Soviet Airborne Forces armored vehicles

Kubinka Museum Pavilion N 3 Soviet and Russian Airborne Armored Vehicles: self-propelled guns, Airborne Combat Vehicles and amphibious tanks.

Comrade Stalin and the command of the Soviet Army carefully studied the sad experience of the largest WW2 Allied landing operation in Normandy on D-Day in 1944. The Cold War began and set new challenges for the development of USSR armored vehicles. New Soviet tanks, self-propelled guns and military personnel carriers were supposed to provide landing from the sea and by air. The coast and military bases in France, Belgium, England, the USA, Turkey and other NATO countries were considered as the main possible battlefields. Particular attention was paid to the English Channel and the Black Sea. Obsolete WW2 light Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns, developed by designer Astrov, have received a second life.

Part 1: The first landing self-propelled guns designed by Astrov.

ASU-76 Soviet experimental light airborne assault gun

Airborne self-propelled gun ASU-76 “Object 570” (USSR), the only sample

Developed in 1949. Issued in one copy. In the battles did not participate.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the ACS-76 assault gun

Weight – 5.8 tons, Crew – 3 people. Overall dimensions (length x width x height) – 4670 x 2340 x 1575 mm. Armament: cannon – 1 piece, caliber – 76mm., Ammunition – 30 shots
machine gun – 1 piece, caliber – 7.62 mm., Armor protection: body front – 14 mm., Side – 6 mm.
Engine power – 78 horsepower.  Maximum speed – 45 km / h, Cruising on the highway – 235 km. The depth of the water obstacles surmounted ford – 0.65 meters

Design features: The base is special. The overall layout – the top of the machine is open; there is a door in the rear wall of the left to access the loader’s seat; The engine compartment is located at the front of the vehicle.

Armament – there is a gun, adapted for firing direct fire and from closed positions, as well as a light machine gun. Protection – hull of rolled armor plates, welded.

Chassis – special, GAZ-51E engine ; mechanical transmission; crawler chassis; individual suspension, torsion bar.

ASU-57P or K-73 amphibious airborne assault gun (prototype)

Soviet Light airborne amphibious self-propelled gun ASU-57P “K-73”, USSR Airborne Forces, the only sample.

Developed in 1949. Issued in one copy. Not used in battles.

Tactical and technical characteristics of soviet  ASU-57P “K-73”

Weight – 3.4 tons, Crew – 3 people. Overall dimensions (length x width x height) – 5355 x 2085 x 1400 mm. Armament: cannon – 1 piece, caliber – 57mm., Ammunition – 30 shots
machine gun – 1 piece, caliber – 7.62 mm., ammunition – 400 rounds. Armor protection – 6 mm.
Engine power – 70 horsepower, Maximum speed – 54 km / h, Cruising on the highway – 265 km. The speed of overcoming water obstacles afloat – 7.8 km / h

Design features; The base is special. General layout – self-propelled open gun; the hull is riveted-welded; the top is covered with a tarp; power pack engine is located in the front of the case. Armament is a cannon, the peculiarity of which is the presence of a powerful muzzle brake; it is possible to fire a grape shot, the constancy of normal extraction, regardless of the length of the rollback; SG gun (*) is paired with a gun.

Protection – the body is made of rolled armor plates. Chassis – special, engine GAZ-51; mechanical transmission; crawler chassis; individual suspension, torsion bar.

* SG – machine gun system Goryunov

ASU-57 Soviet serial light airborne assault gun

Soviet serial light airborne self-propelled gun ASU-57  or “Object 572”, Soviet Airborne Forces,

Developed in 1951. It was mass-produced since 1951. It was in service with the Soviet Army. Not used in battles.

Tactical and technical characteristics of ASU-57

Weight – 3.3 tons, Crew – 3 people. Overall dimensions (length x width x height) – 5750 x 2086 x 1460 mm.  Armament: cannon – 1, caliber – 57 mm, ammunition – 30 shots.
Armor protection – 6 mm.
Engine power – 50 horsepower, Maximum speed – 45 km / h, Cruising on the highway – 250 km. The depth of the water obstacles surmounted ford – 0.7 meters

Design features: The base is special. General layout – refers to the type of semi-open self-propelled units; In front of the hull placed the power plant and transmission.

Armament – the gun on a special support is attached to the front plate and the bottom of the car. Protection – the hull is welded and partially riveted from steel and aluminum sheets.

Chassis – carburetor engine, gearbox and side friction with belt brakes form a single unit; suspension torsion, individual; the assault gun is descanting by parachute and glider; There is a device that blocks the extreme nodes of the suspensions on the case.

ASU-57P or Object 574 amphibious airborne assault gun (prototype)

Light amphibious airborne self-propelled gun ASU-57P “Object 574”, the Airborne Forces of the USSR, the only sample.

The object was developed in 1954. Released prototype. Not at army service. In the battles did not participate.

Tactical and technical characteristics of ASU-57P.

Weight – 3.4 tons, Crew – 3 people. Overall dimensions (length x width x height) – 5355 x 2085 x 1400 mm. Armament: cannon – 1, caliber – 57mm, ammunition – 30 shots. Armor protection – 4 mm.
Engine power – 55 horsepower, Maximum speed – 45 km / h, Cruising on the highway – 265 km. The speed of overcoming water obstacles afloat – 8.3 km / h

Design features: The base is an airborne self-propelled gun ASU-57.. The overall layout – in the front of the hull is the engine and powertrain; in the stern – fighting compartment and management department.

Armament – the initial speed of the subscale projectile 1158 m / s; there is a submachine gun. Protection – the hull is made of armor steel and duralumin armor, divided transversely by a partition into two parts, the rear part of the hull can be closed with a removable awning. Chassis – carburetor engine mounted across the hull; the power train has a power take-off with a drive to the propeller; rear rollers act as guide wheels – the tensioning mechanisms of the track chains are built into their balancers.

K-75 Soviet amphibious armored carrier (prototype)

Tracked armored personnel carrier K75, the only sample. Developed in 1947. Released prototype. Not in service. In the battles did not participate.

There is no pavilion N3 for 2016

Tactical and technical characteristics of the K-75 armored carrier

Weight – 7.5 tons. The number of crew and assault – 17 (?) People
Overall dimensions (length x width x height) – 5360 x 2750 x 1850 mm /
Armament: machine gun – 1 piece, caliber – 7.62 mm., Ammunition load – 1000 rounds
Armor protection – 15 mm.
Engine power – 140 horsepower, Maximum speed – 40 km / h, Cruising on the highway – 200 km. The depth of the water obstacles surmounted ford – 1.0 meter

Design features: The base is a light T-70 tank and heavy car units. The overall layout – power plant and power transmission are located in front of the machine. Armament – 8 brackets are provided for the installation of the machine gun: six around the perimeter of the troop compartment and two on the roof of the control compartment. Protection – hull welded, from rolled armor plates 10-15 mm thick; sheets of the frontal part have large angles of 40-50 degrees.

Chassis – six-cylinder diesel engine, two-stroke, liquid cooled; a torch heater is built into the unit to ensure engine start; instead of supporting rollers longitudinal runners are used.

K-90 Soviet amphibious tank (prototype)

Light amphibious K-90 tank was developed in 1950, released prototype only. Not in service and In the battles.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the K-90 experimental tank:

Tank weight – 10 tons, The number of crew of the tank – 3 people. Armament: cannon – 1 piece, caliber – 76.2, ammunition – 40 shots, machine gun – 1 piece, caliber – 7.62 mm., ammunition – 1000 rounds. The armor protection of the tank is 15 mm. Engine power – 140 horsepower, Maximum speed – 43 km / h, Cruising on the highway – 250 km. The speed of overcoming water obstacles afloat – 9.6 km / h
Design features: Base – units of artillery tractor M-2. The overall layout – the power plant is located in front of the machine, the fighting compartment is shifted to the stern. Armament – a gun and a machine gun are paired, a telescopic articulated sight. Protection – welded hull, from rolled armor plates, turret welded, conical shape.

Chassis – two-stroke engine, four-cylinder, diesel engine liquid cooling; mechanical transmission; individual suspension, torsion bar; Propellers with a diameter of 600 mm are placed in the recesses of the aft hull.

K-78 Soviet amphibious armored carrier (prototype)

Tracked amphibious K-78 armored personnel carrier, the only sample.

Armored personnel carrier developed in 1950. Released prototype. In service with the Soviet army was not. In the battles did not participate.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the K-78 armored carrier

Weight – 10.5 tons. The number of crew (troops) – 2 (22) people
Overall dimensions (length x width x height) – 6750 x 2940 x 1970 mm.
Armament: machine gun – 1 piece, caliber – 7.62 mm., Ammunition load – 1000 rounds
Armor protection – 15 mm.
Engine power – 140 horsepower, Maximum speed – 46 km / h, Cruising on the highway – 250 km. The speed of overcoming water obstacles afloat – 9.3 km / h

Design features: Base – a floating tank K-90. The overall layout – an open type armored personnel carrier; power plant is located in front of the machine.

Armament – a machine gun is mounted on one of the two pins on the roof of the control compartment. Protection – the hull form “boat” is made of rolled armor plates.

Chassis – two-stroke engine, four-cylinder diesel engine liquid cooling; mechanical transmission; individual suspension, torsion bar; caterpillar with an open metal hinge; there is a heater.