kv 3

Intro The KV-3 was a Soviet heavy tank project developed during World War II. It was intended to be a more heavily armed and armored successor to the KV-1 and KV-2, but the project was ultimately cancelled before mass production due to shifting wartime priorities and the German invasion in 1941. --- ? General Overview Name: KV-3 (Object 150) Country: Soviet Union Type: Heavy tank (prototype) Era: Early World War II Designer: Kirov Factory, Leningrad Status: Cancelled (never completed) --- ? Design Purpose The KV-3 was designed as part of a series of upgrades to the Klim Voroshilov (KV) heavy tank line. It was meant to: Counter new German heavy tanks that were anticipated in the early 1940s. Serve as a superior breakthrough tank with high armor protection and powerful armament. Eventually become the standard Soviet heavy tank. --- ? Specifications (Planned / Estimated) Feature Details Weight ~68–70 tons (estimated) Armor Thickness Up to 120 mm (frontal) Main Armament 107 mm ZiS-6 gun (planned) Secondary Armament 3 x 7.62 mm DT machine guns Engine V-2SN (supercharged diesel, ~1200 hp planned) Speed ~35 km/h (estimated) Crew 5–6 --- ? Development History Initially conceived in 1940 as part of the KV-1 upgrade program. Multiple variants of KV tanks were being developed in parallel: KV-1 (standard) KV-2 (armed with 152 mm howitzer) KV-3, KV-4, and KV-5 (experimental super-heavy concepts) The KV-3 was selected as the most realistic of the heavy tank upgrades. Timeline: March 1941: Development orders placed. June 1941: Project was disrupted by Operation Barbarossa (German invasion). The Kirov Factory was evacuated from Leningrad to Chelyabinsk ("Tankograd"). Project was cancelled due to shifting needs toward faster and more practical tank production like the T-34 and simplified KV-1 variants. --- ? Why It Was Cancelled The 107 mm ZiS-6 gun was never put into mass production. The tank was too large and complex to be easily produced