Soviet 'Object 279' Super heavy tank (1957)

[sferrin]

As freaky as it is it's gotta be Russian (The name probably says it all but any background on this?)

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Object 279
1957
Prototype
Super heavy tank

Weight: 60 tons?
Length: c. 7/11 m
Width: c. 4 m
Armour: 266-305 mm
Gun: 130 mm
Shells stored: 24
Machine-gun: 14,5 mm
Engine: 16/960 hps
alt.: 2DG-8M (1000 hps)
Speed: km/h
Crew: 4

In 1957, a group headed by engineer L.S.Troyanov, developed a prototype of a new heavy tank, named "Object 279".
Notable is the four-band design (two pairs) to lower the ground pressure of this heavy vehicle, probably the only one of its kind in the history of combat tanks. It had great tractability in snowy and swampy terrain. The hull was covered by a thin elliptical shield protecting it against HEAT ammunition and preventing it from overturning by the shock wave of a nuclear explosion.
The project was abandoned in the late 1957.

The only sample of this unlikely vehicle is today (2002) exhibited at the Kubinka Armour Museum 50 km outside Moscow.

http://www.nemo.nu/ibisportal/5pansar/index.htm

 

[Orionblamblam]

Notable is the four-band design (two pairs) to lower the ground pressure of this heavy vehicle, probably the only one of its kind in the history of combat tanks.

Huh?

 

[sferrin]

Notable is the four-band design (two pairs) to lower the ground pressure of this heavy vehicle, probably the only one of its kind in the history of combat tanks.

Huh?

Any specs on that thing?

 

[sferrin]

This is the sole survivor of a two vehicle super heavy tank program designed to deal with the Siegfried Line. Completed in December 1945, too late to see combat, it was not surprisingly impractical for battlefield use. With frontal armor of 12 inches, the vehicle weighed 95 tons and required four tracks. The tank featured a horizontal volute suspension and a 105 mm gun. Powered by the same V-8 used in the Pershing, the vehicle could only manage 8 mph.

Several excellent images right here.

http://johnsmilitaryhistory.com/armort28.html

 

[Skybolt]

Also known as T-95, First Series.
And regarding the Kubinka, what nice shot traps between the tracks and the main body... :

 

[sferrin]

Also known as T-95, First Series.
And regarding the Kubinka, what nice shot traps between the tracks and the main body... :

I saw that and my first thought was "that could have come straight from the Command & Conquer game"

 

[JonCatalan]

Also known as T-95, First Series.
And regarding the Kubinka, what nice shot traps between the tracks and the main body... :

It was designed to survive pre-war tactical nuclear strikes inside of Germany. I'd assume that for actual tank on tank fighting the Red Army rather rely on their medium battle tanks regardless.

 

[smurf]

Object 279
1957 Prototype Super heavy tank
there is an article on this by Jim Kinnear in the current March 2008 Classic Military Vehicles

 

[flateric]

From http://www.meshwar.vistcom.ru/tech/ob279.htm
Renderings (c) by Konstantin "BAURIS" Kim and Pavel Kryshin

 

[scifibug]

Thank-you all!

I was looking for uncompleted projects that (while maybe not pratical) would have the generals and admirals of the late 40's and early 50's having nightmares and be used to tell stories to congress like kid telling ghst stories around a camp fire.

I tried Googleing Russian Super Heavy Tanks, but with disappointing results.

I'm working on a drawing of the fictional K-1000 for another forum.

Any suggestions where to look for a long rang strategic bomber?

 

[AGRA]

I tried Googleing Russian Super Heavy Tanks, but with disappointing results.

Google isn't everything. Try looking up Steven Zaloga's IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944–73 (Osprey New Vanguard 7). It has enough super heavies that never entered service to scare any congress.

 

[avatar]

for good measure

View: http://youtube.com/watch?v=okTc-87-XvU&feature=related

 

[McTodd]

Object 279
1957 Prototype Super heavy tank
there is an article on this by Jim Kinnear in the current March 2008 Classic Military Vehicles

Excellent, thanks for the heads-up, I've always been intrigued by this machine.

 

[vladimir3d]

4 tracks is interesting option at least

 

[avatar]

if anybody has ever read Mandrake comics they would probably recognise this as the inspiration behind one of Mandrake's deadliest foes - 50 or whatever ton monster computer on tracks Goliath

 

[Grey Havoc]

Another one of Khrushchev's victims.

 

[Speedy]

Interesting problem is how to repair inner track in "279" when it's broken e.g. by anti-tank mine?

 

[Taranov]

Another one of Khrushchev's victims.

Victim of Object 770, in first
Also real reason of soviet heavy tanks closing program - too low number of heavy tanks production. Just few years later after heavy tanks closing started production of T-64 MBT, with armor and gun of heavy tank and mobility of medium tank.

 

[Graham1973]

A 'World of Tanks' related video on Object 279. It's highlights, some footage not only of the Object 279 in motion, which appears to come from the video linked by avatar, but footage of the US T-28/T95 Superheavy Tank under test. The conclusion summarizes the reason this tank didn't get past prototype. Difficulty of construction, difficulty of maintenance and while it had great mobility over difficult terrain, it was incredibly difficult to steer.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pHd1pmY3Ns

 

[robunos]

So, I bought the Takom Object-279 kit recently, and it's a double kit, with a 279 and a '279M' model in it.
However, I can find no reference to an 'Object 279M' online.
Is this '279M' a genuine variant, or just an invention for WoT, War Thunder, etc. ?

cheers,
Robin.

 

[Graham1973]

So, I bought the Takom Object-279 kit recently, and it's a double kit, with a 279 and a '279M' model in it.
However, I can find no reference to an 'Object 279M' online.
Is this '279M' a genuine variant, or just an invention for WoT, War Thunder, etc. ?

cheers,
Robin.

No idea, but given the number of videos I've seen from WOT players advising people to go to actual historical sources for information on tanks rather than the game itself, an invention of the games creators is a definite possibility.

 

[Dilandu]

It's only 60 tons much, why is "superheavy"?

 

[youROKer]

Is this '279M' a genuine variant, or just an invention for WoT, War Thunder, etc. ?

No, it was created by Tacom designers. It has nothing to do with reality. The ML-20 gun was never planned to be installed on 279. The closest real project is the installation of a 152-mm launcher for unguided missiles. It looks different from the gun shown on the model.

 

[Nik]

Couple of weeks ago, I saw a YouTube of the US sorta-equivalent, intended to breach Japanese beach defences and fortifications.

Go, go, google: T28 SHT / T95 GMC. Latter more appropriate as not turreted.

The outer track units were on 'sponsons', through bolted to inners. Thus narrowed, tank could travel on just the inners, towing (!!) cross-linked pair of now free-wheeling track units. IIRC, took the US museum about five hours to dismount the only example's sponsons prior to drive to another building, then the same again to re-assemble.

Not bad considering they'd never done it before, and were working entirely from archive manual. FWIW, I could see several ways they'd made it harder for themselves, such as the CEV cranes coming in at too sharp an angle, rather than taking a much wider arc to ease 1st-time alignment...

 

[Temistocle]

Citing Young Frankenstein, "It's alive!"

Объект 279 на ходу в Кубинке

 

[Ravinoff]

Citing Young Frankenstein, "It's alive!"

Объект 279 на ходу в Кубинке

I got really excited for a second there until I remembered the only surviving one is at Kubinka. Thought for a second that the Ukrainians might have gotten their hands on one somehow and reactivated it...albeit it's the Russians who'd be scrambling for any working armor at this point, a Youtuber I've become a fan of recently was cracking jokes about how at this rate he half-expects the Russians to steal the Mark IV at the Kharkiv War Museum and press it into service.