Hello.

The model number in the T-series Russian tanks seem to represent either the year of first production or the year of approved design, e.g. T-26 / T-28 / T-34 / T-35 / T-54 / T-72 / T-80.

Now, what about the T-60 and T-70 light tanks used during WWII. The model numbers of these tanks obviously do not represent years, then what? They seem to stand apart from the rest of the T-series.

Anybody care to shed some light on this question?

It's a misnomer to assume the model number relates to the year a design was accepted E.g T-26 was adopted in 1931 and the T-34 in 1940.

David

T-26 and T-34 correspond to years, whether as conception of design, adoption, or production. The numbers both refer to a year of some sort.

But T-60 and T-70 obviously do not correspnd to years at all.

You've also missed the T-30 and T-40. The T-40 was an amphibous light tank that replaced the T-37 and T-38 series and then the T-30 was a later non-amphibious version of the T-40. Additionally, the T-50 light infantry tank was in use during WW2 as well. Therefore, I doubt the number equates to a year in Soviet nomenclature.

In post WW2 numbering, the Soviet T-10 was the successor to the IS-3 Stalin.

IIRC the T-34 was based on the T-30 (A-20), as the design was improved the number increased T-31, T-32 & T-33, until finally the T-34. Design on the T-34 started in 1936/7.

Also IIRC design on the T-54 started in 1946 and it entered production in 1947 and service in 1949.

True, after Stalin's death (1953?) the IS/JS prefix was removed and the T-10 was reborn(?). It was the JS-10 that became the T-10.

Martin, I believe the Russians referred to prototype and concepts as ‘Object’ and then a number (Object 730 referred to the JS-10/IS-10/T-10).

This a good article written by Cookie Sewell for the US Army's Armor Magazine (The Armor Branch's Professional Journal). It will lay out some of the tank production by year and show there is sometimes correlation by year and name and other times not.
http://www.knox.army.mil/center/ocoa/ArmorMag/ja98/4sewell98.pdf

I think this usually comes up because of the small arms system. Russian tank designations seem to be generally unrelated to year. On the other hand, small arms (such as the AK series...47, 74, 101 and some submachine guns) do related directly to the year. The famous AK47 for examply, is Avtomat Kalishnakov, model 1947. The AK101 would be model 2001. The tendancy is to learn this and apply it to other designation classes, such as tanks, which is a mistake.