Overview[]
The T-55 «Molniya» (Ob"yekt 139) is a prototype Soviet main battle tank developed in the 1950s.
Development[]
The Ob"yekt 139 was a modification of the T-54A, where more powerful weapons were to be installed. It was created in 1955 - 1956 in the KB-520 of UVZ under the leadership of Chief Designer L. N. Kartsyev on the basis of the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 347-205 of February 24, 1955. By the end of February 1956, UVZ had produced three prototypes of the vehicle which entered factory tests in March 1956. During factory tests, the vibration of the sight's field of view and a number of defects in individual stabilizer units were revealed. Afterwards, until December 1956, UVZ, together with specialists from TsKB-393 and TsNII-173, deficiencies were eliminated and the main cannon stabilizer and sight were adjusted, after which all three tanks were handed over for field and military tests. After the completion of the tests, which took place from January through April 1957, in accordance with the identified observations, issues were once again present and the sight and stabilizer assemblies were again modified by the manufacturers.
In November through December 1958, one Ob. 139 which was located in the NIIBT at the time was modified with additional fuel tanks. To verify the proposals by GBTU for increasing the fuel capacity in the T-54 vehicles, additional fuel tanks were installed which amounted to 410 litres and 35 litres of oil which were mounted on standard brackets which were intended for the BDSh-5 smoke bombs. These fuel tanks were fitted low on the vehicle so the gun traverse was not affected even at minimum elevation. Trials were not undertaken however, and their use was abandoned. This was due to the fact that during the manufacture of non-standard additional tanks in the troops, the technology of their production (bakelitization) could not be maintained, which in turn, could affect the operation of the engine fuel supply system after long-term storage of tanks. In addition, the transfer of the rear marker lights of the car was required, since they overlapped when installing additional fuel barrels.
Additional fuel tanks mounted on the Ob. 139
In February through April 1959, two Ob. 139's with modified sights and stabilizers according to the results of field and military tests, performed firing tests having shot 771 and 591 shots at the GNIAP GAU. However, the tanks failed the tests due to the swelling of the gun barrel but the ballistics of the cannon did not deteriorate. As a measure to eliminate this phenomenon, the manufacturer, UZTM decided to manufacture a thickened barrel, which led to an increase in the weight of the gun by 100 kg and rollback resistance by 32%. According to the experts of UVZ, the installation of the D-54TS cannon with a thickened barrel tube, in addition to increasing the combat weight of the tank, entailed the transfer of the cradle trunnions and, consequently, the alteration of the turret.
The tank was not recommended for mass production due to the design flaws of the anti-aircraft machine gun, the shortcomings of the tank gun, the insufficient reliability of the stabilizer, on-board gearboxes and lightweight support rollers. Further work on the vehicle was stopped due to the recognition of the T-54 tank as obsolete. The results obtained during the OKR on the Ob. 139 were later used in the creation of new medium tanks.
Design[]
As with many vehicles, the Ob. 139 had the classic 4 crew layout scheme used since T-54 obr. 1946g.. A TVN-1 night vision device was used to drive the tank at night, mounted instead of the left view device.
A 100mm D-54TS rifled cannon was installed, equipped with a slit muzzle break, ejection device and a Molniya stabilizer. To fire during daylight a T2S «Udar» periscope sight was used. A 7.62mm SGMT machine gun was paired with the cannon. The second SGMT machine gun was a hull machine gun located to the right of the driver. On the loader hatch, a 12.7mm DShKT anti-aircraft machine gun was mounted, which used a K10-T collimator sight.
The tank's ammunition included, 34 single piece shells for the main cannon, 3,500 rounds for the SGMT machine guns, 200 rounds for the DShKT machine gun and 12 F-1 grenades.
The armour protection of the vehicle was on the same level as the T-54's armour. To keep the combat weight within limits as the cannon exceeded the D-10TG cannon's mass by over 500kg and the installation of the periscope sight, the side hull plates thicknesses were reduced from 80mm to 70mm. In addition, the turret design was changed for the frontal area and the periscope sight area.
The power plant, transmission, electrical equipment and communications remained the same as the T-54A vehicle, with an exception to an increased fuel capacity in the internal fuel tanks from 532 litres to 560 litres.
After the tests in 1957, UVZ upgraded the Molniya stabilizers, installed new communication equipment in the form of R-113 radio station and R-120 intercom, a GPK-48 gyro-semi-compass and night surveillance devices, TKN-1 for commander, upgraded TVN-2 instead of TVN-1 for driver and the TPN-1 night sight.
Survivor[]
One surviving prototype is confirmed to exist (serial number 5612V001M), it is currently installed on a pedestal in the city of Kozel'sk.
This vehicle is thought to have been transferred from Kubinka in the early 2000s, as the monument is relatively new, and there are photographs of a Ob. 139 at Kubinka in the 1990s, but the vehicle had disappeared from Kubinka in the early 2000s.
The other two tanks' fate are unknown. The most likely outcome is that they were scrapped following the firing trials in 1959 due to their damaged gun barrels.
 Russian FederationLand Vehicles Modern Period (1991 — Present) |
|---|
| Tracked Vehicles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Light Tanks | Light Tank | 2S25 (M) |
| Light Tank, Amphibious | 685 • 906 • PT-76 (A, B, M) • PT-85 • PT-90 | |
| Light Tank, Amphibious Command | PT-76K | |
| IFV | 19 • 911 • 914 • B-10 • B-19 • BMP-64 • BMPT • BMPV-64 • T-15 | |
| IFV, Amphibious | 764 • 765 • 911 • BMP-1 (P) • BMP-2 (D • M) • BMP-3 (F • FK • Fr • K • M • M-3) | |
| Medium Tanks | MBT | 139 • 140 • 167 (T) • 430 (U, 435) • 640 • 785 • T-14 • T-62 (1960, 1972, 1975, D, D-1, K, KN, M, M-1, M1, M1-1, M1-2, M1-2-1, M1V, M1V-1, MD, MD-1, MK, MK-1, MV-1) • T-64 (A, AK, B, B1, B1M, BM2, BV, R, T, U) • T-67 • T-72 (A 1979 • A 1984 • AK • AV • B • B 1989 • B 1990 • B1 • B2 • B3 2011 • B3 2014 • B3 2016 • T-72B3M • BA • BU • BV • M • M1 • M1M • M1V • S • V) • T-74 • T-80 (A 1982 • A 1984 • AK • AKV • B 1978 • B 1980 • BK • BV 1985 • BVK • BVM 2017 • M-1 • U 1986 • U 1992 • UE 1999 • UK • UM 1995 • UM-1 1997 • UM-2 • UM2) • T-90 (1992 • A 2006 • AK • AM • K • M 2017 • MS • S • SK) • T-95 • T-99 |
| Command Tanks | 446B • T-64B1K • T-64BK • T-72 (AK • B1K • BK • K • M1K • MK) • T-90 (K) | |
| SPG | ATGMV | [[]] |
| SPAA | 2S6 (M • M1) • 2S38 • 9K35 • 9K37 • 9K330 | |
| SPATG | 120 • 2S15 • 2S25 (M1) • 2S28 • 2S29 • 2S37BTR-50P | |
| SPG | 2S1M • 2S5 (M • M1) • 2S7 (M) • 2S9 (-1 • 1M) • 2S11 • 2S13 • 2S17 (-2) • 2S22 • 2S23 (M) • 2S31 (Ye • M) • 2S34 (-1 • M) • 2S36 • 2S39 • 2S40 • 2S42 • 2S43 • ISU-152 • Obzhimka • T-62/160 | |
| SPH | 924 • 2A3 • 2A4 • 2S1 (M1) • 2S2 • 2S3 (M • M1, M2 • M2-155 • M3) • 2S18 • 2S19 (M • M1 • M1-155 • M2) • 2S21 • 2S26 • 2S27 • 2S30 • 2S33 • S-103 | |
| Self-Propelled Laser | 1K17 Szhatie | |
| SPM | 2S4 • 2S8 • 2S10 • 2S12 (A • B) • 2S24 • 2S41 | |
| SPRA | 2P16 • 9P139 • BM-24T • Object 280 • Object 634 (B) • TOS-1 • TOS-1M (A) | |
| Explosive Related | Mine Laying | GMZ-3 |
| Mine Clearing / Sweeping | BMR-3 • BMR-3M (A) • UR-07 • UR-67 • UR-77 | |
| Misc Tanks | Ammunition Carrier | TZM-T |
| APC | B-11 • BTR-50 • BTR-50PA • BTR-50PM • BTRV-64 | |
| ARV | BREM-1 (M) • BREM-64 • BREM-72 • BREM-L • Object 447T • BTS-4V • T-62T | |
| Bridge Laying | MTU-72 • MTU-90 | |
| Command | BTR-50PN • BTR-50PU • BTR-50PU-2 • BTR-50PUM • BTR-50PUM-1 | |
| Engineering & Maintenance | BAT-2 • BMT-3 • BTM-4 • IMR-2 • IMR-3M • IRM • MDK-3 • MTP-1 • ZSU-57-2 BTS-55 | |
| Firefighting | SPM | |
| Observation, Spotting & Survey | [[]] | |
| Reconnaissance | PT-76RKh | |
| Transport & Towing | BMO-T • IT-1T | |
| Wheeled Vehicles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Offensive / Defensive | IFV | BMPT-K-64 • VPK-7829 • Object 19 |
| SPAA | 9P31 • BTR-40A • BTR-141A | |
| SPATGM | 2P27 • 2P32 • 9P110 • 9P122 • 9P124 • 9P133 • 9P137 • 9P148 | |
| SPBM | 9P71 • 9P117 • 9P120 | |
| SPH | 2S27 • A-222 | |
| SPRA | 2B5 • 2B17 • 2B26 | |
| Other | APC | BTR-40 (V • B • B (RKh) • ZhD) • BTR-60 (P • PA • PB • PBM) • BTR-70 • BTR-80 • BTR-90 • BTR-141 • BTR-7829 • GAZ-3937-11 |
| ARV | BREM-K | |
| Bridge Laying | PP-2005 • PPS-84 • TMM-3 • TMM-6 | |
| Cargo | GAZ-33097 • KamAZ-5350 • KamAZ-6350 • KamAZ-43501 • MAZ-4370 • MAZ-4570 • MAZ-5336 • MAZ-5337 • MAZ-5432 • MAZ-5433 • MAZ-5434 • MAZ-5442 • MAZ-5516 • MAZ-5551 • MAZ-6303 • MAZ-6317 • MAZ-6417 • MAZ-6422 • MAZ-6425 • MAZ-6430 • Ural-4320 • Ural-5323 • Ural-43206 • ZiL-4334 | |
| CP | GA-39371 | |
| Crane | KS-5571 • KS-5573 • KS-5576 • KS-6571 | |
| Decontamination Vehicle | ARS-14KM • TMS-65 • USSO | |
| Dump Truck | MAZ-7510 | |
| Engineering | EOV-3521 • EOV-3523 • KamAZ-65225 • KS-3574M3 • MAZ-205 • MAZ-500 (A, SH) • MAZ-501 • MAZ-503 (A) • MAZ-509A • MAZ-510 • MAZ-511 • MAZ-516B • MAZ-525 • MAZ-529 • MAZ-530 • MAZ-5335 • MAZ-5334 • MAZ-5549 • MAZ-53352 • PBU-100 | |
| Firefighting Vehicle | AA-60(543)-160 • AA-70(543)-172 • AA-60(7310)-160.01 • AA-60(7313) (160.01 • AA-60(7313)-220) | |
| IMV | GAZ-2975 • GAZ-3937 • GAZ-3937-10 • GAZ-233034 • GAZ-233036 • Iveco LMV | |
| Medical | BMM-80 | |
| RV | BPM-97 • BRDM-1 (RKh • U) • BRDM-2 (RKh • RKhA • RKhB • U) | |
| Security | Lavina-M | |
| Smoke Generating Vehicle | TDA-2K • TDA-3 | |
| Transport & Towing | 9T254 • MAZ-200 (V) • MAZ-502 • MAZ-504 (A • B • G, S • V) • MAZ-508B • MAZ-520 • MAZ-535 (A) • MAZ-5429 • MAZ-7310 • MAZ-7904 • MAZ-7906 • MAZ-79221 • NAMI-020 • NAMI-021 • Ural-375 • ZiL-131 | |
| Utility | MAZ-543 (A, M, P) • MAZ-547 • MAZ-7907 • MAZ-7910 • MAZ-7912 • MAZ-7917 • MAZ-74106 • UAZ-452 • UAZ-469 • UAZ-3132 • UAZ-3163 | |
| Sources | ||
|---|---|---|
| Books | Online | Documents |
| Отечественные Бронированные Машины 1945-1965 гг. - Часть 1 - Легкие, средние и тяжелые танки, М. В. Павлов, И. В. Павлов (ISBN 978-5-85905-623-1) | • https://tankist-31.livejournal.com/54014.html | |