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Soviet two-gun tank project (490 "Poplar")
A
future 1980-s tank with maximum protection, firepower and crew safety. One of the most unusual developments of the
Soviet tank construction in the post-war period was the project of a two-cannon
tank by Evgeny Morozov. The works were
carried out in the late 70s and were presented to the customer (Soviet Ministry
of Defense) along with other future directions for the development of the design
for the future tank.
Among the proposed
options were also considered:
- tank with turret and two crew members (490
option 1)
- turretless tank (with limited gun guidance in
horizon plane)
- articulated (two-link) tank
- tank with remote weapons.
Soviet two-gun tank
project (490 "Poplar")
The design
of the tank was unusual, the hull was divided into isolated compartments, the
first - the transmission compartment, the second - the fuel compartment divided
by partitions, the third - the engine compartment. The crew consisting of two operators
(commander-operator and driver) was placed in the rear of the hull in an
isolated stationary (weapon platform rotated while crew stations remain
stationary) capsule.
The
capsule was installed fixed, the crew, in any position of the turret, was
facing the front of the hull, the rotation of the weapons platform with the
main armament was carried out around the capsule. The weapons platform with the main armament
had a powerful frontal armor, on it’s both sides
Ammunition
was to consist of unitary shots placed in two automatic loaders with a simple
scheme located in the compartments behind the guns, which were fed as the
ammunition consumption from the horizontal stacking. In case of penetration of
the autoloader compartments and fire (detonation) of ammunition, the likelihood
of the destruction of the tank and crew was excluded. With the destruction (or malfunction) of one
of the compartments with automatic loader, the tank retained the ability to
fire.
The second
turret was located above the capsule, it had the sighting system of the
commander-operator and driver, a static review device and an additional
armament unit, which included a stabilized
The undercarriage of
the tank is made using a elements of the object “
Soviet two-gun tank
project (wooden 1:10 model)
There are
guide wheels in the back of the chassis, leading wheels in the front. During salvo firing from ambush, the guide
wheels are lowered to the ground in order to impart greater stability to the
loads during firing. hydropneumatic suspension.
Engine - product “
Crew compartment of two-gun tank with a
commander-gunner and driver:
1 - operator's seat
(when the tank is moving in reverse); 2
- emergency hatch; 3, 5, 13 - radiation
protection and heat and sound insulation; 4 - a set of instruments for
controlling fire and movement; 6 - device for monitoring and controlling fire;
7 - a static-type
devices for observation (8 pcs.); 8 – weapon
turntable;
9 - hatch for entry
and exit of the crew; 10 - reversible
viewing tube; 11 - position of the
operator during rest; 12 – hull of the tank; 14 - operators seats
The crew
compartment for two people gave a solution to many of the problems of the
modern design of the tank. In the
armored volume placed two seats: on the left - the driver, on the right - the
commander-gunner. All geometrical
parameters of the workplaces meet military-medical (ergonomics)
requirements. Both operators are placed stationary
relative to the tank hull and have the ability to rotate 180° when moving in reverse
motion due to the rotation of the seats. Both seats have the necessary
adjustment, including in the position for rest. The 360° observation for both operators is provided by round-the-clock
screen-type devices based on fiber-optic optics. Rear visibility, including a march movement,
is achieved by hatch in the rear of the crew compartment.
Position on the Soviet two-gun tank track
assembly in stationary “ambush” and normal mode.
The fire
control and observation complex provides a quick search for targets by
duplicating instruments that use different unmasking properties - optical, IR,
radar, sound [as it was in project, but not realized even in further variants]. The change of instruments is achieved by a
flip-over viewing tube [10 on the drawing]. Control of movement and fire is carried out from two identical control
panels for commander-gunner and driver, switched by the toggle and controlled
by the displays.
In the
middle there is a radio station and other non-firing controls for instruments
or machine movements. For the reverse
movement, there is an auxiliary control panel [at the rear of crew capsule]. In the case of an emergency exit from the
tank there is an emergency hatch in the bottom of the capsule.
The entire
internal surface of the compartment is coated with materials combining
anti-radiation/anti spall properties as well as with heat and sound
insulation. A relatively small surface
ensures sufficient thickness of these materials.
There are no
equipment and weapons in the habitable compartment [capsule] that emit heat and
powder gases, however, the available volumes make it possible to install a tank
conditioner that significantly improves the microclimatic working conditions of
the crew. The removal of weapons, ammunition
and fuel from the habitable compartment significantly increases the
survivability of the crew when a tank is damaged [see VBTT ¹6. 1980 - The problem of reducing the size of
the crew of the main tank].
To
facilitate the work of the operators, it is necessary to create uniform
consoles connecting the groups of systems and ensuring optimal control of the
tank's combat operations. The
information display system can be built in such a way that, depending on the mode
of operation, only what is needed at a given time appears on it [tank
information and control system]. For
example, the driver has 13 devices that record the current parameters of the
power plant and are partially used during the movement. It is advisable to build a system that
automatically registers and processes these parameters so that only the signals
on reaching the critical values of these parameters are shown on
the display. To simplify the work of the
commander of the tank unit, it is necessary to automate the collection and transmission
of data on the availability of fuel and ammunition, as well as on the technical
condition of the tank, etc., which is not difficult to accomplish with existing
systems with sensors of primary information.
For
operational control of the battle, the commander constantly needs to know the
location and technical condition of the tanks of his unit. The solution to this issue is possible with
the help of a special radio channel of communication with coded information. Such a system will ensure the transfer of
information from a linear to a command tank with maximum efficiency and minimum
redundancy. In the system design of a
commander tank, it will not fundamentally differ from the main [line] one, its
functionality will be dramatically expanded, and the hardware costs will be
reduced.
Reducing
the crew to two people (commander-gunner and driver) makes it possible to solve
a number of problematic issues in tank construction:
- increased radiation
protection,
- duplication of crew
work, more complete fulfillment of ergonomic requirements,
- reducing the weight
and size of the machine.
However,
the reduction of the crew of the main tank requires an integrated approach to
research and design development in the very early stages of design.
Soviet two-gun tank
in comparison with German “Leopard-
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