T-60

The T-60 was a light tank produced by the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1942. In this time over 6,292 were built.

The tank was designed to replace the obsolete T-38 amphibious scout tank, and was known as the T-30B in it's prototype stage.

Development
Nicholas Astrov's design team at Moscow Factory No. 37 was assigned the task of designing amphibious and non-amphibious scout tanks in 1938.

They produced the T-30A and T-30B prototypes. The former was to be manufactured as the T-40 amphibious tank starting in 1940. It also led to the T-40S (sukhoputniy, "dry-land" version), a heavier tank prototype which was considered too complex to manufacture.

The T-30B prototype, sharing the T-40 chassis but simpler in construction and with heavier armor, was accepted as the T-60, and began production in July 1941, just after the German invasion.

Design
Although at first intended to carry a 12.7 mm machine gun like the T-40, the armament was later upgraded to the 20 mm TNSh cannon, a tank version of the ShVAK cannon.

This weapon could penetrate 15 mm of perpendicular armor at 500 m range, which proved inadequate against the newer up-armored German tank designs.

Attempts were made in 1942 to re-arm the T-60 with the 37 mm ZIS-19 cannon, but were abandoned due to the Soviet Union's shortage of 37 mm ammunition.

Due to this a new project started as to house the standard 45mm tank gun on a modified turret. That became impossible, and a new turret designed and tested successfully in the summer 1942.

The new turret had the gun moved to its right side as to make more room for the crew member and a co-axial machine gun added.

In the end, the project terminated when the T-70 was chosen as the new standard light tank which had matured earlier that year.

The T-60 was used to develop the T-90 SPAA prototype.

Romanian TACAM Tank Destroyer
The Romanians modified 34 captured T-60s into TACAM T-60 tank destroyers in 1943. They were armed with captured Soviet 76 mm divisional gun M1936 (F-22) housed in a light armored superstructure open in its top and back, a typical configuration in the tank destroyers at the time.

All surviving vehicles were confiscated by the Soviets after Romania defected to the Allies in August 1944.

Gliding Tank
One T-60 was converted into a glider in 1942 (designated Antonov A-40) and was designed to be towed by a Petlyakov Pe-8 or Tupolev TB-3 bomber.

The tank was lightened for air use by removing armament, ammunition, headlights and leaving a very limited amount of fuel.

Even with the modifications the TB-3 bomber had to ditch the glider due to the T-60's poor aerodynamics during its only flight to avoid crashing.

Due to lack of sufficiently powerful aircraft to tow it the project was canceled and never resumed.