BT tank

BT-2, BT-5, BT-7, BT-7M
BT-5 side view
TypeLight cavalry tank
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service1932–45
Used by 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
WarsSpanish Civil War
Second Sino–Japanese War
Soviet–Japanese border conflicts
Invasion of Poland
Winter War
World War II
Production history
DesignerJ. Walter Christie, Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB)
Designed1930–31
ManufacturerMalyshev Factory
Produced1932–41
No. builtBT-2: 650 BT-5: 1884 BT-7: 5556
VariantsBT-2, BT-5, BT-7, BT-7M
Specifications (BT-5)
Mass11.5 tonnes (12.676 tons)
Length5.58 m (18 ft 4 in)
Width2.23 m (7 ft 4 in)
Height2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Crew3

Armour6–23 mm
Main
armament
45 mm Model 1932 tank gun
Secondary
armament
1-3 7.62 mm DT machine guns
EngineModel M-5
400 hp (298 kW)
Power/weight35 hp/tonne
SuspensionChristie
Fuel capacity360 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, romanizedBystrokhodnyy 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.

  1. ^ Coox 1985, p. 641 notation #23.
  2. ^ Zaloga & Grandsen 1984, p. 74.