The Second World War ended. Artillery on the battlefields died down, prisoners of war returned to their homes, Germany paid indemnities, and the Soviet Union had the largest and most technically equipped land army. This superiority was visible to any military specialist according to the results of the Soviet-Japanese war of 1945.
In September 1945, a joint military parade of troops was held in Berlin. Allied countries showed each other their strength and development. Who has superiority in tanks, was visible to the naked eye. Compared with the American M-24 Chaffee and the British Comet, the IS-3 heavy tank in the amount of 53 units of the 71st Guards Heavy Tank Regiment looked like a real steel monster, predatory and merciless. But the development of tanks did not stop there and did not even slow down.
Prerequisites for the appearance of the project "Object 730"
After the war, the production of the IS-3 continued. The conditions for the use of tanks changed, now they lived not several battles, but were supposed to serve for several years. Tanks of the war years were unsuitable for such a task. The last hope for the IS-3 collapsed when, during one of the tests, a 100-mm armor-piercing shell hit the edge of the frontal part of the tank’s hull (the well-known “pike nose”). The body burst at the seams, and the car crashed. All issued copies were aimed at eliminating the shortcomings, and the serial production of the IS-3 was discontinued.
Now, taking into account the accumulated experience and new tasks, the Soviet tank builders had to create a more advanced fighting vehicle. At that time, two tank plants operated on the territory of the Union - the Leningrad Kirov and the Chelyabinsk Tractor. After the blockade was lifted, a branch of the Experimental Tank Plant No. 100 was organized in Leningrad, and J. Kotin became director. Here was born the "Object-260", or IS-7.
It was the best tank of its time, surpassing foreign analogues in terms of parameters, but having a number of drawbacks. A number of test failures played against the tank. By then, too heavy machines began to be abandoned. Bridges and railway platforms could not stand them.
In 1948, the task was given - to create a new machine, relatively inexpensive, reliable, with a weight of up to 50 tons.
Second IS-5
There is some confusion in the numbering of Soviet tanks. The project "Object 730" bore the number IS-5. But the IS-5 was already - "Object 248", but was not launched into the series. As part of the project "Object 730" was planned to improve the IS-4. A number of components and assemblies were prepared for replacement to reduce the weight of the machine.
Development on it began in 1948 and by 1950 had not yet been completed. Tests revealed many flaws. Thus, the number was given a second life, IS-5 - “Object 730”.
The work dragged on for several years, and in 1953 the tank was accepted for service under a different name. The IS-5 never made it into the series, but new engines, transmissions, weapons, and so on were worked out on it.
Specifications
The final version of the Object 730 project had a welded body with inclined top and bent side sheets and a pike nose. The tank had a streamlined streamlined tower. As an armament, two machine guns, one paired with a 122-mm D-25TA gun, the second near the loader hatch. The combat weight was 50 tons. The machine is capable of climbing 32 degrees and crossing ditches of 2.7 m. Power is 700 liters. from. allowed to overcome the walls of 0.8 m and reach speeds of up to 43.1 km / h. The crew of the usual four people, the armor of the tower of 250 mm reliably protected them. Cruising range was 180-200 km. There were 30 shells for the gun, and 1,000 rounds for machine guns.
First test
In April 1949, a wooden model of the tank was delivered to Moscow. A list of improvements has been compiled. The project was approved in May, and then the preparation of drawings began. Preparation of documents was completed only by the end of June. The work dragged on, and did not have time to assemble the experimental tanks for the tests scheduled for August. It was decided to use the IS-4 with mounted units from the IS-5. "Object 730" for a while left aside. Engine power was limited to 700 liters. from. Some units were also tested on the IS-7.
Failures and improvements
September was a month of factory testing. IS-5 were supposed to cover 2000 km, but there were flaws in the transmission. It was decided to develop and apply an 8-speed planetary gearbox on the machine. VNII-100 was engaged in the development of technical documentation, and LKZ provided three prototypes. Tests have shown the advantage of the new unit.
Among other things, the tank was equipped with an ejection cooling system and a new gun installation scheme. Three more pieces of equipment for testing were released in March 1953. After checking one of them at the Rzhevsk training ground, the next state tests began.
Now, despite the complexity of the route, 200 km have been covered. Two tanks traveled up to 200 km per day, and the third more than 280. After a week and a half, the commission issued a conclusion on the successful completion of the tests. “Object 730” met the stated requirements and exceeded foreign counterparts. Despite all the improvements and alterations, the potential for modernization was left.
Rebirth in T-10
In the summer of 1950, 10 prototypes of the tank were created. They were tested at various test sites. Not everything was finalized, but nonetheless, the car met the requirements. A new list of works was compiled, and the release into the series was again postponed. The initial project has undergone major changes repeatedly and changed its name to IS-8, IS-9 and IS-10.
For example, a special mechanism for sending a projectile was provided. Thanks to this, a rifled 122-mm D-25TA gun produced 3-4 rounds / min. The guidance system of the machine gun, paired with a gun, was regulated using a single TAEN-1 electric drive. The box was made 8-speed, and a 700-liter V-12-5 was used as the power plant. from. Caterpillars borrowed from the IS-4 provided a ground pressure of 0.77 kg / m.
The final tests of the machine were completed in December 1952. In March 1953, a tragic event for that time occurred - the death of IV Stalin. But the abbreviation IP was adopted in honor of him - "Joseph Stalin." And in the order of the Minister of Defense to put the tank in series, the car was called T-10.
Production started slowly, 10 units were released in the same year, 50 in the next year, and 90 in a year.
Modifications
When you reach one peak, you need to move to the next, the designers did the same. In the Leningrad Design Bureau, a two-plane weapon stabilization system was created. If vertical movements were compensated before, now they are horizontal. A new T-2C sight was developed and installed. It was put into production in 1956, and in 1957 the T-10B was released.
A year later, a new modification appeared. In mass production, it was replaced by the T-10M. A more powerful M-62T2S (2A17) weapon was installed on this tank. Armor-piercing shells reached speeds of up to 950 m / s and pierced 225 mm of armor from 1000 m. A slot-type muzzle brake absorbed most of the recoil when fired, reducing the time to the next.
All technical improvements made him the best tank of his time, for almost forty years, the “Object 730” was in service and was modified according to requirements. This is the most massive tank in Russia, and possibly the world. For export, it was not created, the only military conflict in which it participated was the entry of troops of the Warsaw Pact countries into Czechoslovakia.
The last heavy tank of the Soviet Union
So, in the fifties the last Soviet heavy tank was adopted, then there were various modifications of it. This was the best creation of the military industry, which incorporated all the technical achievements of its time. They removed it from service after the collapse of the Union, in 1993.