Object 287 Tank: An experimental missile tank of the Soviet Union

2025-10-07

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Object 287 is a Soviet experimental medium missile tank, developed between 1961 and 1965 at the Experimental Design Bureau of Transport Engineering of the Leningrad Kirov Plant (OKBT LKZ) under the direction of Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin. This project was conceived as an innovative vehicle with guided missile armament, enhanced anti-nuclear and anti-cumulative protection, designed to engage enemy armored vehicles at long ranges in a nuclear conflict. Object 287 lacked a traditional turret, replacing it with a rotating platform with a retractable launcher for 9M15 Typhoon anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), as well as a combination of 2A25 Molniya smoothbore guns for close-quarters combat. Several prototypes (No. 1, No. 3, No. 5) were built, undergoing factory and field trials from 1964 to 1967, demonstrating a high speed of up to 66 km/h and cross-country capability. However, the project was not accepted into service due to shortcomings of the missile system, competition with other developments, and a doctrinal shift toward classic OMBTs. Object 287 became one of the last experiments in the USSR's "missile tank" line, embodying the transition from barrel-based to combined armament and influencing the integration of ATGMs into subsequent tanks such as the T-64B and T-72B, highlighting the evolution of Soviet armored vehicles during the Cold War.

Background and creation

In the early 1960s, the Soviet Union, strengthening its armored forces in response to the growing NATO threat and nuclear parity with the United States, sought ways to modernize its arsenal. The lessons of the Hungarian crisis (1956) and the Berlin ultimatum (1961) highlighted the need for tanks capable of engaging at extreme ranges, withstanding radiation and shaped-charge warheads, and engaging low-flying targets. Intelligence reports on American M60 Patton tanks with 105mm guns and prospective TOW systems highlighted the lag in guided weapons. A decree of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers dated February 17, 1961, and an order of the General Command of the Ground Forces (GKSV) dated March 16, 1961, tasked the Leningrad Tank Plant with developing a medium tank with guided weapons, enhanced anti-nuclear protection, and anti-shaped-charge screens. The mission included a range of 3-4 km, a crew of no more than three, a weight of up to 40 tons, and the integration of antitank guided missiles for a "high-precision" strike. Competitors included the Kharkov Plant Design Bureau (Object 436 with the Cobra) and the Chelyabinsk Design Bureau (T-64).

Development of Object 287 began in January 1962 under the direction of Zh. Ya. Kotin, with lead designer A. A. Blinov and a team of 150 specialists, including optoelectronics specialists from the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant (ZOMZ) for night sights. It was based on the T-64 (Object 432) chassis, with a borrowed 5TD powerplant and suspension. The preliminary design from January 1962 envisioned a classic turret with 73-mm cannons and ATGMs, but following research in 1963 (the cannons' insufficient power against Chieftains), the turret was abandoned. Instead, a rotating platform on the roof of the hull with a retractable hatch for 9M15 Typhoon ATGMs (range 4 km, penetration 500 mm) was installed. In 1963–1964, the design was further modified, adding two 73-mm 2A25 Molniya smoothbore guns in a hull for close combat, twin PKT machine guns, and the Klin system (a driver's night sight from ZOMZ). The first prototype (No. 1) was assembled in early 1964 at LKZ, using T-64 components. Factory testing from April to October 1964 included a 1000-km run and 200 missiles fired, confirming 85% accuracy at 3 km.

In 1965, additional prototypes were built: No. 3 for gas turbine tests (two 700-hp GTD-3TM engines) and No. 5 for joint tests with the GBTU. State tests at the Kubinka test site in 1966–1967 revealed advantages: a speed of 66 km/h, underwater propulsion (depth 1,4 m), and protection against 100-mm HEAT rounds. Disadvantages: the instability of the Typhoon (failure in 20% of launches), difficulty in extending the platform (10–15 seconds), and overheating of the electronics. In September 1968, the project was closed: priority went to Object 434 with the Cobra (based on the T-64), as well as the T-72 with combined armament. Khrushchev's reforms (1960s) focused on missiles, not "hybrids." Prototypes: No. 1 and No. 5 in Kubinka (in storage, No. 1 partially dismantled), No. 3 for spare parts. Documentation transferred to Kharkov for the T-64B (Reflex ATGM, 1976). Object 287 became a "bridge" between the barrel-based and missile-based concepts, influencing the export T-55AD.

Design and specifications

Object 287 was designed as a medium tank destroyer with an emphasis on long-range guided weapons, a minimal crew, and enhanced protection against nuclear/cumulative effects. The layout is unusual: no turret — the crew is in the front driving compartment (isolated by a partition), the fighting compartment is in the center with the guns, and the rear contains the engine. The hull is welded from rolled armor (120-200 mm front at 65°, 80 mm sides), with anti-cumulative screens (10 mm grids) and a PAZ (anti-aerosol). Protection: the front withstands 100 mm APFSDS at 1 km, NBC filters, TDA. Rotating platform (360° in 15 sec) on the roof with a hydraulic hatch for ATGMs: extension in 5-10 sec, laser/wire guidance.

The armament is combined: the main one is the 9K15 Typhoon ATGM (4 missiles in a TPK, range 0,5–4 km, penetration 500 mm, manual guidance via wires, accuracy 90%). Additionally, there are two 73-mm smoothbore guns 2A25 Molniya (30-caliber barrel, penetration 300 mm at 1 km, ammunition 40 rounds each, rate of fire 10 rounds/min), twin 7,62-mm PKT (2000 rounds each). FCS: Spider optical sight (range 4 km), TPN-73 night sight (1 km), stabilization. Crew - 2 people (commander-operator, driver), with automatic loading of guns and missile launching.

Powerplant: 5TD (diesel, 700 hp), specific power of 19 hp/t. Speed: 66 km/h on the road, 40 km/h off-road. Cruising range: 500 km. Chassis: torsion bar from the T-64 (6 rollers per side). Underwater propulsion: OZ, speed: 8 km/h.

Specifications:

Weight: 36,5 tons
Crew: 2 people (commander-operator, driver-mechanic)
Armor: hull front - 120–200 mm (65°), sides - 80 mm with screens, rear - 50 mm
Armament: 9K15 Typhoon ATGM (4 missiles, range 4 km), two 73 mm 2A25 guns (80 rounds), two 7,62 mm PKT (4000 rounds)
Engine: 5TD, diesel, 700 hp
Speed: up to 66 km/h (highway), up to 40 km/h (rough terrain)
Power reserve: ~500 km (highway)
Suspension: torsion bar with 6 rollers per side
Overcoming obstacles: ditch - 2,5 m, wall - 0,7 m, ford - 1,4 m (underwater 1,4 m)

Combat application

Object 287 did not see combat, limited to testing. Factory Tests No. 1 (1964): 1000 km, 200 Typhoon launches (85% success rate), 300 cannon rounds. State Tests (1966–1967, Kubinka): maneuvers, firing in smoke/night, underwater forcing. Advantages: range, crew. Cancelled: 1968.