What did the first Russian tank "Vezdekhod" look like?

One hundred and one years ago, on May 18, 1915, an all-terrain vehicle developed by designer Alexander Porokhovshchikov was tested. The car, called the "Vezdekhod", could well have become the first Russian tank - as it is often called in the literature, since the Porokhovshchikov project provided for the possibility of armoring the car and equipping it with weapons, but it never happened to become a tank.

Porohovshchikov took his project to the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander of the Russian Army in 1914. At the beginning of 1915, a prototype of the Vezdekhod combat tracked vehicle was built. The tank was a single-track, relatively light unit. The armor protection of the combat vehicle was multi-layered, although the armor was only 8 mm thick and consisted of a cemented steel front sheet, sea grass and hair shock-absorbing pads, and another steel sheet.

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Source: kollektsiya.ru

Four hollow drums were attached to the steel frame: three support and one guide. It looked like the supporting structure of this armored vehicle. Axes departed from the guide drum, which entered into special slots in the steel frame, where they were fixed with two screws.

The tension of the caterpillar was regulated by the movement of this drum along the slots. The upper part of the caterpillar was formed by an additional tension drum. A special bulwark covered the undercarriage of the caterpillar mechanism. In addition, two wheels were located on the sides of the front of the tank, due to which the tank could turn. These wheels were connected to the steering wheel using a system of rods and swivel forks.

Gunpowder constructor driving his invention during testing.

The disadvantage of the single-track "All-terrain vehicle" was the fragility of the rubber band of the caterpillar mechanism. Although the caterpillar itself was wide and allowed the tank to perform maneuvering actions in combat conditions. Due to such a caterpillar, Porokhovshchikov's armored car did not sink on the bottom of the obstacle, but overcame it.

The innovation of this combat armored vehicle consisted in the use by the inventor of some of the mechanisms of the car - a special mover, a planetary gearbox and steering. Car engine 20 hp. With. served as the power plant of the armored vehicle and was located in front of the frame. Torque was supplied to the drive drum through a cardan shaft and a mechanical planetary gearbox.

Porokhovshchikov's tank was equipped with one or two machine guns, which were located at the top of the combat vehicle, in its cylindrical turret. Inside the tank, in its middle part, two people were supposed to be on two adjacent seats - the driver and the machine gunner commander.

Porokhovshchikov-gymnasium student.

In June 1915, the ATV was tested, which revealed good accelerating qualities and maneuverability of the tank, its high speed, good maneuverability even in ditch and deep sand conditions. But, despite the increase in the speed characteristics of the Vezdekhod, by the end of 1915 the project was frozen, stopping funding for further work to improve this armored vehicle.

The design scheme of the "All-terrain vehicle".

But by the beginning of 1917, Porohovshchikov himself had improved his project, giving it the code name "All-terrain vehicle-2". This tank already contained four machine guns. Moreover, some of them should have been located in a tower of a special design, which allowed each machine gun to independently aim at the target it was firing. But, unfortunately, the automobile committee of the State Higher Technical School considered that this car was not perfect enough, so they did not give money for its completion.