BT tank

BT-5 command tank, with horseshoe antenna around the turret top The Bystrokhodniy Tank (Fast Tank), was a series of Soviet 'cavalry tanks' which were produced in large numbers between 1932 and 1941. They were lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for their time, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs. The BT tanks were known by the nickname Betka from the acronym, ...

Including:

• BT tank - Production History
• BT tank - Variants
• BT tank - Specifications
• BT tank - Combat History
• BT tank - Technical Legacy

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In 1931 two experimental M1930 Christie tanks without turrets, designated BT-1, were purchased from the U.S. and delivered to the Kharkov Komintern Locomotive Plant (KhPZ). Based on the Christie prototypes, three unarmed BT-2 prototypes were completed in October 1931 and mass production began in 1932. Most BT-2s were equipped with 37mm gun and one machine gun, but shortages of 37mm guns led to some early examples being fitted with three machine guns. The BT-3 a ...

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BT tank, BT tank - Production History, BT tank - Variants, BT tank - Specifications, BT tank - Combat History, BT tank - Technical Legacy

Read more here: » BT tank: Encyclopedia II - BT tank - Production History

BT may stand for: B.T. (tabloid), a Danish tabloid newspaper BT Group plc, formerly British Telecommunications BT tank, a series of Soviet "fast tanks" (BT-1 through BT-8) AirBaltic, (airline code BT) Bacillus thuringiensis, Bt toxin or Cry proteins Banjo-Tooie, a Nintendo N64 video game, sequel to Banjo-Kazooie Bankers Trust, an international banking organisation Baronet (Bt), a title in the British honours system Belfast (United Kingdom post

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The Christie suspension is a suspension system developed by Walter Christie for his tank designs. It allowed considerably longer movement than conventional leaf spring systems then in common use, which allowed his tanks to have considerably greater cross-country speed and a lower profile. The system was first introduced on his M1928 design, and used on all of his designs until his death in 1942. Christie advocated the use of lightweight tanks with long range and high speed, designed to penetrate enemy lines and attack their inf ...

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The cruiser tank (also called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank design concept of the inter-war period. This concept was the driving force behind several tank designs which saw action during the Second World War. Like the ships of the same name, cruiser tanks were fast and mobile, and were designed to operate independently of the slow-moving infantry and their heavier Infantry tanks. Once gaps had been punched in the enemy front by the infantry tanks, the cruisers were intended to penetrate to t ...

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KMDB started as the Tank Design Team of the Kharkov Locomotive Factory Komintern (KhPZ, now Malyshev Factory) in 1927, in Kharkov, Soviet Ukraine, and was responsible for the T-12 and T-24 light tanks. In the 1930s, the design team was designated as the independent T2K Tank Design Bureau, and began work on the BT tank series. In 1936 the plant was re-designated "Plant No. 183", and the design bureau "KB-190". The plant also produced small quantities of multi-turreted T-35 tanks ...

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Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau, Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau - History, Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau - Production

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There were many names given to different tank types, and similar names do not assure the same design goals. Some light tanks were relatively slow, and some were fast. Some heavy tanks had large-calibre low-velocity guns for engaging infantry and bunkers, and some had high-velocity antitank guns. Tank classification - WWI tank types. In WWI the first tank, the Mark I, was designed for supporting infantry by crossing trenches and attacking machine gun posts. Initially, there were two types with two roles. Th ...

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Tank classification, Tank classification - Classifying tanks, Tank classification - Overview, Tank classification - Tank types, Tank classification - WWI tank types, Tank classification - Tank development from 1930-1945, Tank classification - Late twentieth century: the main battle tank, Tank classification - The twenty-first century: decline of heavy armour?, Tank classification - Specialist tanks

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Tanks have often been modified for special purposes. Often they provide armoured capability for combat engineers. These include tanks with large-calibre demolition guns, with flails or ploughs for mine-clearing, bridge-layer tanks, or flame tanks armed with flame-throwers. Another important modification is the amphibious tank, such as the Sherman Duplex Drive (DD). These designs are modified with waterproofing and propulsion systems to be able to traverse open water. Their most notable usage was on D-Day. An example would be the Churchill AVRE, intended for destro ...

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Tank classification, Tank classification - Classifying tanks, Tank classification - Overview, Tank classification - Tank types, Tank classification - WWI tank types, Tank classification - Tank development from 1930-1945, Tank classification - Late twentieth century: the main battle tank, Tank classification - The twenty-first century: decline of heavy armour?, Tank classification - Specialist tanks

Read more here: » Tank classification: Encyclopedia II - Tank classification - Specialist tanks

Many classification systems have been used for tanks over the nearly one hundred years of their history. Classification has always been determined by the prevailing theories of armoured warfare, which have been altered in turn by to rapid advances in technology. No one classification system works across all periods or all countries. Tanks are often referred to by weight-based classification, such as 'light', 'medium' or heavy', which may also imply tactical roles. Many types are also described by their tactical role, which depends on ...

See also:

Tank classification, Tank classification - Classifying tanks, Tank classification - Overview, Tank classification - Tank types, Tank classification - WWI tank types, Tank classification - Tank development from 1930-1945, Tank classification - Late twentieth century: the main battle tank, Tank classification - The twenty-first century: decline of heavy armour?, Tank classification - Specialist tanks

Read more here: » Tank classification: Encyclopedia II - Tank classification - Classifying tanks

The BT series was numerous, forming the 'cavalry tank' arm of the pre-war Red Army, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs. For these reasons, there were many experiments and derivatives of the design, mostly conducted at the KhPZ factory in Kharkov, Soviet Ukraine. The most important legacy of the BT was the T-34 design, derived in part from the BT. The T-34 had many innovations well beyond the BT, but the lineage is obvious. Along the way, an important technical development was the BT-IS and BT-SW-2 series ...

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BT tank, BT tank - Production History, BT tank - Variants, BT tank - Specifications, BT tank - Combat History, BT tank - Technical Legacy

Read more here: » BT tank: Encyclopedia II - BT tank - Technical Legacy

BT tanks were used in combat on several occasions prior to World War II. A battalion of BT-5s saw action on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War, where their 45mm guns could easily destroy the opposing German and Italian light tanks. In the border skirmishes against Japan in 1939, both BT-5s and BT-7s were used. Again the BT generally outclassed the lightweight enemy tanks. Against Finland during the Winter War (mainly BT-2 and BT-5 models) the BT was less successful. The Finnish forces were well-led, highly motivated and defending very constricted terrain. The thinly-armored BTs were very v ...

See also:

BT tank, BT tank - Production History, BT tank - Variants, BT tank - Specifications, BT tank - Combat History, BT tank - Technical Legacy

Read more here: » BT tank: Encyclopedia II - BT tank - Combat History