BA-27

The BA-27 was a Soviet first[1] series-produced armoured car, manufactured from 1928 to 1931, and used for scouting and infantry support duties early in the Second World War. The BA-27 was a heavy armoured car, having the same turret and armament as the first Soviet tank, T-18, manufactured at the same time: the main gun was a modified copy of the French 37 mm Puteaux SA 18 cannon, and it was supported by an additional machine gun.

A damaged BA-27 armoured car on the road to Białystok, July 1941.

BA-27
BA-27M in the Kubinka Museum.
TypeArmoured car
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
Used by Soviet Union
 Nazi Germany (captured)
Production history
No. built215
Specifications
Mass4.4 tonnes (4.9 short tons)
Length4.62 m (15.2 ft)
Width1.81 m (5.9 ft)
Height2.52 m (8.3 ft)
Crew4
Armor7 mm
Main
armament
37 mm Hotchkiss gun
Secondary
armament
7.62 mm DT machine gun
Engine4-cylinder gasoline AMO
35 hp (26 kW)
Power/weight8 hp/tonne
Suspension4×4 wheeled
Operational
range
350 km (220 mi)
Maximum speed 48 km/h (30 mph)

The production of the first Soviet truck, AMO-F-15 truck (a copy of the Fiat 15), started in 1924. Using the chassis of this truck, the Izhorsky Factory design team developed BA-27 heavy armoured car in 1927. There was no significant production of AFVs in Russia since 1918, and the indigenous automobile industry was practically non-existent at the time.[2] After lengthy trials, the new vehicle was accepted into Soviet Red Army service in 1929. 215 were built between 1928–31. The last batch of BA-27 was mounted on Ford Model AA truck chassis. Both chassis were found to be inadequate to carry the heavy armour, and around 20 were later rebuilt on heavier, three-axle Ford-Timken truck chassis at Repair Base No. 2 (Rembaz No. 2), bearing designation BA-27M.[3]

193 of BA-27 and BA-27M still remained in service on 1 June 1941, just before the German invasion of the Soviet Union. During the early stages of the war, several units were captured by Germans and pressed into their own service.

References
  1. Russian Armored Cars: A Historical Perspective Archived 20 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Erickson, John R. (2001). The Soviet high command: a military-political history, 1918-1941. London: Frank Cass. ISBN 0-7146-5178-8.
  3. The Russian Battlefield - BA-3, BA-6, and BA-9 armoured car
  • Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
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