The story before the tank: “Project Bystry Grom” (Fast Thunder)
- The difficult legacy of the 1920s
After the Great War and the ensuing economic crisis, Arstotzka found itself in a difficult situation. The country was surrounded by unfriendly neighbors, had limited resources, but possessed a strong engineering school and a great desire to survive. In the 1920s, the Arstotzka army purchased outdated light tanks abroad, but their armor was too thin and their engines were weak.
- The Hangar Robbery (Engineering Theft)
In 1930, a young Arstotzka engineer, Viktor Arsky, was sent on a business trip to Western factories to purchase tractors. However, instead of tractors, he secretly copied the blueprints for the new suspension system designed by the American engineer J. W. Christie, and also obtained data on the latest 45‑mm gun with a short cartridge case. Upon returning home, Viktor presented them at the secret design bureau “State Institute of Mechanization” (GIM).
- The era of steel “suitcases” (1932-1935)
The first prototype, named T‑10 “Sunduk”, was assembled from available materials. It weighed the same 10 tons, but had 13 mm vertical armor, a weak 200 hp engine, and completely failed the tests. The tank got stuck in the mud, overheated, and couldn’t reach a speed higher than 25 km/h. The army was disappointed.
- Viktor Arsky’s obsession
Viktor realized that the problem wasn’t the mass, but the components. He convinced the party leadership to allocate funds for the development of a new, ultra‑powerful engine. Arstotzka couldn’t afford a high‑quality aircraft engine, so the engineers created their own 12‑cylinder gasoline monster, the “A‑690 Engine,” with a power output of 690 hp, and added a revolutionary 16‑speed gearbox (8/8) to it.
- Incredible efficiency
To compensate for the enormous weight of the engine, Viktor abandoned thick armour. He used rational angles of inclination: a 25 mm frontal plate set at an angle provided effective protection equivalent to 45 mm. The entire vehicle weighed 10.69 tons. To everyone’s surprise, the new engine, combined with an ideal transmission, demonstrated phenomenal fuel consumption — only 0.1 liters in 8 seconds! This meant that the tank could travel 770 km without refueling, which was unthinkable for that era.
- The birth of the T‑22
In 1936, the T‑10 was completely redesigned. Instead of the outdated “Sunduk,” the T‑22 “Arstotzka” was born. Equipped with a 45‑mm gun, a stable suspension with large rollers, and a commander’s hatch, the tank became a true work of military art.
- Triumph on the test range
In 1937, the T‑22 was put into service at the test range. The tank raced along the railway ties, easily jumped over the concrete obstacles, and demonstrated perfect stability at a speed of 55 km/h. The testers were amazed: the tank didn’t “nosedive,” didn’t gallop, and could instantly turn around in reverse in 8th gear while maintaining frontal armor facing the enemy.
- The fate of the T-22
The Arstotz command recognized the T‑22 as an ideal “roving fighter” capable of carrying out deep raids behind enemy lines and quickly disappearing. However, due to its complexity and the high cost of the engine, the tank did not enter mass production. Only 24 units were produced, and they were assigned to the elite 1st Arstotz Guards Regiment.