Teletank Revival

 "To the Chief of the Tank Directorate, Engineer-Colonel Afonin

RE: development and production of teletanks (your letter #1148978)

October 2nd, 1943

Modern telemechanical devices for tanks consist of a whole complex of separate devices and components. Their production is effort intensive, requiring qualified personnel and highly precise equipment.

Production and tuning of telemechanical components can largely be done only by hand.

It is senseless to revive equipment for teletanks based on existing NII-200 designs and development of new simpler types of equipment would take a long time (5-6 months). Transition into mass production would take an equal amount of time.

10 years of experience in the field of telemechanics showed NII-20 that teletanks cannot be used in combat for the following reasons:

1. It is nearly impossible to control teletanks from the rear, as the controller tank can't see where the remote control tank is driving.
2. The teletank is difficult to drive on narrow roads, bridges, trenches and ditches, etc. The mobility of a remote controlled tank is much lower than that of a manually controlled tank.
3. A teletank's armament cannot provide continuous aimed fire.
4. Servicing teletanks requires highly qualified specialists.

For these reasons the People's Commissariat of Electric Manufacturing considers it senseless to revisit this topic, as drawing personnel to it could negatively impact development and production of objects that already found use within the army.

V. Voskanyan"

Via Yuri Pasholok.