Tsar Tank (Lebedenko Tank / Netopyr)

History of Tsar Tanks (Lebedenko Tank / Netopyr)

The Tsar Tank was a remarkable - albeit ultimately unsuccessful - feat of Russian combat engineering, which sought to create a powerful mobile weapons platform capable of traversing any terrain in front of it. The system appeared in the battles of the First World War (1914-1918), when the Russian Empire in the East faced off against the armies of the German Empire and its allies.

The Zarenpanzer is not a main battle tank in the traditional sense, as it is based on a three-wheel configuration, using two large main wheels in front of a smaller rotary steering system. The front wheels - which are heavily tied like the wheels of a bicycle - are connected by a single axle between them, with extension arms connecting them to the main body. Along this main body are the engine, fuel depot and crew compartment, as well as weapons and ammunition.

The design is credited to Nikolai Lebedenko and Alexander Mikulin - the vehicle is sometimes referred to as the "Lebedenko Tank" - which worked between 1914 and 1915.

The main feature of the main battle tanks of the First World War was the British diamond-shaped design with weapons on the broadsides, while the French introduced a powerful with turret armament in their Renault FT-17 light tank Tank series. Both initiatives maintained their value on the battlefields of World War I and, starting in 1917, proved helpful in breaking the stalemate of trench warfare that dominated Europe until late 1914. Zarenpanzer is very different from both measures. Its main purpose is to easily traverse rough terrain using large diameter (27ft) wheels, the rear of the system is driven by a wheelset that is only 5ft tall. The guide wheels are powered by a 250 hp Sunbeam engine.

In terms of weapons, the Tsar's tanks concentrated their artillery on three turrets. In the middle of the roof there is a traversable main tower location, the launch arc of which is largely hindered by the front wheels. A cannon was also mounted on each sideboard mounted on the outside of the front wheels, and they also maintained a limited arc of fire.

It is believed that machine guns were also used to repel infantry attacks, although it is doubtful whether the Tsar's tanks would have been used without the support of armored vehicles or escort tanks.

The shortcomings of the Tsar Tank were quickly exposed during the 1915 tests. While the large diameter front wheels proved capable of traversing a variety of terrains, the smaller rear caused the vehicle to drop and the vehicle put too much weight on the rear unit, causing the vehicle to get bogged down in off-road conditions. Such was the enormous mass of the vehicle and the political instability caused by the Russian Revolution, and it was not until the end of the war in 1923 that additional efforts were made to restore the vehicle.

Even so, the Tsar Tank was not restored for further testing, only to be scrapped for its precious metal - the Tsar Tank's reign was completely over.

Due to its distinctive shape when viewed from above - resembling the silhouette of an upside-down bat - the Tsar Tank is also known as "netopyr", which translates to "pipistrellus", the common name for bats.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

Unknown.

Changes