Tank T-72B ("object 184")

In accordance with the resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated July 5, 1981, as part of the development work “Improving the T-72A”, a technical project was developed at UKBTM, which included different levels modernization of this tank. During the design process of the product, which received the index “object 184,” six versions of the towers were developed, differing from each other in the level of armor, the composition of the fire control system and the weapon complex. After conducting comprehensive tests of prototypes, by decree of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers dated October 27, 1984, the “Object 184” tank was adopted by the Soviet Army under the designation T-72 B. The corresponding order from the Minister of Defense followed on January 23, 1985.

The design of the T-72B implemented the latest achievements of the Soviet defense industry of those years - the dynamic protection complex (EDS) and the guided weapons complex (CUV). The Kontakt dynamic protection complex consisted of 227 containers, located slightly differently than on the T-72AV tank. This was due to the new shape of the frontal part of the tower. Because of its even more developed frontal cheekbones, the Americans called the T-72B tank “Super Dolly Parton.” The upper frontal part of the hull was reinforced with a 20-mm armor plate. The T-72B also had a significantly increased level of anti-radiation protection, mainly due to the use of lining and overlining, a system of collective protection and local protection of crew members. The survivability of the tank on the battlefield was increased through the use of the 902B "Cloud" system for setting up smoke screens, the "Soda" napalm protection system and the high-speed fire-fighting equipment 3 ETs 13 "Rime".

Tank T-72B, 2nd Guards Taman Motorized Rifle Division.

The firepower of the tank has increased significantly thanks to the installation of a modernized 2A46M cannon and a 9K120 Svir guided weapon system. This complex provides firing of a tank guided missile (TUR) during the day from a standstill and from short stops. Maximum firing range of a missile controlled by modulation laser beam with a probability of hitting a tank-type target of at least 0.8, is 4000 m. The gun's ammunition load includes 45 rounds, 22 of which are placed in the automatic loader conveyor, and the rest in the ammunition racks of the hull and turret.

The fire control system included the 1A40-1 sighting system, which is based on the TPD-K1 laser sight-rangefinder, which is also used on the T-72A tank. This complex included a ballistic correction device, which automatically introduced corrections for the temperature of the charge and air, Atmosphere pressure, angular velocity of the target and the tank, the speed of the tank and other shooting conditions, which significantly increased the probability of a hit with the first shot. At the same time, the ballistic correction did not take into account all the changing shooting conditions, as happens when there is an automated control system with a ballistic computer in the tank, since it only took into account the total correction that was entered into it manually before the start of shooting. The total correction was calculated using nomograms attached to the breech of the gun by the tank commander.

During the modernization, the combat weight of the tank increased to 44.5 tons. To maintain the mobility of the vehicle, which was almost 3 tons heavier, it was equipped with a multi-fuel four-stroke high-speed liquid-cooled diesel engine B-84-1 with a power of 840 hp. The T-72B tank received new radio communications, combined into the "Paragraph" complex. It consists of a VHF radio station R-173, a radio receiver R-173P, a block of antenna filters and laryngophone amplifiers. The radio station provides a communication range of at least 20 km.

Some T-72B tanks were produced without elements of a guided weapon system and were called T-72B-1. To actively counter not only cumulative, but also armor-piercing sub-caliber ammunition, since 1988, T-72B tanks began to be equipped with built-in dynamic protection, the elements of which are located in the tank’s armor. This modification was designated T-72BM. In parallel with the T-72B, a command version, the T-72BK, was also produced. Like previous commander modifications of the "seventy-two", it was equipped with a short-wave radio station R-130, navigation equipment TNA-4 and an autonomous power supply unit AB-1.

T-72 "Ural" is the most popular second-generation Soviet main battle tank. Adopted into service in the Soviet Army on August 7, 1973.
Below is a brief overview of the features of Russian modifications of the T-72 tank, produced by UralVagonZavod, prepared on the pikabu.ru forum by blogger zhuravkofff, for which many thanks to him.
Abbreviations used: NKDZ (Attachment Dynamic Protection Kit), VDZ (Built-in Dynamic Protection), VLD (Upper Frontal Detail), NLD (Lower Frontal Detail), TPN (Night Tank Sight), OPTV (Dual Tank Driving Equipment).

T-72A

T-72B (model 1984), T-72B
accepted into service in 1984

(T-72B model 1989)

T-72BM (photo by V. Kuzmin, )

serial RMS()

In addition to the above:

T-72B3 is a major overhaul with a budget modernization of previously produced vehicles.
In Alabino, at the training ground of the Taman Division training complex, the latest modification of the “seventy-two” was demonstrated - the T-72B3 tank, externally distinguished by the latest multi-channel gunner’s sight “Sosna-U” and the absence of the L-4A “Luna” IR spotlight next to the gun mantlet. Compared to the T-72B3 of the first series, the turret in place of the L-4A “Luna” IR projector is covered with “Kontakt-5” VDZ blocks.
The tank received a new 125-mm 2A46M-5 cannon, a new VHF radio station R-168-25U-2 "Akveduk", new fire-fighting equipment (FPO) and a new multi-channel gunner's sight (PNM) "Sosna-U". The sight has 4 channels: optical, thermal imaging, laser rangefinder channel and anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) control channel. The Sosna-U PNM is installed instead of the standard 1K-13-49 sight-guidance device. The old 1A40-1 gunner's sight was left in its original place as a spare.


Installation location of the Sosna-U PNM in the T-72B3 tank
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The commander received the TKN-3MK device with the “Double” system, which ensures that the commander can fire. The T-72B3 tank is equipped with the built-in Kontakt-5 ERA, rather than the new Relikt ERA, which protects the tank from modern tandem ammunition; the tank did not receive a closed anti-aircraft machine gun installation (ZPU) - an open ZPU with manual control remained. Instead of the 1000-horsepower V-92S2 engine, which is installed on the T-90A (Object 188A) and on the modernized T-72BA (Object 184A), the T-72B3 was left with the overhauled V-84-1 with a power of 840 hp. Therefore, mobility characteristics did not increase. The tank is not equipped with GLONASS/GPS receivers.

T-72B3 at the training ground in Alabino, August 2013 (

This post is not exactly about MH17, but it does a good job of illustrating the issue of availability and sources modern weapons among the DPR/LPR rebels, as well as the theme of “insufficient rigorous evidence” and total lies of Russian officials and the media.

As you can guess from the title, we will talk about a tank, and more specifically, about the tank shown on Monday evening in the Vestei-24 ​​report. We will talk about this video in the story that starts at 6:29. for those who are lazy to look for the desired fragment on the sluggish Vesti website.

So, according to Vestey-24, we have a T-72M with foreign equipment. However, an extremely similar tank had previously appeared in the Ukrainian media as a Russian T-72B3 tank captured by Ukrainian troops near Ilovaisk

The fact that this is generally the same car is indicated in particular by the hole above the left track

According to the Ukrainian side, this tank was captured from the Russian military near Ilovaisk, put into service by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (two white stripes were applied to the hull for identification), but was knocked out and lost during a breakout from the encirclement. It is also stated that there are no such tanks in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and never have been.

Is it so? Let's get a look. The T-72 tank ("tank of the 1972 model") was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1973. This was over 40 years ago and at the peak of the Union's power, so the tank has since been modernized several times, produced and used in huge quantities in several countries and supplied in different configurations to different customers. It is not possible to give an exhaustive description of the resulting diversity within the framework of a short post, so I will simply briefly go through the main stages of the T-72 development

This is the first, “basic” model of the T-72 with which it all began (1973). Initially, this vehicle was conceived simply as a cheaper version of the T-64 tank, better optimized for mass production, but in the end, the designers who optimized the vehicle went far from the design of the 64. The reception of this creativity was, however, quite ambiguous, since the differences with the T-64 went so far that under new car the production line from the T-64 had to be significantly altered to the point of decommissioning some of the newly installed equipment, and the deployment of the T-72x and its treatment for “childhood diseases” took quite a long time. But the Union at that moment did not count money and the result was an excellent for its time and at the same time inexpensive tank, which began to enter service with the troops in 1975.

In 1979, this tank was modernized by installing a more advanced gun, modern sighting devices(a laser rangefinder instead of an optical one), anti-cumulative screens, a smoke screen system and, most importantly, effective night combat systems. This is how the T-72A was born, and for the first time an IR illumination spotlight and cylinders of smoke grenades appeared on the tank’s turret.

With some modifications, the T-72A was widely exported by the Union under the designations T-72M and T-72M1. In the photo below, for example, Iraqi tanks:

As you can easily see, this variation has little in common with the “Ukrainian” tank in the video - the captured tank was definitely not a T-72M. However, we return to the Union and move further along the time axis. By 1985, the T-72 began to be noticeably inferior to Western tanks and turned out to be very vulnerable to new anti-tank missile systems. At the same time, it had already been accumulated in the Union in huge quantities and remained very convenient for production. But a new technology came to the rescue of the aging car - the so-called. dynamic protection. The DZ repeatedly strengthened the armor protection of the tank, especially against cumulative ammunition used in ATGMs, and made it possible to easily and cheaply modernize the T-72 by simply attaching additional protection to standard “bricks” of armor. Thus, from the previously released T-72A, through relatively minor manipulations, the T-72AV began to appear. In addition to the DZ, new engines and new sighting equipment were also installed on the new T-72s produced, including a guidance system for the new anti-tank missile launched from the T-72 cannon. The remote sensing system was supposed to cover the tank with reliable armor, and the guided missile was supposed to allow it to destroy enemy tanks and anti-tank artillery from a distance beyond their reach. This variant was called T-72B ("simply" B). Since the laser missile guidance system cost a lot of money for the “cheap” T-72, a stripped-down version of the T-72B1 also saw the light of day. The export version was called T-72S. Externally, modifications of this stage are easily identified by the characteristic bricks of the first generation dynamic protection

Before the collapse of the Union, most T-72x managed to be modernized to this level. Further development required
* Installation of automated fire control systems that would automatically make adjustments when firing for various minor factors (in old tanks this was done manually once before the battle)
* Dynamic protection installations of the second and later generations (the first one protected well from anti-tank systems, but not from sub-caliber shells)
* Installation of modern navigation equipment and communications (which, alas, remained a problem for our tanks even in 2008 in Georgia)
* Installation of systems to counter laser guidance systems for rapidly spreading high-altitude weapons
* Installation of active protection systems against new ATGMs with tandem warheads and warheads hitting the tank from above
* Installation of more advanced thermal imaging systems for night vision, which made it possible to do without IR spotlights

The first two points were implemented before the collapse of the Union in a prototype, which in different sources is called T-72BM, T-72BU or simply “T-72B model 1989”, but by that time the country had no time for tanks and this version was not produced in series went.

Later, in a slightly modified form, this version in Russia will receive the name T-90 “for advertising purposes,” but production will start only in 1992 and it will proceed at a very low pace - until 1998, only 120 of these machines will be produced. Externally, this variant (also exported under the name T-90S) looks like this:

And after the modernization of 2004 (T-90A) - like this:

Western countries, which “inherited” many T-72x and India, which turned out to be one of the largest customers, gave birth to several of their own variants of the 72:

India (T-72M1):

Poland (PT-91)

Poland (PT-91A)

Czech Republic (T-72CZ)

Slovakia (T-72M1A)

Slovakia (T-72M2)

For better understanding further history It should be remembered that in the Union there were quite a few large tank factories, each of which specialized in the production of some “own” tank model. The budget of the Soviet army allowed the simultaneous production of an amazing number of different models of tanks, and in fact, almost every plant as a result specialized in the production and modernization of “its” line of tanks, which were largely incompatible with the tank models produced by other plants. The Kharkov KhZTM "specialized" in the T-64 and partly the T-80, the Nizhny Tagil UVZ - in the T-72, the Omsk OZTM and the Kirov plant in Leningrad - in the T-80. At the same time, the T-80, compared to the T-64 and T-72, was, although perfect, an expensive and capricious machine (twice as expensive as the T-64). Therefore, when the Union collapsed, T-80 production was largely curtailed, Russia lost access to production and spare parts for the T-64, and Ukraine lost access to production and spare parts for the T-72. Therefore, in the presence of excessively huge tank arsenals, Russia hastened to mothball its T-64s, and Ukraine - its T-72s; with formal availability in warehouses, no T-64 in Russian troops, nor the T-72 were practically used by the Ukrainian troops. As a result, the majority of Ukrainian T-72s were not modernized or maintained in any way, and today they look something like this:

However, the T-72e, recognized as unprofitable for its own troops, tried to modernize and sell to foreign customers. It looked something like this (T-72UMG):

And it didn’t become particularly widespread (mainly only in Ethiopia?). Similar appearance Modern Ukrainian tanks also have them - the T-64BM "Bulat" is shown below.

(added at the request in the comments) Russia also offered its export versions of the modernized T-72 under the name T-72M1M. These tanks have been wandering around since 2002 to a variety of international exhibitions, gradually changing their equipment to cheaper and more modern ones, but they still haven’t found their buyer. There were negotiations about their deliveries to Algeria and Venezuela, but I did not see any evidence that these deliveries were actually carried out (Algeria, for example, ultimately preferred the T-90S, and Venezuela seemed to have received a couple of dozen of some of the B-modifications of the T -72); Mass production of this option, accordingly, did not begin:

The tank depicted in the original photo, captured in Ukraine, however, as you can see, does not resemble any of the dozen options presented above. But it is strikingly similar to the T-72B tank upgrade option approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense for a large-scale program to update Russia's numerous T-72x stockpiles. The option our military chose was relatively budget-friendly, but modern - as part of this modernization, the tanks are equipped with a modern fire control system with a bunch of sensors that ensure high firing accuracy, modern (French) sensitive thermal imagers, second-generation Kontakt-5 dynamic protection, and a relatively modern radio station and a satellite navigation system.

This miracle is called - yes, you guessed it, T-72B3. There is also an earlier modernization version (B2) and a T-72BA version upgraded from the T-72A. They look something like this:

However, the Ukrainian photo confidently identifies the newest and purely Russian T-72B3, which entered service with the troops only in 2012.

Russian TV played a cruel joke on the conspirators, not only confirming that the photograph was taken in the battle zone in Ukraine, but also adding to this a control system characteristic of the T-72B3, combining an old optical sight and a new French thermal imager from Thales. I provide below a photo of the T-72B3 from the exhibition, and in the original video this system is easily identified

Wind sensor T-72B3

Sosna-U sight outside (characteristic “box” on the right side of the tank’s turret)

Thus, I believe, it can be considered proven beyond reasonable doubt that in Ukraine, first the Ukrainian army, and then the rebels from somewhere captured the newest Russian tank (or rather, the T-72B, manufactured in 1989, modernized no earlier than 2012). And this tank was far from alone there:

And you can, of course, continue to say that it has not been proven that Russia does not supply the rebels with ammunition and heavy weapons.
What has not been proven is that Russian soldiers are fighting in Ukraine, at least in some key positions, after which unpublicized funerals are held in Russia
That mass shelling of Ukraine from the border territory by unknown artillery has not been proven

But it seems to me that it’s time for decent and smart people draw certain conclusions from proven facts and the volume of blatant lies of Russian officials.