The T-60 sported four rubber-tired road wheels to a track side. The track systems straddled the welded hull and were supported by three track return rollers each. Suspension was via a torsion bar arrangement while each track was covered over in a thin armor "hood" covering. The glacis plate of the hull was well-sloped and slightly curved upward allowing for natural protection from incoming projectiles, small arms fire and artillery "spray". The hull contoured into a shallow superstructure with a sloped front facing and slab sides. The 360-degree, eight-sided traversing turret was fitted to the top of the superstructure and allowed for an unfettered field of engagement while also showcasing slanted facings for self-preservation. The turret design also proved easier to produce in quantity than previous light tank offerings. Vision slots were identifiable along the turret sides as well as the superstructure front. The engine was held in a rear compartment, powering the forward drive sprockets with the idler wheels held at the rear of the hull. Armor protection for the crew and critical systems alike ranged from 7mm to 35mm across critical facings. The T-60 was crewed by two personnel taking up the driver and gunner positions. Power was derived from a single GAZ-202 series 6-cylinder engine developing some 70-76 horsepower output. This supplied the tank with a top speed of up to 27.3 miles per hour as well as a range out to 217 to 270 miles on a 320 liter internal fuel tank. Armament was a combined showing of two gun types - primary armament was in the form of 1 x 20mm TNSh cannon with the secondary armament being 1 x 7.62mm DT general purpose machine gun in a co-axial turret mounting. 750 to 780 rounds of 20mm ammunition were carried aboard as well as 945 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
As the T-60's role on the battlefield became more defined and established, the chassis was used in a few variants of note. The T-60-1 was unveiled with a Zis-60 series engine delivering up to 110 horsepower for improved performance. The T-60A appeared with solid road wheels and increased armor protection. A proposal sought to fit a 23mm VYa series cannon in place of the base 20mm setup to produce an "up-gunned" T-60. This design fell to naught when it was realized that the recoil produced by the weapon had a dastardly effect of jamming the T-60 turret in place. Similarly-mind projects undertook the mounting of the proven 37mm Zis-19 cannon to the T-60 turret but the ammunition required for these guns were needed elsewhere along the list of Soviet Army priorities. The fitting of the 45mm Zis-19 series was also entertained but nothing became of this program. The T-60 chassis served as the basis for the abandoned T-90 anti-aircraft tank system. One interesting T-60 project undertaken in 1942 sought to convert the tank into a aerodynamic "glider" - attaching wings and a tail section to a lightened T-60 chassis - for delivery by TB-3 bombers to forward operating light elements. This project was inevitably canceled for there were no Soviet bombers capable of successfully delivering the tank in this form.
Captured Soviet systems in Romanian service were reconstituted as the TACAM T-60, a tank destroyer to be used against their former owners. Some 34 T-60s were captured by the Romanian Army and utilized as such until these systems were recaptured in turn by Soviet forces. Romania had, by this time, left their Axis-minded ways in August of 1944 to side with the Allies.
All other attempts to bring the T-60 to a more lethal state were abandoned with the arrival of the newer T-70 light tank series appearing in 1942. As T-70 numbers increased, T-60 needs decreased resulting in the end of the line for the little machine. Regardless, the T-60 proved an invaluable - if short-lived - addition to Soviet military actions against Germany in the early stages of the war.
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