KV-9 (Klimenti Voroshilov) / (Object 229)

Self-Propelled Tracked Assault Gun Prototype

Soviet Union | 1942

"The KV-9 was a KV-1 Heavy Tank offshoot intended to satisfy a World War 2-era Soviet requirement for a self-propelled assault gun - one prototype was completed."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 11/29/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The KV-1 Heavy Tank of the World War 2 period (1939-1945) proved as important as any other tank product for the Soviet Union. Engineers consistently worked on the design to extract any amount of improvement as desperation during the war set in. Heavy armor protection was a hallmark of the series in the early-going but reliability and cost led to a production total of 5,219 units before the end - the T-34 Medium Tank proving a much viable alternative.

One of the KV-1 project offshoots became the "KV-9". The project was spurred by the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June of 1941 (Operation Barbarossa) which cost the Red Army much in armor and man power and Germany steam-rolled through the Soviet countryside en route to Moscow. That fall, Soviet Army authorities looked at the prospect of a heavy-class, assault-minded tracked vehicle to demolish enemy bunkers and other battlefield fortifications at range.

Kirov Works (Factory No.100) of Chelyabinsk took the framework of the KV-1 and mated it with a revised turret form housing a modified version of the 122mm D-30 towed field howitzer - this becoming the 122mm "U-11" of short-barreled form. The turret sported frontal protection of 135mm thickness, making it highly impervious to most any German field or tank gun (the famous "88" FlaK gun was of chief concern).

The prototype, designated internally as "Object 229" - was unveiled during April of 1942 and evaluations of the mating soon followed as the war continued to rage on. Plans were laid down for a pre-series batch of ten tanks, to be designated as "KV-9", but this endeavor eventually fell to naught - just the sole prototype being completed as the Army held reservations about accuracy-at-range of the main gun (mainly due to its inherently low muzzle velocity) and quickly lost interest amidst other growing needs.

The KV-9's turret and gun were later reconstituted in a KV-13 Medium Tank project (known as "Object 233") in which the component was mated to the established running gear and hull of the KV-13 to produce the "IS Model 2". Again, a single prototype was evaluated with success in 1943 but this proposed form eventually lost out to the competing "IS Model 1" offering.

As completed, the KV-9 was to house a crew of four and featured the 122mm U-11 howitzer as its primary weapon with up to 3 x 7.62mm DT machine guns for self-defense and anti-infantry work. Its weight reached 47 tons and the vehicle sported a running length of 6.76 meters, a width of 3.3 meters, and a height of 2.8 meters. Power was from a single W-2K 12-cylinder diesel-fueled engine of 600 horsepower driving a standard track-and-wheel arrangement featuring six double-tired road wheels to a hull side. The drive sprocket was positioned to the rear with the track idler at front. Three large track-return rollers were used to each hull side.

Performance included a top road speed of 30 kmh, an offroad speed of 19 kmh, and an operational range out to 230 kilometers on road. Fording depth reached 1.5 meters.

On the whole, the vehicle retained the form and function of the original KV-1 complete with its rear turret overhang, rear-mounted engine compartment, and workmanlike appearance.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the KV-9 (Klimenti Voroshilov) Self-Propelled Tracked Assault Gun Prototype.

1 x W02K 12-cylinder diesel-fueled engine developing 600 horsepower to conventional track-and-wheel arrangement.
Installed Power

19 mph
30 kph
Road Speed

143 miles
230 km
Range

Structure
The physical qualities of the KV-9 (Klimenti Voroshilov) Self-Propelled Tracked Assault Gun Prototype.

4
(MANNED)
Crew

22.1 ft
6.75 meters
O/A Length

10.8 ft
3.3 meters
O/A Width

9.2 ft
2.8 meters
O/A Height

103,617 lb
47,000 kg | 51.8 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the KV-9 (Klimenti Voroshilov) / (Object 229) Self-Propelled Tracked Assault Gun Prototype.

1 x 122mm U-11 (2A18 D-30) howitzer in turret.
1 x 7.62mm DT machine gun in coaxial mounting in turret.
1 x 7.62mm DT machine gun in bow-mounted position in hull.
1 x 7.62mm DT machine gun in rear-facing position in turret.

AMMUNITION:
Not Available.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the KV-9 (Klimenti Voroshilov) / (Object 229) family line.

KV-9 - Base Series Designation; single prototype completed.

Object 229 - Internal project designation.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the KV-9 (Klimenti Voroshilov) / (Object 229). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Kirov Works, Factory No.100 (Chelyabinsk) - Soviet Union

[ Soviet Union (cancelled) ]

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Image of the KV-9 (Klimenti Voroshilov) / (Object 229)

Image from the Public Domain.

Going Further...
The KV-9 (Klimenti Voroshilov) / (Object 229) Self-Propelled Tracked Assault Gun Prototype appears in the following collections:

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