T-10 Heavy Tank
| T-10 Heavy Tank | |
|---|---|
T-10M at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War
|
|
| Type | Heavy tank |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1953–1996 |
| Wars | Cold War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Zhozef Kotin |
| Designed | 1948–52 |
| Manufacturer | Factory 185, Factory 174 |
| Produced | 1953–66 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 52 tonnes |
| Length | 7.41 m, 9.87 m over gun |
| Width | 3.56 m |
| Height | 2.43 m |
| Crew | 4 |
|
|
|
| Armour |
Turret:
Upper Glacis:
Lower Glacis:
Upper Side:
Lower Side:
Rear: 60mm |
|
Main
armament |
122mm D-25TA gun T-10M: 122mm M-62-T2 gun |
|
Secondary
armament |
2 × 12.7 DShKM machine gun T-10M: 2 x 14.5 KPVT heavy machine gun |
| Engine |
39-l 12-cyl. diesel model V-2-IS |
| Power/weight | 13 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Torsion-bar |
|
Operational
range |
250 km/150 miles |
| Speed |
42 kph/26 mph T-10M: 50 kph/31 mph |
Turret:
Upper Glacis:
Lower Glacis:
Upper Side:
Lower Side:
Rear: 60mm
122mm D-25TA gun
39-l 12-cyl. diesel model V-2-IS
700 hp (522 kW)
42 kph/26 mph
The T-10 (also known as Object 730, IS-8, or IS-10) was a Soviet heavy tank of the Cold War, the final development of the IS tank series. During development, it was called IS-8 and IS-9. It was accepted into production in 1952 as the IS-10 (Iosif Stalin, Russian form of Joseph Stalin), but due to the political climate in the wake of Stalin's death in 1953, it was renamed T-10.
The biggest differences from its direct ancestor, the IS-3, were a longer hull, seven pairs of road wheels instead of six, a larger turret mounting a new gun with fume extractor, an improved diesel engine, and increased armour. General performance was similar, although the T-10 could carry more ammunition.
T-10s (like the IS tanks they replaced) were deployed in independent tank regiments belonging to armies, and independent tank battalions belonging to divisions. These independent tank units could be attached to mechanized units, to support infantry operations and perform breakthroughs.
The mobile nature of armoured warfare in World War II had demonstrated the drawbacks of the slow heavy tanks. In the final push towards Berlin, mechanized divisions had become widely split up as heavy tanks lagged behind the mobile T-34s. The Soviets continued to produce heavy tanks for a few years as part of the Cold War arms race (compare the heavier U.S. M103 and British Conqueror), but the more flexible T-54 and T-62 medium tanks already had armour and armament comparable to the T-10's.
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Wikipedia