BT-7 TD

Description

The BT-7 TD was a Soviet light tank, developed from the previous BT-5 light tank. Both designs shared the same 45 mm 20-K cannon aswell as coaxial DT machine gun. Unlike the BT-5, the BT-7s hull was welded and the shape of hull at front was also redesigned. The frontal armour protection was slightly increased from 13 to 20 mm of armour. New short-pitch tracks were installed and Mikulin M-17T engine which was a licensed copy of German BMW VI V-12 engine was used instead of the M-5-400 found in BT-5 and earlier BT series tanks. New turret turret featuring sloped armour was also adopted. The BT-7 was used during Winter War and Continuation war with Finland aswell as during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa. Their numbers greatly reduced due to combat losses after 1941, the BTs served for the remainder of war. One example in running condition is preserved to this day.

The BT-7 TD was introduced during Update "Hot Tracks" as reward for watching Enlisted streams on Twitch.tv. The BT-7 TD is identical to the BT-7 in every way except for the exclusive camouflage, of a BT tank during the battle of Moscow, similar to the one found on the T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.). The BT-7 TD features a very powerful gun on a highly mobile chassis, at the cost of no valuable armour. The tank commanders should utilize the speed of the BT to flank their enemies and shoot them from sides and then quickly change position and perform another ambush as the vehicle itself is very lightly armoured and any hit is fatal.

General info

Survivability and armour

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Notes

• Suspension wheels, tracks and torsion bars are 15 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 6 mm thick.
• Mudguards and storage boxes are 4 mm thick.
• There is a 4 mm internal wall separating the crew compartment from the engine compartment.

Mobility

Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the BT-7 (identical).

Notes:

• Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
• Turret empty: 147 (+41) shells.
• Turret and side racks empty: 89 (+99) shells.

Machine guns

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Deadly firepower at its BR: high penetration of up to 70 mm, with the 29 g TNT it can frontally knock out most tanks like Pz.II, Chi-Ha or M3 Stuart; its firepower is effective even in high tier battles, if aiming at the right spot
• One of the fastest tanks in the game, great acceleration and overall mobility makes it a nice point-capper, flanker and climber - can outrun the commonly seen M3 Stuart on road
• 3-4 second reload time is quick enough to destroy opponents it cannot knock out with a single shot, like Pz.IV C and LVT(A) series
• Adequate reverse speed of -10 km/h allows it to quickly retreat from danger when there is no time to turn around
• Small and low profile allows it to easily hide behind cover or bushes
• Winter camouflage comes as the standard camouflage, excellent on winter maps but may cause some issues in other climates

Cons:

• Poor survivability: non-existent armour on all sides plus the closely packed crew makes it vulnerable to autocannons (Pz.II, Flakpanzer I), heavy MG (M13 MGMC) and even solid shells
• Turret and hull traverse is rather slow, meaning it may not be able to keep track of fast targets- this is also a disadvantage in a close quarters duel, as other light tanks like M3 Stuart can turn way faster
• Although fast, it is still slower than the Sd.Kfz.234 series on road.
• Gun depression of only -6 degrees (worse than previous BT-5) means it cannot effectively fight in hills
• Fuel tanks and ammo are scattered inside and are prone to detonation upon being hit

History

Media

Skins and videos about the BT-7 can be used for the BT-7 TD

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the BT-7 TD from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.