The Object 268 was a prototype Soviet tank destroyer developed from 1952 to 1956 by the
Kirov factory
The Kirov Plant, Kirov Factory or Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) ( rus, Кировский завод, Kirovskiy zavod) is a major Russian mechanical engineering and agricultural machinery manufacturing plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was establ ...
,
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, on the basis of the
T-10 heavy tank
The T-10 (also known as Object 730 or, IS-8) 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 (''Iosi ...
.
This tank destroyer was heavily armoured, and featured a 152mm M64 gun, derived from the 152mm M53 mounted on the
SU-152P
The SU-152G (russian: СУ-152Г, GABTU index "Object 108") was a Soviet experimental 152-mm self-propelled howitzer, and was designed by OKB-3 of the heavy machine construction division of Uralmash. The main designer of the SU-152G was Lev Go ...
. One prototype was produced by autumn 1956, and began factory trials soon after, followed by successful gunnery trials at
Kubinka
Kubinka (russian: Ку́бинка) is a town in Odintsovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Setun River, west of Moscow. Population:
__TOC__
History
Kubinka, founded in the 15th century, may have been named after Prince , ...
.
However, the vehicle never progressed past this stage, and all development was cancelled by 1957. The only vehicle is now on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum.
History
The USSR had a history of developing SPGs on the basis of existing medium and heavy tanks, such as the
SU-85
The SU-85 ('' Samokhodnaya ustanovka'' 85) was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during World War II, based on the chassis of the T-34 medium tank. Earlier Soviet self-propelled guns were meant to serve as either assault guns, such as the SU-122, ...
, SU-100 and
SU-152
The SU-152 (russian: самоходная установка-152, СУ-152, Samokhodnaya Ustanovka-152) is a Soviet self-propelled heavy howitzer used during World War II.
It mounted a 152 mm gun-howitzer on the chassis of a KV-1S heavy tank ...
. Following the development of the
IS-3
The IS-3 (also known as Object 703) is a Soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944. Its semi-hemispherical cast turret (resembling that of an upturned soup bowl), became the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks. Its pike nose design would also be ...
and
IS-4
The IS-4, also known as the Object 701, was a Soviet heavy tank that started development in 1943 and began production in 1946. Derived from the IS-2 and part of the IS tank family, the IS-4 featured a longer hull and increased armor. With the ...
heavy tanks after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, new SPGs were designed (and produced in the case of the
Object 704) on their chassis. These had 152mm cannons, capable of breaching through fortifications and enemy armour with relative ease. However, following decrees #701-270 issued by the
Council of Ministers of the USSR
The Council of Ministers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Совет министров СССР, r=Sovet Ministrov SSSR, p=sɐˈvʲet mʲɪˈnʲistrəf ɛsɛsɛˈsɛr; sometimes abbreviated to ''Sovmin'' or referred to as the '' ...
, all development and production of heavy tanks weighing more than 50 tons was cancelled, and subsequently their SPG variants.
The T-10's mass production starting in 1952 allowed for the beginning of the design of another SPG. This was the start of the actual design of the Object 268, but the design of the gun started much earlier, contrary to usual design processes.
The 152mm M64 began its life as the 152mm M53, worked on by
factory #172.
This was mounted on the SU-152P prototype, and the gun was noted to have unsatisfactory accuracy. A modified M53 was thus proposed to be fit into an SPG, however this was never produced. Only the M64 was – seven years after first attempting to modify the M53
– and this was instead mounted into the Object 268.
Development
Development of the Object 268 began on the 2
nd of July, 1952, under orders from the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.
5 designs were produced, although 2 were only slight modifications from the others. Design #1 was similar to the final Object 268, with the superstructure mounted at the front of the vehicle. Design #2 was also a casemate design, but had a rear-mounted superstructure. Design #3 was rapidly different, housing a fully traversable turret. Armour had to be reduced on this design to keep the vehicle under the 50t limit. Designs #4 and #5 were modifications of #2 and #3 respectively. #4 increased the armour – up to 160mm on the lower front plate – and added an additional 5th crew member (loader), alongside a roomier crew compartment.
#5 received a new engine (the V-12-6, which would be mounted on the T-10M and the Object 268 prototype), slightly altered shape, a new crew member and other minor additions.
Both #4 and #5 were rejected by the GBTU Scientific-Technical Committee and Ministry of Transport and Heavy Machinebuilding, as they required substantial changes to the hull.
Only a variant of #1 was approved – with the new engine used in #5. This would become the Object 268.
Design
The Object 268 was a casemate design, with a heavily armoured superstructure and powerful 152mm gun. The casemate reached 187mm of rolled homogenous armour (RHA) at the front, with 120mm RHA on the frontal hull.
The sides of the casemate were 100mm thick, and the rear was 50-60mm thick.
By the end of the design process, the vehicle weighed just under 50 tons, and coupled with the powerful V-12-6 engine, could reach a maximum speed of 48km/h.
The M64 cannon was very powerful –
AP,
HEAT
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...
and
HE rounds were available (maximum 35 carried), with average HEAT penetration of around 250mm. The cannon fired shells at a velocity of 750m/s.
The M64 cannon was superior in accuracy, muzzle velocity, range and rate of fire to the
152mm ML-20S mounted on the ISU-152.
References
{{reflist
Cold War tanks of the Soviet Union