Erdogan's armored fist. Tank Altai

The Turkish Defense Industry Administration (Savunma Sanayii Müsteşarlığı - SSM; now directly subordinate to the President of Turkey) on April 24, 2018 through its Twitter.com page (!), Finally, announced on the choice of a serial manufacturer for the promising Turkish tank Altay, as well as an engine manufacturer for this tank. As expected, it turned out to be the Turkish company BMC Otomotiv Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. The report says that the SSM Executive Committee decided to start negotiations with the Navy on concluding contracts for the production of the first 250 serial Altay tanks and for the creation of a "national" engine for this tank.

The upgraded prototype of the Altay tank by AHT in the exposition of the Turkish company Otokar at the defense exhibition IDEF-2017. Istanbul (Turkey), 05/10/2017. Being the lead developer of the Altay tank, Otokar has now lost the tender for its mass production Navy companies (c) bmpd

Thus, as long ago predicted by Turkish observers, the lead developer of the Altay tank, the Turkish company Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi, controlled by the Istanbul holding Koç, remained "overboard". Although, logically, Otokar should have also acted as the main serial manufacturer of the tank at its plant in the Arifie-Adapazari region in the vicinity of Ankara, however, this was prevented by the well-known long-standing hostile relations between the owners of the Koç holding, which includes Otokar, and Turkish President R.T. Erdogan. Therefore, in return, SSM announced a tender for the serial production of Altay, in which, in addition to Otokar and FNSS, the Navy company, controlled by influential Turkish oligarch Edhem Sanjak, who was close to President Erdogan, took part and immediately began to be perceived as a favorite.

The Navy, which initially emerged in 1964 as the Turkish branch of the British Motor Corporation, and since 1989 has been controlled by the private holding Çukurova for a long time, experienced a revival after the crisis and bankruptcy of the beginning of the decade, passing in 2013 under the control of the ES Mali Yatirim ve Danismanlik A.S. group. Edhem Sandzhak. In 2015, E. Sandzhak sold a 49% stake in the Navy for about $300 million to the Qatari state investment fund QAFIC (in turn, the arrival of Qatari investors in the Navy was clearly associated with the proximity of this company to power).

As a result, the Navy, previously unable to cope with the production for Turkish army its first armored vehicle, the Kirpi MRAP class, has received new government and export orders in the past few years, including a huge 2017 supply to Qatar of 1,500 new Amazon MRAP armored vehicles. The apotheosis of the success of the Sandzhak company was the current winning of the tender for the production of the Altay tank. To implement all these concluded contracts and for the production of Altay tanks, a new large production site of the Navy for the production of armored vehicles in Sakarya-Karasu is being created as part of the RBSS joint venture formed by BMC (now 51% participation), the German Rheinmetall group (39%) and the Malaysian company Etika Strategi (10%) (now the main Navy plant is located in Pinarbasi in Izmir, and after the transfer of the production of armored vehicles to Sakarya-Karasu, it is planned to leave only the production of commercial vehicles in Izmir). Qatari involvement and an alliance with Germany's Rheinmetall has dramatically strengthened the Navy's position as a military-industrial company in the Turkish industrial landscape.

The lead developer of the Altay tank, Otokar, announced the completion of tank testing first at the end of autumn 2016, and then, after the military demanded additional tests, at the end of February 2017 (two demonstrators were built in total - for MTR sea trials and for weapons testing FTR - and two complete prototypes - PV1 and PV2 - of the Altay tank). However, the tender announced by SSM to select the serial manufacturer Altay dragged on for more than a year.

The first batch of serial Altays should include 250 tanks with an approximate contract value of $ 3.5 billion. In 2016, Otokar announced its readiness to start mass production within 18-22 months after receiving a firm contract. In February 2017, Otokar CEO Ali Koch stated that the company had spent $1 billion of its own funds to build and test the tank. It is believed that the same amount was invested in the program by the Turkish Ministry of Defense.

According to the "Strategic Plan for the Development of the Turkish Defense Industry for the period from 2017 to 2021", published in March 2017, the development of mass production of the Altay tank should be carried out by the end of 2020. At the end of 2020, it is planned to transfer the first 15 serial copies of tanks to the troops, in 2021 it is planned to transfer 20 more copies, and from 2022 large-scale deliveries will begin. The general plans for the production of Altay for the Turkish army are now 1000 units.

The SSM decision, announced on April 24, 2018, also resolved another intrigue around the Altay tank - the problem of choosing an engine for this tank. Recall that prototypes Altay are equipped with German diesel engines MTU MT 883 Ka 501, however, deteriorated in last years Turkish relations with the FRG contributed to the desire of the SSM and the Turkish military to abandon German engines and to develop an ambitious program to develop tank engine production in Turkey with maximum localization, including full intellectual property rights and export rights to the engine. In March 2015, the Turkish company Tümosan received a €190 million contract from SSM to build a 1,500 to 1,800 hp diesel engine for Altay with foreign technical assistance. Tümosan chose the well-known Austrian company AVL List GmbH as a partner in the development of the engine and the acquisition of technologies. However, at the end of 2016, the Austrian government denied AVL List a technology transfer license to Turkey after the Austrian parliament unanimously passed a resolution demanding an arms and military technology embargo against Turkey in the wake of the massive human rights violations committed by the Turkish government in the wake of unsuccessful attempt military coup on July 15, 2016. As a result, in January 2017, Tümosan was forced to terminate the cooperation agreement with AVL List, and SSM then contracted with Tümosan to build the engine.

After that, for more than a year, Turkish contractors tried to find a new partner in the development of tank diesel among various global manufacturers. At the same time, the Navy, together with SSM, reached an agreement in the summer of 2017 with the British company Perkins, controlled by the American corporation Caterpillar, to master the production of an updated version of the well-known Perkins CV12 tank diesel engine, which was previously used in various versions on the British Challenger 1 and 2 tanks, vehicles based on them. , as well as on the T-72M4CZ tank modernized in the Czech Republic. For the Altay tank, it is planned to organize the production of modernized CV12 engines with a capacity of 1500 hp, with the Turkish side obtaining full rights to this engine. It should be noted that Perkins itself discontinued CV12 engines around 2005.

Now the Navy, with the CV12 proposal, has also won the SSM competition for an engine for the Altay tank. Considering that SSM was involved in negotiations with Perkins/Caterpillar from the very beginning, this tender was clearly a formality. Nevertheless, Turkish companies Tümosan, Figes Fizik, Istanbul Denizcilik and Tusas Motor acted as nominal competitors of BMC in this tender with their proposals (foreign partners), moreover, Tümosan, this time, acted from the Ukrainian engine 6TD-3 developed and manufactured by the Kharkiv State Enterprise Zavod named after V.A. Malyshev". It should be noted that, according to a number of reports, the Turkish side intends to equip the first 250 production Altay tanks with imported MTU engines, and localized CV12 engines will be used for the next series of tanks.

Both prototypes (PV1 and PV2) of the Turkish Altay tank in the basic configuration (c) Otokar

Turkish tank "Altai" / Photo: pro-kg.com

The fact that tanks of their own production may appear in service with the Turkish army has been announced since the mid-2000s. And only relatively recently general public the first samples of a Turkish-made combat vehicle were finally presented, which received the name Altay (“Altai”), named after the commander of the cavalry corps during the Turkish War of Independence of 1919-1923, General Fakhrettin Altai.

Thundering with fire, sparkling with the brilliance of steel

Photo: bik.gov.tr

The next presentation of this indicator of the Turkish "breakthrough" in the production of armored vehicles took place in May this year at the IDEF-2015 exhibition in Istanbul, where local defense enterprises traditionally demonstrate their products.

Analysts immediately noticed the similarity of the car with the new tanks of the South Korean army K2 "Black Panther". Representatives of the Turkish private company Otokar (manufacturer of armored vehicles for the Turkish army) did not hide: in creating "their" tank, they widely used the experience gained by the Koreans. According to some reports, the technologies used by manufacturers from South Korea, the Turks were borrowed by at least 60 percent.

Everything would be fine, but the Koreans didn’t really rack their brains over their brainchild. They also adopted a number of developments from foreign "partners". In particular, the main armament of the K-2 - a 120-mm tank gun - turned out to be made based on the German gun Rh-120.

The prototype of the automatic loader for the Korean tank was a similar device used on the French Leclerc. Yes, and the engine-transmission unit of the "Korean" turned out to be of European design: both the diesel engine and the gearbox were created in Germany.

When you can't, but really want to

Photo: otokar

In principle, as experts say, there is nothing wrong with such cooperation in the field of arms production. Moreover, the borrowing of a number of products in a Turkish tank was not the result of clandestine copying, but the result of completely legal agreements concluded by Otokar with the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem.

By the way, both Otokar and Hyundai are companies specializing mainly in the production of automotive equipment. Hyundai is considered the fourth largest car manufacturer in the world, and the Turkish car factory is famous for its Navigo buses and Atlas trucks.

However, how then to regard the desire announced by the Turkish side to completely switch to equipment of its own design and production? After all, today almost the entire fleet of Turkish armored vehicles is foreign purchases. In particular, in service with mechanized and tank brigades and mechanized divisions of the country's army are the German "Leopards" and the American M48 and M60. That is why "Altai" was supposed to become a "breakthrough national project" in the field of Turkish tank building.

Had. But he didn't. Experts are already talking about problems with the future basis of Turkey's "tank armada". In particular, the issue with the engine for new car. Initially, it was supposed to "borrow" it from the same "Leopard", but the 1.5 thousand forces embedded in it turned out to be not enough to move 60 tons - this is exactly the weight that Altai ended up with. In addition, it was not possible to resolve the issue with a suitable automatic loader. As a result, the Turks offered a completely economical option: they replaced the complex device with ... an additional crew member.

Cars will go on a furious march

Photo: bik.gov.tr

Experts recently compared the tactical and technical characteristics of the main combat vehicles in service with the armies of some countries of the world. The comparison turned out to be clearly not in favor of the Turkish novelty. In a number of indicators, Altai lost not only to its progenitor - the Korean K2, but also to the Leopard, and even to the Russian T-90A - a modification of far from the newest T-90 only with a 1000 horsepower engine, updated armor, sighting equipment and an optimized automatic loader.

In particular, the first loss can be seen in the caliber of the main weapon - a tank gun. If the T-90A has a 125 mm gun, then the German, Korean and Turkish tanks are equipped with only 120 mm guns. As a result, the aiming range of the Russian 2A46M cannon is 5,000 meters (and when firing some types of ammunition - up to 10 km), while the Altai MKEK120 smoothbore gun (a replica of the German Rh-120) is capable of aimed fire at a maximum of three km.

Not the most best performance the Turkish combat vehicle and in terms of power reserve (it is inferior to the T-90 by more than 200 km), in terms of weight (excess by 16 tons), in terms of protection systems: the T-90 uses both armored steel and multilayer composite armor, as well as dynamic protection (required for the preventive operation of shells with a cumulative warhead). In addition, the Russian tank is equipped with a guided missile countermeasure system, the principle of which is based on suppressing their means of guidance.

Altay vs "Armata" - comparing the incomparable…

Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

If the Altai does not even reach the T-90 in a whole range of indicators, then comparing it with the latest Russian main battle tank T-14 on the Armata platform does not make sense at all. The German newspaper Die Welt recently published information based on the conclusion of the German Ministry of Defense.

The military department of the country is sounding the alarm, demanding to urgently look for a replacement for the Leopard 2 in connection with the advent of the T-14. The reason is the Leopard's inability to penetrate the protection of the Russian combat vehicle. And the National Interest magazine, which published a comparison of the T-14 with the American Abrams, made an unambiguous conclusion: the protective technologies used by Russian tank builders are not yet used in any tank in the world.

At the same time, Western analysts draw attention to the fact that Russian technology produced, even despite the crisis and sanctions, that is, our defense industry is completely self-sufficient. This is fundamentally different from the situation with Altai, where the Turkish company Tumosan, which received a contract from the Turkish government to manufacture an engine for a new tank, immediately turned on outsourcing: it attracted an Austrian developer AVL List, which should not only help the Turks create a new engine , but also integrate it directly into combat vehicle.

Military expert Viktor Murakhovsky is convinced that nothing will come of Turkey's "venture" with supposedly its own tank. Firstly, this country has no tank building traditions. And besides, the machines from which Altai became a replica have practically no experience combat use, and the Korean "Black Panther" is just getting into mass production.

As the expert notes, a number of countries tried to produce their own armored vehicles, but in the end they were forced to turn to proven "brands". As an example, Victor Murakhovsky calls the Indian project "Arjun", which did not justify the funds invested in its development, and as a result, the country's government opted for the export version of the T-90S.

MOSCOW, ZVEZDA
21

At the end of November 2012, Otokar, a Turkish company that is developing the new Altay MBT, revealed some of the characteristics of this promising tank. The Turkish tank is named after General of the Army Fahrettin Altay, who commanded the 5th Cavalry Corps during the Turkish War of Independence 1919-1923. Otokar is due to hand over four prototypes of the Altai tank to the SSM (Secretariat of Military Industry), while mass production is likely to begin in 2015. According to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Otokar is two years ahead of the Altay schedule; tank testing will begin in 2013.

Watch the video: Turkish "Altai"

In addition to Otokar, Aselsan, Roketsan and MKEK companies are participating in the project, creating electronic on-board systems, armor and the main gun, respectively. Initially it was planned that tank tests will begin in 2015, and serial deliveries - in 2016. Turkey is interested in attracting partners for serial production of the tank. The Ministry of Defense has already held preliminary consultations with Azerbaijan and Ukraine on the establishment of joint ventures for the production of Altai.

Click image for a larger view

Some of the characteristics of the Altay tank announced by Otokar were known before.. According to Otokar, the Altay tank weighing 60 tons will receive an engine with a capacity of one and a half thousand horsepower and a hydropneumatic suspension. The crew of the main battle tank will consist of four people. "Altai" will be equipped with a 120 mm gun with a barrel length of 55 calibers. The tank will be equipped with a remote-controlled module with stabilization and machine guns of 12.7 and 7.62 mm caliber.

On the video - Turkish tanks Altay:

Tank "Altai" will be equipped with an auxiliary power plant, responsible for generating energy for on-board systems, including a fire control system and search and recognition of targets, an information control and communications system, a life support system and all-round visibility (the crew will have 360-degree visibility in the horizontal plane).

Click on photo to enlarge

Altay will be equipped with modular composite anti-ballistic armor, as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protection. In addition, he will receive a laser warning system.

The following characteristics of the Altai MBT are reported:

• Four men crew
• New generation 1500 HP power pack
• 120 mm, 55-caliber main armament
• Remote control weapon system (12.7 and 7.62 mm)
• Coaxial machine gun
• Modular composite armor
• New generation fire control system
• Electrical gun turret drive system
• C3I system
• Battlefield target identification system
• Laser warning system
• life support system
• CBRN protection
• Auxiliary power unit
• Fire-extinguishing and explosion suppression system
• 360 degrees situational awareness system

Video: "Altai" 11/15/2012

BACKGROUND: History of the Altay Project

• 2005: The Undersecretariat of Defense Industries assigned a consortium consisting of three companies to realize the feasibility study in order to determine the production model of the Battle Tank Project. As of April 27th 2005 the feasibility study was finalized, and the model of the project was determined as "the main battle tank to be designed and developed within the country and with technical support from abroad in required areas".
• On February 8th 2005, the Request for Proposal prepared according to the model determined due to the feasibility was delivered to the companies, including Otokar that participated in the feasibility study.
• 2007: Due to the decision taken at the meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee realized on March 30th 2007, for the Modern Tank Manufacturing with National Facilities Project initiated in order to meet the Modern Main Battle Tank requirement of the Land Forces Command, it was decided to start contract negotiations with Otokar as the prime contractor candidate.
• July 29th 2008: Following the finalization of the contract negotiations about the design of Turkey"s first National Tank, development of prototypes, testing and qualification of prototypes, the contract was signed with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It was aimed to use domestic sub-systems to maximum extend for the project except the areas determined due to the model.
  In addition to Otokar being assigned as the prime contractor for the Project, Aselsan was assigned to design and manufacture the prototypes of electronic sub-systems like Tank Fire Control System and Tank C3I System; MKE was assigned to manufacture the 120 mm 55 caliber Main Armament by technology transfer from Hyundai Rotem of South Korea; and Roketsan was assigned to develop the Modular Armor Package by technology transfer also through Hyundai Rotem.
• January 2009: After signing contracts with the main sub-system suppliers, Project kick-off was made for the "design, development, manufacturing, testing and qualification of ALTAY prototypes". The Project duration for the "Design and Prototype Production" of ALTAY was determined as 78.5 months. This part of the Project was arranged in three stages consisting of Conceptual Design, Detailed Design, and Prototype Production and Qualification.
• May 2011: Otokar finalized the Conceptual Design Stage, as the first stage of the Project by using its engineering and design capabilities in line with the requirements, and exhibited a full-scale model of ALTAY that reflected the results of this stage at the IDEF Defense Industry Fair with the participation of President Abdullah GUL.
• March 29th 2012: While detailed design activities proceeded, Otokar continued investing in the required production facilities for the testing of prototypes and in the Tank Test Center. Otokar Tank Test Center was taken into service on March 29th with the participation of İsmet YILMAZ, Minister of Defense. Consisting of an EMC Test Chamber, Tank Test Range and Climatic Chamber with Dynamometer, Otokar Tank Test Center is among the world's most modern and advanced test centers.
• October 2012: The first prototype to test the mobility was manufactured in Otokar facilities in Sakarya, and testing started.
• November 15th 2012: ALTAY"s first two prototypes exhibited their mobility for the first time to public with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN. Following the two prototypes that are tested for development/verification, the ultimate configuration prototypes will be manufactured and after finalizing their qualification by tests they will be delivered to the Undersecretariat of Defense Industries.
• mass production:
  Following the design and prototype production phase of ALTAY conducted by Otokar as the prime contractor, mass production activities will be initiated in the scope of a new contract.

Modern battle tanks of Russia and the world photos, videos, pictures to watch online. This article gives an idea of ​​the modern tank fleet. It is based on the classification principle used in the most authoritative reference book to date, but in a slightly modified and improved form. And if the latter in its original form can still be found in the armies of a number of countries, then others have already become a museum exhibit. And all for 10 years! To follow in the footsteps of the Jane's guide and not consider this combat vehicle (quite by the way, curious in design and fiercely discussed at the time), which formed the basis of the tank fleet of the last quarter of the 20th century, the authors considered it unfair.

Films about tanks where there is still no alternative to this type of weapon ground forces. The tank was and probably will remain a modern weapon for a long time due to the ability to combine such seemingly contradictory qualities as high mobility, powerful weapons and reliable crew protection. These unique qualities of tanks continue to be constantly improved, and the experience and technologies accumulated over decades predetermine new frontiers of combat properties and military-technical achievements. In the age-old confrontation "projectile - armor", as practice shows, protection from a projectile is being improved more and more, acquiring new qualities: activity, multi-layeredness, self-defense. At the same time, the projectile becomes more accurate and powerful.

Russian tanks are specific in that they allow you to destroy the enemy from a safe distance, have the ability to perform quick maneuvers on impassable roads, contaminated terrain, can “walk” through the territory occupied by the enemy, seize a decisive bridgehead, induce panic in the rear and suppress the enemy with fire and caterpillars . The war of 1939-1945 was the most ordeal for all mankind, since almost all countries of the world were involved in it. It was the battle of the titans - the most unique period that theorists argued about in the early 1930s and during which tanks were used in large numbers by almost all the warring parties. At this time, a "check for lice" and a deep reform of the first theories of the use of tank troops took place. And it is the Soviet tank troops that are most affected by all this.

Tanks in battle that became a symbol of the past war, the backbone of the Soviet armored forces? Who created them and under what conditions? How did the USSR, having lost most of its European territories and having difficulty recruiting tanks for the defense of Moscow, be able to launch powerful tank formations on the battlefield already in 1943? This book, which tells about the development of Soviet tanks "in the days of testing ", from 1937 to the beginning of 1943. When writing the book, materials from the archives of Russia and private collections of tank builders were used. There was a period in our history that was deposited in my memory with some depressing feeling. It began with the return of our first military advisers from Spain, and stopped only at the beginning of forty-third, - said the former general designer of self-propelled guns L. Gorlitsky, - there was some kind of pre-stormy state.

Tanks of the Second World War, it was M. Koshkin, almost underground (but, of course, with the support of "the wisest of the wise leader of all peoples"), who was able to create the tank that, a few years later, would shock German tank generals. And what’s more, he didn’t just create it, the designer managed to prove to these stupid military men that it was his T-34 that they needed, and not just another wheeled-tracked “highway”. The author is in slightly different positions that he formed after meeting with the pre-war documents of the RGVA and RGAE. Therefore, working on this segment of the history of the Soviet tank, the author will inevitably contradict something "generally accepted". This work describes the history of Soviet tank building in the most difficult years- from the beginning of a radical restructuring of all activities design bureaus and people's commissariats as a whole, during a frantic race to equip new tank formations of the Red Army, transfer industry to wartime rails and evacuation.

Tanks Wikipedia the author wants to express his special gratitude for the help in the selection and processing of materials to M. Kolomiyets, and also to thank A. Solyankin, I. Zheltov and M. Pavlov, the authors of the reference publication "Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. 1905 - 1941", since this book helped to understand the fate of some projects, which was unclear before. I would also like to recall with gratitude those conversations with Lev Izraelevich Gorlitsky, the former Chief Designer of UZTM, which helped to take a fresh look at the entire history of the Soviet tank during the Great Patriotic War Soviet Union. Today, for some reason, it is customary to talk about 1937-1938 in our country. only from the point of view of repressions, but few people remember that it was during this period that those tanks were born that became legends of the wartime ... "From the memoirs of L.I. Gorlinkogo.

Soviet tanks, a detailed assessment of them at that time sounded from many lips. Many old people recalled that it was from the events in Spain that it became clear to everyone that the war was getting closer to the threshold and it was Hitler who would have to fight. In 1937, mass purges and repressions began in the USSR, and against the backdrop of these difficult events soviet tank began to turn from a "mechanized cavalry" (in which one of its combat qualities was emphasized by lowering others) into a balanced combat vehicle, possessing at the same time powerful weapons sufficient to suppress most targets, good maneuverability and mobility with armor protection, capable of maintaining its combat capability with shelling the most massive anti-tank weapons probable adversary.

It was recommended that large tanks be introduced into the composition in addition only special tanks - floating, chemical. The brigade now had 4 separate battalions of 54 tanks each and was reinforced by the transition from three-tank platoons to five-tank ones. In addition, D. Pavlov justified the refusal to form in 1938 to the four existing mechanized corps three more additionally, believing that these formations are immobile and difficult to control, and most importantly, they require a different organization of the rear. The tactical and technical requirements for promising tanks, as expected, have been adjusted. In particular, in a letter dated December 23 to the head of the design bureau of plant No. 185 named after. CM. Kirov, the new chief demanded to strengthen the armor of new tanks so that at a distance of 600-800 meters (effective range).

The latest tanks in the world when designing new tanks, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of increasing the level of armor protection during modernization by at least one step ... "This problem could be solved in two ways. Firstly, by increasing the thickness of the armor plates and, secondly," by using increased armor resistance". It is easy to guess that the second way was considered more promising, since the use of specially hardened armor plates, or even two-layer armor, could, while maintaining the same thickness (and the mass of the tank as a whole), increase its durability by 1.2-1.5 It was this path (the use of specially hardened armor) that was chosen at that moment to create new types of tanks.

Tanks of the USSR at the dawn of tank production, armor was most massively used, the properties of which were identical in all directions. Such armor was called homogeneous (homogeneous), and from the very beginning of the armor business, the craftsmen strove to create just such armor, because uniformity ensured stability of characteristics and simplified processing. However, at the end of the 19th century, it was noticed that when the surface of the armor plate was saturated (to a depth of several tenths to several millimeters) with carbon and silicon, its surface strength increased sharply, while the rest of the plate remained viscous. So heterogeneous (heterogeneous) armor came into use.

In military tanks, the use of heterogeneous armor was very important, since an increase in the hardness of the entire thickness of the armor plate led to a decrease in its elasticity and (as a result) to an increase in brittleness. Thus, the most durable armor, other things being equal, turned out to be very fragile and often pricked even from bursts of high-explosive fragmentation shells. Therefore, at the dawn of armor production in the manufacture of homogeneous sheets, the task of the metallurgist was to achieve the highest possible hardness of the armor, but at the same time not to lose its elasticity. Surface-hardened by saturation with carbon and silicon armor was called cemented (cemented) and was considered at that time a panacea for many ills. But cementation is a complex, harmful process (for example, processing a hot plate with a jet of lighting gas) and relatively expensive, and therefore its development in a series required high costs and an increase in production culture.

Tank of the war years, even in operation, these hulls were less successful than homogeneous ones, since for no apparent reason cracks formed in them (mainly in loaded seams), and it was very difficult to put patches on holes in cemented slabs during repairs. But it was still expected that a tank protected by 15-20 mm cemented armor would be equivalent in terms of protection to the same, but covered with 22-30 mm sheets, without a significant increase in mass.
Also, by the mid-1930s, in tank building, they learned how to harden the surface of relatively thin armor plates by uneven hardening, known since the end of the 19th century in shipbuilding as the "Krupp method". Surface hardening led to a significant increase in the hardness of the front side of the sheet, leaving the main thickness of the armor viscous.

How tanks shoot videos up to half the thickness of the plate, which, of course, was worse than carburizing, since despite the fact that the hardness of the surface layer was higher than during carburizing, the elasticity of the hull sheets was significantly reduced. So the "Krupp method" in tank building made it possible to increase the strength of armor even somewhat more than carburizing. But the hardening technology that was used for sea armor of large thicknesses was no longer suitable for relatively thin tank armor. Before the war, this method was almost never used in our serial tank building due to technological difficulties and relatively high cost.

Combat use of tanks The most developed for tanks was the 45-mm tank gun mod 1932/34. (20K), and before the event in Spain, it was believed that its power was enough to perform most tank tasks. But the battles in Spain showed that the 45-mm gun could only satisfy the task of fighting enemy tanks, since even the shelling of manpower in the mountains and forests turned out to be ineffective, and it was only possible to disable a dug-in enemy firing point in the event of a direct hit . Shooting at shelters and bunkers was ineffective due to the small high-explosive action of a projectile weighing only about two kg.

Types of tanks photo so that even one hit of a projectile reliably disables an anti-tank gun or machine gun; and thirdly, to increase the penetrating effect of a tank gun on the armor of a potential enemy, since, using the example of French tanks (already having an armor thickness of the order of 40-42 mm), it became clear that the armor protection of foreign combat vehicles tends to be significantly increased. There was a right way to do this - an increase in the caliber of tank guns and a simultaneous increase in the length of their barrel, since a long gun of a larger caliber fires heavier shells with a larger initial speed over a longer distance without correcting the pickup.

The best tanks in the world had a large caliber gun, also had a large breech, significantly more weight and increased recoil reaction. And this required an increase in the mass of the entire tank as a whole. In addition, the placement of large shots in the closed volume of the tank led to a decrease in the ammunition load.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that at the beginning of 1938 it suddenly turned out that there was simply no one to give an order for the design of a new, more powerful tank gun. P. Syachintov and his entire design team were repressed, as well as the core of the Bolshevik Design Bureau under the leadership of G. Magdesiev. Only the group of S. Makhanov remained at liberty, who from the beginning of 1935 tried to bring his new 76.2-mm semi-automatic single gun L-10, and the team of plant No. 8 slowly brought the "forty-five".

Photos of tanks with names The number of developments is large, but in mass production in the period 1933-1937. not a single one was accepted ... "In fact, none of the five air-cooled tank diesel engines, which were worked on in 1933-1937 in the engine department of plant No. 185, was brought to the series. Moreover, despite the decisions on the highest levels of the transition in tank building exclusively to diesel engines, this process was held back by a number of factors.Of course, diesel had significant efficiency.It consumed less fuel per unit of power per hour.Diesel fuel is less prone to ignition, since the flash point of its vapors was very high.

Even the most finished of them, the MT-5 tank engine, required reorganization of engine production for serial production, which was expressed in the construction of new workshops, the supply of advanced foreign equipment (there were no machine tools of the required accuracy yet), financial investments and strengthening personnel. It was planned that in 1939 this diesel engine with a capacity of 180 hp. will go to mass-produced tanks and artillery tractors, but due to investigative work to find out the causes of tank engine accidents, which lasted from April to November 1938, these plans were not fulfilled. The development of a slightly increased six-cylinder gasoline engine No. 745 with a power of 130-150 hp was also started.

Brands of tanks with specific indicators that suited the tank builders quite well. Tank tests were carried out according to a new methodology, specially developed at the insistence of the new head of the ABTU D. Pavlov in relation to combat service in war time. The basis of the tests was a run of 3-4 days (at least 10-12 hours of daily non-stop traffic) with a one-day break for technical inspection and restoration work. Moreover, repairs were allowed to be carried out only by field workshops without the involvement of factory specialists. This was followed by a "platform" with obstacles, "bathing" in the water with an additional load, simulating an infantry landing, after which the tank was sent for examination.

Super tanks online after the improvement work seemed to remove all claims from the tanks. And the general course of the tests confirmed the fundamental correctness of the main design changes - an increase in displacement by 450-600 kg, the use of the GAZ-M1 engine, as well as the Komsomolets transmission and suspension. But during the tests, numerous minor defects again appeared in the tanks. Chief designer N. Astrov was suspended from work and was in custody and under investigation for several months. In addition, the tank received a new improved protection turret. The modified layout made it possible to place on the tank a larger ammunition load for a machine gun and two small fire extinguishers (before there were no fire extinguishers on small tanks of the Red Army).

US tanks as part of modernization work, on one serial model of the tank in 1938-1939. the torsion bar suspension developed by the designer of the Design Bureau of Plant No. 185 V. Kulikov was tested. It was distinguished by the design of a composite short coaxial torsion bar (long monotorsion bars could not be used coaxially). However, such a short torsion bar in tests did not show enough nice results, and therefore the torsion bar suspension did not immediately pave its way in the course of further work. Obstacles to be overcome: rises not less than 40 degrees, vertical wall 0.7 m, overlapping ditch 2-2.5 m.

Youtube about tanks work on the production of prototypes of D-180 and D-200 engines for reconnaissance tanks is not being carried out, jeopardizing the production of prototypes. 10-1), as well as the amphibious tank version (factory designation 102 or 10-2), are a compromise solution, since it is not possible to fully meet the requirements of the ABTU.Variant 101 was a tank weighing 7.5 tons with a hull according to the type of hull, but with vertical side sheets of case-hardened armor 10-13 mm thick, because: "Sloped sides, causing serious weighting of the suspension and hull, require a significant (up to 300 mm) broadening of the hull, not to mention the complication of the tank.

Video reviews of tanks in which the power unit of the tank was planned to be based on the 250-horsepower MG-31F aircraft engine, which was mastered by the industry for agricultural aircraft and gyroplanes. Gasoline of the 1st grade was placed in a tank under the floor of the fighting compartment and in additional onboard gas tanks. The armament fully met the task and consisted of coaxial machine guns DK caliber 12.7 mm and DT (in the second version of the project even ShKAS appears) caliber 7.62 mm. The combat weight of a tank with a torsion bar suspension was 5.2 tons, with a spring suspension - 5.26 tons. The tests were carried out from July 9 to August 21 according to the methodology approved in 1938, and Special attention given to tanks.

There is already quite a lot of information about the appearance of the main battle tank "Altai" in Turkey. Sometimes of the same type, when some sources copy and refer (or do not refer) to others. Sometimes information is contradictory and inaccurate. Maybe this is intended, or is it "overlays" and the complexity of multiple translations from one language to another?
Below are a few videos, from which, probably, you may have a different opinion, your own opinion, or just - impression, regarding the Turkish tank "Altay".

The Altai tank, as announced on 04/30/2011 by the Minister of National Defense of Turkey Vecdi Gönül (Vedzhdi Gonul), should have been demonstrated (and demonstrated) on May 10, 2011 in Istanbul at the international military exhibition. However, the Minister did not highlight the performance characteristics of the first Turkish tank and the timing of completion of the development, but only stated that the Altay tank will be produced in accordance with the needs and it will be better equipped than other vehicles in service with Turkey.

Video of the Altai tank, as well as the T-90 and Leopard tanks:

Turkey currently operates German Leopard tanks (1A and 2A) as well as US M60 and M48 tanks. Back in 1996, the Turkish leadership decided to adopt a new generation of tanks. Prior to this, the Turks had: and French light tanks "Renault FT" (since 1928); Vickers Carden Loyd tankettes and British Vickers tanks; since 1935 Soviet T-26 tanks; since 1943 - Wehrmacht tanks Pz. III and Pz. IV. Now Turkey is taking decisive steps - this is the modernization of the German Leopard-1 and American M60 tanks, and the disposal of obsolete models. The Turks tested vehicles, including the Ukrainian Yatagan tank, which performed well, but the Turkish leadership preferred the German Leopard-2 tank.

Modernization of the Leopard tank

The Turkish company Aselsan has developed its own version of the modernization of the main battle tank Leopard 2A4. On the modernized tank, which received the designation Leopard 2NG (Next Generation), the company will also work out a number of technologies that will later be used on the Turkish main battle tank Altay.

According to Aselsan's video presentation, the Leopard 2A4 tank received new electronic, mechanical and hydraulic systems. Among the innovations are a duplicated fire control system, an inertial navigation system, a duplicated periscope system, an external remotely controlled weapon station, a stabilization system, as well as additional mine and ballistic armor.

Turkish tank prototype

The Turkish company Otokar at the IDEF-2011 arms exhibition in Istanbul showed a prototype of the Altay national main battle tank. Tank Altai, created jointly with the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem, will be produced exclusively from Turkish components. The tank will be completely ready for delivery to the troops in 2016 (although sometimes 2015 appears in some sources). An agreement for the creation of the Altai tank was signed between the Secretariat of the Defense Industry (SSM) of Turkey and the Turkish company Otokar in March 2007. In 2008, Otokar entered into an agreement with the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem to jointly develop a new tank. As part of the contract, Hyundai Rotem transferred to the Turkish side all the technologies used in the Korean tank K-2 Black Panther.

According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the Altai tank borrowed 60 percent of the technology used in the K-2 tank. The remaining solutions are currently being developed by the Turkish company Aselsan in their own modernization. German tank Leopard 2A4, also shown at the arms show. Aselsan will produce most of the systems for Altay, including the "friend or foe" recognition system.

Tank "Altay" - preliminary performance characteristics

The mass of Altay will be 60 tons. The tank will be armed with a 120mm smoothbore gun, a remote-controlled weapon pod with stabilization, and a 12.7mm machine gun. So far, nothing is known about booking a promising tank. Tank Altai will be able to reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. According to preliminary estimates, the cost of a new Turkish tank will be about $5.5 million.