BA-3

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BA-3
General characteristics
Crew	4
Length	4.65 m
Width	2.10 m
Height	2.20 m
Weight	6 tonnes
Armour and armament
Armour	15 mm
Main armament	45mm 20-K gun
Secondary armament	2×7.65 DT
Mobility
Power plant	4-cyllinder petrol GAZ-A 40 hp (30 kW)
Suspension	wheeled
Road speed	63 km/h
Power/weight	7 hp/tonne
Range	260 km

The BA-3 (Broneavtomobil 3) was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. The 45 mm gun turret was the same as that used on the T-26 and BT-5 light tanks. It was built on the GAZ-AAA chassis. This 6×4 chassis was a modification of the US Ford AA 4×2 truck. This chassis limited mobility to roads or very hard ground. Mobility could be improved slightly by fitting tracks to the rear pair of dual wheels, making this car a convertible half-track.

The BA-3 is very similar to the later BA-6; the BA-3 has a door in the right rear of the hull that is not present on the BA-6. Both cars were superseded by the later BA-10. All cars of this series were very heavily armed for the era; they could knock out other recon vehicles with ease. However, their thin armor made them vulnerable to heavy machinegun fire and small caliber cannon fire.

The BA-3 was used in combat against the Japanese in the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol, in the Finnish Winter War, in the Spanish Civil War and in the early stages of fighting on the Eastern Front against the Germans. Ironically the German Army used a few Spanish-built six-wheeled armored cars that were close copies of the BA-3/6 series. The heavy scout vehicle role was taken over by light tanks such as the T-60 and T-70 later in the war.

[edit] References

• 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.

Soviet armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
Tanks Tankettes Amphibious tanks Light tanks T-27 T-37 | T-38 | T-40 T-26 | T-50 | T-60 | T-70 | T-80 Fast tanks Medium tanks Heavy tanks BT-5 | BT-7 | BT-8 T-24 | T-28 | T-34 | T-44 T-35 | KV-1 | KV-2 | IS-2 | IS-3 Armored cars D-8 | D-12 | D-13 | FAI | BA-10 | BA-11 | BA-20 | BA-21 | BA-3 | BA-6 | BA-27 | BA-64 | BA-I | LB-62 | LB-23 Amphibious Half-tracked PB-4 | PB-7 | BAD-2 BA-30 Self-propelled guns ZiS-30 | SU-5 | SU-76 | SU-85 | SU-100 | SU-122 | SU-152 | ISU-122 | ISU-152 Anti-aircraft guns T-60Z | T-70Z | T-90 Aerosans ANT-IV | NKL-16 | NKL-26 | RF-8 | ASD-400 Experimental and Improvised AFVs Experimental SU-14 | A-40 flying tank | T-43 | SU-100Y | PPG Improvised KhTZ-16 | IZ | NI Armored tractors T-26T | Komsomolets
List of armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
Soviet armored fighting vehicle production during World War II