BT-7
The BT-7 was the last of the BT series of Soviet cavalry tanks that were produced in large numbers between 1935 and 1940. It was lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for the time, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs. The BT tanks were known by the nickname Betka from the acronym, or its diminutive, Betushka.
| BT-7, BT-7M | |
|---|---|
BT-7M, 1940, with tracks removed from the wheels and carried on the hull | |
| Type | Light cavalry tank |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1935–45 |
| Used by | Soviet Union Mongolia Finland (captured) Hungary (captured) Romania (captured) Nazi Germany (captured) |
| Wars | Soviet–Japanese Border Wars World War II Winter War Continuation war Soviet–Japanese War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Morozov |
| Designed | 1935 |
| Manufacturer | KhPZ |
| Produced | 1935–40 |
| No. built | 5753 |
| Variants | BT-7A, BT-7M (BT-8), BT-IS |
| Specifications (BT-7 model 1937) | |
| Mass | 13.9 tonnes (13.7 long tons; 15.3 short tons) |
| Length | 5.66 m (18 ft 7 in) |
| Width | 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 2.42 m (7 ft 11 in) |
| Crew | 3 (commander, loader, driver) |
| Armour | Hull: 6–40 mm Turret: 10–15 mm |
Main armament | 45 mm anti-tank gun M1932/38 (20-K) |
Secondary armament | 2 x 7.62 mm DT machine gun |
| Engine | Mikulin M-17T (V-12) gasoline 450 hp (340 kW) at 1,750 rpm |
| Power/weight | 32.37 hp/tonne |
| Transmission | Chain drive (tracks: sliding gear) |
| Suspension | Christie |
| Ground clearance | 0.305 m (10 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 620 litres (160 US gal) |
Operational range | Road: 250 km (160 mi) Off-road: 120 km (75 mi) |
| Maximum speed | Road: 72–86 km/h (45–53 mph) Off-road: 50 km/h (31 mph) |
Steering system | steering stick |
The BT-7's successor was the famous T-34 medium tank, introduced in 1940, which replaced all of the Soviet fast tanks, infantry tanks, and medium tanks then in service.
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