Work on the PT-76 began shortly after the end of WWII, despite the lack of success the Soviets had with amphibious tanks during the war. It uses half of the engine in the T-54 and uses the same basic chassis as the later BTR-50 and ZSU-23-4. The PT-76 entered service in 1952 and by the mid-70's was in service throughout the Warsaw Pact. The PT-76 was also exported to countries outside Europe, seeing service in the Mid and Far East. In all, over 25 countries have used the PT-76 in some form. It was replaced by the BMP in most units, though retained by the Naval Infantry due to its good swimming characteristics (compared to other amphibious AFVs) Some 7000 were built by the Russians until 1967, with about 2000 of them being exported.
Variants and related vehicles:
PT-76B: The cannon is fully stabilized and limited night vision for
the gunner is provided. Some also mount a 12.7mm A/A gun.
Polish PT-76: Adds separate hatch for commander (in the basic PT-76,
the commander and loader share one hatch) and 12.7mm coaxial MG.
Type 63: Chinese variant with 85mm cannon and 12.7mm A/A MG.
Israeli upgrade package: 90mm main gun, 200 kW engine.
Subassemblies: Body +4, full rotation Turret +3, two Tracks +3
P&P: 176 kW diesel w/tracked drivetrain, two hydrojets,
2x 4000 kWs lead-acid batteries, 70 gallons diesel (fire chance: 8) in
standard tank, 160 mile range (road), 40 miles range (water)
Occ: Body: 1 CS (driver); Turret: 2 CS (commander/gunner/radio
operator, loader)
Cargo: 10 cf internal
| Armor | F | R/L | B | T | U |
| Body | 6/50 | 4/30 | 4/30 | 3/12 | 4/25 |
| Turret | 5/60 | 5/30 | 4/30 | 3/12 | 0/0 |
| Tracks | 4/20 |
Weaponry
76.2mm D-56 gun [Turret:F] (10 AP, 10 HEAT, 20 HE)
7.62mm SGMT coaxial MG [Turret:F] (1,000)
Equipment
Turret: gunner day gun sight (x 4400 meters telescope, +/+),
2 medium range radios
Body: fire suppression system, 2 bilges
Statistics
| Size: 7'x10'x23' | Payload: approx. 5,000 lbs | Lwt: 30,800 lbs (15.4 tons) |
| Volume: 1480 cf (Size Mod: +5) | Maint.: 50 hours | Price: $150,000 |
HT: 12
HP: 1800 [body], 600 [each track], 750 [turret]
| gSpeed: 27 | gAccel: 3 | gDecel: 20 | gMR: 0.5 | gSR: 4 | GP: low (2/3) |
| wSpeed: 7 | wAccel: 0.3 | wDecel: 10 | wMR: 0.5 | wSR: 5 |
Design Notes
Frame is heavy and cheap for 800 cf body, 200 cf turret, and 480 cf
tracks. The hull and turret are sealed. The cannon is partially stabilized.
The turret traverses at 45 degrees per second electrically.
New Weapons
76.2mm D-56: Use the TL6 75mm tank gun on p.VE43.
Sources
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles, Ian Hogg
and John Weeks, 1980
Modern Fighting Vehicles, Bob Lewis, 1988
http://www.fas.org