Ob'yekt 136 Prototype, displayed at Saumer 1946.
T-47A Tsiklon of the 7th Guards Heavy Tank Brigade, circa 1948.
T-47 Tskilon Medium Tank
Even by the time Russian factories started producing the T-40 and T-44 medium tanks, the Main Directorate of Armoured Forces (GABTU) concluded that Russian tanks were falling behind those of other nations when comparing overall firepower. In 1944, while the Russian Ground Forces still depended on the 76.2mm/L55 tank gun, the German Army introduced the 88mm/L71 gun on the Standardpanzer Panther. While a number of late model T-44s were armed with a 85mm gun adapted from an anti-aircraft weapon, GABTU saw this as a temporary stopgap measure pending the introduction of more potent main armament and new vehicles to carry them. GABTU assigned the development of a new medium tank to Mikhail Koshkin, the Chief Designer at GKB T-40 (T-40 Main Design Bureau). Design requirements focused on the use of the D10T gun, which offered similar armour-piercing characteristics to the German 88mm KwK 42, albeit with lower muzzle velocities. However, GABTU required that mobility and armour remain at the same level as the T-44.
Design and Development
By late 1944, GKB T-40 began work on a replacement for the T-44. Work was split into two teams. One of the teams remained at Kharkov-Transall under Mikhail Koshkin himself, and focused on a heavily-improved variant of the T-44 armed with a 100mm gun. Three prototype vehicles, designated
Ob'yekt 404, were built at Kharkov, followed by a short production run under the designation of T-45 (or, according to some sources, the
T-44 Model 1946 or even
T-44-100). This vehicle was similar in many respects to the original T-44, having excellent combinations of mobility, firepower, and armour while maintaining a low weight, but at the cost of crew comfort. Cramped conditions, particularly for the loader, resulted in the T-45's low rate of fire of three to four rounds per minute.
The second half of the GKB T-40 design team, under Alexander Morozov, relocated to the new tankograd complex at Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil and worked on developing an alternative design to an upgunned T-44. Morozov's design team mixed certain successful elements from the T-37 heavy tank, which GABTU deemed highly successful in its day, alongside more modern ideas such as the armor sloping and transverse engine mounts used by the T-44,
Ob'yekt 404, and T-45.
Ob'yekt 136 used six roadwheels, rather than the five roadwheels which traditionally distinguished Russian medium tanks. The
Ob'yekt 136 also was distinguished by a trio of return rollers, added to dampen the tread slap that caused maintenance difficulties on the T-40 and T-44 series tanks.
Adoption
In May of 1945, the
Ob'yekt 136 was demonstrated to GABTU officials at Nizhni Tagil, and accepted for production as the
T-47 Tsiklon. The first prototype vehicle was also displayed in France's
Carrousel de Saumur in late July, although this vehicle had a T-37 turret and 85mm gun mounted for purposes of disinformation. Production began at Uralvagonzavod in April of 1946, with Kharkov Locomotive Works building tanks starting in December of 1946, followed by the Putilov Petrograd Factory in June of 1947.
Variants
T-47 (Model 1946): The T-47 was the first production model, built in quantity. Equipped with the D10T gun, it was based on the initial
Ob'yekt 136 prototype.
T-47A: Upgraded T-47 design that entered production in February 1947. The T-47A introduced the D-10TG gun (equipped with muzzle brake), STP-1 'Zenit' gun stabilization system, an improved gunner scope, episcopes for the commander and driver, a revolving turret floor, and Protsion radios.
T-47K (Kommandirski): A T-47 tank equipped with an extra Protsion radio and 'K' antenna for company commanders.
Specifications
Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader/radio)
Dimensions:
-- Length: 6.45m (hull), m (o/a)
-- Width: 3.5m
-- Height: 3.15m to MG
Weight: 40 metric tons
Armament:
-- 100mm/L55 D10T tank gun with 50 rounds (15 rds turret, 35 rds hull)
-- 12.7x108mm DShKM ("Dushka") machine gun in pintle mount (top of turret) with 1200 rds, for commander
-- 6.5mm machine gun in pintle mount (top of turret) with 400 rounds, for loader
Engine: V-2-IS series V-12 diesel (39L), 700hp
Transmission: Manual, 5 speeds forward and reverse
Suspension: Torsion bar with six road wheels and three return rollers
Protection:
-- Glacis: 50mm-90mm (sloped), 70mm average
-- Sides: 30mm-80mm, 55mm average
-- Rear: 45mm
-- Turret: 110mm (mantlet), 100mm (front), 65mm (sides), 50mm (rear), 20mm (roof and floor, avg)
Power Weight Ratio: 17.5 hp / tonne
Speed: 50kph (road), 25kph (offroad)
Fuel Capacity: 580 L internal, 320L external, 400 L jettisonable
Manufacturers: Uralvagonzavod, Kharkov-Transall (Kharkov Locomotive Works), Putilov Petrograd Factory
Advantages:
- Powerful 100mm gun is useful for both infantry support and anti-tank use
- Good mobility in road and offroad conditions
- Reliable diesel engine with economic range and winterization
Disadvantages:
- Lack of main gun stabilization in early models
- Somewhat heavy for many Russian conditions
- Poor gun depression of -7 degrees