Tankopedia
Early Cold WarLightLight TankSoviet Union

PT-76

In service 1951 - 1990s

Amphibious Soviet light tank that could swim rivers under its own power.

Built byStalingrad Tractor Plant

PT-76
PT-76, Verkhnyaya Pyshma Tank Museum — Vladimir Sappinen, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0

Development history

Built for river crossings, the PT-76 used hydrojets and a boat-like hull to swim without preparation. Armour was minimal - rifle-calibre protection only - but the chassis was so useful that it underpinned the BTR-50, ASU-85 and several Chinese types, and it was exported to more than 25 countries.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

  1. PT-76 model 1951

    1951

    Original D-56T gun without a muzzle brake.

  2. PT-76B

    1959

    Stabilised D-56TM gun, NBC protection and deeper wading ability.

  3. Type 63

    1963

    Chinese development with an 85 mm gun.

Notable actions

  • Vietnam War (Ben Het 1969)
  • Indo-Pakistani War 1971
  • Arab-Israeli wars