ZUT-37
HISTORY
As early as the beginning of World War II, I. V. Savin proposed designs for an anti-aircraft tank in the USSR. Prototypes armed with twin DShK machine guns were even tested based on these designs, but production issues prevented them from entering production. In March 1942, B. G. Shpitalny, seeking to increase demand for the 37mm cannon he had developed, expressed interest in mounting it on a tank. Shpitalny spoke with the GABTU (Main Armament and Technical Directorate), and they approved the creation of a new turret for the T-70 , armed with the Sh-37 cannon. In August 1942, OKB-15 built a new anti-aircraft tank, designated ZUT-37 (Zenitnaya Ustanovka Tankovaya, or “Zenitnaya Ustanovka Tankovaya”), and it underwent testing in the fall.
Their results were negative: reloading the 20-round magazine took about 5 minutes, the gun’s reliability was poor, accuracy was poor, the sight frequently went off, and the exhaust gases from the gunshots interfered with aimed fire. The turret traverse speed was also disappointing: a 180-degree turn took 25 seconds. In December, the vehicle was redesigned to address these shortcomings: the ammunition capacity was increased, the reloading system was refined, the elevation angles were increased, and the armor was improved. The vehicle underwent trials in January 1943, but by then the military had already lost interest in it: the Sh-37 cannon had been removed from serial production, and the vehicle itself was still riddled with problems. In May 1943, another prototype was built, but after that, all work on the vehicle ceased.
SPECIFICATIONS
Crew: 2
Armor protection: (front / side / rear)
hull 35 / 15 / 25 mm
turret 16 / 16 / 16 m
Maximum speed:
forward: 42 km/h
reverse: 6 km/h
Specific power: 21.5 hp/t
Engine power: 170 hp
Weight: 7.9 tons
Armament: 37 mm Sh-37 cannon
Ammunition: 200 rounds
Magazine size: 5 rounds
Reload time: 6 seconds
(Same topic, but on the Russian forum)
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