Profile - AFV 65 - PT-76 Amphibious Tank西栖坦克

The B Variants Light US: $2.50 Amphibious Tank by Christopher F. Foss AFV/Weaaons Profiles Edited by DUNCAN CRO VV The PT-76 (PT = Plavayushchiy Tank) wi th its 76 mm gun first appeared in the early 1950's and is l still in wide use. I t was the latest in a long line of Russian l ight amphibious tanks and has seen action in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the Middle East where i t has been used by the Arabs against the Israelis. The chassis of the PT-76 has been adapted for a number of other armoured vehicles including: 1 l The BTR-50 series of armoured personnel carriers (BTR = Bronietransporter) and the Czechoslovakian built OT-62 APC; The ASU-85 self propelled 85 mm anti-tank gun (ASU = I I Aviadesantnaya Samokhodno - Artilleriyskaya Ustanovka); The ZSU-23-4 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun wi th its four 23 mm radar controlled automatic guns (ZSU = Zenitnaya Samokhodno-Artilleriyskaya Ustanovka): Gainful (SAM-6) and FROG-2, 3, 4 and 5 missile launchers: The GSP Heavy Amphibious Ferry:and The BMP-76 PB APC and support vehicle. l This is the fourth AFV/Weapons Profile by Christopher Foss. His others are on the Abbot self- propelled gun (51), the FV 432 series (53) and the American Commando and Twister armoured cars (62). Check list of published t i t le 1 Churchill-British lnfantry Tank Mk. IV 2 PanzerKampfwagen Ill 3 Tanks Marks I t o V 4 Light Tanks M1-M5 (StuartIHoney) 6 Light Tanks Marks I-VI 6 Valentine-Infantry Tank Mark Ill 7 Medium Tanks M k s A t o D 8 Crusader-Cruiser Mark V l (includes Cruisers Marks I-VI) 9 Early (Brit ish) Armoured Cars 10 PanzerKampfwagen V Panther 11 M 3 Medium (LeeJGrant) 12 Mediums Marks 1-111 13 Ram and Sexton 14 Carriers 15 PanzerKampfwagen l and II 16 Landing Vehicles Tracked 17 Russian KV and IS 18 Chieftain and Leopard (Development) 19 Chieftain and Leopard (Description) 20 Churchill and Sherman Specials 21 Armoured Cars-Guy, Daimler, Humber. A.E.C. 22 PanzerKampfwagen 38(t) and 35(t) 23 Soviet Mediums T44, T54, T55 and T62 24 The M48/M60 Series o f Main Batt le Tanks Cromwell and Comet Hellcat, Long Tom, and Priest, PLUS Complete Check List o f Al l U.S. World War l 1 SPs Saladin Armoured Car S-Tank M 4 Medium (Sherman) Armoured Cars-Marmon- Herrington, Alvis-Strauss- ler, Light Reconnaissance Australian Cruiser- Sentinel : and Australian Mati ldas M 6 Heavy and M26 (Pershing) German Armoured Cars Scorpion Reconnaissance Tank Brit ish Armoured Recovery Vehicles + Wheels, Tracks and Transporters Chars Hotchkiss H35, H39, and Somua S35 Russian BT Series Conqueror Heavy Gun Tank Panhard Armoured Cars U.S. Armored Cars M103 Heavy Tank + M41 Light Tank (Walker Bulldog) Modern Swedish Light Armoured Vehicles PanzerKampfwagen IV Ferrets and Fox Vickers Batt le Tank Light Tanks M22 (Locust) l and M24 (Chaffee) T-34 I PanzerKampfwagen VI l Tiger I and Tiger II ("King Tiger") Japanese Medium Tanks Swiss Batt le Tanks 1 Abbot FV 433 l Self-Propelled Gun M47 Patton The FV 432 Series Japanese Combat Cars, Light Tanks and Tankettes I l lustrated Summary o f German Self-Propelled Weapons 1939-1 945 Missile Armed Armoured Vehicles Schutzenpanzerwagen SdKfz 251 SdKfz 250 French lnfantry Tanks: Part I (Chars 2C, D and B) French lnfantry Tanks: Part II (including R35 and FCM36) Russian Armoured Cars ( t o 1945) Elefant and Maus (+E-100) Commando, Twister and High Mobi l i ty Vehicles AMX-30 Armoured Personnel Carriers - A Survey PT-76 The PT-76 Light Amphibious Tank & Variants by Christopher F. Foss T H E SOVIETS have had light amphibious tanks for many years, for example the pre-war T-37, T-38 and T-40. The PT-76 first appeared in the early 1950's and production was undertaken at the Volgograd tractor plant. The PT-76 was based on components of the Pinguin cross country vehicle. This was designed for survey and exploration duties in the Arctic and Ant- arctic. A very large heated cabin was fitted and this provided both sleeping and working space for the crew of two men. The vehicle was powered by a 240 hp 6 cylinder in-line diesel engine giving it a road speed of 40 kmlhr (24.85 mph), and a water speed of 8 km 'h r (4.9 mph). It had very wide tracks (660 mm. 26") and its ground pressure was only 0.2 kg,lcmz (2.84 psi). it could cross a trench 2.88 m (9' 2") in width and climb a vertical obstacle of 0.61 m ( 2 4 ) in height. and a gradient of 38 . Basic data of the Pinguin was: w e ~ g h t empty 10,800 kg 23.809 Ib length 6 736 m 22' 1" w ~ d t h 3 1 3 9 m 10 ' 4" h e ~ g h t 2 440 m 8 0" ground clearance 40 rq 152" payload 2,100 kg 4.629 Ib THE PT-76 (PLAVAYUSHCHIY TANK) DESCRIBED The hull of the PT-76 is of welded rolled plate con- struction. The top of the hull is flat and slopes down- wards at the front of the vehicle. the sides of the hull are vertical and the forward part of the hull is angled in- wards. The underside of the hull is flat and slopes upward to join the top of the hull. The hull is divided into two compartments. The front half is the fighting compartment and the rear half contains the engine and transmission. A metal bulkhead separates the two compartments. It has a crew of three men. The driver sits in the front of the hull and is provided with three periscopes. the centre one of which can be raised mechanically. This is because when the trim board is erected at the front of the vehicle he can sec over it with the aid of the raised periscope. He is also provided with a single piece hatch cover that swings to the right. He steers the vehicle by conventional tillers (i.e. clutch and brake), the gear lever is on his left. Control cables run from the driver's controls to the rear of the vehicle. The glacis armour is 10 mm thick at XO", the hull sides (upper) are 15 mm thick and the turret mantlet is 10 mm thick. The turret is conical with a flat roof and is in the centre o f the vchicle. I t has no shot traps. It is provided with a turret basket that contains the seats for the commander and gunner as well as a ready use ammunition container and a spent cartridge case bag. The commander sits on the left of the gun and the gunner on thc right. The commander and gunner are provided with a large hatch cover that folds forwards to open. In the hatch cover arc two cupolas, one for the commander and the other for the gunner but the gunner's one can hardly be called a cupola. The commander's cupola is provided with three fixed periscopes (one sight and two utility). The yunnel- has 21 vision device on the roof in front of his cupol;~. in adctition t o his sighting telescope. Some models havc been seen with rails around the turret. which can be used for tying kit or for infantry to hold on to. The PT-76 can fight in an NBC environment. The PT-76 is armed with a 76.2 mm gun type D-56T or D-56TM. which has an elevation from -3.5' to + 31 ' , and a traverse of 360". It can be traversed either manually or electrically. A complete rotation through 360' takes about 21 seconds. Elevation is manual and the gunner's sight moves with the gun. For indirect fire an elevation and azimuth indicator is fitted. Thc basic model of the PT-76 does not have a stabiliser for the gun. Some PT-76 Model 2's have however been fitted with stabilisers, and are then known Its PT-76B's. The difference between the D-56T and the D-56TM guns is as follows. The D-56T has a multi-slotted muzzle brake without a bore evacuator, this is known as the PT-76 Model 1 . The later D-56TM has a double baffle muzzle brake and is also fitted with a bore evacuator. This is known as the PT-76 Model 2. This version has however been seen on a number of occasions without its muzzle brake. The PT-76 Model 3 has a conventional clean barrel, this is however a rare vehicle. The 76.2 mm gun has a maximum rate of fire of 15 rounds a minute, although the average is 6 to 8 rounds a minute. A total of 40 rounds of ammunition is carried. The ammunition used is the same as that used in the T-34/76 tank. SU-76 self-propelled gun and the 76 mm M-l942 (ZIS-3) anti-tank gun. It can fire HE (High Explosive), HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank). APHE (Armour Piercing High Explosive) or HVAP (High Velocity Armour Piercing) rounds: Type Projectile Weight Muzzle Velocity HE APHE HVAP H EAT The APHE round will penetrate 69 mm of armour at 500 m or 61 mm at 1000 m. The HVAP round will penetrate 92 mm of armour at 500 m or 58 mm at 1000 m. The HEAT round will penetrate 120 mm of armour a t 500+ metres. Also fitted is a co-axial 7.62 mm SGMT machine gun to the right of the main armament. This is providcd with a total of 2000 rounds of ammunition which is in belts of 250 rounds. The crew have AK-47 rifles for local defence. The fuel tank is in the rear part of the tank on the right side and contains 250 litres (55 gallons) of fuel. Addi- tional fuel can be carried on the rear decking in metal or plastic tanks. These can be either drum type or flat rectangular tanks as fitted to the sides of the T-54 and T-55 tanks. The vehicle is powered by an in-line. V-6 engine, water cooled developing 240 hp at 1800 rpm. It is a Type T-54V-2, and is one half of that used in the T-54 Medium Tank. The engine gives the vehicle a powerlweight ratio of 17.1 hp/ton. The diesel engine is mounted in the centre of the rear compartment. The engine is fitted with a pre- heater. The gearbox has five forward speeds and one reverse, mechanical with constant mesh and the clutch is of the multi-plate type. The radiators are on the left side of the compartment and there are intakes in the roof of the rear decking. The engine compartment is fitted with a fire extinguishing system. There are a total of six road wheels each side. These are hollow and are of stamped construction and fitted with rubber tyres. There is a slightly bigger gap between the 5th and 6th road wheels. Each road wheel is pro- vided with a torsion bar and the first and last wheel each side is fitted with a hydraulic piston type shock absorber. The driving sprocket is at the rear and the idler at the front. There are no return rollers. Thc vehicle has cast manpanese tracks with steel pin conncctors. When new there are 96 links in each track (some reports state 108). Spare track links are often carried on the rear of the turret. Over the track is a running board. each end of which is fitted with a rubber flap. A boat hook and rope are ofien carried on this running board. The hull is titted with cleats at various points. Some vehicles have been seen with a towing hook on the rear hull plate. The PT-76. like other Soviet armoured fighting vehicles can lay its own smoke screen and a thermal condensation apparatus is fitted for this purpose. What this docs is io eject diesel fuel into the exhaust making a cloud of smoke over 350 metres in length. This can be operated for a maximum of 10 minutes. 'The PT-76 is fully amphibious. Before entering the water the splash (or trim) board, which lies on the glacis plate when not in use, is raised. One of the driver's periscopes is raised and the three bilge pumps switched on. When afloat it is propelled in the water by hydrojets. Whilst afloat it has a freeboard of only 7". Water for the hydro-jets is drawn in through vents low down on the sides of the hull and a water-pump impeller is run from the final drive. This pushes out the water through openings either side of the hull rear. There is an additional flow control opening over the track guards on either side of the hull. When not in use the openings on the rear hull are covered up by plates. Whilst in the water the vehicle is steered by opening and closing the plates on the rear of the hull. To move backwards the rear ports are closed and the water is pushed out through the additional flow control open- ings on each side of the vehicle. To turn to the right the right port is closed and water ejected through the right side port as well as the left rear port. Vice-versa for a left turn. The vehicle is fitted with a radio and the aerial for this is on the left side.of the turret and the crew are also provided with an intercom system. There are three headlamps mounted on the glacis plate, two on the left and one on the right hand side which are protected by metal guards. Some vehicles have been fitted with a white light searchlight on the right side of the turret. There is a possibility that one of the three headlamps is infra-red, but apart from this no other infra-red equip- ment has been fitted to the vehicle as far as it is known. A navigation pole with lights is often fitted on the roof of the turret when the vehicle is in the water for long periods. The PT-76 has two 12 volt batteries, mounted in series with a capacity of 140 AH each. The engine is fitted with a generator for charging purposes. Two of the bilge pumps are electric, the third one being manual. An internal navigation device (i.e. a gyroscope) is fitted. There is also an internal water tank for drinking water. Over the engine are two fire extinguishers which may be operated from within the vehicle or externally. The driver has a fire warning light on his instrument panel. On the rear of the turret is a circular ventilator. Recently some vehicles have had a schnorkel type device fitted over this opening for when the vehicle is being used in an amphibious role. This could indicate that when the vehicle is in the water either the exhaust is let out through this pipe, or, it was fitted as the exhaust gases from the rear decking were being blown back down the hull and into the vehicle via the ventilator. Other reports state that it is simply a training schnorkel. The PT-76 is airportable by aircraft such as the AN- 12 and AN-22 and can be air dropped. There was also reported to be a PT-85 with an 85 mm gun and also a flamethrower version. In November 1973 the Soviets displayed the new amphibious light tank which has the provisional designation of M-1970. This is fully amphi- bious and has a new hull and suspension. The turret is similar to that fitted to the BMP-76PB MICV; in addition the vehicle has two 7.62 mm machine-guns mounted in the hull. It is believed that the M-1970 is not the replacement for the PT-76. The M-1970 is now in service with the Soviet Airborne Forces where it is being used as a fire support vehicle/light tank; three to six infantrymen can be carried in the rear of the vehicle when required. Like the PT-76, the M-1970 is fully amphibious. Basic data of the PT-76 is as follows: w e ~ g h t length w ~ t h gun length w ~ t h o u t gun w ~ d t h height track (centre t o centre) ground clearance track width speed-land speed-water cruis~ng range-land cruising range-water ground pressure trench vertical obstacle slope 14 tonnes 7.625 m 6.91 0 m 3-1 80 m 2-1 95 m 2.740 m 400 mm 350 mm 44 kmlhr 10 km/hr 250 km 100 km 0 48 kg/cm2 2-80 m 1-10 m 38- THE BTR-50 SERIES 30,865 Ib 25' 0" 22' 8" 1 0 5" 7 ' 2" 9' 0" 15%" 132" 27 34 mph 6-2 mph 155 miles 62 m~les 6-82 ps.i 9 ' 2" 3' 7" The first of the BTR-50 series to enter service was the BTR-SOP which was introduced in 1957. This marked a significant step forward for the Soviet Army as up to that time they had only had the 6 X 6 BTR-152 and 4 X 4 BTR-40 armoured personnel carriers in service. The BTR-SOP was introduced so that motor-rifle units could keep pace with the T-54 tanks on the same terrain. The BTR-SOP was basically a PT-76 chassis with an open topped superstructure built on the forward part 'rel. 1s is uip- wn. .oaf l in e is the ual. led. ter. nay The el. (or. vice ,ing hat let lust ack tor. kel. -12 1lso o a lets the )hi- ( is in uns ) is ow I is the 3 a to X 4 'he its PT-76 M o d ~ l 2 ur spccd in t h e I l . a r i a r . PT-76 Model 2.5 w r h rhc, c