being invulnerable, the iron hero himself could cause a lot of trouble to the enemy: his gun had a caliber of 130 mm, and easily penetrated any armor existing at that time. True, the supply of shells gave rise to pessimistic thoughts - according to the instructions, only 24 of them were placed in the tank. In addition to the gun, the four crew members also had a heavy machine gun at their disposal.

Another feature of Project 279 was its tracks - there were four of them. In other words, a nuclear tank, in principle, could not get stuck - even in complete off-road conditions, thanks also to the low specific pressure on the ground. And he successfully overcame mud, deep snow, and even anti-tank hedgehogs and gouges. During the tests in 1959, in the presence of representatives of the military-industrial complex and the Ministry of Defense, the military liked everything, especially the thickness of the armor of the nuclear tank and its complete protection from everything. But the ammunition load plunged the generals into despondency. They were not impressed by the difficulty of operating the chassis, as well as the extremely low ability to maneuver.

And the project was abandoned. The tank remained manufactured in a single copy, which is today exhibited in Kubinka - in the Armored Museum. And the other two are unfinished prototypes went to the smelter.

* * *

Another exotic development of our military engineers was the A-40 or, as it was also called, “KT” (“Tank Wings”). According to the alternate name, he could even... fly. Design "CT" (namely we're talking about about the airframe for the domestic T-60) began 75 years ago - in 1941. In order to lift the tank into the air, a glider was attached to it, which was then towed by a TB-3 heavy bomber. It was none other than Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, who then worked in the Glider Directorate as the chief engineer at the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry, who came up with such a non-standard solution.

It is clear that with a weight of almost eight tons (including the glider), the tank, equipped with wings, could fly behind the bomber at a speed of only 130 km/h. However, the main thing they wanted to teach him was to land in the right place, unhooking from the BT-3 in advance. It was planned that after landing, two crew members would remove all unnecessary flight “uniform” from the T-60 and be ready for combat, having at their disposal a 20 mm caliber gun and a machine gun. The T-60 was supposed to be delivered to surrounded units of the Red Army or partisans, and they also wanted to use this method of transportation for the emergency transfer of vehicles to the necessary sections of the front.

Tests of the flying tank took place in August-September 1942. Alas, due to its low speed, the glider only just stayed at a height of forty meters above the ground due to poor streamlining and its rather substantial mass. There was a war going on, and at that time such projects were not welcome. Only those developments that could become combat vehicles in the very near future were welcomed.

For this reason, the project was canceled. This happened in February 1943, when Oleg Antonov was already working in the design bureau of Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev - his deputy. Another important point, due to which work on the A-40 was stopped, was the condition for transporting its ammunition along with the tank - this question remained open. The flying tank was also made in just one copy. But it was not the only project of our designers. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of such developments. Fortunately, our country has always had enough talented engineers.

Vitaly Karyukov

Historical site Bagheera - secrets of history, mysteries of the universe. Mysteries of great empires and ancient civilizations, the fate of disappeared treasures and biographies of people who changed the world, secrets of special services. The history of wars, mysteries of battles and battles, reconnaissance operations of the past and present. World traditions, modern life Russia, the mysteries of the USSR, the main directions of culture and other related topics - everything that official history is silent about.

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The history of atomic tanks began (and also ended) in the United States of America. In the post-war years, conferences bringing together amateur and professional scientists under one roof were popular all over the world. The luminaries of scientific thought staged a populist brainstorm, the purpose of which was to find new technical solutions for needs modern society, capable of turning his life around once and for all.

One of the most popular such conferences was called “Question Mark”. It was at one of these meetings in 1954 that the idea of ​​creating a tank powered by atomic energy was first conceived. Such fighting machine could almost completely eliminate American army from oil dependence, which was especially important during times of silent anticipation of nuclear war. Having a full range after a forced march, and, accordingly, the ability to engage in battle “on the move”, without the necessary maintenance, was the main hope placed on the project, called TV-1 (“TrackVehicle-1”, English - “ Tracked vehicle-1").

The very first technical proposal for the nuclear tank project contained following points: armor thickness - 350 mm, weight - no more than 70 tons, armament - 105 mm caliber cannon.

The design of the tank was quite simple. The reactor was located in the front of the vehicle, and immediately behind it were the crew, combat and engine rooms. The reactor for the tank was planned to be made with forced air cooled– hot air after the heat exchange process was supposed to drive the motor turbine.

It was assumed that nuclear fuel will be enough for 500 hours of continuous operation, however, according to theoretical calculations, during this time TV-1 would contaminate several hundred cubic meters of air! In addition, no clear decision was made on reliable emergency protection of the reactor itself. This made the tank more dangerous for friendly troops than for the enemy.

The first project was followed by a second. In 1955, the modernized TV-1 was introduced, receiving the R32 marker. The main differences from its predecessor were smaller dimensions and weight, as well as more rational armor angles. The most important difference was in reducing the danger of the reactor. The air turbine was abandoned, as well as the size of the reactor itself was reduced, as well as the maximum power reserve of the vehicle. This increased the safety of the reactor for the crew, but still these protective measures were not enough for full operation of the tank.

This is the end of attempts to interest the army nuclear projects not finished. One of the most “colorful” developments was the project of an armored vehicle based on heavy tank M103. This project was launched by the famous American company Chrysler, which developed a tank with nuclear reactor as part of the ASTRON program.

The result of the development was to be an effective combat vehicle capable of surpassing enemy armored vehicles for many decades to come. Hidden behind the TV-8 index is an experimental tank concept with an original turret - its size exceeded the length of the vehicle's hull! The turret housed all crew members, a 90 mm gun and ammunition. The tower was also supposed to house both a reactor and a diesel engine. As you might guess, the TV-8 (known as the “float tank”) had, to put it mildly, an original appearance.

The paradox is that TV-8 was the most successful project of a tank with a nuclear reactor and the only one brought by the developers to the prototyping stage. Unfortunately or fortunately, in future project was closed due to the unreasonable ratio of prospects and risks associated with the operation of the tank.

TV-8 can be considered one of the most unusual tanks in history in terms of design military equipment. Now it looks at least funny, and the layout principle seems extremely irrational - when it hit the turret, all the life-supporting systems of the tank were in the affected area - from the engine, weapons and crew to the nuclear reactor, damage to which seemed fatal not only to the tank itself, but also to the environment.

In addition, it was still not possible to automate the operation of a nuclear tank, since the ammunition and fuels and lubricants in any case were limited, and the crew members were exposed to constant radiation exposure, which endangered human lives. Coupled with the extremely high cost of such a machine, their mass production and operation even now looks like a very dubious undertaking. As a result, the atomic tank remained a product of the nuclear fever that gripped the world in the 50s of the 20th century.

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“The Armata universal chassis system provides a platform for more than a dozen different tracked vehicles, including self-propelled howitzer, engineering vehicle and an armored personnel carrier. 70 percent of the tracked armored vehicles of the Russian Ground Forces are planned to be replaced with vehicles, based on the universal Armata chassis system."

The truth is still authentic combat capabilities T-14s are unknown and will remain so until they are tested in real combat.

In 2016, the Russian Ministry of Defense ordered the first batch of 100 T-14s and intends to purchase up to 2,300 T-14 tanks by 2025. However, it seems that these are only the official financial and production capabilities of Russia. According to experts, from 2018 Russia can produce no more than 120 such tanks per year. Currently in Ground forces Russia has about 20 T-14 units in service. It is not yet clear whether mass production of the tank has begun.