During the "Cold War," there was even a project for a variant of the T-64 tank designed to use the 9M24 "Rezeda" atomic reactive shells with a caliber of 360 mm. This was intended to be a sort of nuclear fire support vehicle, although it was never implemented in practice.
The parameters of this project allow for comparisons with the German self-propelled artillery "SturmTiger" from World War II, and they also provide insight into the theoretical diversity of nuclear weapons delivery systems.
The existence of the T-64 variant project for the 9M24 "Rezeda" atomic reactive shells is mentioned by the resource btvt_2019, which includes a sketch of such a machine in its relevant publication; however, the chronological framework of the work on this project is not detailed.
The project envisioned that this tank would be armed with a mortar for 360 mm reactive shells, with an ammunition load comprising nine units of 9M24 "Rezeda," six of which were to be housed in the hull and three in the turret. Additionally, it was planned to include a paired machine gun with 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and the crew was to consist of only two individuals – a driver-mechanic and a commander-operator, with the combat weight of the vehicle set at 34 tons.
It is claimed that the project could not be realized "in metal" due to what was supposedly an excessive amount of modifications required to adapt the T-64 as an analogue of the "SturmTiger," but for nuclear reactive shells.
Available data on the 9M24 "Rezeda" atomic reactive shells indicate a launch mass of 150 kilograms, with the actual warhead weighing 90 kilograms and having a yield of up to 0.5 kilotons. The launch range was between 2 to 6 kilometers, with an accuracy of up to 200 meters.
However, the nuance is that such reactive shells were never adopted for service, and work on them was discontinued in 1965. This suggests that the development of the T-64 variant for the 9M24 "Rezeda" likely occurred prior to the adoption of this tank in its basic version "Object 432."
Nevertheless, the story itself is quite intriguing. Additionally, it is worth noting that the main armament of the German self-propelled artillery "SturmTiger" during World War II was a 380 mm reactive projectile launcher with a firing range of up to 5 kilometers, making the parallels more than relevant.
