The early years of tank development in the Soviet Union demonstrated that the country lacked experience in tank engineering, personnel, and large-scale production.Īlongside the development of ‘one-gunned' light, medium and heavy tanks, the country experimented with creating heavy multi-towered machines. Tank Grotte TG at the Military Academy of Motorization and Mechanization of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army named after I.V.

They had to be maneuverable and also used as a shield during the onset.

These machines were supposed to weigh 12 tons and were used as fast and powerful infantry support units. It took years of testing, and by the 1930s, the military command formulated the requirements for tanks on the battlefield. These machines had improved suspension required for Russian off-roads, they were shorter than foreign counterparts and were armed with powerful 7,62 mm Degtyaryov machine guns capable of effectively piercing light armor vehicles and eliminating infantry on the battlefield. A couple of years later manufacturers created a combination of the Italian «Fiat-3000» with a suspension from the French «Renault NC27».Īll of these vehicles laid the foundation for the development of the MS-1 (or T-18) light tank. They were called ‘Russian Renault’ as they were based on the French «Renault FT-17» platform. These machines were used as prototypes to test the best foreign technologies (weaponry, armor, suspension, and driving characteristics) and adapt them in future machines.įirst Soviet tank prototypes appeared in 1920-1921. The very first Soviet tanks represented nearly exact copies of foreign machines that were either purchased abroad or obtained during WWI.

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