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53-661: In the 1970s the Soviet Central Auto and Tractor Directorate embarked on a development program to replace the AT-P series of artillery tractors that were based on the ASU-57 , with a new generation of vehicles. The MT-L was developed to meet this requirement based on the PT-76 chassis. The MT-LB is the armoured variant of the vehicle. Entering production in the early 1970s, it was cheap to build, being based on many existing components including

106-545: A 1967 military exercise performed by the 76th VDD. In the following year, in 1968, ASU-57s saw its first combat-action during the Warsaw Pact-invasion of Czechoslovakia, with several vehicles used by the USSR. The ASU-57 was gradually supplanted and replaced by the heavier ASU-85 , which featured a fully enclosed casemate design with a vastly superior 85 mm main gun. In foreign military service, 20 ASU-57s saw service with

159-685: A development of the World War II ZIS-2 but with some similarities to the Ch-26. From 1954, an improved 57 mm gun Ch-51M with a much shorter double-baffle muzzle brake was fitted. The gun fired the standard caliber 57x480R ammunition of the ZIS-2 anti-tank gun, such as the BR-271 series and the O-271U, of which it had 30 on board, stored in various ammunition racks located at the rear of the vehicle and in easy reach of

212-566: A filter system FVU and a navigation apparatus. At the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine the MT-Lbu variant R-381T "Taran" got more in focus. The System is used at divisional level and consists of 7 vehicles. The recent R-381TM Taran-M is an upgrade of R-381T Taran from the Cold War-era.The system is used to monitor radio signals, eavesdropping on enemy forces’ communications across a wide range of frequencies. As well as providing raw intelligence in

265-568: A hasty decision, and ordered the talented tank designer to be recalled from the front, but it was too late - Ginzburg was killed in action. A more reliable vehicle, the SU-15, appeared as a result of a competition announced by the management of the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry for a light assault SPG armed with a 76-mm divisional gun. GAZ and Plant No. 38 took part in the competition. Tests of

318-600: A large number of ammunition types. They included armour-piercing (usual, with ballistic nose and subcaliber hyper-velocity), hollow charge, high explosive, fragmentation, shrapnel and incendiary projectiles. This made the SU-76M an excellent multi-purpose light armoured fighting vehicle. As a light assault gun, the SU-76M was well-regarded by Soviet infantrymen (in contrast with their own crews). It had more powerful gun than any previous light tank for close support of infantry in defense and offensive, and communication between infantry and

371-570: A large quantity coming from defeated German troops after the Battle of Stalingrad that year. This partially-modified vehicle was armed with an S-1 76.2 mm tank gun (a cheaper variant of the renowned F-34/ZIS-5 guns which were already mounted on T-34 and KV-1 tanks respectively) in a casemate superstructure but retained the original German Maybach gasoline engine and its torsion-bar suspension system. Around 200 of these ex-German vehicles were sent for conversion into SU-76is at Factory No. 37 to supplement

424-643: A license to produce MT-LBu. ASU-57 The ASU-57 was a small, lightly constructed Soviet assault gun specifically designed for use by Soviet airborne divisions. From 1960 onwards, it was gradually phased out in favour of the ASU-85 . The task to develop a lightweight assault gun for the airborne troops (with either a 57 mm gun or a 76 mm gun) was given to two design bureaus, Astrov (OKB-40) in Mytishchi and Kravtsev in Moscow. Nikolaj Astrov's OKB-40 designed

477-473: Is covered with a blanking plate with hatch when no turret is mounted. The MT-LBu has 2 firing ports: one in the front right side, the other in the rear door, both with an associated vision device. The driver is provided with a TVN-2 infra-red periscope, which in combination with the OU-3GK infra-red/white light search light provides a range of about 40 m. The MT-LBu is equipped with an NBC detection device GO-27,

530-600: Is known, that the system, when deployed at full strength, consists of seven vehicles. The R-381T Taran complex can be set up to comprise five vehicles: two R-381T2s, two R-381T1s, and a single R-381T3. The Taran 2 gathers signals at four R-381T2 UHF radio monitoring stations that operate in the 30 to 100 MHz band, and two R-381T1 VHF radio monitoring stations operating across 1.5 to 30 MHz, and which are able to listen in on aviation airband communication (100 to 400 MHz), as well as radio relay links (300 to 1000 MHz). Data acquired by these systems based on vehicles

583-573: Is then processed by a single R-381T3 vehicle. Ukrainian sources report, that the R-381T Taran can detect, classify and listen in on radio emissions at a range of 40 kilometres (25 mi) on land and at a range of up to 97 kilometres (60 mi) when monitoring airband communications. Based on older versions – mostly of the 1V12 series – Minotaur from Belarus has developed new versions of the MT-LBu: Polish HSW S.A. (Huta Stalowa Wola S.A.) has

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636-569: The ASU-76 , based on components of the T-70 light tank and the SU-76 assault gun, and armed with the new 76 mm gun D-56T. The ASU-76 turned out to be too heavy, even though the armour was only 3 mm thick, and the project was cancelled. Anatoly Kravtsev's team came up with the similar, amphibious K-73 . This vehicle was armed with Charnko's 57 mm anti-tank gun Ch-51 and was even more thinly armoured than

689-758: The Korean People's Army took part in the Korean War , a small number of them were captured and used by South Korea after the landing at Incheon . The SU-76M was in service with the Polish People's Army until the mid-1950s. During the same period, SU-76Ms were used in the Czechoslovak and Romanian armies. The SU-76M served in the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) until

742-551: The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (60 SU-76M SPGs, 5 T-70 light tanks and 3 US M3A1 Scout Car armored personnel carriers in each) were formed, starting from the first half of 1944. The SU-76M was a multipurpose SPG and combined three main battlefield roles: light assault gun for infantry support, mobile anti-tank weapon and mobile gun for indirect fire. With all these tasks, light SPGs successfully coped. The SU-76M had

795-527: The "M" omitted, due to their ubiquity in comparison with the original SU-76s. The layout of the SU-76M and its chassis remained unchanged compared to the SU-76. But the SU-76M had an armored casemate open at the top and partly behind. Two chief designers at the GAZ, N.A. Astrov and A.A. Lipgart, changed the power plant arrangement to that of the T-70 light tank - two GAZ-202 engines were connected in series and installed on

848-477: The 12.7 mm M2 Browning . The top of the tank was completely open and thus exposed the crew to both the elements and enemy fire, especially in the form of grenades. If a crew stood up completely in the tank, their heads would be in view. Rather, the ASU-57 was intended to use its small size and mobility to avoid enemy fire. The open topped-nature of the vehicle also facilitated good vision and situational awareness for

901-497: The 1930s. When the ASU-57 was introduced, every airborne division acquired 54 vehicles each, however by the turn of the 1960s, the ASU-57s only numbered 245 in service. It was realised that the armament of the main gun, a WWII-derived design, was vastly obsolete, especially when compared to NATO-equivalents such as the M40 recoilless rifle . The ASU-57 saw its first major deployment during Dniepr,

954-602: The 76.2 mm shells was not sufficient in some cases. The SU-76M was the single Soviet vehicle able to operate in swamps with minimal support from engineers. During the Belarus liberation campaign in 1944 it was extremely useful for organizing surprise attacks through swamps; bypassing heavy German defenses on firmer ground. Usually only lightly armed infantry could pass through large swampy areas. With SU-76M support, Soviet soldiers and engineers could effectively destroy enemy strongpoints and continue to advance. One famous crewman

1007-596: The ASU-76. This project too was shelved. In 1949, Astrov was instructed to continue with his project, but with reduced weight and with the Ch-51 gun as the main armament instead of the D-56T, since it offered better anti-tank performance. The redesigned Ob.572 was developed simultaneously with the Ob.561 (AT-P) light artillery tractor. After successfully passing the various test phases in 1949, it

1060-679: The East German military, while 200 were given to North Korea. ASU-57s were also supplied to Egyptian forces, being used in the Six-Day War against Israel in 1967. Several dozen ASU-57s were sent to Ethiopia as well, where they took part in the Ogaden War with Somalia in November 1977, where ASU-57s were used in battles around Areva and Jijiga, assisting friendly forces during the battle, where notably, Mi-6 helicopters dropped at least several ASU-57s behind

1113-643: The M-30 was considered an insufficient weapon for infantry support. The also unrelated SU-76P (1941) was based on the T-26 chassis. It was built in Leningrad during the Siege of Leningrad and involved removing the turret from the T-26 and mounting a 76 mm regimental gun M1927 on the engine deck. This was created due to the lack of high-explosive 45 mm ammunition inside Leningrad due to

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1166-562: The SU-76M chassis, equipped with the TAB-71 turret. The vehicle entered service as the MLVM ( Romanian : Mașina de Luptă a Vânătorilor de Munte , meaning "infantry fighting vehicle of vânători de munte "). The unrelated SU-76i (the "i" standing for " inostrannaya ", or 'foreign', in Russian), first designed and fielded in 1943, was based on captured stocks of German Panzer III and StuG III chassis,

1219-551: The SU-76M crew was simple due to the partially open fighting compartment. This was extremely useful in urban combats like the Battle of Berlin where good teamwork between infantry and AFVs was a key to success. The SU-76M was effective against any medium or light German tank. It could also knock out the Panther tank with a flank shot, but the ZIS-3 gun was not effective against Tiger tanks . Soviet manuals for SU-76M crews usually instructed

1272-580: The SU-76M. Vehicles of later series received a higher rear armor plate of the fighting compartment with two firing ports and a larger door, a tube welded to the right and left sides at the back of a casemate appeared to mount a machine gun for anti-aircraft defense. Firing ports of a new shape began to be used, more adapted for firing from a machine gun, etc. Mass production of the SU-76M ceased in October 1945. In contemporary accounts SU-76Ms are often referred to in texts, public radio and TV broadcasting as SU-76s with

1325-466: The SU-76s were out of order due to breakdowns in gearboxes and main shafts. An attempt to correct the situation by strengthening the shafts did not lead to anything. Moreover, such vehicles failed even more often. It became obvious that the transmission of the SU-76 had a fundamental design flaw, which was the parallel installation of two twin engines that worked on a common shaft. Such transmission scheme led to

1378-502: The Somali frontlines. SU-76 The SU-76 ( Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 76 ) was a Soviet light self-propelled gun used during and after World War II . The SU-76 was based on a lengthened version of the T-70 light tank chassis and armed with the ZIS-3 mod. 1942 76-mm divisional field gun. Developed under the leadership of chief designer S.A. Ginzburg (1900–1943). Its quite simple construction and multipurpose combat role made it

1431-509: The ZIS-3 gun was sufficient against most German armoured fighting vehicles . The maximum elevation angle of the SU-76M's gun was the highest of all Soviet self-propelled guns. The maximum indirect fire distance was nearly 13 km. SU-76Ms were sometimes used as light artillery vehicles (like the German Wespe ) for counter-battery fights, bombardments, indirect fire support. However, the power of

1484-404: The ZIS-3 gun, and basic tank's hull was lengthened, adding one road wheel per side, to facilitate better gun mounting. The gun was installed in the embrasure of the front armored plate of the fixed fully closed armored casemate above the rear of the hull. The power plant consisted of two engines connected in parallel with the transmission. The units of the latter were also paralleled and connected at

1537-598: The boarding and disembarkation of the crew as well as the gun maintenance. In July 1943, the SU-15 under the army designation SU-76M was adopted by the Red Army. After production of the light SPGs resumed, GAZ and Plant No. 40 in Mytishchi near Moscow joined it in autumn 1943 (the same time the production of T-70 light tanks was fully finished), and as a result 13,732 SU-76Ms were built. More than 9,000 of these SPGs were built solely by Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ), which became

1590-416: The crew, as well as easy access into and out of the tank. The ASU-57 was a successful design that saw service with Soviet airborne divisions for around 20 years before being replaced by the ASU-85 . During its years of operation, 54 vehicles would have been assigned to each airborne division . One main drawback was the vehicle's welded aluminium hull, which offered little protection for the crew. However

1643-431: The end of 1944 and the beginning of 1945, 70 self-propelled artillery divizions (16 SU-76M in each) were formed to be included into rifle divisions. Some rifle divisions, formed according to special reinforced states, for instance, the 9th plastun rifle volunteer division, received a self-propelled artillery regiment even (initially equipped with 8 SU-76M and 12 SU-122 ). Also 4 light self-propelled artillery brigades of

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1696-513: The end of January, the first two self-propelled artillery regiments of a mixed organization (1433rd and 1434th) were sent to the Volkhov Front to participate in breaking the siege of Leningrad . In March 1943, two more regiments were formed - the 1485th and 1487th, which participated in battles on the Western Front (Soviet Union) . However, already after 10 days of military operation, most of

1749-530: The engine, which is a truck engine. The MT-LBu is a bigger, unarmed version that is used as the basis for many specialised vehicles. It was built at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant (KhTZ) in the Ukrainian SSR as well as Poland (Stalowa Wola) and Bulgaria (Beta JSCo.). The crew—a driver and a commander—is located in a compartment at the front of the vehicle, with the engine behind them. The compartment at

1802-459: The existing SU-76. They were issued to tank and self-propelled gun units starting in the fall of 1943. They were eventually withdrawn from the front in early 1944 and then used for training and testing until the end of 1945. Only 2 have survived the war, most having been scrapped after 1945. A similar vehicle called SG-122 existed, which was a similar Panzer III conversion, but armed with 122 mm M-30 howitzer . Only around 20 were converted, as

1855-495: The form of intercepted communications, the Taran is able to geolocate transmitters , providing commanders with critical data on the actual positions of enemy forces. The kompleks radiotekhnicheskoj razvedki System (‘automatic radio intelligence complex) replaced the R-381 "Rama" set on GAZ-66 truck. In Ukraine the newer version R-381TM Taran-M is used. About the "original R-381T Taran"

1908-710: The gun with the pointing correction was 10 rounds per minute, with the rapid fire - up to 20 rounds per minute. The SU-76 was the basis for the first serial Soviet tracked armored anti-aircraft vehicle, the ZSU-37 . Mass production of the ZSU-37 was continued after SU-76M production ceased. The majority of SU-76Ms had been withdrawn from the Soviet army service in the beginning of 1950s, although some were retained as training vehicles for tank crews as late as 1960s. In 1978, Institute 111 from Romania designed an armoured personnel carrier based on

1961-469: The gunner to aim for the tracks or gun barrels when facing Tigers. To improve the SU-76M's anti-armour capabilities, armour-piercing composite rigid (APCR) and hollow charge projectiles were introduced. This gave the SU-76M a better chance against heavily armoured German vehicles. A low profile, a low noise signature and good mobility were other advantages of the SU-76M. This was ideal for organizing ambushes and sudden flank or rear strikes in close combat, where

2014-584: The investigation that followed the mass failure of SPGs in the winter of 1943, a commission chaired by I.M. Zaltsman defined that the main culprit was the head of the Department of the Chief Designer of the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry S.A. Ginzburg , who was removed from his position and sent to the front as the head of the repair service of the 32nd tank brigade belonged to the 29th tank corps. Stalin, having learned about this, did not approve of such

2067-472: The last one acting as an idler wheel. The ASU-57 could reach a maximum speed of 45 km/h and had a 250 km range. Designed to be as light as possible, the ASU-57 featured very limited armour in the form of steel plates that were a maximum of 6 mm thick at the front of the vehicle that was either bolted or welded on. The armour was only intended to resist rifle-calibre bullets fired by infantry and could be defeated easily by heavy machine guns such as

2120-427: The level of the main gears. The mechanic-driver sat in the bow of the vehicle, and the gun crew of three men including the commander (usually junior lieutenant ) was located in the casemate. The SU-76 (factory designation SU-12) was put into service by a GKO decree of December 2, 1942. The first batch of SU-76s (25 units) was manufactured by January 1, 1943, and sent to the self-propelled artillery training center. At

2173-554: The loader, who sat facing backwards. The ASU-57 was also able to be fitted with an optional 7.62 mm DTM with 2500 rounds or 12.7 mm DShK machine gun. The ASU-57's M-20E4 engine was taken from the GAZ-M-20 "Pobeda" civilian car and featured 50 hp (37 kW) of power. The engine was located on the left side of the transmission, which was located at the front of the vehicle and connected to frontal sprocket wheels driving tracks with four rubberised roadwheels on each side, with

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2226-502: The main plant for the production of the SU-76M from January 1, 1944. The SU-76M became the second most produced Soviet armored fighting vehicle of World War II, after the T-34 medium tank. Under the leadership of the chief designer N.A. Astrov, since the autumn of 1943, work had been going on at GAZ to improve the SPG and adapt its design to mass production conditions. Changes were made to the design of

2279-522: The move. SU-76M was a reliable vehicle (the GAZ-203 engine unit confidently worked out not less than 350 hours without serious breakdowns). But the main advantage of light SPGs was their wide versatility. According to table of organization and equipment of 1943, each light self-propelled artillery regiment was equipped with 21 SU-76M, there were 119 such regiments in the Red Army by the end of World War II . In

2332-554: The new self-propelled guns took place at the Gorokhovets artillery training ground in July 1943, at the height of the Battle of Kursk . The SU-15 enjoyed the greatest success with the military, and it was recommended for mass production after some improvements. It was necessary to lighten the vehicle, which was done by removing the armored roof over the casemate, at the same time this solved all problems with its ventilation, and also facilitated

2385-477: The occurrence of resonant torsional vibrations on the shafts. Moreover, the maximum value of the resonant frequency accounted for the most intense mode of operation of the engines (driving in 2nd gear off-road), which led to their rapid failure. Elimination of this defect required time, therefore, on March 21, 1943, the production of the SU-76 was suspended. A total of 560 units were built at Plant No. 38 in Kirov . During

2438-410: The rear has a volume of 13 m. A load of 6,500 kg can be towed. The vehicle is fully amphibious, being propelled in the water by its tracks. The vehicle is lightly armoured against small arms and shell splinters with a thickness of 3 to 10 mm of steel. The troop compartment has one roof hatch over the top, which opens rearwards. In the centre of the roof there is a big circular opening that

2491-575: The retreating enemy. SU-76M SPGs took part in combat operations on the Eastern Front until the end of World War II, and then in the Soviet–Japanese War . During World War II, 130 SU-76Ms were given to the Polish People's Army . In the post-war period, the SU-76M was in service with the Soviet Army until the early 1950s, and in the armies of a number of countries even longer. The SU-76M SPGs of

2544-619: The right hand side of the vehicle. The transmission consisted of a two-disk main clutch of dry friction, a four-speed gearbox of the ZIS-5 type, a main drive, side clutches and side drives. The SU-76M had a clearance 0.3 m (1 ft 0 in). The SPG could climb a slope of 28 , overcame a 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) wide trench, a 0.6 m (2 ft 0 in) high wall and a 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) deep ford. The ZIS-3 gun pointing angles ranged from -5 to +15 vertically and 15 left and right horizontally. The rate of fire of

2597-532: The second most produced Soviet armored fighting vehicle of World War II, after the T-34 medium tank. Design of the SU-76 began in June 1942, when the State Defense Committee (GKO) ordered the construction of infantry support self-propelled guns armed with the ZIS-3 76-mm divisional field gun and the M-30 122-mm howitzer. The T-70 light tank chassis was chosen by chief designer S.A. Ginzburg for mounting

2650-559: The siege, so some T-26 tanks were rearmed with 37mm or 76mm guns for which a reliable source of ammunition was available. They served until 1944, when the siege was broken. They were originally called "SU-76s", until the SU-76 came into service, upon which it was renamed "SU-76P" ("polkovaya" - regimental). The SU-76M virtually replaced light tanks in the close support role. While its thin armour and open top made it vulnerable to anti-tank weapons and grenades, its light weight and low ground pressure gave it good maneuverability and low noise on

2703-500: The vehicle gave lightly armed airborne troops mobile artillery support on the battlefield. Every vehicle was equipped with a 10RT-12 radio and a TPU-47 intercom system. Late-production models (from 1961) replaced these with the R-113 and R-120 respectively, and also had a TVN-2 night vision device for the driver. The ASU-57 became the first successful Soviet airborne tank, overcoming failings in previous Soviet concepts that had stemmed from

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2756-652: Was Rem Nikolaevich Ulanov. In his younger days he was a mechanic-driver and later a commander of a SU-76. He and some other soldiers called their SU-76 Columbina after the female Renaissance Italian Commedia dell'Arte personage. The reliability and good driving performance of the SU-76M proved to be especially in demand at the final stages of World War II, during the liberation of Poland and battles in Germany. Relatively maneuverable and fast, SU-76Ms sometimes additionally armed with trophy machine guns and carried infantrymen on its armour were often included into vanguards to pursue

2809-449: Was accepted for series production from 1951 as the ASU-57 . The ASU-57 was designed to be a lightweight assault gun that could be air-dropped out of the An-12 transport plane which was the standard cargo aircraft of the Soviet military at the time and deployed by rocket-assisted parachute (PP-128-500 or P-7) along with the troops. It was lightly armored and armed with a 57 mm gun Ch-51,

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