During the Great Patriotic War, there were many tank battles in which 37-mm caliber shells point-blank fired at Soviet T-34 tanks. However, the ammunition ricocheted one after another, without leaving even dents. These episodes became the best advertisement for the ingenious idea of Soviet designers — the armor of tanks should not just be thick, but competently sloped.
A Real Revolution in Tank Building
The revolutionary concept was formed in Soviet tank building by the end of the 1930s. Instead of increasing the thickness of the armor, which inevitably led to a loss of mobility and an increase in mass, the engineers of KB-24 in Kharkov took a different path — they used rational angles of inclination of the armor plates.
This approach not only increased the likelihood of ricochet and increased the thickness of protection without weighing down the hull, but also became a symbol of the change in the philosophy of tank protection. The focus was on geometry and calculation, and not on the brute force of metal — this laid the foundation for the legend of the T-34.
Small, but Mighty
On the T-34, the idea was fully implemented — the upper frontal plate with a thickness of 45 mm at an inclination of 60° gave an equivalent of 90 mm of protection; the lower front (45 mm at 53°) already corresponded to 75 mm.
Even the sides of the hull (40 mm at an angle of 40°) provided a reduced thickness of 52 mm. For the late 1930s, this was a real breakthrough: a tank with a medium weight received protection comparable to heavy vehicles.
Read more on the topic:
Now on home
Герой России Гарнаев: никто из профессионалов о возобновлении производства на КАЗ всерьёз не говорит
Система отслеживает спутники на высотах до 50 000 км и ведёт за ними наблюдение
The armored vehicle is equipped with a KamAZ-740.35-400 diesel engine with a power of 400 hp.
Constant improvements in avionics, weapons and tactical capabilities will make the aircraft a flexible response to future challenges
The exterior of the KamAZ-54901 features fairings on the cab and chassis for fuel economy
Fighters are in demand both domestically and abroad
Tyazhpromexport and Venezuela Agree on Plant Revival
The company not only completed the state order, but also quickly mastered the production of AK-12K for special forces
Experts have developed a photogrammetric complex with a resolution of less than 1 cm
