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Radio-equipped BA-6 heavy armored car
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49
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2
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24
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51
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wheeled
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63
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200
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45 mm 20-K gun
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2x762 DT
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8 mm
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GAZ-AA
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40
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4
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The (Broneavtomobil 6) 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 X 4 chassis was a modification of the US Ford AA 4 X 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 tandem wheels, making this car a convertible half-track.
The BA-6 is externally very similar to the earlier BA-3 ; the BA-3 has a door in the right rear of the hull that is not present on the BA-6. The BA-3 had slightly heavier armor which impeded performance; in the BA-6, the armor was thinned and a new rear suspension and transmission improved performance. Both cars were superceded by the later BA-10 .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-6 was used in combat against the Japanese at Khalkin-Gol, 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.
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