IS 3 biography

Soviet heavy post -war tanks. A group of researchers of the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization named after I. Zavyalov, studied the nature of damage caused by the hits of shells in tanks in the place of tank battles of the Kursk of Kursk. It turned out that not all parts of the tower and body are affected the same. The highest probability of damage was the frontal parts of the tower and the body, while the number of hits into the tower was the largest.

The response to the results of these studies was the project of the new tank. Kotin and A. Ermolaev, who sought to confirm his leadership in the development of heavy tanks, and the design bureau of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant, headed by N. Dukhov and M. Balzhi, hoping to show his maturity and independence. The main feature of the project proposed by the serial plant was the original flattened tower with MM gun D, ​​developed by the designer of G., large angles of inclination of the armor walls of the tower contributed to the ricochet of armor -piercing shells, and a successful internal layout provided its minimum size, which allowed the thickness of the machine to increase the thickness of the frontal armor to mm, against MM, against mm mm.

On a heavy tank, I learned that a new tank is being created on ChKZ, Zh. Kotin immediately prepared his version, based on the developments of an experimental plant in experimental facilities, and this option immediately caught the eye of an unusual shape of the bow of the case. The fact is that on almost all tanks of that period, the upper frontal part of both welded and cast cases was a surface placed perpendicular to the longitudinal plane or at a slight angle to the vertical.

This form was necessary while two people were sitting in the front of the tank. With the exception of the crew of the radio operator, when one driver remained in front, besides set in the center, it became possible to cut off the corners on the frontal plate. So, on the IS-2 in the cast frontal part there were "cheekbones". At the same time, it became possible not only to reduce the mass of the case, but also to significantly increase the resistance of armor parts in case of shelling of the tank in front.

The designers of the experimental plant G. Moskvin and V. Tarotko proposed to compose the entire upper frontal part of the body from two connected and strongly tilted to the vertical plane of armor sheets, turned in plan at a large angle. In this roof, there was a hatch right above the head of the driver, through which he could sit in a tank and leave it. Such a gable nose received the name "nose with a hump", however, the name "pike nose" took root more.

The transition to a completely welded building with the exception of large cast parts was explained, on the one hand, by the achievements of welders, led by academician E. Paton, on the other, the possibilities of foundry production, which was fully loaded with the manufacture of cast towers for IP tanks. For consideration by the addiction of the tank industry V.

Malyshev, two independent projects were presented, two versions of one tank. The first was represented by the director of the ChKZ I. Zaltsman and the chief designer N. N. Spirits, the second - the director and chief designer of the experimental factory J., Considering the projects, V. Malyshev made a compromise: take the form of the nasal part of the case from one project, and the tower from another.

The mass was supposed to remain the same as the IP was born a new model of a breakthrough tank - the fruit of the joint efforts of two Kirov design groups, which are, in principle, it is impossible to separate. Prior to the formation of an experimental plant, the main composition of the designers worked in the state and on the territory of the ChKZ and only later was partially re -registered to an experimental plant.

However, for the most part, this composition was and worked at the main factory, continuing to carry out design and production tasks for ChKZ. In the working calendar of the director of the ChKZ I. Zaltsman where he marked the schedule of work, the new car went under the name "Victory". But no matter how he wanted to give him a “loud name” of his car, the tank went into the series under the usual name of the IS INTIONS IS IS IT the serial plant was that the tank was assigned to the Kirov Kirov Plant, the object in the last day of the year, the first sample of the facility left the gates of the factory and underwent running trials on the Brodalmak tract.

After the completion of the factory tank was sent to the near Moscow landfill for military tests. In December, he was examined by the deputy commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Red Army Marshal of the armored troops of P. He walked around the car from all sides, went upstairs, climbed inside the tank, sat on the seat of the driver and, after listening to the detailed report of the leading engineer of the machine M.

Balzhi, said: “This is the army needs such a car!” After military tests, the object was introduced to G. Zhukov and A. Marshals reported on the new I.'s new car, the heavy tank IS-3 had the shape of the corps and a tower with large thicknesses of armor sheets that were very perfect for their time.The frontal sheets of the case were installed in the form of a “pike nose” with a double inclination at a large angle to the vertical.

The upper part of the side was given a reverse slope to fit a wide epaulet of the tower. The inclined armored boards in the junction of the sides and bottoms allowed to reduce the total area of ​​the surface of the case and due to the saved weight to strengthen armor protection. The stern sheet of the case for the convenience of access to power transmission units was made in folding.

The driver was located ahead along the axis of the machine. Above his seat there was a hatch with a lid moving to the side, in which the observation device was installed. Before opening the hatch, it had to be removed. Behind the driver’s seat, in the bottom, a spare hatch was placed. The cast tower had a flattened spherical shape. In the roof of the tower there was a large oval hatch, closed by two lids.

In the right cover, the loader's observation device was placed - MK -4, in the left was the commander's survey of surveillance, which was closed with a round rotating lid, in which the TPK commander was mounted to monitor the terrain, determining the range to the target, for the target designation and adjustment of the arthonet. The tank did not have a developed commander's tank.

Another MK-4 device, for the gunner, was installed in the upper part of the tower, on the left along the way. The mechanism of rotation of the tower is planetary, with manual and electric unavailable drives. The electric drive was equipped with a command control system, the commander could, holding the target in the field of view of his observation device, press the button installed on the device, and turn the tower in a given direction along the shortest path.

When the visualization line coincides with the axis of the trunk channel, the tower stopped. The maximum rotation speed of the tower was 12 degrees. The gun was supplied with a two -chamber muzzle brake and a horizontal wedge shutter with a semi -automatic mechanical type. The aiming range of shooting using the telescopic sight of the TSh was M, and with the help of a lateral level - 15 m.

The rate of fire was shot. On the roof of the tower on the turret there was a zenit 12.7 mm DShK machine gun. The ammunition of the gun consisted of 28 shots of separate loading, including: 18 with fragmentation-function shells and 10 with armor-piercing. It should be noted that in order to facilitate the operation of the charging styling designed to place armor -piercing shells, they were painted black, and the rest were in a gray -steel one.

The ammunition for the machine gun, the DT consisted of cartridges equipped in 15 stores, and for the DShK machine gun - of 5 tapes of 50 rounds, each of which was laid in a separate box. One box was installed on the machine gun, the rest were located in the combat department. A duodenum-cylinder four-stroke V-shaped diesel engine VIS-3 liquid cooling with a 38 cm3 working volume and maximum power l.

The fuel system of the tank included four internal boxed metal welded tank with a total capacity of L, located two on the right and left of the engine, like the right and left groups. Four external cylindrical tanks with a capacity of 90 liters each were attached on the inclined sheets of the case along the sides of the stern and were connected to the inner ones. The tanks had mechanical devices for discharge, consisting of latches with cable control.

The reset handles were set along the sides of the back of the combat ward. On the tank there were air purifiers such as "multicyclone". The cooling system is liquid, closed, with forced circulation. A boiler is built into the system for heating the coolant in winter using a soldering lamp. The engine was launched by the ST electric steamer or compressed air of two cylinders with a capacity of 5 l each, located under the upper inclined sheets of the frontal part of the housing.

There was no inertial starter. The power gear is mechanical. The main friction fruit is long -term, dry, steel in asbobacelite. The gearbox KP is eight -speed, with a demultipliter. Planetary rotation mechanisms - two -stage, were located at the ends of the main shaft of the CP. PMP blocking clutches - multi -disc, dry, steel steel. The brakes are floating, ribbon, cast iron on steel.

Onboard gears - lowering gearboxes with a simple gear and planetary row. The leading wheels had removable crowns with 14 teeth.

The guiding wheel was interchangeable with support rollers. The mechanism of tension of the caterpillar is screw, crooked. On each side there were 6 dual support and 3 supporting rinks. The suspension of the rollers is individual, torsion.