Testers

53
TestersThis is how a person works: he is able to appreciate the significance of a particular period of his life only at a distance, summing up what he has lived. That is why even war veterans, recalling the days smelling of gunpowder, have a mixed feeling in which, besides the bitter aftertaste of sorrow, there is a place of pride and something else nostalgic for a bright, warming soul ... Such a difficult and turning point in my biography as I Now I understand, the work of the tester has become tanks.

Almost 45 years have passed since the day I first crossed the threshold of the “base in Gorelovo” - that is, of course, unofficially, according to legend, they called the country landfill of the design office No. 3 (KB-3) of the Kirov factory, where they tested the latest designs military equipment.

Needless to say, it was how small the selection screen was, through which candidates were screened when they were admitted to this absolutely closed, non-advertising organization! I, a qualified specialist, who had been working for three years in Donbass and for the same years of army service as the head of the charging station of the command post of the rocket troops regiment, was first accepted as an electrician only 4, and I became an engineer only five years later.

In one of the Finnish shield houses, the barracks housed a measurement laboratory, where I was identified after a thorough three-month check by the competent authorities, in the other — the test engineer department, in the third — the head of the base, and nearby was a small brick box for shelter, storage, maintenance and repair of secret tank equipment. In comparison with the smoke-filled workshops of the Kirov Plant, our forest monastery, located in the epicenter of silence, broken only by bird singing (not counting the roar of the motors, of course) seemed like a paradise. It was not for nothing that Nekrasov, in his time, did not bypass in his poem “Who Lives Well in Russia?” The ancient village of Gorelovo, whose primeval beauty could not be spoiled by even several rows of barbed wire that girded the base.

The soldiers of the internal troops guarded the territory, and so strictly that without a special permit and code number it was almost impossible to overcome the checkpoint in any direction. And it is unlikely that anyone would venture to do this through a perimeter fence. But there could be no other protection, because, even communicating with each other, we avoided, as required by the instructions, to use the word “tank” itself, replacing it with the absolutely meaningless name “219 object”. It is not surprising that, observing the camouflage, including being buried from airplanes (saved by God), we carried out tests, as a rule, at night, going into mileage along forest and country roads ...

The main and, in fact, the permanent designer of the Kirov Plant since 1937, was a genuine “tank fanatic,” as he was called on the sidelines, Doctor of Technical Sciences Hero of Socialist Labor Colonel-General Kotein. An impressive column of domestic vehicles passed through his hands - heavy tanks KV-2, KV-16, KV-85, EC-1, EC-2, EC-4, T-10, amphibious tank PT-76, self-propelled artillery installations SU- 152, ISU-152, ISU-122, as well as the peacefully “tuned” KT-12 skidder and heavy-duty wheeled tractor Kirovets.

A year after I came to the laboratory, Kotin was appointed deputy minister of the defense industry of the USSR, and Nikolai Sergeevich Popov became the chief designer of KB-3, with whose name an entire epoch of the development of Russian engineering is linked. Thin, tall, impetuous, he seemed to radiate some creative energy, infecting those present. They say it is better to wait than catch up. So Popov belonged to the category of impatient people, who disproved by their nature, and hence the behavior, this folk idiom.

It so happened during the tests that after the failure of units or instruments of the tank, the question immediately arose: who is to blame? There were three options: either the designers did not take into account something, or the production workers screwed up, or we, the meters, blundered. There were heated discussions right in the field, and, of course, each division of KB-3 proved its innocence. Having neither the time nor the desire to listen to these verbal battles, the chief designer either abruptly broke them off, or simply turned around and went “to the people” - straight to the drivers, communication with whom gave new impetus to the flight of his engineering thought. Often, Popov, after hearing their opinions, immediately, on the armor, made changes to the drawings. And he was right: the opinions of experienced tankers, many of whom were front-line soldiers, really cost a lot.

Born to crawl flies!

Nikolay Sergeevich Popov, at the suggestion of journalists, in our country and abroad is better known as the creator of the “flying tank”. In 1993, at the arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the 45-tonne T-80 tank, breaking the springboard at speed, flew through the air around 15 meters and, landing, rushed on as if there was no giant jump. The American Abrams, who attempted to repeat this maneuver, failed after the "landing". As the ancients said: what is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the bull ...

And this miracle technique was created before our eyes. Moreover, we, on our own skin (and this is not a metaphor!), Had a chance to experience what a “flying tank” is and what kind of overload during the landing of the armored engine is experienced by the equipment and crew. I will not go into technical details, I note only that the key figure in this not very pleasant process is three: when tested at each speed from 10 to 70 km / h with discreteness, that is, the tank should step in 10 km / h three times overcome one after the other three three-meter springboards. It remains to add that there were three testers in the car, and for us the most difficult thing in the final stage was to stay in the saddle. Even a driver at this critical moment sometimes threw levers, clinging to the seat with a dead grip.

In such an extreme situation, it was not always possible to complete the entire test cycle in a day: the technique could not withstand - parts, components, sensors or writing equipment that were not designed for overload, which sometimes reached the maximum permissible values ​​for the spine! Of course, then, we, the young, did not care, it was later, with age, the testers felt that they had left a legacy of past experiments, for which, in KB-3, unlike other similar units, they were not calculated by material bonuses, but in total only time off.

In two weeks of experiments on “219 objects” and people, we smashed all the concrete, but based on the results, the designers significantly improved the suspension of the tank, improved torsions and shock absorbers, and equipped T-80 rubberized light alloy wheels with rollers.

Only tanks can be above the mountains ...

Often, the customer of many design changes to the tank system was the practice itself, which is quite natural. So, after the events on the island of Damansky, when the driver-mechanics had to sweat a lot to start the diesel engines of their combat vehicles in severe frost, they decided to replace them with gas turbines. Like helicopters that are not afraid of the Arctic cold. But a helicopter flies in a clear sky and sees dust only for a short time - during takeoff and landing, and the tank was originally designed to walk off-road, and even in a convoy, where the driver often determines the safe distance to the vehicle ahead only from the dust density. However, the designers of KB-3 did not doubt that this is an equation with not one, but many unknowns, therefore they reasoned philosophically: we will solve problems as they arrive, by trial and error.
The first tests of the prototype 1000-strong gas turbine engine we conducted in the mountains of the Caucasus. “219 object” easily overcame steep hills and climbed 3 – 4-kilometer mountain peaks, on which diesel engines, like people, “choked” from lack of oxygen. It was strange and unusual to feel in T-80, being above the clouds. It’s a pity it was impossible to take at least a couple of pictures for memory: it would never occur to anyone to take pictures with a secret tank. Now it can be easily seen on the Internet - in profile, and in front, and in the section ...

It is pertinent to note that the test program was always developed in advance and thoroughly in the design bureau. In the field there was certainly a representative of the customer, without the signature of which the result was simply not counted, if he were at least three times successful. It is from this very program that testers, inspired by the machine’s climbing abilities, have ventured to deviate. In the interest of business, of course. Although contrary to the regulations.

It turned out that, easily climbing the mountain, the 45-ton giant was not so perfect behaved on the way back: it accelerated too quickly, and had to hold on to it, but the transmission brake was not designed for long braking and could, overheated, go out out of service. It was then that we wondered: what if the engine brakes, going down in first gear at a speed of 10 – 15 km / h? For good luck, we just got on the route a comfortable hill with more or less gentle slopes, devoid of vegetation.

Of course, no one rushed right off the bat - they had prepared in advance. The transmission designer surveyed a three-kilometer slope with a quadrant in hand, the test engineer agreed on the plan with the expedition leader, who, in turn, instructed the driver in detail, decomposing, like a pack of cards, all options for his actions with a possible complication of the situation. And in order to record in detail the course of the experiment, we decided to film it on film, anticipating, I will not hide, in case of success (and it was counted on) a decent premium and promotion.

The commander's seat in the crew was taken by a test engineer, I, a measuring engineer, settled into the gunner’s position, and the cameraman, like a brave paratrooper, settled on armor, and the rise, and quite steep, began.

Shuddering with all his multi-ton hull, the tank confidently climbed the mountain. After some time, the operator jumped to the ground in order to prepare for the shooting and capture the apotheosis of the climb. And soon the top of the hill also appeared - an even penny the size of a football field, on which we decided to turn around before descending. However, the lap of honor failed: when the driver, adding gas, slowed down one caterpillar, the tank, having opened another decent ditch, suddenly stopped. It turned out that during this spectacular maneuver, a caterpillar flew from its asterisk. A small malfunction, but the tools remained at the bottom, at the repair team, to get in touch with which the secrecy regime did not allow. We didn’t even have a sledgehammer with us.

For an hour we, with the help of a weighty stone and a strong wit, tried to return the caterpillar to its place. And when we succeeded, we lifted our noses with pride: we must have done it ourselves!

It is time to return, but the driver-mechanic, brought out of peace of mind, flatly refused to go on a steep descent. It seems that he didn’t like this idea from the very beginning, and the instruction listing all the potential risks only heightened his doubts. There is nothing to do - they found a gentler slope and set off. I admit, these were not the most pleasant moments of our life. Armor - although it is strong, it did not insure against a chance to tip over and tumble for a few kilometers. And T-80 slowly but surely picked up speed. And although the test engineer, being constantly in touch with the driver, encouraged him as best he could, watching the infinite celestial expanse and low-flying clouds through triplex, he could not stand it and, sending all the theorists-designers away, began to slowly lower the brake pedal.

Less than a quarter of an hour, as we descended to the camp. Our colleagues, wondering what had happened, were seriously alarmed. But as soon as they had time to rejoice at our safe return, we were saddened by the news of the unsuccessful experiment. And he threw another spoonful of tar into the driver, saying that as a result of prolonged braking during the descent due to overheating of the transmission, the car covered the gearbox, and the tank could only move in reverse. So we went back - first to the base, and then to the railway platform for shipment to the Kirov factory.

It is not difficult to imagine what the reaction of the chief designer N. S. Popov was when he was told about what had happened. It is quite possible that such idiomatic expressions, in which he was not shy, were never transmitted by secret communication. And their essence was on the surface: he promised to wiseacres who had deviated from the test program big troubles. Fortunately, the hunt for pests, spies and enemies of the domestic tank building is not reached ...

Fight with dust

After successful tests, during which a tank with a turbine engine convincingly demonstrated both high permeability and enviable survivability, they returned to the problem of cleaning the air drawn into the turbine. In search of an optimal solution, they descended from the mountains into even more extreme field conditions - into the Karakum desert. Here for thousands of years the wind blown by the sand turned into the smallest dust, which settled on the turbine blades and, melting from the high temperature, changed their configuration, reducing the engine power and eventually turning it into a pile of scrap metal.

The test site is located in the Bakharden area of ​​Turkmenistan. From Iran, we were protected by the Kopetdag mountain range, and to the east, north and west, wherever you look, endless sands spread. By the way, we had a chance to get acquainted with the local dust at the base, because first, figuratively speaking, it was not Mahomet who came to the mountain, but the mountain to Mahomet: the Karakum dust was taken in bags by carriages to the Kirov factory, where they tested turbine engine dust collectors. And only having received satisfactory poster results, they relocated to the Karakum.

It turned out to be hotter - literally and figuratively: after all, the desert. Every day, the tanks went into a continuous run, often bringing the turbine blades to breakdown. There was more than enough work — under the scorching sun for the day, seven pots were gone, but gradually, with each improvement, the distance of a trouble-free run increased. Along the way, the chassis was also upgraded to get rid of the overheating of the shock absorbers and rubber on the rollers and tracks.

The program also provided for another test, which was not the most pleasant and comfortable for people: to determine the maximum possible time of the crew’s stay in the vehicle in the 40-degree heat with the hatches covered. For this, the “219 object” was equipped with remote temperature meters and gave the go-ahead to the experiment.

Almost immediately, we lifted into the air giant clouds of desert dust, which forced the driver to move almost blindly, but this was still half the trouble. The trouble came later. Before the start of the experiment, the tank had been surfing the landfill for a long time with open hatches, so soon we were covered inside with thick and dense, although cut, the veil of the same omnipresent dust. There was nothing to breathe without, so the temperature in the car rose surprisingly quickly - 50, 60, 70 degrees ...

It became clearly not on its own: the head went round, nausea rose to my throat. The memory obligingly fished the yachting rule out of their cells - while staying in a confined space, in order not to sway, one should look at the horizon, and not at nearby objects, but since I continuously measured the sensors, clicking the switches, I was not up to the horizon. It seems that the rest of the crew felt no better: by the end of the second hour of the run, they were more and more often interested in headset communication, how was the temperature there, did it not stabilize? Alas, the sensor was already 80 degrees - Finnish sauna, and only. But we were not going to retreat, believing that it would be better to suffer only once rather than go to the second round of trials.

Suddenly, I felt the smell of burning, which began to grow rapidly. “Is it really burning?” A thought flashed through her. Nothing to do, I had to stop the engine. So many years have passed since that day, and I still remember very well how I opened the hatch, jumped out of the tank into the 42-degree heat, and it seemed to me that I plunged into cold water. Catching their breath, they inspected the car, finding no source of ignition, no source of smell. However, according to the instructions, we could not move on: in such cases it was forbidden to start the engine without a representative of the manufacturer. As always, there was no connection with the repair brigade for conspiracy. Usually, observers determined our location by a column of dust over the desert: if it exists, everything is in order, if it disappeared, it means that something happened, it is time to go for help.

Half an hour passed, but we were not missed. The commander looked at me so expressively that I immediately guessed which of us was to go for help to the base. This is understandable: a tank without a driver and commander is not a tank, but it will completely manage without a measuring engineer. He orientated himself on the terrain and wandered, scorched by the sun, avoiding spines, creeping reptiles and scorpions. Three hours later, when it began to seem to me that I was doomed to everlasting wanderings along the sands, I reached the camp. Along the way, I was convinced that I had discovered the best way to lose weight, losing three kilograms for the journey.

The repair team quickly identified the cause of the fault, which ... was not. It turned out that during the tests, the driver had accidentally turned on the heating stove. It turns out that we, the Kirov testers, demonstrated super-endurance, having spent two hours in a tank with battened hatches in the Karakum hell, and with the winter heating stove turned on! Needless to say, the experiment was credited ...
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53 comments
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  1. +1
    24 August 2013 09: 49
    The article is interesting, and it was written with humor. I just want to say about the last one, is that if they had finished the tests, would the soldiers in the army have to travel through the desert at 50-60-70 degrees? Or would they take something?
    1. +1
      24 August 2013 14: 57
      There it is written in Russian, THE FURNACE WAS INCLUDED
      1. 0
        24 August 2013 15: 54
        Yes, I saw. And I mean, but if it weren’t for the stove? And the tests ended, what would the testers say that you can ride it? —They withstood 50-60-70 degrees.
        1. +3
          25 August 2013 11: 46
          Interestingly, even at a temperature inside the tank at 80 degrees, no electronics failures are mentioned, unlike India, where do I get a bunch of complaints about the refusal, as I understand it, of the French electronic filling of our tanks (it was installed on the T-90 at the request of the customer) .
          1. +3
            25 August 2013 19: 18
            Quote: Bad_gr
            Interestingly, even at a temperature inside the tank under 80 degrees, no electronics failures are mentioned, unlike India,
            People are more likely to fail than equipment ... fact. "Made in the USSR" in terms of weapons is a top quality mark ...
    2. 0
      26 August 2013 00: 05
      Thanks to those people that allow us to be proud of our tanks, thanks for not leaving the cordon where it is warmer, your contribution is invaluable
  2. 0
    24 August 2013 10: 35
    Interestingly, will there be condo on the Armata? it seems that even the VAZ manages to put them on its "izdeliya", and then a multi-million dollar technique ... I hope at least right now they will think about a soldier.
    1. +4
      24 August 2013 16: 26
      This requirement is introduced in OTT for BTtechnika
      1. +8
        24 August 2013 17: 34
        The air conditioner MUST be, and even somewhat for the comfort of the crew, how much to cool a bunch of electronics including thermal imaging devices that do not really like heat.
        1. bask
          +1
          24 August 2013 18: 59
          hills and climbed to 3-4 km mountain peaks,

          The question then becomes. Why was the T-80 not used in Afghanistan?
          Strategic pass Salang Hindu Kush mountains, connecting the northern and central parts of the country. Height 3,878 meters.
          Column and T-62 near Kandahar.
          1. +4
            25 August 2013 11: 38
            Quote: bask
            The question then becomes. Why was the T-80 not used in Afghanistan?

            So there was no T-72 (which is three cheaper).
            Apparently, it was believed that with such an enemy, the T-62 was quite enough.
            1. bask
              +1
              25 August 2013 15: 13
              Quote: Bad_gr
              So there was no T-72 (which is three cheaper).

              Probably a pity (history does not tolerate subjunctive ..). Afghan would be an excellent platform for testing the T-80, especially in combat conditions: deserts and highlands.
              A lot of that, possibly eliminated and modernized, in 80-s.
        2. 0
          25 August 2013 21: 25
          Quote: Kars
          including thermal imaging devices
          There nitrogen is used for this ...
          1. +1
            25 August 2013 21: 27
            Quote: svp67
            There nitrogen is used for this ...

            Yeah, and so probably they are thermal imaging devices flying on Indian T-90
            1. 0
              25 August 2013 21: 30
              Quote: Kars
              Yeah, and so probably they are thermal imaging devices flying on Indian T-90
              And fewer Chinese matrices should be used, now they have launched a "conveyor", I think there will be an improvement in this matter ...
  3. +4
    24 August 2013 11: 39
    Quote: mirag2
    The article is interesting, and it was written with humor. I just want to say about the last one, is that if they had finished the tests, would the soldiers in the army have to travel through the desert at 50-60-70 degrees? Or would they take something?

    Believe me, our soldiers withstand such conditions! An order is an order!
    1. +1
      24 August 2013 17: 55
      How I like such People Prapor Afonya our soldiers will stand it there and let it stand (I crap with these) why create difficulties to overcome them?
  4. 0
    24 August 2013 13: 20
    that’s why they are tests, in order to test everything, both people and technology! I know for myself ...
  5. +3
    24 August 2013 13: 24
    Author Oleg VARENIK

    THANK!!!!!
    1. +1
      24 August 2013 17: 27
      For your work, for EXCELLENT TANK, for the article ...
  6. +6
    24 August 2013 17: 39
    Thanks, TESTERS!

    I read this article before. Always interested in such work.
    Enormous respect for the peasants.

    ps
    I remembered how you dive into the armor in the heat and ... you can’t breathe, everything is hot: both metal and air. It is almost impossible to do something right away, only after a while. Then fine, you get used to it.
    When you jump out, the cold clings to the whole body in the heat of the street ...

    And in winter, on the marches, they escaped with the "gut" on the T-72. One end to one of the radiator grille exits, the other to the tower through the pallet ejection hatch, the picture from the side is syuarelistic ... but on the other hand - Africa.

    Thanks again to the Author.
    There would be more such memories, these unlovely guys.
    wink
    1. +2
      25 August 2013 12: 33
      Quote: Aleks tv
      And in winter, on the marches, they escaped with the "gut" on the T-72.

      Agree that this "gut" is a mute cry of indignation to the designers from Tagil, who might have remembered that Russia is a country with severe winters, why the Leningraders have not forgotten about it ...
      1. +2
        25 August 2013 13: 06
        Quote: svp67
        Agree that this "gut" is a mute cry of indignation to the designers from Tagil, who might have remembered that Russia is a country with severe winters, why the Leningraders have not forgotten about it ...
        Tagil does not develop tanks. This is a factory that is set up for construction. Most diesel tanks were developed at KBUTM
        1. +3
          25 August 2013 14: 08
          Quote: Mechanic
          Agree that this "gut" is a mute cry of indignation to the designers from Tagil,

          Quote: Mechanic
          Most diesel tanks were developed at KBUTM

          I don’t know, I’m not special in KB ... a simple modest practitioner.

          I know that a lot of heat is released from the radiator grilles "into the air", which is not really used for heating in winter. It is a fact.
          When the diesel engine "threshes" at idle, even on one radiator grill it is quite possible to "crush the mass" quite comfortably, he himself repeatedly used it when the "gut" could not be used due to the combat situation or at training grounds.

          Perhaps it was possible to come up with something. Tea is not a space system.
          1. +1
            25 August 2013 14: 13
            Quote: Aleks tv
            Perhaps it was possible to come up with something. Tea is not a space system.
            And what is there to know, on the T80 they were able to run an "air duct" from the engine, through which warm air enters the fighting compartment and the control compartment. A similar system is available on the T64, but the "Tagilians" have forgotten about it, but what about the T72, this is a "mobilization tank", and at that time there will be no time for excesses ...
            1. +1
              25 August 2013 14: 25
              Quote: svp67
              through which warm air enters the fighting compartment and the control compartment.

              Yes, Sergey, it was warmer in you.
              You can’t say anything ...
              1. 0
                25 August 2013 14: 35
                Quote: Aleks tv
                Yes, Sergey, it was warmer in you.
                Iskander, don’t you find that sounds ambiguous ...? feel
                1. +2
                  25 August 2013 14: 53
                  Quote: svp67
                  Iskander

                  ?
                  In the morning, I like Alexey ... laughing


                  Quote: svp67
                  don't you find that sounds ambiguous ...?

                  Yes, I'm talking about the fact that you, Sergey, have more experience in the practice of T-64 and T-80.
                  Just about it.
                  Yes
                  1. +1
                    25 August 2013 15: 28
                    Quote: Aleks tv
                    In the morning, I like Alexey ...
                    Sorry...
                    Quote: Aleks tv
                    Yes, I'm talking about the fact that you, Sergey, have more experience in the practice of T-64 and T-80.
                    Just about it.
                    I’m no offense, I just sometimes want to bother with a nice person, just like that ...
                    1. +1
                      25 August 2013 21: 36
                      There is no heating in the T-62 either, but it’s not cold during the exercises in winter (Hungary). During the day, due to the working engine, the tank warmed up, and at night it closed the blinds on the radiator, opened the hood in the engine and heat went from there. I, as a mechanic, was more comfortable in my nook, but I didn’t remember something from the crew either.
                      Yes, and over the summer - I do not remember that I would suffer from the heat. While the thick armor warms up from the sun .... and at night until it cools ...
                      In general, I have mostly positive emotions from the tank ("increased consumption").
                      1. 0
                        25 August 2013 21: 39
                        Quote: Bad_gr
                        There is no heating in the T-62 either, but it’s not cold during the exercises in winter

                        But there are so many places in it fellow that if it’s frozen, then you can run inside without leaving wassat , in new ones this is no longer done request
                      2. +1
                        25 August 2013 21: 52
                        smile I wouldn’t see them running, but the standard for dressing HIA with a gas mask was carried out without problems.
                        And in the fighting compartment, three crew members were sleeping on the floor, stretched out in full growth, which Abrams will not work even for a lot of money.
                      3. 0
                        26 August 2013 04: 02
                        Quote: Bad_gr
                        What would run not seen

                        And I saw. We had a Ph.D. warrant officer Dovgan, and so once after N.O. really "ran" belay in the fighting compartment, well, and he, respectively, from him, along the way they skillfully overcame such an obstacle as the breech of the gun from below, and the frame of the ejector from above ... laughing
                        Quote: Bad_gr
                        but the standard for dressing HIA with a gas mask was carried out without problems.

                        But how can it not be fulfilled if it is possible to stand in full growth in the fighting compartment, and to stretch out in the control department, again in full growth ... Alas, what can’t be done in new cars ...
            2. +2
              25 August 2013 21: 45
              Quote: svp67
              And what is there to know that on the T80 they were able to run an "air duct" from the engine, through which warm air enters the fighting compartment and the control compartment.

              There, air is taken from the compressor circuit. That is: from the street he took the air, warmed it up and supplied part to the combat and mechanics. The T-72 behind the cooling fan may not only have air that passed through the radiators, but also carbon monoxide from the engine. Therefore, supplying air from there to the battle is fraught with not good consequences.
              And to complicate the cooling system by making a branch for a small radiator (for heating) in the battle, did not.
              1. 0
                25 August 2013 21: 47
                Quote: Bad_gr
                Air is taken there
                For the T62 fur water, you are very knowledgeable about the design features of our MBT. Work or hobby?
                1. 0
                  25 August 2013 22: 02
                  Quote: svp67
                  Work or hobby?

                  Purely a hobby, I'm a techie by nature.
                  In the Army, he was a 2-year-old mechanic driver of a medium tank at an increased rate (for motor resources).
                  And in Afghanistan, where he worked as a civilian, several times he rode 62 levers. What pleased me was that everyone remembers my arms and legs, as if I hadn’t climbed out because of levers, although five years have passed since the Army.
                  1. +2
                    25 August 2013 22: 17
                    Quote: Bad_gr
                    What made me happy
                    But this is Soviet technology, since people have taught and until the end of their lives, if only they taught well ...
                    I remember my first meeting with the "partisans". The Far East was called to the unit for the collection of storerooms, my company was supposed to provide driving. Honestly, I was very worried, since I just came to this unit and the tank in service, your favorite T62, has not yet fully mastered, but I already had driving experience and knew that it was difficult for the conscripts to drive this tank, and driving a unit it was rather tedious - sometimes they don't keep the distance, then the speed limit. In short, I was preparing for the worst. And after a short instructor, the "partisans" took their regular places - I give the command to move and the soul begins to "sing", clearly set off and went without a break, I honestly did not even believe it. At first he held back his mechanic so that the "thread" would not break, but then he "became insolent" until he drove up to medium speed and even higher, and the tanks were moving tightly, as if they were tethered, that's when he greatly respected my predecessors unknown to me - the commanders of the SA tank units. ..
                    1. 0
                      25 August 2013 23: 02
                      Quote: svp67
                      tanks go tightly, like attached

                      In the "ribbon" there was no "accordion" closer to the tail?
                      Partisans?

                      Here really - you respect.
                  2. +2
                    25 August 2013 22: 27
                    Quote: Bad_gr
                    arms and legs remember everything, as if because of leverage and did not climb out, although five years have passed since the Army.

                    There is such a letter.
                    You can’t forget how to do this ...
                    There was a break for about 7 years. He walked toward the car, his whole body was shaking from trembling. I took the clutches in my hands, and ... everything flew out of my head, came to my senses in one fell swoop.
                    Skills do not disappear, as well as the love for this beast.
              2. 0
                25 August 2013 21: 49
                Quote: Bad_gr
                And to complicate the cooling system by making a branch for a small radiator (for heating) in the battle, did not.
                Saving on "kopecks", especially in public, will not lead to anything good ...
              3. 0
                25 August 2013 22: 20
                Quote: Bad_gr
                The T-72 behind the cooling fan may have not only air that passed through the radiators, but also carbon monoxide from the engine.

                Greetings, Vladimir.
                Well, if the tank has just a "driver" and not a mechanic, then anything is possible.
                Yes
                The cooling on the T-72 is the most peculiar, the fan is finally in the railway station itself, and the grilles are even further.
                There was no waste, but there was, let's say, a small "oily" smell - a mixture of lithol with TSZP-8, who else remembers these smells.
                But it was hefty warm with the "gut" ... wink , and the commander’s hatch was then opened on the march, as expected.
                1. 0
                  25 August 2013 22: 45
                  Quote: Aleks tv
                  But it was hefty warm with the "gut" ..

                  Greetings, Alex.
                  Does the T-72 have a hood in the wall between the combat and the engine? If "yes", then did you try to run it in the opposite direction?
                  1. 0
                    25 August 2013 23: 00
                    Quote: Bad_gr
                    didn’t you try to run it in the opposite direction?

                    The regular system will not allow this.
                    They tried to engage in self-cooking (behind the back of the commander, where the valve of the starting heater), but nothing happened like that.

                    In ZabVo and in the Urals, the "gut" helped out well - simply and angrily, the only thing - you can't use it on a staff, but when shooting with a plug-in - it's easy.
                    And in the Caucasus it wasn’t very cold, the grass was green in early December.
                    Maybe in what regions the T-72 was insulated in another way, I don’t know, the country is big.
                    wink
                    1. +2
                      25 August 2013 23: 15
                      Quote: Aleks tv
                      The regular system will not allow this.
                      They tried to engage in self-cooking (behind the back of the commander, where the valve of the starting heater), but nothing happened like that.

                      Clear. I myself made a canned stove for heating in 62. It was installed instead of a fire extinguisher (to the right of the driver’s seat), it was used in training exercises with the engine running. Of course, you could turn it on without the engine, but it was a pity the batteries.
                      1. 0
                        25 August 2013 23: 29
                        Quote: Bad_gr
                        he himself made a can for heating

                        He smiled in his heart, Vladimir ...
                        smile
                        As soon as we did not go out
                        As a result, we settled on the following:
                        With the engine running, they threw cans and flasks on the radiator grill.
                        With a muffled car and in the LDPE - a primus. Yeah, the old, good primus Bumblebee-2. Boiled anything on it.
                        He had a "regular" place under my feet under the P-123 (P-173).
                        Eheh, memory ...
                      2. +1
                        26 August 2013 00: 03
                        Quote: Aleks tv
                        ... good old primus bumblebee-2

                        We didn’t have such kindness. sad
                        And I made my stove from a cut of asbestos pipe, inside which I inserted a spiral from a tank heater glow plug. The pipe just got into the clamps of the fire extinguisher, and plugged into the socket for "lighting".
                        By the way, it would not hurt to have a primus in the tank as standard equipment.
          2. bask
            +2
            25 August 2013 15: 25
            Quote: Aleks tv
            Perhaps it was possible to come up with something. Tea is not a space system.

            Greetings Alexey, Eugene.
            This is just an elementary care about the crew of the MBT, and therefore its combat readiness !!!
            1. +2
              25 August 2013 15: 50
              Quote: bask
              Greetings Alexey, Eugene.
              It’s just basic care about the crew


              Hi Andrew !
              It would be nice. Nobody seems to mind if it is more comfortable.
              laughing

              Quote: svp67
              just sometimes you want to bother with a nice person, just like that ...

              Ага.
              I have a similar situation now.
              Yes
        2. 0
          25 August 2013 15: 45
          Quote: Mechanic
          Most diesel tanks were developed at KBUTM

          And the location of this design bureau is .... Nizhny Tagil, and the Ural Design Bureau of Transport Engineering is part of the open joint-stock company Scientific and Production Corporation Uralvagonzavod named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky "
  7. RusneTRUS
    +1
    25 August 2013 01: 19
    More such stories
  8. +2
    25 August 2013 06: 54
    Great article, informative. Thank.
  9. +2
    25 August 2013 08: 50
    No comment +++. drinks
  10. The Indian Joe
    0
    25 August 2013 21: 24
    It was interesting to read about the creators of the tank shield of our country.
  11. 0
    25 August 2013 22: 26
    Technologist. Really a great article! And now where to get these engineers? And ..?
  12. The comment was deleted.
  13. Old skeptic
    0
    25 August 2013 23: 17
    I apologize for the off-top. Does anyone know what the Chinese thought up.

    [media = www.kontrtube.ru / videos / 547 / kitayskie-artilleristy-strelya% 20% 20yut-bez-p
    ushek /]
  14. The comment was deleted.
  15. 0
    30 August 2013 18: 36
    These guys need to erect monuments, thanks to them, we still carry a penny in our pocket instead of cents

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