Christie suspension

The Christie suspension is a suspension system for tanks. It uses a series of road wheels, called bogeys, attached to a series of torsion bars arranged transversally along the bottom of the chassis. The resulting suspension is very strong and reliable, yet light and space-efficient--ideal for a cross-country vehicle in which a low center of gravity and silhouette are essential for increased mobility and tactical advantage. The Christie suspension was used in the Russian T-26 and T-34 tanks, and all subsequent Soviet medium and main battle tanks ever built, as well as a number of postwar tanks built and deployed by the NATO countries.

The Christie Suspension was invented by American J. Walter Christie in the 1930s. He attempted to interest the United States military in his designs, but they declined. Some of his prototypes were sold to the Soviet Union, which resulted in his suspension being used in Soviet tanks.