Sergey Ustyantsev on the production of T-26 tanks in the USSR
As you know, any танк regardless of its characteristics, generation and other inputs, over time it becomes obsolete and ceases to meet the requirements of the military. All this logically leads to the fact that when the machine can no longer be "saved" by modifications that improve its characteristics, it is necessary to look for a replacement in the form of a new tank. This process is extremely complex and expensive, especially when the in-house production base and the capabilities of the designers are severely limited.
Approximately the same situation developed with the first-born of Soviet tank building — the T-18 tank, better known as the small infantry support tank MS-1. Created in the image and likeness of the Renault FT and Fiat 2000, this vehicle, serial production of which began in 1927, was recognized literally a couple of years later as obsolete and not meeting requirements, which, in general, is not surprising, since it repeated the concept of tanks of the First World War.
As a solution to this problem, in addition to the T-18 modernization options, which were essentially a palliative, the development of a new tank, designated T-19, was proposed. This tank, devoid of many of the shortcomings of its predecessor, was to have increased cross-country ability (including through fortifications), enhanced ballistic protection due to rational armor slope angles, improved firepower and other "features" that would elevate it to the rank of the main striking force of the Red Army mobile units in maneuver combat.
But, as it usually happens, the military's desire to have many high-quality tanks that would satisfy their needs at once did not coincide with the capabilities of the industry. Therefore, in the end, the new tank project was abandoned, and the seemingly simplest solution was adopted - to buy six-ton Vickers tanks (T-26) from Britain and to rivet them in the Soviet Union.
However, it was not possible to completely copy the English technology for manufacturing these machines, of course. Historian, scientific editor of the public relations department of Uralvagonzavod Sergey Ustyantsev talks about this in detail. We offer you to watch a video with his story, filmed as part of the First Tank project.
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