An Important Step in Russian Tank Evolution – The BT-7 was a highly-maneuverable tank with a powerful 45mm main gun in addition to sloped front armor, which made it the pillar of the Russian tank divisions.

The 1937 model was a defensive upgrade to its predecessors, featuring as it did sloped armor all around the body in place of the previous flat version.

This design proved to be successful enough for use in its successor, the T-34.

The Russian Fast Tank – The BT-7 was a Russian tank produced from 1935 which incorporated some design features from tanks developed by American engineer Walter Christie. “BT” stood for “Bystrokhodny Tank (Fast Tank)” and the tank featured an excellent maneuverability.

Equipped with a 47mm main gun, it was one of the better-armed tanks of that period and it also had sloped frontal armor, a feature that would make its way into later tanks such as the T-34.

BT-7s were first deployed during the Spanish Civil War and also took part in battles against German forces on the Eastern Front until enough T-34s became available to replace them.