After the cancellation of the T-43, a replacement for the T-34 was still desired and work began on the T-44 in late 1943. Three prototypes were produced, with a 122 mm armed design being rejected. The 85 mm variant was accepted for production, which commenced in 1944 and the tank remained in service until the 1970s. The medium tank “T-44” could have become the best tank of World War II, but it never fired a shot on the battlefield. This combat vehicle was created in 1943 but never came into the front lines. In the last years of the war, the Soviet command realized that despite their quantity and decent mobility and reliability, the “T-34” tanks, even with the 85mm gun modification, were inferior to the best German armored vehicles - the “Tiger II” and “Panther” tanks. In head-to-head battles, the Soviet tanks had no chance due to their weak armor protection. Therefore, it was decided to create a tank with similar mobility and long-range capabilities as the “T-34”, but with significantly reinforced frontal armor. Thus, the “T-44” was born. It underwent significant modifications. The decision was made to abandon the Christie suspension, and increase the power of the gun while maintaining the advantages of a medium "cruiser" tank. The result was a powerful, fast, and well-protected combat vehicle capable of combining the armor protection of a heavy tank with the mobility of a medium one. Modifications were released with 100 mm and even 122 mm caliber guns, but due to the vehicle's weight increase, they had to be abandoned in favor of the 85 mm gun created based on the rapid-fire D5-T gun. Despite its worthy characteristics, the “T-44” was not put into mass production until the end of World War II, so as not to disrupt the production cycle of the “T-34-85”, which had similar parameters. However, after the war, the tank was produced in large batches and remained in service with the Soviet army until the 1970s.