Steel Soviet Union

There are still many details that Malashenko wants to know about this powerful and unusual armored beast.

It can be seen that the Project 260 prototype in this tampered timeline is indeed very different from the IS7 in existing history. To fully understand it, we must rely on its creator, Shash Mullin. Introduce yourself.

"We have put all our efforts and efforts into installing all the details that can be considered and the reliable technologies that can be used, just so that she can show her full strength in the prototype test."

"If she does go into production, some of the advantages and unique features of the existing prototype may be omitted given the cost of her prototype. It depends on what the military can accept as a reasonable cost." I hope you know how to balance this with the desired performance, Comrade General.”

There is a balance point between useful weapons and expensive weapons. How to accurately grasp this crucial balance point is related to the trade-off between performance and cost. This is what every weapons designer must consider. things.

The same is true for Shashmulin. He clearly knows that an excellent weapon should also have excellent cost control capabilities. Otherwise, it can only be an expensive vase that makes the military shake its head, even if it is really powerful. .

This prototype car, manufactured regardless of cost, can almost be regarded as the optimal state of Project 260.

The purpose is quite simple, as Shashmulin said: to present his masterpiece in its optimal state and to unleash its full potential on the proving ground. In this way, even if the military is dissatisfied with her performance and she loses the election, Shashmulin will admit it. After all, he has tried his best and will not have any regrets if he fails.

But once the prototype car is approved and officially wins the prototype test, the next thing will be relatively easy to handle.

First understand the customer's needs, understand the highest mass production cost that the military, which is quite satisfied with the prototype vehicle testing, can accept, and where is the lowest bottom line of reduced performance.

As long as these two key parameters are obtained, Shashmulin can further control the mass production cost and modify the performance of the prototype based on this, in order to meet the requirements of the military and achieve the closest to perfect mass production state. , and officially put into the first batch of production work.

This kind of prototype vehicle construction method and process was not used much in the past. In most cases, Soviet tank prototypes were castrated products with deleted functions and incomplete equipment.

On the one hand, this is because wartime conditions are limited, time is tight, and tasks are heavy. We should finish the main design part first and then start manufacturing the prototype immediately. We first come up with a minimum performance index, which means that the lower limit of the mass-produced car will not be lower than this. Go show it to the military.

The advantage of this is that it can greatly save time on the project, produce a prototype that can be used for performance demonstration as soon as possible, and simplify everything, especially for the Soviet Red Army, which was in a strategic disadvantage and urgently needed new tanks to reverse the situation on the battlefield. Important, for example, this was the case with the first few prototypes of the IS6 project jointly launched by Malashenko and Kotin.

In the later first batch of mass-produced models, many of the incomplete details of the prototypes were only added at that time. If Karamov hadn't led others later to make major changes and upgrades to the IS6 prototype that Malashenko retired, then the overall performance of this thing would be really inferior to the mass-produced version, and many details would actually be different. It's so perfect, it's just for use.

The second reason is the cost budget control issue. Deleting and reducing decorations on the prototype car can further reduce costs. This is very important when the project funds themselves are not large or the cost of the prototype car is somewhat overrun. As for whether the military can accept the slightly higher unit price of a production vehicle, that will have to wait until they see the actual performance of the prototype vehicle.

If the performance is really very powerful and the money spent is worth the money, then the cost of a mass-produced car is actually acceptable as long as it is not too much higher. The IS6 is also a representative of this aspect. Its mass production unit price is a full 15% higher than the expected price set by the military. This is the final result of Kejing's efforts to reduce the cost of the entire vehicle and try not to affect too much performance. result.

Although it is a bit expensive, the IS6 is indeed worth the money, and it can even be said to be excellent value for money.

Malashenko’s evaluation is: “In terms of comprehensive battlefield performance, the combat effectiveness of IS6 has at least doubled on the basis of IS2. In most cases, one IS6 can be competent for tasks that two IS2s can or even cannot complete. ". After all, IS6's mobility and protection are greatly improved compared to IS2, which can be said to be a qualitative change.

It is better able to withstand punches and runs faster, and it also inherits the satisfying and powerful firepower of IS2 as always, which means that IS6's tactical flexibility options are much higher than those of IS2. Even some tasks that were originally impossible for IS2, such as high-speed rescue of medium tank troops for heavy fire support, can be accomplished by IS6.

Therefore, Malashenko's statement that "IS6's combat effectiveness is doubled compared to IS2" is really not a lie. Compared with the 15% over-budget premium, it would be really good if the combat effectiveness is doubled!

If they only accept the price and ignore the improvement in combat effectiveness, and use this as an excuse to reject the IS6 project, then the Soviet decision-makers really have a problem with their brains and are on par with the Germans.

Although the higher mass production costs have led to a relatively slow increase in IS6 production, it is indeed incomparable with the production speed when IS2 was put into mass production. To this day, there are still many main Guards tank units queuing up waiting to be replaced. Not to mention the ordinary tank troops. As long as they can get IS6, no matter how many they are, it is worth bragging to their brother troops.

However, judging from the actual combat feedback of these main Guards tank units that have received IS6, Malashenko’s original evaluation of IS6 was completely correct, and the actual combat results were also very good. Compared with the higher cost and slower production speed, All are acceptable.

Now among those front-line troops who have received IS6, there is even a weird saying that "IS6 is a weighted super version of T34".

Although Kotin knows that such remarks are recognition and praise of the powerful performance of the IS6, to be honest, his masterpiece has been given a "Molozov-like" name, which is more or less arrogant. Jing felt something was wrong in his heart.

This is just like the girl next door who was born two years earlier is very beautiful, and your girl who was born two years later is even more beautiful, and then others say, "Your girl is simply an enhanced version of the girl next door."

As a father, of course you are happy and you know it is a compliment, but you still feel that something is wrong and a little weird, as if something has turned green.

If you can experience this feeling, then you can understand what Ke Jing feels like.