- Yes
- No
Object 140
Today I would like to suggest a stepping stone between the T-54 and the T-55 that we haven’t had in the game.
History
In the 1950s to pursue a further development of the T-54 series tank, two companies were ordered for the next tank design. Those two companies were the Nizhny Tagil and Kharkiv. Leonid N. Kartsev was in charge of the Object 140 at Nizhny Tagil and Morozov was in charge of the Object 430 at Kharkiv, which would later develop as the T-64. The contest was won by no one as the T-54 still performed better than both contestants, but many of the designs from the Object 140 were repurposed for tank designs later on. Today we will focus on the rejected Object 140. Leonid N. Kartsev was the leader of the OKB-520 design bureau in Nizhny Tagil. He was already known for its success with the T-54 (Object 137), the team was working on T-54M (Object 139), however the project was halted due to the new order made for the Object 140. Total of two prototypes were made to compete against the Object 430. However, having a new design of road wheels, transmission, and the engine made its disadvantages be revealed resulting in the Object 140 project to be terminated.
Design
The Object 140 offered a shorter, wider, and a lower tank than the T-54. (6.31x3.3x2.33 m [Object 140] vs. 6.45x3.27x2.4 m[T-54]). But the overall design was still kept the same as the T-54.(low height and a round turret). It had 6 aluminum road wheels compared to the 5 of the T-54. It also featured a rubbered road wheel. The Object 140 also offered a new design of storing ammo in the front fuel tank, which made it possible to carry increased amounts but also protect its rounds from detonating (at least the ones stored inside) . The engine for the Object 140 was also placed at an 53° angle to reduce the height of the overall tank. The clearance from having the engine deck at a slope downward towards the aft made the Object 140 have better gun depression around the back of the tank. Object 140 also offered a better set of suspensions giving the tank more buffereing on the move. It also had a TVN-2 Night Vision device to help aid during night operations.
you can see the engine is tilted on a 53° angle
Obj.140 with 6 road wheels
T-54 with 5 road wheels
Armour
The Object 140 had a curved side hull design. The lower half of the side hull offered 80mm of protection while the top half of the side hull offered 57mm of protection. The front hull offered the 100mm on both upper and lower frontal plate. The engine deck had 30mm of protection. The front turret had 240mm, side turret with 183mm and back with 65mm of protection.
Blue print design of the Object 140
Armament
The Object 140 used a 100mm D-54TS rifled gun. It was a new rifled gun that was introduced in the mid 50s, and the design was immediately changed to incorporate this gun instead of the originally intended D-10T gun. The installation of the new gun gave the Object 140 a Molniya two-plane stabilizer. It was also planned to have a shell ejection, but it was never put into place on the prototype. It also had co-axel 7.62 SGMT and a top mounted 14.5 KPVT.
Mobility
The Object 140 was originally planned to have an upgraded version of the V-2 diesel engine. However the creator, Ivan Trashutin refused to modify his design to accommodate for the required 580 hp from the government. So the team decided to ask a different V-series designer, Evgeny Artiemejev. Although he mainly made engines for farming and domestic application, he accepted the offer and made an engine with 580 hp. The Engine made as a result was the TD-12 (8D12U-1). It offered 6 gears forward and 1 gear backwards. 55km/h top speed and 30km/h on rough terrain. Operational range was 450 km.
Specs
Length: 6.31m
Width: 3.3m
Height: 2.33m
Weight: 36t
Crew: 4
Main armament: 100mm D-54TS rifled gun
Secondary armament: 1 x 14.5mm KPVT, 2 x 7.62mm SGMT
Engine: TD-12 (8D12U-1) 580hp diesel engine. 2100 RPM
Top speed: 55km/h
Night vision: Yes
Legacy
Although the Object 140 only had two prototypes made, some of its design has been incorporated into other tank designs in the future. The ammo storage inside the forward fuel tank has been used by the T-55, which helped its ammo count to be increased to 45 pieces.
The aluminum road wheel although were frowned upon in the beginning, it later has been used by the T-72
The 100mm D-54TS gun later became the basis for the 115mm smooth bore gun used by the T-62.
The turret design also became the basis for the T-62s turret design.
Place in War Thunder
It became the basis for the T-55 later on, so I would imagine it to be on par or lower with the BR of the T-55. Somewhere around 8.0. maybe could be an event reward or battle pass due to it being a proto-type. But that’s not something we can decide. I would just love to see this vehicle in the game eventually
Sources