Development of the ball tank of the USSR and why it was not implemented

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

After the First World War, armored vehicles gained immense popularity in the ranks of military engineers. The number of developments on the creation of tanks did not stop.

Moreover, they were not always presented to the designers in the form traditional for us. So in the interwar period, the minds of geniuses of military engineering were captured by the idea of designing an armored vehicle in the shape of a ball. However, despite the huge number of projects, none of them was ever implemented.

The experience of the First World War showed that both armored vehicles and full-fledged tanks have their drawbacks - the former had insufficient maneuverability, and the latter, although they were better in this regard, still often gave up their positions in front of trenches and ditches and could quickly drive on a flat road … In addition, the caterpillars presented a lot of problems.

For the developers of that time, one of the possible ways to solve these problems was the development of projects to create spherical tanks. The pioneers in this matter were the Americans. So, one of the patented projects of a self-propelled round armored vehicle appeared on the cover of Popular Science magazine. And although that development was never implemented, the image of the tank-ball itself interested many, including Soviet engineers.

Soviet developers enthusiastically set about creating a spherical tank, because its design potentially had a number of advantages over conventional modifications. So, the round-shaped armored vehicle had great maneuverability and was able to overcome water obstacles due to its buoyancy. In addition, the same round sides increased the ricochet from the armor.

The problem of creating a new type of armored vehicle was especially acute in 1941, with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Then literally dozens of ball tank projects were invented, many of which were difficult to implement, but some still seemed quite promising. So, one of the most original ideas was presented by engineers Shvalev and Shcherbuk, who developed a jumping amphibious tank, which, according to their idea, should not only submerge under water, but also take off for a short period of time.

Another promising project was the SIG Tank Destroyer, designed by engineer Halperin. Among other developments, this one was distinguished by its elaborate design and weapons. Perhaps the only drawback of his idea was that the crew was envisaged in the amount of only one person, who was supposed to simultaneously act as a driver, and a mechanic, and an artilleryman.

There were many projects, but due to insufficient elaboration or efficiency of the spherical armored vehicle, all of them were never implemented, and tanks of traditional design successfully help to win the war. However, the very idea of creating this type of armored vehicle, surprisingly, still lives on. Indeed, in the development of several domestic design bureaus at once there are projects similar to Soviet ball tanks. And, who knows, maybe not much time is left until the moment when round-sided armored vehicles begin to plow the vastness of military training grounds.