finish light tank Ps161 Psv.K/36, Finish modified Vicker 6-ton

[CaID 8,992]

 

I would like to make a suggestion for a interesting Finish tank, the Ps161 Psv.K/36 also know as Vickers 6-ton Type B Mk E

 

The Ps 161 was the military designation from Finland for the Vickers 6-ton Mk E. the tank was order from UK in 1937 and was delivered to Finland in 1938 to replace the Renault FT. only the gun was far from been powerful enough for Finland, the Orginal 47mm OQF 3-pounder was just barely better than the 37mm SA18 used by the Renault FT. to avoid to create more extensive supply, Finland ordered the Vickers 6-ton without armament. the Armament would be installed by them and chosen amounts of their own existing armament. at first, the 37mm SA18 was borrow from the Renault FT as a temporary main gun to allow the vehicles to train the crew. but this armament was only a place holder. as Finland was developing an modification to the field 37mm Psv.K/36 to be mounted in the Ps 161 turret. the Psv.K/36 was a license built of the Bofors 37 infanterikanon m/34 from Sweden. and like Finland, Sweden also adapted the gun on their tanks under the designation of 37 mm kan m/38; this make the Psv.K/36 a cousin to the Kan m/38. this gun was a lot better tank the SA18 or 3-pounder. it offer a high velocity rounds with decent anti-tank capacity. the rounds was also produced in Finland and is a bit different than the Swedish one. along with the gun, the tank received Finish Machine-gun. a 7.62 mm M/09-31 as coaxial,  and a 9 mm Suomi M/31 in the hull. the tank itself was a cousin to the Russian T-26. as the T-26 was a reverse engineered unlicensed version of the Vickers 6-ton.this make the Ps 161 an analogue tank to the T-26 and will have a pretty similar mobility in the battlefield. only the crew would be different since the Vickers 6-ton Mk E was having 4 men while the Russian was based on the Viickers 6-ton Type B from the 20s.

the tank was the backbone of the Finish army during the winter war. Finland having 2 battalion of 15 tank and 2 commanding tanks, had a total of 32 Ps 161 at their services. those tanks defended Finland against the Russian invasion and despite to be slightly inferior to the Russian T-26, Finland had show a pretty good effectiveness in the use of their tanks (and army in general). dealing a lot of lost to Russia, the Ps.161 still counted 26 tanks by the end of the Winter war in 1940, and their rank was grown by 34 captured T-26 and other captured tank. the use of the Ps.161 and other anti-tank weapons by Finland was known to penetrate the enemy tanks without completely destroying it. after the Winter war, Finland had a new border to protect and a short lasting peace came. having the T-26 in sufficient number, Finland came to the conclusion that the Ps 161 was not matching the firepower of the 45mm 20K from the T-26, if the penetration at short range was similar, the penetration at above 300mm was a lot different. the 45mm was also capable of a lot more damage and could use APHE rounds, while the Finish only used Solid rounds. this led to a decision to rearm the Ps 161 with Russian 45mm 20K in 1940. giving birth to a new vehicles that have his own suggestion

Firepower

the 37mm Psv.K/36 L/45 is basically the same gun as the 37mm Kan m/38 used by the WW2 Swedish light tank. only Finland had their own ammunition which would give the tank a slightly different firepower. even if the guns are different in the ammunition, the effectiveness will not be really different. the both gun can be just as useful in one or another situation, if we set aside the APDS which Finland never used. the rounds was offering a better penetration due to the fact it was fairly faster even if it wasn't caped. this will give it a bit more penetration but now in a noticeable way. the accuracy shall be about the same and fire-rate as well. the machine gun is finish made and an additional hull submachine gun is installed in the hull to clear the way from the infantry for the driver.

 

37 mm Psv.K/36					Turret  speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Capacity (magazine)		Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock			Aced		Stock	Aced
50 (1)		-10°/+25°	±180°	n/a	9.5			16.0		4.03	3.10

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
37 psav-Vj4K/36 p	AP	60	56	42	29	20	14
37 pstkr 27/34-ps R K/36 pp	APHE	55	51	37	25	15	10
37 pstkr 27/34-ps R K/36 pr	APHE	56	52	37	26	16	11
37 tkrv-Vj6-27/30 K/36 pr.	HE	4	4	4	4	4	4

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
37 psav-Vj4K/36 p	AP	810	0.74	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
37 pstkr 27/34-ps R K/36 pp	APHE	830	0.70	1.2	9	15	47°	60°	65°
37 pstkr 27/34-ps R K/36 pr	APHE	810	0.74	1.2	9	15	47°	60°	65°
37 tkrv-Vj6-27/30 K/36 pr.	HE	810	0.72	1.1	0.1	95	47°	60°	65°

 

 

Mobility

the tank mobility will be nothing so great. a bit like the T-26, it will show a average top speed but relatively slow acceleration. been lighter than the T-26, it powered with the similar engine power. this shall make it a bit more mobile but have a slower top speed due to the limitation of the gearbox (the T-26 was know to over heat because of the lack of limitation) the tank would offer a decent mobility but only in a minimal way. the tank would not be a great tank for flanking and rush in-front of their allies. weighting 8.6 tons, it was pretty light, and the engine providing 90 hp will give a power=weight of 10.70 hp/ton which is not so bad.

 

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse
Realistic	31	4	8.6	92		10.70

 

 

Protection

the armour of the Ps 161 will be a bit better than the Russian T-26. the armour is thicker in the more vulnerable place which allow it to have a bit more protection. almost capable to take HMG hit with angle. but the protection difference is nothing noticeable. the tank is also a bit more vulnerable in different place like the turret and rear of the hull. the roof is also less protected making the aircraft capable to penetrate it if they dive stiff enough. the crew of 4 men is a pretty good improvement over the T-26. the additional crew in the hull was assisting the driver and man the Sub machine-gun. the tank in general is fairly small making it easy enough to hide.

 

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	17 mm (22°) Front plate 7 mm (64-80°) Front glacis 17 mm (6-52°) Lower glacis	17 mm (0°) Top 10 mm (0°) Bottom	10 mm (0°) Top 10 mm (12°) Bottom	5 mm Hull 5 mm Rear
Turret	13.6 mm	13.6 mm	13.6 mm	5 mm

 

Specifications
Mass	8.6
Length	4.88 m (16 ft 0 in)
Width	2.41 m (7 ft 11 in)
Height	2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Crew	4
Armour	13 mm
Main armament	37 mm Psv.K/36 (50 rounds)
Secondary armament	7.62 mm M/09-31 coaxial (3,075 rounds) 9 mm Suomi M/31 (1,444 rounds)
Engine	92 hp Armstrong-Siddeley Puma 4-cylinder gasoline engine 92 hp
Power/weight	11–13 hp/t (8.2–9.7 kW/t)
Suspension	leaf spring bogie
Operational range	165 km (99 mi)
Maximum speed	31 km/h

 

 

Source

https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/TANKS2.htm

https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/AT_GUNS1.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_6-ton

https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/finland/vickers-6-ton-in-finnish-service/

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by CaID

[kurururocks 210]

Open for discussion

[blockhaj 3,559]

The Ps 161 designation came after the modification to T 26E mod (45 mm gun).

[Milocat 4,850]

+1 for Swedish/Scandinavian tree.

[warner7 81]

I think I have spotted this tank in the new fire and ice update trailer! If it is ture, concrats! If not, I am sure it will cone in at some point of the Finnish tree.

[_YugoSlav_ 199]

[leroyonly 4,310]

As the Ps. 161 with 37mm has been implemented as per Update 2.21 Fire and Ice,

 

Moved to Implemented Suggestions.