The Soviet military-industrial complex knew many strange and unusual types of military equipment. But the appearance on the Internet of photographs of a huge machine of atypical appearance, resembling a tank, puzzled many users. After all, there is practically no mention of her, and the appearance of the ilk is too memorable. Therefore, not everyone knows that this monster fought exclusively with... mines.
In reality, the few photographs show the Progrev-T Soviet gas-dynamic minesweeper, and not a powerful armor-piercing tank, as many initially think. This unit was one of those samples of military equipment, which, before being released into production they preferred to test production with maximum load, which meant sending the car to the zone fighting.
Indeed, the minesweeper was used during the war in Afghanistan around the mid-1980s. And, as it turned out, in addition to its direct purpose, "Warm-T", he exerted serious moral pressure on the enemy and even representatives of Western intelligence - his appearance simply instilled fear in all those who saw him, but did not know him functions.
The direct combat function of the gas-dynamic minesweeper was the demining of the territory on land. Moreover, the principle of operation of "Warm-T" is no less interesting than its appearance.
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A helicopter engine was installed on the machine, the power of which was enough to warm up the ground under the tank. If there was a mine in that area, the temperature rise provoked its detonation without danger to personnel and other military equipment. According to some reports, the minesweeper could even straighten the asphalt.
However, at work in Afghanistan, the story of the unique minesweeper ended - there is not a single mention of the machine called "Progrev-T" in the sources. Most likely, the tank did not meet the expectations of the command, and the project was covered up. The fate of the only copy of the minesweeper is also unknown.
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However, this monster still left some trace in history. A similar operating principle, which was used in Progrev-T, is used today in several types of special equipment. Examples of such machines can be seen in airports and military airfields - where they are used to clear snow and ice from the runway.
Continuing the topic: UR-88 "Oboe": Soviet flamethrower tank, which was intended for sappers
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/200520/54590/