A vehicle capable of moving both on land and on water without additional training simply had to interest the military. Already during the First World War, there were unsuccessful attempts to build floating tanks. A breakthrough in this area came in the 30s, when various experienced amphibious combat vehicles were created in different European countries. Although the pioneers here were the British, the most ambitious approach to the issue of equipping the land forces with floating equipment was in the USSR. Before the beginning of the Second World War, the Red Army managed to get several thousand floating small tanks of various types.
Vehicles that can overcome water obstacles can be divided into two large groups. For the first of them, the ability to float is needed as an opportunity to increase mobility, quickly crossing small reservoirs, regardless of the presence of bridges and fords on the march, in reconnaissance or during battle. It is not surprising that such a quality is often given to vehicles directly involved in combat operations — many IFV's, light tanks and armored fighting vehicles can float. The second group of amphibians uses buoyancy as a trump card when landing troops from the sea, and often because of the desire for better seaworthiness such vehicles look more like small vessels. This review presents the characteristic floating military vehicles of different decades, beginning from the 30s of the XX century.
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British Vickers A4E12 floating tank. The A4E11 / 12 was built in 1931-1932 and exported to China, the Netherlands Indies, Thailand and the USSR. Weight 2.2 tons, engine 90 hp, speed on the ground up to 43 km / h, afloat – up to 6 km/h. Armament – 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people
Soviet experimental floating tank PT-1. The first prototype was built in 1932. Weight 14.2 tons, engine 500 hp, speed on land up to 90 km/h on wheels, 62 km/h on tracks, 6 km/h on water. Armament: 45 mm cannon, four 7.62 mm machine guns. Crew of 4 people
Soviet floating tank T-37A. It has been produced since 1933. Weight 3.3 tons, engine 40 hp, speed on land up to 40 km / h, afloat – up to 6 km/h. Armament – 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people. About 2.5 thousand cars were built
French experimental floating tank Batignolles-Chatillon DP-2. The prototype was built in 1936. Weight 12 tons, engine 228 hp, speed up to 39 km / h on land, up to 6 km / h afloat. Armament – 25-mm cannon, 7.5-mm machine gun. Crew of 3 people
Soviet floating tank T-38. It has been produced since 1936. Weight 3.3 tons, engine 40 hp, speed on land up to 40 km / h, afloat – up to 6 km/h. Armament – 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people. 1340 vehicles built
Polish experimental floating tank PZInż. 130. The prototype was built in 1937. Weight 3.92 tons, engine 95 hp, speed up to 60 km / h on land, up to 8 km / h afloat. Armament was not installed, most likely, the tank was planned to be armed with a 20-mm automatic gun or a machine gun. Crew of 2 people
Soviet floating tank T-40. In operation since 1939. Weight 5.5 tons, engine 85 hp, speed on the ground up to 44 km / h, afloat – up to 7 km/h. Armament – one 12.7 mm machine gun (or 23 mm automatic gun), 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people
German LWS floating transporter. In operation since 1940. Weight 13 tons, engine 300 hp, speed up to 40 km / h on land, up to 12 km / h afloat. Crew of 2 people, up to 20 troops. 21 cars were built
A U.S. Army DUKW amphibious truck crosses the branch of the Rhine Waal in the Netherlands, September 1944. It has been produced since 1942. Empty weight 5.9 tons, engine 94 hp, speed on land up to 80 km / h, afloat up to 10 km/h. Carrying capacity of 2.5 tons or 12 troops. 21,147 cars were built, of which 586 were delivered to the USSR
American unarmed LVT-1 transporter on Guadalcanal, 1942. In service since 1941. Weight 14 tons, engine 146 hp, speed on land 19 km/h, on water 10 km/h. Armament – two 7.62-mm or two 12.7-mm machine guns. Crew of 3 people, troops up to 24 people. 1225 were built (and 2962 in a similar LVT-2 modification)
Japanese floating tank Type 2 Ka-Mi. In production since 1942. After going ashore, the pontoons in the front and behind the tank were dropped — without them the Ka-Mi had no buoyancy. Weight with pontoons 12.5 tons, engine 120 hp, speed on land up to 37 km / h, afloat up to 10 km/h. Armament: 37-mm cannon, two 7.7-mm machine guns. 184 cars were built
American floating Fire Support Vehicle LVT(A)-1. In operation since 1942. Created on the basis of the LVT-2 transporter, this modification already had an armored body and was equipped with a turret from the M3 light tank with a 37-mm gun. Engine 262 hp, speed on land up to 40 km/h, on water up to 10 km/h. 510 vehicles were built
Japanese floating tank Type 3 Ka-Chi. In production since 1943. Weight (with pontoons) 28 tons, engine 240 hp, speed on land up to 32 km / h, afloat – up to 10 km/h. Armament – 47-mm cannon, two 7.7-mm machine guns. 19 vehicles were built
Japanese floating transporter Type 4 Ka-Tsu. It has been produced since 1943. Only the conning tower was armored. Weight 16 tons, engine 120 hp, speed up to 20 km / h on land, up to 8 km / h afloat. It was armed with two 13-mm machine guns, two torpedoes could be mounted on the sides. Crew of 5 people, troops up to 40 people. 50 vehicles were built
American floating armored fire support vehicle LVT(A)−4 during the Battle of Peleliu, 1944. This modification of the LVT has been in production since 1944. Weight 16.5 tons, engine 262 hp, speed on land up to 32 km/h, on water up to 12 km/h. Armament: 75-mm howitzer, 12.7-mm machine gun. Crew of 6 people. 1890 were built
The BAV-485 is the Soviet analogue of the American DUKW, which has been produced since 1950. Weight 7.2 tons, engine 110 hp, speed on land up to 60 km/h, on water – up to 10 km/h. Load capacity up to 2.5 tons
The M60A2 main tank leaves the cargo area of the US Army LARC-LX heavy floating transporter. In operation since 1952. Weight 100 tons, 4 engines of 265 hp. Speed on land up to 25 km/h, on water up to 12 km/h. Crew of 5 people. Load capacity up to 100 tons or 200 troops
The LARC-V amphibious truck, developed in the late 1950s by order of the US Army. Weight 8.6 tons, engine 785 hp, speed on land up to 48 km / h, afloat – up to 15 km/h. Load capacity is 5 tons. 968 vehicles were built, of which about 500 were destroyed, mainly in Vietnam
Soviet floating armored personnel vehicle MT-LB of the Bulgarian army. In operation since 1964. It was produced in the USSR, Poland and Bulgaria. Weight 10 tons, engine 240 hp, speed on land up to 62 km / h, afloat – 6 km/h. Armament – 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people, troops of 11 people. About 10 thousand vehicles were built armyrecognition.com
Soviet floating transporter PTS transports an army truck «Ural». In production since 1965. Weight 17 tons, engine 350 hp, speed on land up to 42 km / h, afloat – up to 11 km/h. Load capacity-up to 10 tons in water and up to 5 tons on land www.yaplakal.com/forum2/st/50/topic1120266.html
Two Alvis Stalwarts, British Army amphibious trucks used by the Bundeswehr. In operation since 1966. Weight 9 tons, engine 220 hp, speed up to 64 km / h on land and up to 10 km / h on water. Load capacity of 5 tons
One of the first 30 American AAV7 floating armored personnel vehicle delivered to Japan in 2015. In operation since 1972. Weight 29 tons, engine 400 hp, speed up to 72 km / h on land, up to 13 km / h afloat. Weapons: 40-mm automatic grenade launcher, 12.7-mm machine gun. Crew of 3 people, troops up to 25 people
The ZTD-05 is a Chinese floating tank (in the foreground), a member of the ZBD2000 family of floating tracked armored vehicles. Weight 26 tons, engine power: 1475 hp for water movement, 550 hp for land movement. Speed up to 40 km / h on water, up to 65 km / h on land. Armament: 105-mm cannon, 7.62-mm machine gun. Crew of 4 people
The EFV is an American Marine combat vehicle. It was supposed to enter service in 2015, but the development program was stopped. Weight 36 tons, engines 2702 hp for movement on water, 850 hp for movement on land. Speed up to 72 km / h on the ground, 46 km / h afloat. Armament: 30 mm cannon, 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 3 people, troops up to 17 people
A vehicle capable of moving both on land and on water without additional training simply had to interest the military. Already during the First World War, there were unsuccessful attempts to build floating tanks. A breakthrough in this area came in the 30s, when various experienced amphibious combat vehicles were created in different European countries. Although the pioneers here were the British, the most ambitious approach to the issue of equipping the land forces with floating equipment was in the USSR. Before the beginning of the Second World War, the Red Army managed to get several thousand floating small tanks of various types.
Vehicles that can overcome water obstacles can be divided into two large groups. For the first of them, the ability to float is needed as an opportunity to increase mobility, quickly crossing small reservoirs, regardless of the presence of bridges and fords on the march, in reconnaissance or during battle. It is not surprising that such a quality is often given to vehicles directly involved in combat operations — many IFV's, light tanks and armored fighting vehicles can float. The second group of amphibians uses buoyancy as a trump card when landing troops from the sea, and often because of the desire for better seaworthiness such vehicles look more like small vessels. This review presents the characteristic floating military vehicles of different decades, beginning from the 30s of the XX century.
If the background of the photos makes it difficult to read the background information of the photos, you can hover your mouse over the text — this will darken the background of the caption.
British Vickers A4E12 floating tank. The A4E11 / 12 was built in 1931-1932 and exported to China, the Netherlands Indies, Thailand and the USSR. Weight 2.2 tons, engine 90 hp, speed on the ground up to 43 km / h, afloat – up to 6 km/h. Armament – 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people
Soviet experimental floating tank PT-1. The first prototype was built in 1932. Weight 14.2 tons, engine 500 hp, speed on land up to 90 km/h on wheels, 62 km/h on tracks, 6 km/h on water. Armament: 45 mm cannon, four 7.62 mm machine guns. Crew of 4 people
Soviet floating tank T-37A. It has been produced since 1933. Weight 3.3 tons, engine 40 hp, speed on land up to 40 km / h, afloat – up to 6 km/h. Armament – 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people. About 2.5 thousand cars were built
French experimental floating tank Batignolles-Chatillon DP-2. The prototype was built in 1936. Weight 12 tons, engine 228 hp, speed up to 39 km / h on land, up to 6 km / h afloat. Armament – 25-mm cannon, 7.5-mm machine gun. Crew of 3 people
Soviet floating tank T-38. It has been produced since 1936. Weight 3.3 tons, engine 40 hp, speed on land up to 40 km / h, afloat – up to 6 km/h. Armament – 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people. 1340 vehicles built
Polish experimental floating tank PZInż. 130. The prototype was built in 1937. Weight 3.92 tons, engine 95 hp, speed up to 60 km / h on land, up to 8 km / h afloat. Armament was not installed, most likely, the tank was planned to be armed with a 20-mm automatic gun or a machine gun. Crew of 2 people
Soviet floating tank T-40. In operation since 1939. Weight 5.5 tons, engine 85 hp, speed on the ground up to 44 km / h, afloat – up to 7 km/h. Armament – one 12.7 mm machine gun (or 23 mm automatic gun), 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people
German LWS floating transporter. In operation since 1940. Weight 13 tons, engine 300 hp, speed up to 40 km / h on land, up to 12 km / h afloat. Crew of 2 people, up to 20 troops. 21 cars were built
A U.S. Army DUKW amphibious truck crosses the branch of the Rhine Waal in the Netherlands, September 1944. It has been produced since 1942. Empty weight 5.9 tons, engine 94 hp, speed on land up to 80 km / h, afloat up to 10 km/h. Carrying capacity of 2.5 tons or 12 troops. 21,147 cars were built, of which 586 were delivered to the USSR
American unarmed LVT-1 transporter on Guadalcanal, 1942. In service since 1941. Weight 14 tons, engine 146 hp, speed on land 19 km/h, on water 10 km/h. Armament – two 7.62-mm or two 12.7-mm machine guns. Crew of 3 people, troops up to 24 people. 1225 were built (and 2962 in a similar LVT-2 modification)
Japanese floating tank Type 2 Ka-Mi. In production since 1942. After going ashore, the pontoons in the front and behind the tank were dropped — without them the Ka-Mi had no buoyancy. Weight with pontoons 12.5 tons, engine 120 hp, speed on land up to 37 km / h, afloat up to 10 km/h. Armament: 37-mm cannon, two 7.7-mm machine guns. 184 cars were built
American floating Fire Support Vehicle LVT(A)-1. In operation since 1942. Created on the basis of the LVT-2 transporter, this modification already had an armored body and was equipped with a turret from the M3 light tank with a 37-mm gun. Engine 262 hp, speed on land up to 40 km/h, on water up to 10 km/h. 510 vehicles were built
Japanese floating tank Type 3 Ka-Chi. In production since 1943. Weight (with pontoons) 28 tons, engine 240 hp, speed on land up to 32 km / h, afloat – up to 10 km/h. Armament – 47-mm cannon, two 7.7-mm machine guns. 19 vehicles were built
Japanese floating transporter Type 4 Ka-Tsu. It has been produced since 1943. Only the conning tower was armored. Weight 16 tons, engine 120 hp, speed up to 20 km / h on land, up to 8 km / h afloat. It was armed with two 13-mm machine guns, two torpedoes could be mounted on the sides. Crew of 5 people, troops up to 40 people. 50 vehicles were built
American floating armored fire support vehicle LVT(A)−4 during the Battle of Peleliu, 1944. This modification of the LVT has been in production since 1944. Weight 16.5 tons, engine 262 hp, speed on land up to 32 km/h, on water up to 12 km/h. Armament: 75-mm howitzer, 12.7-mm machine gun. Crew of 6 people. 1890 were built
The BAV-485 is the Soviet analogue of the American DUKW, which has been produced since 1950. Weight 7.2 tons, engine 110 hp, speed on land up to 60 km/h, on water – up to 10 km/h. Load capacity up to 2.5 tons
The M60A2 main tank leaves the cargo area of the US Army LARC-LX heavy floating transporter. In operation since 1952. Weight 100 tons, 4 engines of 265 hp. Speed on land up to 25 km/h, on water up to 12 km/h. Crew of 5 people. Load capacity up to 100 tons or 200 troops
The LARC-V amphibious truck, developed in the late 1950s by order of the US Army. Weight 8.6 tons, engine 785 hp, speed on land up to 48 km / h, afloat – up to 15 km/h. Load capacity is 5 tons. 968 vehicles were built, of which about 500 were destroyed, mainly in Vietnam
Soviet floating armored personnel vehicle MT-LB of the Bulgarian army. In operation since 1964. It was produced in the USSR, Poland and Bulgaria. Weight 10 tons, engine 240 hp, speed on land up to 62 km / h, afloat – 6 km/h. Armament – 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 2 people, troops of 11 people. About 10 thousand vehicles were built armyrecognition.com
Soviet floating transporter PTS transports an army truck «Ural». In production since 1965. Weight 17 tons, engine 350 hp, speed on land up to 42 km / h, afloat – up to 11 km/h. Load capacity-up to 10 tons in water and up to 5 tons on land www.yaplakal.com/forum2/st/50/topic1120266.html
Two Alvis Stalwarts, British Army amphibious trucks used by the Bundeswehr. In operation since 1966. Weight 9 tons, engine 220 hp, speed up to 64 km / h on land and up to 10 km / h on water. Load capacity of 5 tons
One of the first 30 American AAV7 floating armored personnel vehicle delivered to Japan in 2015. In operation since 1972. Weight 29 tons, engine 400 hp, speed up to 72 km / h on land, up to 13 km / h afloat. Weapons: 40-mm automatic grenade launcher, 12.7-mm machine gun. Crew of 3 people, troops up to 25 people
The ZTD-05 is a Chinese floating tank (in the foreground), a member of the ZBD2000 family of floating tracked armored vehicles. Weight 26 tons, engine power: 1475 hp for water movement, 550 hp for land movement. Speed up to 40 km / h on water, up to 65 km / h on land. Armament: 105-mm cannon, 7.62-mm machine gun. Crew of 4 people
The EFV is an American Marine combat vehicle. It was supposed to enter service in 2015, but the development program was stopped. Weight 36 tons, engines 2702 hp for movement on water, 850 hp for movement on land. Speed up to 72 km / h on the ground, 46 km / h afloat. Armament: 30 mm cannon, 7.62 mm machine gun. Crew of 3 people, troops up to 17 people
