Soviet Union Spanish Republic Francoist Spain (captured) Republic of China People's Republic of China Mongolian People's Republic Finland (captured) Hungary (captured) Romania (captured) Nazi Germany (captured) Kingdom of Afghanistan
Wars
Spanish Civil War Second Sino–Japanese War Soviet–Japanese border conflicts Invasion of Poland Winter War World War II
Production history
Designer
J. Walter Christie, Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB)
Designed
1930–31
Manufacturer
Malyshev Factory
Produced
1932–41
No. built
BT-2: 650 BT-5: 1884 BT-7: 5556
Variants
BT-2, BT-5, BT-7, BT-7M
Specifications (BT-5)
Mass
11.5 tonnes (12.676 tons)
Length
5.58 m (18 ft 4 in)
Width
2.23 m (7 ft 4 in)
Height
2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Crew
3
Armour
6–23 mm
Main armament
45 mm Model 32 tank gun
Secondary armament
1-3 7.62 mm DT machine guns
Engine
Model M-5 400 hp (298 kW)
Power/weight
35 hp/tonne
Suspension
Christie
Fuel capacity
360 litres (95 US gal)
Operational range
200 km (120 mi)
Maximum speed
72 km/h (44.7 mph)
The BT tank (Russian: Быстроходный танк/БТ, romanized: Bystrokhodnyy tank/BT, lit. "fast moving tank" or "high-speed tank")[1] was one of a series of Soviet light tanks produced in large numbers between 1932 and 1941. They were lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for their time, and had the best mobility of all contemporary tanks. The BT tanks were known by the nickname Betka from the acronym, or by its diminutive Betushka.[2] The successor of the BT tanks was the famous T-34 medium tank, introduced in 1940, which would replace all of the Soviet fast tanks, infantry tanks, and light tanks in service.
The BTtank (Russian: Быстроходный танк/БТ, romanized: Bystrokhodnyy tank/BT, lit. "fast moving tank" or "high-speed tank") was one of a series of Soviet...
aircraft engines in his tanks. Some of his prototypes were purchased by the Soviet Union, and were to be developed into the BTtanks and eventually, on the...
up BT, bT, bt, or .bt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. BT or Bt may refer to: BT (musician) (born Brian Transeau), American electronic musician BT (album)...
to what other countries called medium tanks. When Soviet tank designers were preparing a successor to the BTtank series, they combined its excellent mobility...
light tank by the Royal Italian Army, a tankette by others), Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, Soviet T-26, and American M2 light tank. The Soviet BT tanks[citation...
Ukrainian tanks: T-64, T-72, T-80, T-84, T-90 and T-14. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union tested the RBT-5 rocket-based assault gun, comprising a BTtank mounting...
designs sacrificed armour compared to the infantry tanks. The Soviet fast tank (bistrokhodniy tank, or BTtank) classification also came out of the infantry/cavalry...
The cruiser tank (sometimes called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank concept of the interwar period for tanks designed as modernised armoured...
and T-24 light tanks. In the 1930s, the design team was designated as the independent T2K Tank Design Bureau, and began work on the BTtank series. In 1936...
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in...
"Convertible Medium Tank T3E2" was given to the American-La France company. The most famous Christie-based tanks, the Soviet BTtank series and the T-34...
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower...
Heavy tank is a term used to define a class of tanks produced from World War I to the end of the Cold War. These tanks generally sacrificed mobility and...
were to be developed into the BTtanks and eventually, on the eve of World War II, the famous T-34. The success of the BT series, when observed by Fuller...
in tank design, the first American tanks to see service were copies of French light tanks and a joint heavy tank design with the United Kingdom. In the...
replacement for the BTtanks at the Kharkiv Komintern Locomotive Plant (KhPZ) in Kharkiv. Koshkin imagined the T-34 tank after BTtanks tested during the...