The tank was known only as Object 279, one of those opaque Soviet designations that could mean just about anything. But just looking at the experimental Soviet heavy tank from the 1950s is enough to ...

Object 279 was a Soviet super heavy tank designed to operate on a nuclear battlefield. Its oval hull and four track suspension were intended to resist blast shockwaves and traverse extreme terrain.

Key Point: It didn’t make it to the battlefield. Enter the Object 279 tank, a curious oddity from the late 1950s which was obsolete — despite its design principles deliberately reflecting the fear of ...