BA-I
Encyclopedia
The BA-I is a Soviet three-axle armoured car. Only 82 vehicles of this type were built in 1932-1934, nevertheless the design initiated a series of heavy armoured cars of Izhorskij plant: BA-3
, BA-6, BA-9, and BA-10
. Some vehicles were used in World War II
, despite being obsolete at the time.
was created, a design based on adding Timken
tandem rear axle
s to the American Ford AA chassis, and because of that called Ford-Timken. This immediately initiated the development of armoured cars. By the end of the year assembly was taking place at the plant "Gudok Oktyabrya" in Kanavin, near Nizhniy Novgorod. In autumn of the same year at the Repair Base of Nº2 in Moscow
hull from the BA-27
armoured car was first attached to the new chassis. About 20 such cars were built, having the designation BA-27M. At the same time, and with the same chassis, but at the Izhorskij plant, several dozen D-13 armoured cars were built, developed by N. I. Dyrenkov.
In 1932, engineer P. N. Syachentov, known for his development of the artillery, designed the universal armoured car BAD-2
, which was both amphibious and capable of driving the railroad track. A single copy was built, but not accepted for manufacturing.
The hull was welded
together - an advanced technology for the time. Due to the "stepped" form of the roof on the hull it was possible to place turret lower, substantially reducing the overall height of combat vehicle. In the cylindrical welded turret
, there was a 37 mm gun with 34 rounds (similarly to earlier BA-27 armored car), and a DT machine gun on a separate ball mount. The second DT was placed in the frontal sheet to the right of the driver. There were doors in the hull and in the rear for crew evacuation.
An interesting idea that was borrowed from the earlier D-13 armoured car was mounting of spare wheels just next to the front wheels and only slightly higher. These helped when crossing trenches and rugged terrain. An innovation was the possibility to convert vehicle to a half-track
by fitting auxiliary ("Overall") tracks
to the rear pair of dual tandem wheels. Additionally some vehicles were equipped with radio
. All three of these ideas were subsequently used in all succeeding designs, including the BA-10
.
A version has been developed using an improved GAZ-AAA chassis.
Also a prototype railway BA-IZD variant was created, but was not accepted for production.
BA-3
The BA-3 was a heavy armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1933, followed by a slightly changed model BA-6 in 1936. Both were based mostly on BA-I, the most important development being the new turret, same as in the T-26 m 1933 and BT-5 tanks, and also equipped with the 45 mm main gun...
, BA-6, BA-9, and BA-10
BA-10
The BA-10 was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1938 and produced till 1941. It was the most produced Soviet pre-1941 heavy armored car – 3311 were built in three versions. These versions were the BA-10, the BA-10M , and the BA-10ZhD...
. Some vehicles were used in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, despite being obsolete at the time.
Background
In 1931, the first Soviet 6x4 chassisChassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
was created, a design based on adding Timken
Timken
Timken may refer to:* Timken, Kansas, a small town in the United States* Timken 1111, 4-8-4 steam locomotive built in 1930* Timken Company, a manufacturer of industrial parts* Timken High School, in Canton, Ohio, United States...
tandem rear axle
Axle
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle...
s to the American Ford AA chassis, and because of that called Ford-Timken. This immediately initiated the development of armoured cars. By the end of the year assembly was taking place at the plant "Gudok Oktyabrya" in Kanavin, near Nizhniy Novgorod. In autumn of the same year at the Repair Base of Nº2 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
hull from the BA-27
BA-27
The BA-27 was a Soviet first series-produced armoured car, manufactured from 1928 to 1931, and used for scouting and infantry support duties early in the Second World War...
armoured car was first attached to the new chassis. About 20 such cars were built, having the designation BA-27M. At the same time, and with the same chassis, but at the Izhorskij plant, several dozen D-13 armoured cars were built, developed by N. I. Dyrenkov.
In 1932, engineer P. N. Syachentov, known for his development of the artillery, designed the universal armoured car BAD-2
BAD-2
BAD-2 was a Soviet experimental amphibious armored car, that could be also converted to run on railroad tracks . Only one prototype was built in 1932, designed by engineer P. N. Syachentov....
, which was both amphibious and capable of driving the railroad track. A single copy was built, but not accepted for manufacturing.
Design
In 1932, at the Izhorskij plant, the armoured car BA-I (I stands for Izhorskij) was developed by A. D. Kuzmin. In some publications the name of this machine is written together - BAI. It used the same triaxial Ford-Timken chassis as it predecessors.The hull was welded
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
together - an advanced technology for the time. Due to the "stepped" form of the roof on the hull it was possible to place turret lower, substantially reducing the overall height of combat vehicle. In the cylindrical welded turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
, there was a 37 mm gun with 34 rounds (similarly to earlier BA-27 armored car), and a DT machine gun on a separate ball mount. The second DT was placed in the frontal sheet to the right of the driver. There were doors in the hull and in the rear for crew evacuation.
An interesting idea that was borrowed from the earlier D-13 armoured car was mounting of spare wheels just next to the front wheels and only slightly higher. These helped when crossing trenches and rugged terrain. An innovation was the possibility to convert vehicle to a half-track
Half-track
A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...
by fitting auxiliary ("Overall") tracks
Caterpillar track
Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
to the rear pair of dual tandem wheels. Additionally some vehicles were equipped with radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
. All three of these ideas were subsequently used in all succeeding designs, including the BA-10
BA-10
The BA-10 was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1938 and produced till 1941. It was the most produced Soviet pre-1941 heavy armored car – 3311 were built in three versions. These versions were the BA-10, the BA-10M , and the BA-10ZhD...
.
A version has been developed using an improved GAZ-AAA chassis.
Also a prototype railway BA-IZD variant was created, but was not accepted for production.