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T-80 (Object 080)

1943 WORLD WAR 2

History

Before and during World War II (1939-1945) there was a flood of Soviet light tank designs. The Army's attempts to modernize its tank fleet in the 1930s resulted in types such as the classic T-26 light tank and the BT fast tank series, both of which were later used in conflict.

Even in the early stages of the war, before the famous T-34 medium tank officially established itself as the mainstay of the Soviet military, progress was being made with newer, more modern light armor systems - and that was the demand for any and all tracked and Armored war machine to defend against the defeat of the Germans.

From 1941 to 1942, work was carried out on the design of what would become the "T-70" light tank (detailed elsewhere on this page). This model entered service in 1942 and more than 8,200 were produced for World War II. The car is equipped with a 45mm main gun and 7.62mm coaxial armament, and is powered by a paired GAZ-202 gasoline engine with a total power of 140 hp (2x70 hp). These vehicles are relatively fast, with road speeds of up to 45 km/h, a range of about 360 km, and a crew of two - a driver in the fuselage and a commander/gunner in a movable one-man turret.

Fuselage superstructure.

An attempt was made to simplify the functionality of this vehicle by addressing some of its inherent limitations - namely in terms of developing a new two-person turret. However, this installation required a complete overhaul of the fuselage superstructure, and the extra weight in turn required additional propulsion.

Additionally, Army authorities require that the main gun should now be able to engage targets at higher altitudes to better support urban operations and counter low-flying threats.

The T-70's existing frame simply couldn't support these changes, so "Object 080" was designed to cover a new design for the light tank - the "T-80". The hull was appropriately widened to better accommodate the turret and turret ring, and the main gun elevation range was adjusted accordingly to meet the specified army requirements.

The new tank was introduced in December 1942.

The T-80 existed more or less as an advanced form of the earlier T-70, not very different in form and function, nor in its role on the battlefield. The fuselage layout continued with angled fairings for basic ballistic protection, and the engines were mounted aft of the fuselage, leaving the middle and front exposed in the fighting compartment. The turret was placed amidships, allowing a clear 360-degree traversal over the entire hull of the tank.

Five wheels are located on one side of the hull, the drive sprocket is at the front and the chain idler is at the rear. Three chain return rollers are in action to guide the upper span of the links.

The main difference from the T-70 is the introduction of a two-man turret, which provides a greater tactical advantage on the battlefield while also reducing the commander's workload (he no longer needs to command vehicles and train /fire/ reload primary weapon). On the most important panels, the front and sides of the hull, armor protection reaches a thickness of 45 mm, but this only provides protection against small arms fire and artillery jets. The whole vehicle is 4.29 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 2.2 meters high.

The weight reaches 11,600 kg.

The installed GAZ-203F gasoline engine was nothing more than a pair of 2 x GAZ 80 Otto 6-cylinder units producing a combined power output of 170 hp to drive the track wheel arrangement. Road speeds can reach 42 km/h (slightly slower than the T-70), and the range on prepared roads is 350 km (10 km less than the T-70).

The reliability of the paired engine sets eventually delayed mass production of the T-80 until 1943, with usable numbers not finally being seen until July of that year. At this point, the T-34 has proven to be the victor of the war, and the Army is rapidly abandoning its commitment to the T-80 and other light tanks.

The Red Army will win this war through courage, heroism on the battlefield, and reliance on medium and heavy tanks that provide superior armor protection and larger gun calibers.

About 80 T-80 light tanks were built by the end of 1943.