SMK

SMK

SMK

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.7	3.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Heavy tank

Purchase:1 300

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Description

The SMK is a premium Rank II Soviet heavy tank with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals". The SMK was named after Sergei Mironovich Kirov, an early Communist Party official who was assassinated in 1934. A twin-turret heavy tank, the SMK provides an interesting play style to its users. Only one prototype was built before the project was dropped.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret fronts)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	75 mm (30°) Front plate 75 mm (76°) Front glacis 75 mm (48-74°)	60 mm	55 mm (26-71°) Top 55 mm (9-63°) Bottom	30 mm
Main Turret	60 mm (4-70°) Turret front 60 mm (3-56°) Gun mantlet	60 mm (14-17°)	60 mm (15-16°)	30 mm
Secondary Turret	60 mm (11-47°) Turret front 60 mm (4-59°) Gun mantlet	60 mm (9-16°)	60 mm (15°)	30 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	60 mm	30 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
• Column elevating main turret is 60 mm thick with a range of 12-18° of slope.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
55.0	N/A	38 (AB)
		35 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	1,097	1,351
Realistic/Simulator	752	850
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	19.94	24.56
Realistic/Simulator	13.67	15.45

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm L-11
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
113			-7°/+35°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	8.9	12.4	_.__	_.__	_.__
Realistic	8.9	10.5	_.__	_.__	_.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
8.1	_.__	_.__	_.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
BR-240	APHEBC	62	59	45	35	29	26
O-240	HE	4	4	4	4	4	4
BR-240SP	AP	73	68	51	35	25	17
BR-240P	APCR	103	94	64	40	21	17

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
BR-240	APHEBC	760	1.4	1.2	15	32.3	+4°	48°	63°	71°
O-240	HE	343	2.2	0.4	0.3	118	+0°	79°	80°	81°
BR-240SP	AP	757	1.4	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
BR-240P	APCR	985	0.85	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks for the SMK.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Recommendations	Visual discrepancy
113	108 (+5)	102 (+11)	90 (+23)	78 (+35)	1 (+112)	No

Turret empty: 102 (+11)

Additional armament

45 mm 20-K
Front turret mount
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
300			-7°/+25°	±135°	N/A
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	8.9	12.4	_.__	_.__	_.__
Realistic	8.9	10.5	_.__	_.__	_.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert Qualif.	Prior + Ace Qualif.
3.8	_.__	_.__	_.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M72 shot	AP	96	95	81	66	54	45
M48 shell	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
M62 shot	APCBC	79	78	72	65	58	52

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
M72 shot	AP	588	6.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
M48 shell	HE	448	6.3	0.4	0.5	666	+0°	79°	80°	81°
M62 shot	APCBC	588	6.8	1.2	20	63.7	+4°	48°	63°	71°

Smoke characteristic
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):
M89	259	3	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	Visual discrepancy
300	1 (+299)	No

Machine guns

12.7 mm DK
Turret rear mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
600 (50)				600	-10°/+1°	±15°

Usage in the battles

Confidently stand against most enemy tanks especially if they are without support, use caution against engaging multiple targets from a distance however as a track hit will end any day on the battlefield, the SMK packs its biggest punch up close and cannot expect to survive against sniping units if caught in the open. Keep the tank moving as much as possible and slightly angled facing enemies direct. When engaging heavies it's best to not go toe to toe head on however by disabling a track or turret the SMK can hold itself up in close proximity to most heavy enemy tanks. HE and shrapnel shells are not this tanks forte, rather its APHE rounds ussually due the trick against most enemy units.

Attack and break enemy lines, The SMK is very much a tank worthy of entitling "Not one step back"! A fast load rate and dual turret firing system allow this tank multiple scores even when surrounded or disabled, and the sizeable crew enables quick repair, which is great as its size makes the SMK a juicy target that is more than capable of withstanding incredible amounts of damage. Great at providing weaker units cover and protection from enemy fire, the one two punch of its cannons reward players that love using more aggressive playing styles.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Two turrets, two guns. A punchy 45 mm and a slow, but steady 76 mm
• Good thick armour
• Outstanding Mobility for a heavy tank (15 hp/t)
• Can defend itself even when one gunner is injured thanks to the two turrets
• Very difficult to destroy in one hit
• Having one of the gunner crews knocked out will not render the SMK ineffective due to presence of second gun

Cons:

• Gigantic size, very easy target
• The additional turret won't really help when being circled
• Huge, flat armour on the sides
• Somewhat unique playstyle which may need practice
• Comes up against Panzer IVs with the long barrel 75mm gun, which will easily penetrate the armour
• Big ammo rack in the second turret (cannot be removed)
• Bad reverse gear

History

Development

The development of the SMK began after the T-35 heavy tank flaws came to light. The T-35 was unreliable and expensive, so the project was made to replace it. The project was headed by former OKMO designer N. Barykov and started in 1937 at the Bolshevik Plant with a specification that the tank could withstand 45 mm hits from point-blank ranges and 75 mm artillery at 1,200 meters. The design drawn up in 1938 was still a multi-turret design like the T-35, but the number of turrets were reduced to just two and a wide-track torsion-bar suspension was utilized instead of a spring suspension. The SMK was also redesigned to two different prototypes, the one with two turrets and the other with a single turret installed instead. These two designs were approved by Stalin and the single turret one was named after then Soviet Defense Commissar Kliment Voroshilov as the KV, the forerunner for the KV-1 heavy tanks.

The SMK design weighed 55 tons and had two turrets mounted with one in front of the other, with the one in the mid-hull area as the main turret and the one in front as the secondary turret. The main turret was mounted higher than the secondary and had the 76.2 mm L-11 gun mounted while the smaller one had a 45 mm 20-K gun mounted. The design was powered by a GAM-34BT engine that produces 850 hp for the vehicle. The tank suspension was a torsion-bar suspension for improved smoothness over other suspension designs. Armour on the front hull was 75 mm thick in the front and 60 mm on the sides.

Testing

As part of the heavy tank evaluations, the designs submitted for the project were to be battle-tested. The SMK, two KV-1, and two T-100 prototypes were sent to Finland during the Winter War and took part in the Battle of Summa. These vehicles formed the 91st Tank Battalion in the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade. The SMK, however, was immobilized by a Finnish anti-tank mine during combat and because of its heavy 55-ton weight, attempt at recovering the vehicle failed and had to be left behind for two months before Soviet forces could break the Finnish defenses to secure it. Before being recovered, the Finnish were able to document and photograph the SMK thoroughly. When German intellegence discovered the SMK, it was designated the T-35C, which caused the misunderstanding that the T-35 also took part in the Winter War when it did not.

The failure of the SMK in the Winter War in contrast to the success of the KV-1 prototypes caused the KV-1 design to be accepted into service in December 19, 1939 as the Soviet's main heavy tank. The SMK thus never reached pass the development stage and was left with only one prototype produced.

Media

Skins and camouflages for the SMK from live.warthunder.com.

Read also

• Russian Tanks - HEAVY SOVIET TANK SMK

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.