TKS

TKS is a Polish light tank (tankette) from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were made in 1933, and serial production continued in the period 1934-1936, ending with the production of 280 copies of this vehicle. The TKS was powered by an engine Polish Fiat 122B with 46 HP. The vehicle was armed with one 7.92 mm Hotchkiss wz.25 machine gun or one of the heaviest wz. 38 FK-A with a caliber of 20 mm. TKS was created as a modernization and development of the TK-3 vehicles. Compared to the original, the front part of the fuselage has been changed, a new engine with a little more power has been added, the armor has been strengthened - especially in the front part of the car, the running gear and electrical system have been modernized. The changes led to a virtually completely new vehicle. However, the existing weaponry, i.e. a single machine gun, was retained, and it was planned to be replaced with a 20 mm caliber weapon. However, the outbreak of war in 1939 thwarted these plans and only about 20-30 TKS were modernized in this way. Due to the large number of TKS produced by Polish standards, they were the basic element of the Polish armored forces during the September campaign in 1939. TKS tankettes were also exported to Estonia, and the copies obtained in 1939 were used by both the German and Soviet armies.