DISCONTINUED V72009 SOVIET HEAVY TANK OBJECT 279

The Object 279 was a Soviet experimental tank from the Cold War period. The only prototype of the vehicle was created in 1959, and the car never entered mass production. Object 279 was powered by a single engine 2DG-8M with 1000 HP . It was armed with a semi-automatic tank gun The 130mm M-65 L / 60 and a single 14.5mm KPWT machine gun. Object 279 was built in the Kirov as a new heavy tank for the Soviet Army. It was a unique design, because it used four tracks placed on two beams, which was to provide the car with the highest level of maneuverability in the field, especially in deep snow. In addition, a powerful 130 mm gun was used and armor up to 319 mm thick at the front of the turret was used. Despite these advantages, the Object 279 never entered mass production. First of all, the Soviet Army completely abandoned its heavy tank development program in favor of MBT development by 1960. In addition, the Object 279 itself proved to be very failing in the course of the tests, showed low mobility in the field and was very labor-intensive in servicing. Moreover, the unit price of the vehicle turned out to be far too high.