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Soviet state tank factories Weapon Systems

Soviet state tank factories is a catalog grouping for the USSR's wartime and postwar state-owned tank-production plants that built T-34-family armored vehicles and related medium tanks.

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This builder profile represents a state industrial network rather than a single private company. During World War II, Soviet tank production was concentrated in evacuated and converted state plants, including Urals Tank Factory No. 183 at Nizhny Tagil, Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112, and Factory No. 174 at Omsk.

The catalog uses the grouping for legacy Soviet tanks whose manufacturer is best described as Soviet state tank production rather than one surviving corporate entity. The connected T-34/85 record reflects that history: design and production were split across Soviet design bureaus and factories, with later licensed production outside the USSR.

Medium tanksMain battle tank precursorsArmored vehicle mass productionTracked armored vehicles

Notable Systems

T-34/85

The cataloged T-34/85 is tied to Soviet state tank factories; sources identify wartime production at Urals Tank Factory No. 183, Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112, and Factory No. 174, with surviving examples also traced to Krasnoye Sormovo.

Sources: 80th Anniversary of the Tank - Symbol of Victory, T-34/85

Builder History

  1. T-34 production begins

    Harvard's Russia in Global Perspective project notes that the first T-34 rolled off the assembly line in 1940, before the German invasion forced a major relocation of production.

    Sources: T-34 Tank

  2. Tank production shifts east

    After Germany's invasion threatened Soviet industrial capacity in the west, Soviet authorities evacuated and converted plants in the Urals and Siberia for military production; Uralvagonzavod became the basis for the Urals tank factory with evacuated enterprises.

    Sources: Uralvagonzavod: The History Behind the Heart of Russia's Tank Industry, T-34 Tank

  3. T-34/85 enters service

    Rostec states that the T-34/85 entered Red Army service on 23 January 1944 and that its wartime production included Urals Tank Factory No. 183, Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112, and Factory No. 174 in Omsk.

    Sources: 80th Anniversary of the Tank - Symbol of Victory

  4. Licensed postwar production

    Rostec and The Tank Museum both describe postwar T-34/85 production under license outside the USSR, including Poland and Czechoslovakia.

    Sources: 80th Anniversary of the Tank - Symbol of Victory, T-34/85

Predecessors
Kharkiv Komintern Locomotive Plant and other prewar Soviet tank production facilitiesUralvagonzavod railway-car works converted for wartime tank production
Successors
Uralvagonzavod and other postwar Soviet/Russian tank-production enterprises
Website links
Rostec historical note on T-34-85 productionThe Tank Museum T-34/85 collection pageUralvagonzavod industrial history overview

This profile is an editorial grouping for a defunct, state-owned Soviet production network. No standalone official website or headquarters exists for the grouping, so the website field points to Rostec's official historical note on the T-34/85 and headquarters map fields are intentionally omitted.

Builder Sources

  • 80th Anniversary of the Tank - Symbol of VictoryPublisher: Rostec | Note: Official state-corporation historical article supporting T-34/85 design context, entry into service, and production at Urals Tank Factory No. 183, Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112, and Factory No. 174. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • T-34/85Publisher: The Tank Museum | Note: Museum collection page supporting T-34/85 background, production countries, and a surviving vehicle built at Krasnoye Sormovo Zavod Factory No. 112 in Gorki in late 1944. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Uralvagonzavod: The History Behind the Heart of Russia's Tank IndustryPublisher: Russia Beyond | Note: Background source describing evacuation of Soviet defense plants, creation of the Urals tank factory around Uralvagonzavod and evacuated enterprises, and wartime armored-vehicle output. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • T-34 TankPublisher: Harvard University, Russia in Global Perspective | Note: Academic exhibit supporting T-34 historical context, 1940 production start, evacuation from Kharkov, production move to Nizhni Tagil and Stalingrad, and wartime production-efficiency context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • The Tank and Assault Gun Industry of the USSRPublisher: CIA Reading Room | Note: Declassified reference report used as background for treating Soviet tank production as a multi-plant state industry rather than a single commercial manufacturer. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Uralvagonzavod Building ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance source: Commons identifies the photo as Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil with a T-34 displayed outside and records a public-domain dedication by the copyright holder. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

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