Development
After World War II, the concept of light tanks was resurrected in the USSR. They were to be used in reconnaissance units and therefore an amphibious ability was essential. The requirements stated that the vehicle should be able to cross water obstacles with little preparation. Many prototypes of such light tanks were built in the late 1940s. The most successful was "obyekt 740" (object 740) designed by the engineer N. Shashmurin working at the VNII-100 institute in Leningrad (a research institute of Chelyabinsk Tank Factory ChTZ) in 1949-1950, under an initial supervision of Zh. Kotin from Kirov Plant. The vehicle was successful because it had a simple design, good navigational traits and a good cross country capability. At the time, its water-jet design was innovative.
A prototype was built at Kirov Plant in 1950 and the tank was officially adopted on August 6, 1951 with the designation PT-76. Production started at the Stalingrad Tractor Factory (STZ). The tank was subsequently modified. In 1957 a gun D-56T was replaced with D-56TM with double-baffle muzzle brake and fume extractor, the hull was raised by 13 cm, and the tank was equipped with new vision and communications devices. First series tanks were subsequently modified, receiving D-56TM gun and new equipment. In 1959 an improved variant, the PT-76B, was adopted and remained in production until 1967 (main improvements were: D-56TS gun with stabilization and CBRN protection).
Read more about this topic: PT-76
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