BT-7

BT-7, BT-7M
BT-7M, 1940, with tracks removed from the wheels and carried on the hull
Type	Light cavalry tank
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1935–45
Used by	Soviet Union Mongolia  Finland (captured)  Hungary (captured)  Romania (captured)  Nazi Germany (captured)
Wars	Soviet–Japanese Border Wars World War II Winter War Continuation war Soviet–Japanese War
Production history
Designer	Morozov
Designed	1935[1]
Manufacturer	KhPZ
Produced	1935–40
No. built	5753 [a]
Variants	BT-7A, BT-7M (BT-8), BT-IS[1]
Specifications (BT-7 model 1937[1])
Mass	13.9 tonnes (13.7 long tons; 15.3 short tons)
Length	5.66 m (18 ft 7 in)
Width	2.29 m (7 ft 6 in)
Height	2.42 m (7 ft 11 in)
Crew	3 (commander, loader, driver)
Armour	Hull: 6–40 mm Turret: 10–15 mm
Main armament	45 mm anti-tank gun M1932/38 (20-K)
Secondary armament	2 x 7.62 mm DT machine gun
Engine	Mikulin M-17T (V-12) gasoline 450 hp (340 kW) at 1,750 rpm
Power/weight	32.37 hp/tonne
Transmission	Chain drive (tracks: sliding gear)
Suspension	Christie
Ground clearance	0.305 m (10 in)
Fuel capacity	620 litres (160 US gal)
Operational range	Road: 250 km (160 mi) Off-road: 120 km (75 mi)
Maximum speed	Road: 72–86 km/h (45–53 mph) Off-road: 50 km/h (31 mph)
Steering system	steering stick

The BT-7 ^[b] was the last of the BT series of Soviet cavalry tanks that were produced in large numbers between 1935 and 1940. It was lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for the time, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs. The BT tanks were known by the nickname Betka from the acronym, or its diminutive, Betushka.^[2]

The BT-7's successor was the famous T-34 medium tank, introduced in 1940, which replaced all of the Soviet fast tanks, infantry tanks, and medium tanks then in service.

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