In 1939, in response to the poor cross-country performance of the T-26 light tank and BT-2, BT-5, and BT-7 fast tanks, design work began on the T-50 light tank. The resulting design had significantly thicker armor than the T-26 and BT series, with a tracked speed almost equal to that of the BT series.
The T-50 was a modern tank design, featuring sloped, welded armor, torsion bar suspension, and a powerful diesel engine. Due to the outbreak of the war, however, only 69 T-50's were made between April 1941 and January 1942. By then, the T-60 light tank had already entered mass production. Further, T-34's were much more capable at providing infantry support, and Lend-Lease Valentine and Light Tank, M3 proved more capable as reconnaissance tanks.
The T-50 only saw limited combat, in Leningrad and in Finland.
| T-50 | |
|---|---|
| Crew | |
| Crew | 4 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weight | 13.7 t |
| Length | 5.18 m |
| Width | 2.48 m |
| Height | 2.16 m |
| Armour | |
| Armour (range) | 12-37 mm |
| Performance | |
| Speed (max) | 60 km/h |
| Armament | |
| Primary weapon | 45 mm Tank Gun Model 1932/38 (1) |
| Secondary weapon | 7.62 mm DT (1) |