T-80
Encyclopedia : T : T8 : T80 : T-80
- For the Soviet light tank of WWII, see T-80 light tank
| |
| T-80U | |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Crew | 3 (driver, gunner, commander) |
| Length | 7.01 m |
| Width | 3.60 m |
| Height | 2.20 m |
| Weight | 46 tonnes |
| Armour and armament | |
| Armour | [secret] |
| Main armament | 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore gun |
| Secondary armament | 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun 12.7 mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun |
| Mobility | |
| Power plant | gas turbine 1,250 hp (930 kW) |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Road speed | 70 km/h |
| Power/weight | 27 hp/tonne |
| Range | 335 km, 600 km with extra tanks |
The T-80 is a Soviet/Russian/Ukrainian main battle tank. A development of the T-64, it first entered service in 1976 and was the first production tank in the world to be equipped with a gas turbine engine. The latest version, the T-84, continues to be produced in Ukraine. The T-80 and its variants are in service in Cyprus, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, and Ukraine.
Production history
The T-80 has been confused by some Western analysts with the Soviet T-72, but a quick overview of Soviet tanks and their histories provides clarity: the T-80 and T-72 are mechanically very different. They are the products of different design bureaus (the T-80 from Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau in Kharkiv, Ukraine, the T-72 from Uralvagonzavod at Nizhny Tagil, Russia), and are really only similar in general appearance. The T-80 is based on the earlier T-64, which was a complementary design to the T-72.
The T-64 was KMDB (Morozov)'s offering, a high-technology main battle tank designed to replace the obsolescent IS-3 and T-10 heavy tanks, used in the Red Army's independent tank units. The T-72 was intended to be a tank mass-produced to equip the bulk of the Soviet Motor Rifle units, and for sale to export partners and east-bloc satellite states. The mechanically simpler T-72 is simpler to manufacture, and easier to service in the field, though it is not as well armoured nor does it have the same firepower (while mounting the same main gun, it has an inferior fire control system and a slower auto-loader. This is even more the case when T-80 uses "sequence mode", where the auto-loader will keep loading one type of ammunition without interference from the gunner. As this can happen concurrently to the gunner engaging the tank's fire control system, practical rate of fire can be considerably increased).
The T-64's story continues in the T-80. The Morozov bureau improved upon the earlier design, introducing a gas turbine engine in the original model. This gave the tank a high power-to-weight ratio and made it easily the most mobile tank in the world. Subsequent variants of the T-80 have replaced the gas turbine with a diesel, to lower maintenance costs. While the Abrams M1 series has a 1,500 hp (1,120 kW) gas turbine as well , the T-80 is almost half the size and weight; its consequent maneuverability sees it metaphorically referred to as the "flying tank".
Subsequent Ukrainian development of the conventional diesel engine has allowed the T-80UD and T-84 to retain the "most mobile" title (according to most experts), while dispensing with the complicated, resource-hungry gas turbine. (The smaller size and weight of the T-80 and other Soviet tanks also contribute to the similarity in their looks; the Soviets had a 'national tank design ethic', which included pan-shaped turrets, sharp hull fronts and low profiles).
It has been suggested that the Russians are "desperate" to find export partners for the T-80, but this is not true; in the post-Soviet era, the Russians are of necessity partners with the Ukrainians in the T-80, as Morozov is in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Ukrainian exports of the T-80 have been moderately successful, selling 320 units of two types to the Pakistani Army. This contract almost fell through due to Russia withholding cast turrets and other technology. Ukraine was forced to develop an independent tank industry, including a locally-designed welded turret which was installed on some of the last T-80s for Pakistan and also incorporated into the T-84.
Meanwhile, the Russians seem to be abandoning the T-80, incorporating some of its technology into a new T-72 development, the T-90, and have had some success selling it to the Indian Army).
Design traits
One of the T-80's advantages is the small size of the tank (about 1/2 to 3/4 that of the M1, depending on the aspect) and optimal internal volume (near 1/2 of the M1). This gives high armour to volume ratio (one of protection index).
Except in more modern versions of the tank (like the T-84 Oplot), the ammunition is stored in the most protected area - below the crew inside the crew compartment in the autoloader carousel. This means that if the tank is penetrated, the ammunition can cook off, killing the crew and blowing the turret into the air. In most western tanks, like M1 Abrams, only part of ammunition is stored inside crew compartment and can cook off too. Autoloader speed is from 7.1 seconds to 19.5 s depending on the initial position of autoloader carousel.
It should be noted that the carousel itself is actually quite well protected. It is the rounds stored outside of the autoloader, especially those in the fighting compartment, that are mainly responsible for this "trademark" survivability issue, and this problem is made all the more acute by the use of semi-combustible charge casings instead of the traditional brass ones, giving almost no protection from the white-hot metal fragments sprayed inside the vehicle in the event of penetration. A T-80 restricted to carrying ammunition in its carousel greatly reduces this hazard, though it limits the vehicle to 28 rounds of ammunition (a fully laden T-80 can hold 45 rounds), which may be quite inadequate for most combat missions on the high intensity battlefield, but more acceptable in low intensity operations.
Due to the low turret roof, the lowest gun elevation is a few degrees below zero and so it is more difficult to find hull-down positions that the tank can fire from. The latest prototype, the T-84 Oplot, has an entirely new turret with armoured ammunition compartment, and presumably improved gun depression (as does the latest Russian development, the Black Eagle concept tank).
Variants
- T-80 - First production model, essentially a T-64 with GTD-1000 1,100 hp (820 kW) gas turbine engine.
- T-80B - New ceramic armour.
- T-80BV - Added explosive reactive armour.
- T-80U (1985) - New turret. Added ATGM AT-11 Sniper. Improved 1,250 hp (930 kW) GTD-1250 engine. Added Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour; which defeats APFSDS.
- T-80UD - Ukrainian diesel-engined version with 1,000 hp (750 kW) 6TD engine (exported to Pakistan).
- T-80UK, T-80UDK - Command version of T-80U, equipped with the Shtora Electro-optical countermeasures system.
- T-80UM - Russian version, with new Buran Thermal Imaging sight in place of Luna IR.
- T-80UM1 "Snow Leopard" (Bars) - Russian prototype with new Arena active protection system.
- T-80UM2 - Russian prototype with Drozd-2 active protection system.
- "Black Eagle" (Chorny Oriol) - Russian prototype with new turret including separate crew and ammo compartments, blow-out panels on the ammo compartment, new autoloader, Kaktus ERA, new targeting systems, extended hull with an additional road wheel, and other undisclosed improvements.
- T-84 - Ukrainian development of the T-80UD.
See also
External links
- [armor.kiev.ua/fofanov] Vasily Fofanov's Modern Russian Armour
- [Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau]—Ukrainian producer of the T-80. KMDB's pages for [T-80UD], [T-84], and [Oplot].
- [Main Battle Tank T-80U]
- [Army Technology: T-80U Main Battle Tank Information]
- [JED Equipment Database: T-80 Tank information and variants] (requires paid membership)
- [T-80U MBT], [T-80UM1 BARS MBT], [T-80B MBT] and [T-80UD MBT] at army-guide.com
- [T-80U Main Battle Tank] at the Armor Site
- [JED Equipment Database: T-84 Tank information and variants] (requires paid membership)
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