After the end of World War II, the arms race began. Already in August 1945, the first nuclear bombs fell. In the radiation hell, the inhabitants of Hiroshima and Nagasaki burned down, and the superpowers began the active creation and production of atomic weapons and protection against them. What tasks were set for designers and scientists, we can only guess, but some projects have received general fame. Some types of bombs, equipment, and medications became known from newspapers from fragmentary information.
New weapon
Nuclear weapons have a large number of damaging factors; there were no analogues to them in the middle of the 20th century. In addition to the explosion itself and the huge temperatures that occur at the epicenter and turn metal into water, there was also a blast wave that brought down houses and turned over any equipment, radiation burned out the eyes of all living things, an electromagnetic pulse burned out electronics, and penetrating radiation achieved everything that was still alive , even after many years.
Neither thick-walled bunkers, nor metal alloys, nor the multi-meter stratum of the earth could reliably protect from the consequences of such an impact.
Tanks are not only not afraid of dirt
A tank is an armored vehicle with a tracked undercarriage, has a crew of 5 to 3 people. It overcomes off-road well, has weapons to destroy enemy vehicles and manpower. As the first tests showed, this particular type of equipment (especially if it was a heavy tank) is most resistant to the effects of a nuclear explosion. The thickness of the armor and the mass made it possible to withstand the blast wave, partially protected from the electromagnetic pulse and radiation. The crew received enough life time to complete the combat mission. It sounds cruel, but in war the task is often valued above people's lives.
Number 279. Object and its history
In the USSR, the attitude to the development of military equipment was very interesting, the ministry gave out the necessary tactical and technical characteristics, and the designers puzzled over the task. In 1956, according to the same scenario, the USSR Ministry of Defense presented TTX to the new tank. Frames of 50-60 tons and armament in the form of a 130 mm gun were exhibited. The assignment was received by the design bureaus of the Leningrad Kirov Plant and the Chelyabinsk Tractor. At that time, heavy Soviet tanks were represented by the following line: IS-2, IS-3, IS-4, T-10. None of them met the requirements of the time. There was nothing to counter the NATO tanks. Only the T-10 (after the T-10M modification) became a worthy rival to the American M103 and the British Conkeror. Several projects of that time are known, such as “Object 770”, “Object 279”, “Object 277”.
Unlike other competitors in place of the main heavy tank, the “Object 279” was a completely new project, not a refining and improvement of the old ones. L. S. Troyanov from the Leningrad Design Bureau headed the project 279. The facility was designed to conduct combat operations in difficult terrain and when using nuclear weapons.
Technical characteristics of "Object 279"
Tank "Object 279" had a standard layout with 11.5 cubic meters. m under armor and a crew of 4 people. The armor for its time was the most perfect and not penetrable even at close range. The frontal armor was 192 mm, tilted 60 degrees and had an angle of rotation of 45 degrees, so the reduced thickness of the armor reached half a meter. The hull consists of four massive parts, the solid-cast tower, hemispherical, flattened, had a uniform armor belt, the reduced thickness reached 800 mm. It was a record level of protection without combined reservation.
In service was a rifled gun 130 mm M-65 and paired with it KPVT. The M-65 had a slotted muzzle brake, an ejector, and a barrel purge with compressed air. An armor-piercing tracer shell leaves such a gun at a speed of 1000 m / s, muzzle energy exceeds 1.5 times modern 120-125-mm smoothbore guns, it was really a Soviet experimental super tank. “Object 279” also had a semi-automatic loading cassette, which brought the rate of fire to 5-7 rounds a minute. Unfortunately, there is little space left for ammunition: for only 24 rounds and 300 rounds for a machine gun.
Fire management and control systems, as well as night and conventional sights were the most advanced, on serial vehicles, such appeared only in the late 60s.
The heavy tank on the highway developed a speed of up to 50-55 km / h, and the range was 250-300 km. The chassis had no analogues. Instead of two tracks, this tank had four, rollers are distributed in such a way that there is virtually no clearance, the weight on the supporting area is so small that there is no possibility of landing on the ground.
In addition to armor, weapons and an engine, the tank had the best systems of protection against radiation, chemical and biological hazards. There were also fire extinguishing systems and thermal smoke equipment.
Tests of Object 279
In 1959, the tank was tested under code number 279. The object proved to be not the best way. Defects in the chassis were identified. The car turned out to be slow, the speed fell strongly on viscous soils. Repair and maintenance of such equipment is very difficult. It became clear that "Object 279" will not be released in a series, it was the most expensive and too highly specialized project. Its place was to be taken by “Object 277” or “Object 770”.
The end to the development of heavy tanks was put by N. S. Khrushchev when, after a demonstration of military equipment in 1960, he banned the acceptance of tanks heavier than 37 tons. But, thanks to this, until the appearance of the T-80U, the experimental Object 279 super tank was the most powerful in the world. Now the only surviving copy is in the BTVT museum in Kubinka.
War strategy
After the end of World War II, the tactics of warfare and, in general, the strategy of war, changed greatly. It became clear that with the modern development of fortifications, it is possible to break through a well-placed defense only with great blood. The history of Soviet tanks and weapons clearly shows this. The Soviet Union had several sapper armies, which in a short time turned any piece of land into impassable territory. A striking example was Leningrad. From history, only the Brusilovsky breakthrough stands out for its effectiveness and relatively small losses. Soviet troops in Finland surprised everyone, in difficult weather conditions, when the snowdrifts are higher than the head, there is swamp under the snow, and the frost is such that the food turns into stone, they still pushed through the defense. After these events, the production of special concrete-piercing shells was launched to break through the defense structures.
The advent of nuclear weapons has changed tactics. Thoughts began to appear that it was not necessary to break through the defense with technology or manpower. At the site of the highest concentration of protective structures, a nuclear charge explodes, and troops in chemical protection equipment rush into the resulting breakthrough. Supertank “Object 279” was very suitable for such purposes. The logic is understandable, but at that time the countries did not have enough experience in handling nuclear energy.
Nuclear tests
Nuclear testing began with the United States dropping bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. America has shown its strength and challenged. The Soviet Union could not help but react. After the war, a number of institutes were established to deal with the issue of creating a nuclear bomb. The main thing in this matter was I.V. Kurchatov. It was thanks to him that the USSR received its nuclear shield and developed infrastructure for the use of atomic energy. America ceased to be a leader in this matter, and a possible third world war remained only cold.
Totsky training ground
Perhaps the most terrible tests of nuclear weapons in the USSR were carried out at the Totsky training ground on September 14, 1954. In the early 1950s, the United States conducted its tests of nuclear weapons during military exercises, and the political leadership of the union decided to follow suit. Perhaps, even then, an idea came about the Soviet experimental supertank. “Object 279” is only one of the known to us.
Initially, they planned to conduct the exercises at the Kapustin Yar training ground, but Totsky was higher in terms of safety parameters. The exercises were called "Snowball", and was conducted by Marshal Georgy Zhukov. In the spring, large-scale preparations for them began, including the evacuation of residents of nearby villages.
Observers from different countries arrived at the exercises, and war marshals from the Union: Rokossovsky, Malinovsky, Konev, Bagramyan, Vasilevsky, Timoshenko, Budyonny, Voroshilov. Also there was the Minister of Defense Bulganin and, of course, the first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev.
A whole city was built at the training ground, live animals were left at different points in order to later learn about the consequences of a nuclear explosion. Evil tongues claim that there were also prisoners sentenced to death. Around the improvised city were defensive fortifications, and beyond their borders, troops were waiting in the wings.
The pilots who dropped the bomb received awards and early ranks. And what did the soldiers expect? After the explosion, troops rushed to the affected area. At that time, the shock wave was considered the main striking factor, and people did not have special protection against radiation.
At the training ground were all types of ground equipment: cargo, artillery, escort vehicles and, of course, Soviet tanks. Also attended by 45 thousand troops. Most of them died in the next 10-15 years. The doctrine has been stamped "top secret." By 2004, 378 people were alive from the participants in the Orenburg region.
During the exercises, the wind changed its direction and carried the cloud towards the city. In varying degrees, exposure to radiation affected residents of seven districts of the Orenburg region. What conclusions were drawn from this in the Soviet Union, one can only guess, but the tests did not stop there, and a year and a half later an order was received for a new tank - “Object 279”.
Unrealized projects
Unfortunately, the heavy tank "Object 279" remained only a project and a museum exhibit. In general, there are many such projects. The famous game World of Tanks made many of them well-known. For example, the German Maus, the heaviest tank of World War II. Two copies were created, not one participated in the battles, and only one of them was able to move. Now in the Russian museum is Maus, assembled from fit parts of two tanks.
Such projects are amazing, they are very ambitious, violating the accepted foundations, but either the high cost or simply the non-viability of the machine dooms them to museum existence. However, they carry out their work, on the basis of which they create new and more successful options.
The plot for the post-apocalypse
In the well-known and already international cycle of books “Metro 2033” there are various military equipment: “Tigers”, “Wolves”, T-95 tank, BTR-82, and even the Terminator tank support vehicle. The Object-279 supertank fits optimally into the criteria of the post-apocalyptic world, it has unique cross-country ability and radiation protection systems. It is only a matter of time, which of the writers will include such a highlight in his story, but there is only one “Object 279”.
Modern technology
Modern combat vehicles without fail have protection against radiation and chemical exposure. If there are no filters, then at least a cabin seal is provided. Full protection will raise several times the cost of equipment. Everyone understands that gas masks, anti-radar tablets, OZK, the thickness of the armor and the sealing of the cabin in real combat conditions will only extend the life of the crew, but will not hide from the consequences. But when Russia has nowhere to retreat, that’s enough.