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What was the purpose of this, someone challenged the tank to a cannon ball challenge?
I wish I had a solid source on this. The best I can find is a 6-year-old Reddit comment:
This particular jump with the BT-7 cavalry tank was performed by a tank test pilot Evgeniy Kulchitsky, he mentions in his memoirs that it was a very challenging test to perform (15m height, 42m length of the jump), requiring challenging practice and long preparation. You had to adjust the rotational speed of the tracks mid-air to not outright lose them, assume a (relatively) safe position and then continue to pilot the tank after landing to get it to the shore.
The reason for this testing was to make sure that similar jumps were a viable tactical option (fording rivers at speed, for example) and that both the crew and the tank could manage it and remain effective.
Would an average tank driver be able to manage that though? Test pilots are typically the cream of the crop, with balls of steel.
I choose to believe this was an execution that was fun for the audience.
They did stuff just for fun all the time in the 80's. I remember being at a local football game once when a dude in a jet pack came soaring into the stadium, flew all around, landed, bowed, and walked off the field. Then they went back to football. We sure have a lot less dudes flying jetpacks these days!
Would it be unsurvivable? The force of the impact on the water would be great, but on the other hand tanks are heavy, and the only thing that matters for the driver (pilot?) is acceleration. Doing absolutely no math the main thing I'd be worried about is the impact with the lake bed afterwards breaking the treads. If all goes well and the engine has some kind of supply of air, you just drive it out again.
Tank of the lake, what is your wisdom?
Look at the hang time on that bad boy!
Even my dog doesn't fling himself out of the bath tub with such reckless abandon.
