T-18 (MS-1)

History

The T-18 was the first tank designed and produced in the Soviet Union. In the early 20th century, Russia initially lacked the in-house expertise to design, develop and produce its own tanks and relied heavily on importing existing systems from abroad.

Like the rest of the post-WWI world, the Russians began designing their new post-war tank around the proven French Renault FT-17 - a successful two-person small light tank that appeared in numbers in France, Italy and the US - the latter two developed locally produced designs around the original Renault, such as the "Fiat 3000" and "M1917 6 ton". The resulting Russian design became the T-18, which would open the successful production line of the Soviet "T" tank, at least in name.

Nearly 1,000 of these small systems were eventually produced.

In 1924, the New Armored Service of Russia issued specifications for the same new infantry support vehicle. The prototype T-16 originated from the idea of ??Professor V. Zaslavsky and was based on the Renault FT-17 with significant improvements in the use of a vertical spring suspension system to improve performance on rough terrain. Like the FT-17 before it, the T-16 has a crew of two, a fully rotating turret and a rear-mounted engine. The engine is nothing more than a Russian copy of an Italian Fiat 6-cylinder petrol engine with 40 hp at 1,500 rpm.

The 37mm caliber main gun is a modified version of the French Hotchkiss SA 18 series, and the main gun will be complemented by a pair of self-defense infantry Hotchkiss 7.62m machine guns. The two crew consisted of a driver sitting on the forward fuselage and a tank commander who doubled as the gunner in the turret. The rotating turrets contain the primary weapons, and interestingly, the turrets are at a 45-degree angle to each other.

Power from the engine gave the tank a top speed of almost 10 miles per hour and a range of nearly 40 miles. There are seven miniature wheels on one side of the open rail system. On top of the hull is a short superstructure, which is capped with a rather unsightly turret and raised dome.

Most riveted armor surfaces are sloped inward to facilitate some protection against small arms fire. Armor thickness varies from 6mm to 16mm.

Testing of the T-16 began in May 1928 and revealed some inherent flaws in the design. Therefore, before being renamed the "T-18" light tank, the engine was upgraded and the hull was redesigned. Beginning in May 1928, the first orders produced about 30 tanks from the Leningrad Obukhov/Bolshevik factory.

Another slightly modified form appeared on the assembly line starting in 1929. All production of the T-18 ended in 1931.

Some Soviet T-18s advanced in 1929 to defend the Far Eastern railway system against Manchuria. In practice, the T-18 ultimately proved to be a disappointment by 1930s standards, as it was lightly armed and insufficiently armored for the mission at hand. After 1932, the T-18 was withdrawn from front-line service and used only to train a new generation of Soviet tankers.

Despite its limited heritage, the T-18 was a valuable stepping stone for tank-conscious Russians. Soviet expertise in designing, developing and producing locally produced armor systems ultimately resulted in the outstanding T-34.

The T-34 became the tank that saved Russia from German aggression in WWII, and in some ways owes its existence to the smaller T-18.

The manufacturer's designation for the T-18, MS-1, is also known as "Maliy Soprovozdiniya", meaning "Small Escort" or "First Small Support".

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

Not available.

Changes