The emergence and development of nuclear energy could not fail to interest the military, and in a variety of areas. The reactor seemed to be a very promising power plant, and in the 50s of the twentieth century, tanks with such installations - "atomic tanks", were being developed in several countries at once. One of the first and, perhaps, the most unusual project was proposed by Chrysler for the US Army - TV-8.
According to Chrysler's classification, TV-8 is a medium tank with a mass of twenty-five tons and a crew of four. The length was 8.9 m, width / height - 3.4 / 2.9 m. The unusual layout was interesting - a tower, weighing 15 tons, and a separate chassis, weighing 10 tons. The tower could be detached for easy transportation. Absolutely everything - the engine, weapons, and the crew - was planned to be placed in the turret.
This design was designed to provide the TV-8 with the ability to move not only on land, but also on water: the tower was waterproof. For movement on water, water jet pumps were installed. Chrysler TV-8 was planned in such a way as to protect the crew from a nuclear explosion - without opening the hatches, the crew could observe the situation through a video camera system (they were also supposed to save from a bright nuclear flash).
The first proposed power plant for this tank was the usual three-hundred-horsepower Chrysler TV-8, which would turn a generator that feeds a pair of electric motors - one for each track (70 cm wide). The nuclear power plant concept replaced the V8 with a "steam engine" powered by a nuclear reactor.
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The armor was two-layer: the outer one was multi-layer, the inner one was ordinary thick steel. The original shape of the tower increased the percentage of ricochets in the event of enemy shells hitting it. The armament consisted of: a 90 mm T208 gun with a hydraulic aiming mechanism, a pair of coaxial 7.62 mm machine guns, and another 12.7 mm machine gun equipped with a remote control.
In the course of considering the project (like its predecessors TV1 and R23), problems also emerged: a possible long power reserve did not mean the duration of the tank's autonomous use - the stock of ammunition, spare parts and the resource of the tracks were limited. The installed reactor also posed a threat - in the event of an accident or defeat by the enemy, it would pollute a large area. Only specially trained people could service such machines. Well, the cost - it was much higher than in the production of ordinary tanks.
All these factors ultimately did not give any victory to Chrysler TV-8 in the "battle" with conventional tanks, and therefore on April 3, 1956, the project of one of the most unusual tanks was finally closed. Only a model was built, not a single copy of the TV-8 was assembled.