Object 278 [USSR, HT-10]
At the beginning of 1955, the OKBT of the Leningrad Kirov Plant began work on the tactical and technical requirements for a new heavy tank. The preliminary design was intended to improve firepower and armor protection while increasing maximum and average speeds. The tank’s weight was not to exceed 55 tons.
It was planned to arm it with a 130 mm rifled M-65 gun; later, options were considered for installing 85 mm ultra-high-velocity guns, as well as a smoothbore version of the M-65 gun bored out to a 140 mm caliber.
The tank was developed in two variants. Object 278, featuring an innovative powerplant and a redesigned, lower-profile rear hull, was considered the main option. However, due to problems with developing the new type of engine, the Object 277 tank with a diesel engine was assembled first as a prototype. This tank was demonstrated several times to the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, N. S. Khrushchev, who was skeptical of tanks with conventional armament. As a result, design work on experimental heavy tanks in the USSR was eventually discontinued. The unfinished hull and turret of Object 278, without armament, were transferred to the NIIBT Proving Ground.
This post on the Object 278 is fascinating! I’m curious how its historical context influenced the game’s design choices. How do you think these elements shape players’ understanding of armored warfare?