T-26-4

This page is about the Soviet light tank T-26-4. For other versions, see T-26 (Family).

T-26-4

T-60

T-26-4

T-60

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

Description

The T-26-4 is a rank I Soviet light tank with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.51 "Cold Steel". It is a variant of the T-26 with a 76 mm howitzer.

The T-26-4 is a rather unusual tank, combining average speed, thin armour and a large gun. It uses the same hull as T-26 and an enlarged turret not dissimilar to the T-28's main turret, able to mount the 76 mm KT-28 howitzer.

This tank and its gun can be roughly compared to its German peer, the Pz.IV C and its 7.5 cm KwK37.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull15 / 15 / 15

Turret15 / 15 / 15

Crew3 people

Visibility75 %

15 mm thick plates cover most of the visible parts of the tank but this is thin, even for the BR. With just 3 crew members and slow speed, the chances of surviving for extended periods in front-line combat are low. However, a skilled tanker can use the small profile of the tank to hide in ambush positions and utilize its 76 mm APHEBC rounds to destroy light and medium targets.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	15 mm (18°) Driver's plate 15 mm (1°) Front plate 7 mm (64-80°) Front glacis 15 mm (6-52°) Lower glacis	15 mm (0-1°)	15 mm (1-31°) Top 15 mm (11°) Bottom	10 mm Hull 6 mm Rear
Turret	15 mm (0-3°) Turret front 15 mm (6-7°) Gun mantlet	15 mm (0-1°)	15 mm (1°)	10 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheel is 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 6 mm thick

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB34 / 4 km/h

RB and SB31 / 4 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight11.0 t

Engine power

AB174 hp

RB and SB91 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB15.8 hp/t

RB and SB8.3 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	34	4	11	141	174	12.82	15.82
Realistic	31	4		80	91	7.27	8.27

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB106 → 136

RB95 → 122

SB111 → 142

Total cost of modifications2 970

890

Talisman cost190

Crew training200

Experts1 000

Aces20

Research Aces96 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

10 / 10 / 20 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 200 Cost: 60 50 Suspension Research: 165 Cost: 50 40 Brake System Research: 165 Cost: 50 40 Filters Research: 250 Cost: 75 65 Transmission Research: 320 Cost: 95 80 Engine Research: 320 Cost: 95 80	Improved Parts Research: 200 Cost: 60 50 Improved FPE Research: 165 Cost: 50 40 Crew Replenishment Research: 250 Cost: 75 65	Horizontal Drive Research: 200 Cost: 60 50 Adjustment of Fire Research: 165 Cost: 50 40 Elevation Mechanism Research: 250 Cost: 75 65 Artillery Support Research: 320 Cost: 95 80

As usual, Parts and FPE are the most important modules to research first. After that, mobility upgrades will be very useful, since the tank has below-average mobility when stock. Even more important than mobility, perhaps, are the Horizontal Drive and Elevation Mechanism modifications. These will improve the vehicle's poor turret traverse speeds. Finally, the BR-350A APHEBC shell has more penetration and contains more explosive filler than the stock Shrapnel shell. If you are having difficulties with penetrating or destroying enemy targets using the Shrapnel shell, this modification will prove invaluable.

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm KT-28 cannon

Ammunition50 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

5.2 → 4.0 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 21°

76 mm KT-28					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	50	-5°/+21°	±180°	N/A	15.2	21.1	25.6	28.3	30.1	5.20	4.60	4.24	4.00
Realistic					9.5	11.2	13.6	15.0	16.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
BR-350A (MD-5 fuze)	APHEBC	37	37	34	30	27	24
OF-350M	HE	11	11	11	11	11	11
Sh-353	Shrapnel	18	17	15	13	12	10

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
BR-350A (MD-5 fuze)	APHEBC	370	6.3	1.2	14	155	48°	63°	71°
OF-350M	HE	387	6.2	0.05	0.1	710	79°	80°	81°
Sh-353	Shrapnel	381	6.44	1.2	14	85	62°	69°	73°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the T-26-4

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
50	45 (+5)	39 (+11)	29 (+21)	1 (+49)	No

Note:

• Turret empty: 39 (+11) shells.

Machine guns

7.62 mm DT machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 890 rounds

Belt capacity63 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

7.62 mm DT machine gun

Ammunition1 890 rounds

Belt capacity63 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

7.62 mm DT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,890 (63)	600	N/A	N/A
Rear	1,890 (63)	600	±15°	±15°

The small calibre of the 7.62 mm DT machine gun makes it largely ineffective against armoured vehicles except for ones with an open compartment. Despite this, the machine gun can still be used to ping targets as a rangefinding tool or to mow down minor obstacles that are blocking your line of sight. The clip capacity of the DT is poor compared to belt-fed machine guns like the M1919A4 as it relies on pan magazines with 63 bullets each and will have to reload in-between.

Usage in battles

All three of this tank's shells have a very low muzzle velocity, which means that engaging targets at long range, or even at medium range, is difficult. Users of the T-26-4 may find that the vehicle does the most damage up close, where aiming is easier. Fortunately, most engagements at this tier are close-quarters.

The lack of armour is really something to be kept in mind, as machine guns like the M2HB will be able to go through your thickest pieces of armour (15 mm). Avoid enemy vehicles and situations in which they can get the first shot. Driving under cover is advisable to avoid being spotted. If you spot an enemy vehicle, engage and destroy them as soon as possible to avoid them becoming a threat.

Staying under trees and close to buildings is also recommended if there are enemy aircraft above, as enemy aircraft like the He 112 A-0, the D.501, and the F3F-2 are capable of punching through the T-26-4's thin armour with their heavier armaments. Not to mention many aircraft carry bombs. Large bombs that land close to the T-26-4 have a high chance of significantly damaging or destroying the vehicle. If you are out in the open and hear a loud siren, it may mean that an incoming German Ju 87 B-2 Stuka is most likely diving on you with a bomb.

In terms of mobility, this vehicle sometimes struggles to get into the close engagements that it can be effective in. It has quite poor mobility compared to its peers (the BT-5, for example), and therefore can miss out on the first stages of a battle. The slow speed also means that long flanking manoeuvres may be difficult to pull off. Therefore, this tank finds success as an ambusher or as a direct supporter of friendly vehicles. It is suggested that team play is vital to being successful in this vehicle.

The T-26-4 has quite a high-calibre gun for this rank, but the stock shrapnel shell has poor penetration (despite its high post-penetration damage). It is often unable to penetrate enemy tanks frontally, and against some vehicles, such as the Pz.III E, it can't penetrate even the side armour. This makes flanking even more important for this vehicle--otherwise, the player will often find themselves unable to deal damage to the enemy. Once the BR-350A shell is researched, the gun will be able to penetrate most tanks at this battle rating through their frontal armour, and finding side-shots will become less important.

If possible, concentrate your fire on lightly armoured vehicles. It's dangerous to go alone, so be sure to stay near teammates. Otherwise, you may risk an encounter with a tank that you won't be able to penetrate.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• The APHEBC shell can easily destroy most enemies with a single shot
• Manoeuvrability is quite good
• Decent reload speed
• Somewhat bouncy turret cheeks
• High shell drop can allow firing at targets over hills
• Small size allows it to hide in small places

Cons:

• Thin armour
• The three crew members are tightly packed together, which significantly reduces survivability
• Poor mobility overall; has low top speed due to its weak engine
• Very slow reverse speed of only -3 km/h
• Average turret rotation and hull traverse
• Average -5° gun depression limits its potential in hilly terrains
• High shell drop can be tricky to learn
• Some ammo racks are located inside the turret which may explode when hit

History

The T-26-4 light tank is a variant of the T-26 light tank in Soviet services. Instead of mounting a 45 mm 20-K cannon as its main armament, the T-26-4 mounts the 76 mm KT-28 tank gun. This modification is intended to allow the T-26 to fill the role of an infantry support artillery vehicle. The turret is similar to the T-28 medium tank's turret, if not the same.

The T-26-4 design was tested in October 1933 with five prototypes constructed. It was in these trials that the 76.2 mm KT cannon was chosen instead of the more powerful and innovative 76.2 mm PS-3 cannon because the PS-3's recoil caused damage to the prototype chassis it was fitted to. A production run of 50 of the 76.2 mm KT - armed tanks was scheduled in 1935, but an incident on September 19, 1934, with an accidental shell detonation, caused the Soviet military to cancel the order. The T-26-based artillery idea was brought up again in 1939 with a proposal for a new turret armed with the 76 mm L-10, but this was rejected by engineers as they determined that the ageing T-26 chassis would not be able to handle the extra modifications.

The T-26-4's turret was later re-developed and used on the BT-7A light tank in 1939-1940, intended for the same role.

Archive of the in-game description

An experimental version of a fire support light tank. Even before the T-26 began serial production the authorities of the Red Army raised the question of enhancing the tank's weaponry and building a fire-support tank. The process of designing a turret for the 76 mm cannon began in February, 1932. An experimental model of the T-26-4 was built in November, 1932. After it underwent successful testing in 1933 the factory received an order to build a base batch of five vehicles. The new vehicles entered military testing in 1934. After testing was complete an experimental batch of 50 vehicles was planned. However, during a drill near Leningrad an incident occurred, after which the decision was made to cancel the production of the experimental batch. All further work on this vehicle was cancelled.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the T-26-4 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

T-26-4 Tank Review - NUSensei

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• T-26 (Family)
• SU-5-1

External links

• [Development] Pz-35t & T-26-4

Experimental Design and Mechanical Engineering Department
Light Tanks
T-26	T-26 · T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.) · T-26E · T-26-4
T-50	T-50 · T-126
Heavy Tanks	T-35
Tank Destroyers	SU-5-1 · SU-100Y
Export
T-26	␗T-26 · T-26 No.531
See Also	Omsk Transport Engineering Plant