Tank consumption t 80. T-80 turned out to be a complete disaster. Design features and changes

From the beginning of the last century until the end of the 50s, armored vehicle designers proceeded from the division of tanks into heavy, medium and light. But over time to change light tanks came armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. And the production of heavy tanks, which suffered from insufficient maneuverability, was gradually discontinued.

general information

• classification - main battle tank;
• weight of the T-80 tank in tons - 42;
• layout scheme - classic;
• crew - 3 people;
• years of operation - since 1976;
• modifications - yes (for separate study);
• the number of issued - more than 10 thousand pieces.

this year in the USSR, the T-80 became the main combat vehicle

Medium tanks, having adopted their best features, became the main ones for the armored forces. Or main battle tanks (MBT according to foreign classification). In 1976, the T-80 became such a combat vehicle.

Historical digression

60s and 70s of the last century for Soviet tank building marked by two main areas of work. The struggle for the survivability of a combat vehicle and the creation of a more powerful engine that would provide both speed and maneuverability. Before achieving the result, several stages were passed:

• 1964- the decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU to create a new tank, the main characteristics of which should be - a cruising range of at least 450 km and engine power - 1000 hp. A diesel engine to achieve such power needed an increase in the cooling system and, accordingly, an increase in the dimensions of the tank;
• Early 60s- creation at the Kharkov plant of the T-64 tank (700 hp). Tank - generally unsuccessful, the engine was adopted by the Kirov plant in Leningrad;
• 1968-1974. - object 219 is being tested (later T-80);
• 1973- the beginning of serial production of the T-72 "Ural" tank (840 hp) at the Nizhny Tagil Uralvagonzavod;

• 1976 the world's first tank with a gas turbine engine T-80 (1000 hp) was adopted by the Soviet Army;
• 1978 there are modifications of the tank -T-80B and T-80BK;
• 1985 the system of remote protection against projectiles began to be serially used. In the same year, two more modifications were created - T-80 BV and T -80 UM-1.

The three medium tank models, developed almost simultaneously, met different fates. The production of the T-64, as not very successful, ceased. The T-72 tank (unofficial name - “commercial”), remaining in service in some units and formations of the SA, since 1976 began to be massively exported both to the Warsaw Pact countries and a number of others (to Finland, India, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yugoslavia). Licenses for the production of the Ural tank were sold to some countries.

Dozens, or even hundreds of parameters, characteristics that assess the technical and combat level of the tank can be divided into three groups. Namely: armor protection, firepower, maneuverability both on the march and on the battlefield. These are the main parameters of the performance characteristics of the T-80 tank, and the main concern of the creators of the machine.

Technical characteristics of the T-80 tank (TTX)

Armor protection

Firepower

Maneuverability

Design features

Engineers, technicians, designers of the T-80 tank were finally able to create the world's first successful gas turbine engine (GTE). After all, development began almost after the Great Patriotic War.

Put on mass production the engine has become more economical and omnivorous (runs on any fuel from diesel to aviation kerosene). The air purification system from dust keeps up to 97% of dust particles. The absence of such a system was the main drawback of previous GTE models.

Along with the serial use of a gas turbine engine, the creators of the T-80 tank and its modifications made a huge contribution to the development and implementation of an unprecedented system of protection against various types of anti-tank weapons, which greatly improved the performance characteristics of the T-80 tank. First of all, this is a multi-layer ceramic-metal armor and dynamic protection.

Dynamic protection (DZ) is a type of additional protection for tanks and other armored vehicles. It is a metal container filled with a small amount of explosive and attached to the main armor. The principle of operation of such protection is in a directed explosion, which destroys the cumulative jet of an anti-tank missile or artillery shell.

Contact-1

dynamic protection which began to be installed in 1985 on the T-80 tank

The development of DZ began in the years of the Great Patriotic War. But the system was at the stage of final testing in the early 80s. In 1985, dynamic protection, called "Contact-1", began to be serially installed on various types of military equipment, including the T-80 tank (modification T-80B).

The probability of hitting a tank equipped with new protection has decreased by almost 2 times. But only from a cumulative projectile. The appearance in 1986 of the second generation of dynamic protection "Contact-5" provided partial protection (1.2 times) of the tank from armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles. Elements of remote sensing of the first and second generation are interchangeable.

Modifications of the T-80 tank

During those years when the T-80 remained the main battle tank of the Soviet and Russian Armed Forces, its individual components and assemblies received more than a dozen amendments and innovations. The technical characteristics of the T-80 tank have improved significantly. Serious changes were also applied, which made it possible to talk about the creation of new modifications of the combat vehicle. Without going into the specifics of all models of the T-80 family, the dynamics of the development of the tank can be traced to three of them.

Modification
Fighting machine	T-80	T-80B	T-80UM-1 "Bars"
Plant manufacturer	Kirov Plant	Leningrad
Adopted	1976	1978	1997
Weight of the T-80 tank	42 t	42.5 t	47 t
Availability andprotection type
dynamic	No	"Contact-1"	"Contact -5"
Active	No	No	"Arena"
COEP	No	No	"Curtain -1"
Armor	Cast and	knurled	combined
Armament
Gun/caliber	2А46-1/125 mm	2А46-1/125 mm	2А46М/125 mm
Firing range (m)		0…5000
Ammunition	38	40	45
Machine gun	1x12.7 mm	1x7.62 mm
Powerinstallation
engine's type		gas turbine
Engine power hp	1000	1100	1250
Max. highway speed	65	70	70
Fuel consumption (l/km)		3,7
Power reserve max. (km)	350

Unfortunately, it is impossible to reflect in the table all the performance characteristics of the T-80 tank and its design features that were introduced into the next modifications of the combat vehicle. But it is necessary to dwell on the most important of them:

• model T-80 UK - commander's, with an additional radio station and navigation system;
• the T-80 UD model was equipped with a diesel engine and was intended for export;
• Since the end of the 70s, most modifications have been equipped with Cobra and Reflex guided weapon systems. Simply put, these are missiles that are launched from a standard gun. The targets are helicopters, tanks, pillboxes.

• a few years after the start of serial production of the T-80, gradually all models began to be equipped with automatic engine control systems. She chooses the most economical way of movement, helps to reduce fuel consumption;
• the last of the eighty modifications, the T-80UM-1 Bars, is equipped with a more advanced fire control system. It determines the range to the target, its speed, enters data on wind and temperature, and, taking into account the speed of the tank itself, gives aiming data. Specialists highly appreciate the performance characteristics of the T-80U;
• do not forget the developers of new models and the comfort of the crew. A successful air conditioning system has been created at Bars.

Separately, it is necessary to dwell on the results of work to further improve the protection system and ensure the survivability of the tank. We are talking about equipping the T-80UM-1 with the Arena active protection complex and the Shtora-1 KOEP .

Active protection complex "Arena" - a system of directed mini-explosions that destroy artillery shells and ATGMs on approach to the tank. It consists of an airborne radar that controls the space around the combat vehicle and 26 high-speed narrowly directed projectiles.

Armor is strong...

The main stages of improving the characteristics of the T-80 tank and creating its new modifications took place in a difficult period for the country, the army, and the military-industrial complex. The collapse of the USSR led to violations of economic and industrial ties.

Take, for example, the closely interconnected work of Kharkov and Leningrad tank builders. And the collapse of the Armed Forces and not the best use of armored vehicles in conflicts in the post-Soviet space. And the lack of funding for various design bureaus and research institutes. You can continue for a long time ... But, honor and praise to those who were able to save the main battle tank and even improve it.

May 9, 2015 at the Victory Parade was presented new tank T-14 "Armata". But that is another story.

T-80 tanks are the main combat vehicles that were mass-produced back in the USSR, starting in 1978. Operation was carried out until 1998. This combat unit was the first of its kind to be equipped with a dynamic projectile protection system, as well as a power plant based on a gas turbine.

Light tanks T-80 were also produced in the period from 1942 to 1943. Only 70 samples were released. Subsequently, at the plant, its “stamping” was replaced by the production of SU-76M artillery systems. Light tanks T-80 were no longer produced.

History of creation

The history of the tank dates back to 1964, when at a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU it was decided to develop a new combat vehicle based on the T-64. The innovative tank was conceived as a carrier of a gas turbine engine, which would contribute to a cruising range of 450 kilometers at 1000 Horse power and a warranty period of 500 hours.

The reason for making such a decision is due to the obsolescence of the T-64. The management relied on as a means of improving the operational characteristics of a combat unit. A feature of this mechanism was the absence of the need for warm-up before starting work, which significantly reduced the time for bringing the tank crew to combat readiness. Especially in harsh winter conditions.

First tests

From about 1968 to 1974, experimental T-80 tanks (then still bearing modest experimental names like "Object-219") underwent a series of tests. Some showed unsatisfactory results in the operation of a new type of engine, some completely failed.

After a number of improvements, the equipment was again tested - either in conditions of high dustiness, or during maneuvers on virgin snow.

The T-80 tanks with a diesel engine were noted for their high maneuverability when interacting with the tank. The vehicle easily advanced to the front positions in order to attack the enemy, developing a speed of 20 to 30 km/h.

On different type terrain, these tanks showed average speeds from 20 to 40 km / h, while oil consumption tended to zero, and fuel costs ranged from 435 to 840 liters.

Tank T-80. Characteristics and modernization

In 1976, the "Object-219" was put into service under the designation T-80. This is how the first tanks with a gas turbine engine appeared. For comparison: american tank Abrams was put on stream only in 1980.

The T-80 tank (photo below) had a hull made of welded armor plates, in many respects similar in design to its predecessors - the T-72 and T-64A.

The turret is completely cast from armored steel, has a complex configuration and is equipped with a rangefinder. The caliber of the gun is 125 mm, the gun is equipped with a casing at the base of the barrel, the charging mechanism and the projectile chambering system are in many ways similar to the T-64A. Also located on the tower anti-aircraft machine gun "Cliff" and infantry PKT.

Steel rolled and cast, as well as combined. The weight of the T-80 tank was 42 tons. Length (with gun) - approximately 9656 mm, hull - 6780 mm, width - 3525 mm, height (from the lowest point to the top of the tower) - 3525 mm.

T-80BV and other upgrades

Technological progress did not stand still. In 1978, an improved version appeared - T-80B. It was distinguished by the presence of the Cobra guided weapon system, the Tucha tactical smoke grenade launcher, and reinforced armor for both the hull and turret.

At the same time, the T-80BK model was being developed at the Omsk plant.

In 1985, the T-80BV model entered service. It differs from its predecessor by the presence of dynamic protection on the turret and hull.

The latest and most successful modification was the T-80U model, developed in the same 1985. Design principles inherited from the previous models of the "eighty". Weight increased to 46 tons.

The fire control system received a number of improvements, such as the gunner's night and day aiming system and the commander's computer-aiming mechanism.

Innovations made it possible to fight not only with armored targets, but also with low-flying helicopters thanks to the integrated Reflex missile guidance control system. The fired projectile is guided by a laser beam pointer at a distance of 100 to 5000 meters.

TTX of new products

T-80 tanks were rightfully considered one of the most advanced achievements of domestic design thought. For comparison, their performance characteristics should be considered.

The T-80BV weighed 43.7 tons, while the T-80U was heavier and weighed as much as 46.

The length of the first, together with the gun, was 9651 mm, while the improved model was shorter - 9556 mm.

As for the body itself, it's the other way around. The T-80B has a length of 6982 mm, a width of 3582 mm, and the T-80U had the characteristics of 7012 mm and 3603 mm, respectively.

The difference in height is almost imperceptible to the naked eye. The numbers indicate the difference only in the documentation - 2219 versus 2215 mm.

Termination of production

The T-80 tank (photo below) had a number of modifications intended for export to different countries of the world. Those are countless. For example, the model "eighties" on a diesel engine, produced in Kharkov under the marking T-80UD, formed the basis of Ukrainian military equipment: "Oplot", BM "Oplot" and T-84.

The production of the "eighties" was discontinued in 1998. The reasons, unfortunately, are unknown. Nevertheless, the combat vehicle is still in service with the army. Russian Federation.

"Armata"

On May 5, 2016, at the parade on Red Square, the new generation T-14 tank on the Armata platform was presented to the general public.

It was developed as part of the Combat Systems of the Future project, as well as to participate in the "network-centric war". This term refers to the military doctrine proclaimed by the NATO countries, which is the coordination of the actions of offensive or defensive forces, united in a single information network.

The T-14 was the first stealth tank in Russia. The body of the vehicle is constructed from a special material that makes it difficult to recognize vehicles by the main known radar waves and significantly reduces the distance required for target acquisition by Javelin or Brimstone missile guidance systems.

The peculiarity of the tank is that the crew is completely located in the hull. The tower remains uninhabited, which also contributes to the protection of crew members in combat conditions.

The Armata complex is equipped with the Afganit system, which makes it possible to intercept shells. The built-in system for the formation of smoke-metal curtains allows you to "dazzle" radio-controlled drones and mines due to signal distortion by the mentioned particles. This, in turn, does not harm the infantry and equipment accompanying the combat vehicle.

The T-14 is equipped with dynamic armor, the principle of which is based on firing armor plates towards a flying projectile. It is believed that this way armor is also capable of reflecting shots from an anti-tank grenade launcher.

Technological progress does not stand still, every day new types of weapons are being developed in secret laboratories. It is known that "Armata" is put into mass production until 2020. And they do not plan to interrupt the "stamping" of innovative technology even in a crisis.

But what will be the novelty that can surpass the T-14, is it really futuristic walking tanks? Time will show.

It is a further development of the T-80B tank. Improvements have affected all the main combat and operational properties. First of all, the survivability of the tank has been significantly increased due to changes in the design of armor barriers, the inclusion of built-in dynamic protection, and a slight increase in the mass of material released for armor. The capabilities of both long-range and close-range fire combat have been improved thanks to the use of a new guided weapon system, improved weapon characteristics and a fire control system. Mobility indicators have increased due to the use of a more powerful gas turbine engine (919 kW), improved transmission and motion control drives.

The tank was put into service in 1985. Since 1987, the production of a modification with a diesel engine, which received the T-80UD index, has been mastered in Kharkov. The use of a two-stroke diesel engine led to design changes in the transmission and motion control drives. There are other design differences, for example, in the installation of an anti-aircraft machine gun. The main characteristics remained unchanged.

In order to improve the mine resistance of the tank, the driver's seat is not attached to the bottom, but is suspended from the roof (turret sheet). On the left behind the seat, a piller is installed, which increases the rigidity of the structure.

In the fighting compartment, in contrast to the T-80BV tank, an additional seven shots are placed (non-mechanized ammo rack). The relative position of the instruments has changed somewhat due to the introduction of duplicated fire control and the use of a thermal imager.

Fuel tanks are located in the control compartment, in the fighting compartment and in the MTO. The capacity of internal fuel tanks is 1090 liters. Another 680 liters of fuel is placed in five external tanks. Three additional barrels of 200 liters each can be installed on the tank. Thus, the transportable fuel supply reaches 2370 liters.

To supply consumers with electricity and recharge the battery when the main engine is off, to supply electricity together with the battery when starting and cranking the main engine, the tank has a gas turbine power unit with a generator with a capacity of 18 kW. It is located in the stern of the machine in the bunker on the left fender. The power unit control panel is located in the control room.

The main armament is a 125-mm modernized 2A46M-1 smoothbore gun - a launcher.

In the cradle of a new design, to reduce the effect of the gap between the pipe and the guides of the cradle on the accuracy of shooting, three backlash-selecting devices are mounted.

To align the zero line of sight without the crew leaving the tank, there is a built-in control device, consisting of a rear sight on the muzzle of the barrel, a telephoto lens and a prism between the protective glass and the head of the rangefinder sight.

Ammunition for the gun consists of 45 rounds of separate-sleeve loading. It includes a shot with a 9M119 guided missile, which has a cumulative warhead. The main part of the ammunition is placed in the rotating conveyor of the loading mechanism (28 shots). Other artillery rounds are in non-mechanized stacks in the hull and turret (seven shells and charges in the control compartment, the rest in the fighting compartment).

The fire control complex provides for the search for targets and tracking them by the commander and gunner, automatic input of corrections for deviations from normal firing conditions, guidance and stabilization of the gun and the machine gun coaxial with it, launch and automatic guidance of the missile, target designation from the commander. Functionally, it combines the gun and coaxial machine gun control complex; guided weapon system.

The cannon and coaxial machine gun control equipment includes a gunner's information-computing day sighting system, a weapons stabilizer, a commander's sighting and observation system, and a gunner's night sighting system.

The sight-rangefinder - guidance device has independent stabilization of the field of view in two planes and a pancratic magnification system from 3.6 to 12 times. It provides guidance and stabilization of the information laser beam, measurement and indication of the range to targets, and generation of control signals for the gun and turret drives.

An electronic ballistic computer generates corrections for the range to the target, its flank movement, the speed of the tank itself, the deviation of the air and charge temperature, bore wear, atmospheric pressure, side wind, and the angle of inclination of the gun trunnion axis.

The armament stabilizer includes an improved small-sized electro-hydraulic drive for vertical guidance of the gun and an electric machine drive for the turret.

The gunner's night sighting system includes a thermal imaging sight, which can be used by the tank commander with the help of his video viewing device, and a parallelogram drive with a device for correcting the position of the illuminator.

The sighting and observation system of the PNK-4S commander provides observation of the battlefield, priority duplicated control of the cannon and coaxial machine gun, firing from the cannon day and night artillery shells, target designation.

Combined day-night sight TKN-4S commander has an independent stabilization of the field of view in the vertical plane. The sight includes two daytime optical channels (single and 7.5x magnification) and a passive-active night channel.

As an auxiliary weapon, the tank has a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun coaxial with a cannon and a 12.7 mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun.

The 9K119 guided weapon system consists of equipment installed in the tank and a guided missile shot. A semi-automatic remote control system using a laser beam is used to guide the missile. Rocket firing range - up to 5000 meters.

The hull has a welded structure, with large angles of inclination of the bow parts. The upper frontal sheet is combined, with an angle of inclination of 68 degrees from the vertical. The tower is cast, in the frontal sector it has combined armor protection.

Dynamic protection is made in the built-in version. Such a scheme provides an increase in security, both from cumulative and kinetic projectiles.

Protection of the crew from the damaging factors of WMD is provided by a collective protection system similar to the system of the T-80BV tank. The machine is equipped with individual anti-radiation vests. The tank is equipped with a high-speed PPO 3ETs13 "Hoarfrost" system.

The tank is equipped with a gas turbine engine GTD-1250, made according to a three-shaft scheme, with two independent compressors and a free power turbine. Engine power 919 kW (1250 hp). Diesel is considered the main fuel. In addition, it is allowed to use low-octane gasolines, jet fuels. The transmission has, in comparison with the T-80BV tank, some differences due to the increased engine power and the use of a hydraulic brake.

The chassis is the same as that of the T-80BV tank.

The main modifications of the T-80 tank

T-80 (1976)- basic pattern.

T-80B (1978)- installed upgraded gun, improved SLA, introduced KUV, improved protection characteristics. Since 1980, the GTD-1000TF engine with a power of 1100 hp.

T-80BV (1985)- installed hinged dynamic protection.

T-80U (1985)- a modernized gun was installed, a new FCS with duplication from the commander, a new guided weapon system with laser beam guidance, a GTD-1000TF gas turbine engine with a power of 1100 hp was introduced. (or GTD-1250 with a power of 1250 hp), protection characteristics have been improved. Since 1992, a thermal imager has been installed on the tank.

T-80UD (1987)- a diesel engine 6TD with a power of 1000hp was installed, dynamic protection in a built-in design.

Combat and technical characteristics of the T-80U tank

Combat weight .............................. 46 t Crew .............. ................. 3 pers. Height on the roof of the tower ................... 2202 mm Cannon ........................ ........... 125-mm smoothbore - launcher Ammunition ............................................ 45 rounds Types of ammunition ........................ BPS, OFS, BKS, guided missile Guided weapons complex ........ 9K119 Guided missile .. ................... 9M119 with laser beam control UR launch range ............................ .100-5000 m Probability of hitting UR................ 0.8 on a tank-type target when firing from a place and on the move Rangefinder ........... ................... Laser Stabilizer ............................... vertically electro-hydraulic, horizontally electromechanically ..... yes Loading .............................. automatic Duplicated fire control ........ .. from the tank commander Machine guns ................................. one 12.7 mm, one 7.62- mm Armor protection ........................ combined Reactive armor .......................... .. built-in Smoke grenade launchers ..................... 8 pcs. Maximum speed ........................ 70 km/h Highway range .................................. 400 km Engine ............................... gas turbine, three-shaft Engine power ........... ........... 919 kW (1250 hp) Transmission ............................... mechanical planetary Suspension ............................. torsion bar Caterpillar .............. ................... with RMSH with rubber-coated treadmill Depth of the overcome water obstacle .. 5 m (with preparation)

When the Minister of Defense of the Syrian Arab Republic, Mustafa Tlas, who commanded the Syrian army in Lebanon in 1981-82, was asked by a correspondent of the Spiegel magazine: “Would the former driver of the Tlas tank want to have the German Leopard that the Saudis so desire to get?”, he replied: “... There is a desire, but there is also a T-80 - Moscow's answer to the Leopard. It is not only equal to the Leopard, but also significantly superior to it. As a soldier and tank specialist, I consider the T-80 the best tank in the world."

HISTORY OF CREATIONT-80

By the end of the 1960s Soviet army had the most advanced tanks at that time. In 1967, the T-64 tank was adopted, which was significantly superior to foreign counterparts - the M-60, Leopard 1 and Chieftain. However, in the USA and Germany, since 1965, they have deployed joint work to create a new generation MBT MBT-70. The new NATO tank, in addition to enhanced armament and armor, was to be distinguished by increased mobility characteristics. An adequate response was required from Soviet tank builders.

On April 16, 1968, a joint resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued, in accordance with which SKB-2 at the Kirov Plant was tasked with developing a variant of the T-64 medium tank with a gas turbine power plant.

By the end of the 60s, the USSR already had developments on the use of gas turbine engines in tanks. The gas turbine engine, which in the 1940s won a victory over piston engines in military aviation, began to attract the attention of tank builders. A gas turbine engine gave significant advantages over a diesel or gasoline engine: with similar sizes, a gas turbine had much more power, which made it possible to dramatically increase the speed and acceleration qualities of combat vehicles, improve tank control and ensure quick engine start at low temperatures.

The first development of a tank with gas turbine engines in the USSR began as early as 1948. And in 1955, two experimental tank gas turbine engines with a capacity of 1000 hp each were manufactured for the first time. In 1957, at the Kirov Plant, under the leadership of the chief designer of the design bureau Zh.Ya. Kotin, the first domestic turbine tank, an experimental object 278, was manufactured and tested. t develop good speed- 57.3 km / h. Two tanks of this type were built and tested, however, unlike a diesel engine, the gas turbine was still far from perfect and it took more than 20 years of work and many experimental machines before the gas turbine engine could be installed on a production tank.

In 1963, in Kharkov, under the leadership of A.A. Morozov, simultaneously with the T-64 medium tank, its gas turbine modification was created - an experimental T-64T, with a GTD-3TL helicopter engine with a power of 700 hp. In 1964, an experimental object 167T with a GTD-ZT (800 hp), developed under the direction of L.N. Kartsev, left the gates of Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil.

The first experimental "Kirov" tank - object 219SP1, manufactured in 1969 - outwardly was almost similar to the experimental Kharkov T-64T. An experimental GTD-1000T engine with a power of 1000 hp was installed on the machine. development of NPO them. V.Ya.Klimova. The next vehicle, the 219SP2 object, was already significantly different from the original T-64: it turned out that the installation of a new, more powerful engine, the increased weight and the changed dynamic characteristics of the tank required significant changes to the undercarriage. The shape of the tower was also changed.

From the T-64A there were weapons and ammunition, an automatic loader, individual components and systems, as well as armor elements.

After building and testing several experimental vehicles, which took about 7 years, on July 6, 1976, the new tank was officially put into service under the designation T-80 (“object 219”). In 1976-78, the Leningrad production association "Kirov Plant" produced a series of "eighties". The T-80 became the world's first mass-produced tank with a gas turbine power plant.

The first information about the new Soviet main battle tank in the West began to appear in the mid-70s. This information was initially very vague. Initially, the NATO assigned the T-80 index to the modified "seventy-two" - T-72M1. For some time, the T-80 was considered as a modification of the T-64. It seemed unlikely to Western experts that the Soviet Union would arm its ground forces simultaneously with three types of similar tanks.

The first image of the T-80 in a Western edition was published in the official Pentagon brochure "Soviet military power" for 1981. This drawing did not reflect reality: on the body of the T-64, the artist placed an angular tower similar to the Leopard-2 tower. In 1982, the "Soviet military power" issued the T-72M1 for the T-80. Once again, the Pentagon yearbook returned to the T-80 only in 1986, when it published a heavily retouched photograph of the tank. However, Western experts did not come to a consensus: however, some called the T-64 as the progenitor, others called the T-72.

Quote from the magazine "Military Technology" No. 6, 1986: "The T-80 tank is the result of evolutionary development. This is nothing more than a T-72 tank with a new engine ... The turret of the new tank is the same as the turret of the T-74 tank (meaning T-72M). A year later, Jane's Defense Weekly writes: “... it can be expected that the T-80 tank is closer in design to the T-72 than to the T-64 ... the principles underlying the design of the T-72 tank , had only a minor impact on the creation of the tank. "Armor magazine for January-February 1987 wrote:" the T-80 tank is a combination of a new hull and suspension system adapted to the turret from the T-64V tank.

Against the background of such different opinions about the very origin of the tank, the wrong assessment of its "stuffing" is not surprising. The location and configuration of the lattice in the aft part of the armored hull suggests that a gas turbine engine is hidden under it, however (quote again) “a gas turbine engine is incompatible with general principles construction of Soviet tanks, besides, there is not enough space for its placement in their cramped internal volume.

Therefore, many believed that the modernized diesel engine was installed on the T-80. The grating, according to the author of Jane's Defense, serves to suppress IR radiation. At the same time, the Military Technology magazine was of the opinion that the T-80 still uses a gas turbine engine.

The initial analysis of the tank's cannon with regard to the possibility of firing breech-loaded anti-tank missiles from it also became erroneous. IN last resort, it was allowed to load the ATGM from the side of the muzzle, while the ATGM ammunition is placed on the outer part of the tower. In the end, Western experts got acquainted with the real state of affairs: the ammunition load of the 2A46 gun does indeed include ATGMs, and rockets are loaded from the breech, like ordinary shots. The combination of rocket and artillery weapons in the T-80 tank is marked as one key features this tank, especially since the attempts of the Americans to create a 152-mm tank gun - launcher were not crowned with success.

DESIGN OF THE T-80 TANK

The design of the T-80 tank uses the systems and units of the T-64 tank, in particular elements of the fire control system, automatic gun loader, armor protection. In terms of armament (125-mm smoothbore gun 2A46), the tank is unified with the T-64 and T-72. However, the use of a new engine and the associated increase in mass required the creation of a new chassis: caterpillars, hydraulic shock absorbers and torsion shafts, support and support rollers, drive and guide rollers.

Layout

Like other Russian 4th generation tanks - T-64 and T-72 - T-80 has a classic layout and a crew of three. The mechanics-drivers of the T-64 and T-72 tanks have one viewing device each; the driver of the T-80 tank had three, which made it possible to significantly improve visibility. The designers also provided for the heating of the driver's workplace with air taken from the gas turbine engine compressor.

The body of the machine is welded, its frontal part has an angle of inclination of 68 degrees, the turret is cast. The T-80 hull is 90 cm longer than the T-64 hull. The frontal parts of the hull and turret are equipped with multilayer combined armor combining steel and ceramics. The remaining parts of the body are made of monolithic steel armor with a large differentiation of thicknesses and angles of inclination. There is a complex of protection against weapons of mass destruction (lined, undercut, sealing and air purification system).

The layout of the fighting compartment of the T-80 is similar to the layout of the T-64B.

Engine

The motor monoblock in the aft part of the tank hull is located longitudinally, which required some increase in the length of the vehicle compared to the T-64. The structure of the monoblock includes the gas turbine engine itself, an air cleaner, oil tanks and radiators for the engine and transmission, fuel filters, a generator, a starter, fuel and oil pumps, a compressor, and fans. The engine is made in a single block with a total weight of 1050 kg with a built-in bevel-helical reduction gear and is kinematically connected to two onboard planetary gearboxes.

The GTD-1000T is designed according to a three-shaft scheme, with two independent turbochargers and a free turbine. The adjustable nozzle apparatus of the gas turbine limits the frequency of its rotation and prevents it from "spacing" when changing gears. The absence of a mechanical connection between the power turbine and turbochargers increased the tank's patency on soils with low bearing capacity, in difficult driving conditions, and also eliminated the possibility of engine shutdown when the vehicle suddenly stopped with the gear engaged. This means that even if the T-80 suddenly hits a wall, its engine will not stall.

The fuel system consists of an external and internal group of tanks. The outer group includes two tanks on the right fender and three on the left. Eight internal tanks are installed along the perimeter of the hull, encircling the fighting compartment. The front left and front right tanks, as well as the back rack, are installed in the front. Ammunition is stowed in the storage tank (wet stowage). Further clockwise are the middle right (in the fighting compartment), the right aft and supply tanks (in the MTO) and the middle left (in the fighting compartment). The total capacity of the internal tanks is 1140l. Engine operation is possible on TS-1 and TS-2 jet fuels, diesel fuels and low-octane automobile gasolines. The GTE start-up process is automated, the compressor rotors are spinning up using two electric motors.

Due to the rear exhaust, as well as the inherent low noise of the gas turbine engine compared to a diesel engine, it was possible to reduce the acoustic visibility of the tank. Reducing the thermal visibility of the tank is facilitated by the use of a box-shaped guide grille of the exhaust manifold and the placement of equipment for underwater driving of the tank on the stern of the tower. A massive OPVT pipe hangs over the roof of the MTO and partially shields the thermal radiation of the engine.

The features of the tank include the combined braking system implemented for the first time on the T-80 with the simultaneous use of a gas turbine engine and mechanical hydraulic brakes. The adjustable nozzle apparatus (RSA) of the turbine allows you to change the direction of the gas flow, forcing the turbine blades to rotate in the opposite direction. This heavily loads the power turbine, which required the introduction of special measures to protect it. The process of braking the tank is as follows: when the driver presses the brake pedal, braking begins with the help of the turbine. When the pedal is pressed further, mechanical braking devices are also included in the work.

To control the gas turbine engine, an automatic engine operation mode control system (ACS) was used, including temperature sensors located in front of and behind the power turbine, a temperature controller (RT), as well as limit switches installed under the brake pedal and the PCA pedal, connected to the RT and the supply system fuel. The use of ACS made it possible to increase the life of the turbine blades by more than 10 times, and with frequent use of the brake and the PCA pedal to change gears (which occurs while the tank is moving over rough terrain), fuel consumption is reduced by 5-7%.

To protect the turbine from dust, an inertial (so-called "cyclone") air purification method is used, providing 97% purification. However, unfiltered dust particles still remain on the turbine blades. To remove them when the tank is moving in especially difficult conditions, a procedure for vibro-cleaning the blades is provided.

Transmission

Transmission T-80 - mechanical planetary; consists of two units, each of which included an onboard gearbox, an onboard gearbox and hydraulic servo drives of the motion control system. Provides four gears forward and one reverse.

Chassis

Dual track rollers with external shock absorption consist of two ramps fastened with ten bolts; rollers have rubber tires; roller disks are made of aluminum alloy. Wider compared to the tracks of the T-64 tank, the T-80 tracks have rubber treadmills and rubber-metal joints. The use of tracks of this design reduces the vibrations transmitted from the undercarriage to the tank hull, in addition, the level of noise generated by the tank during movement is reduced. Thanks to the wider and longer tracks with 80 tracks, despite the increase in the mass of the T-80 tank compared to the T-64, its ground pressure decreased by 5%, and the engagement area with the ground increased by 25%.

Tank suspension - individual torsion, with misaligned torsion shafts and double-acting hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers on the first, second and sixth rollers. The supporting and upper part of the road wheels are covered with rubber aprons, which weaken the action of the cumulative jet; aprons also somewhat reduce the cloud of dust raised by the tank when moving at high speed.

Tower and armament

The T-80 turret is in many ways similar to the T-64 tank turret.

The main armament of the T-80 tank includes a 125 mm 2A46-1 smoothbore gun. Shots - separate-sleeve loading; 28 of them are placed in the “carousel” of the mechanized ammo rack (the automatic loader is similar to that used on the T-64BV tank), 3 shots are stored in the fighting compartment and another 7 shells and charges are in the control compartment. The rate of fire is 7-9 rounds per minute with automatic loading and 2 rounds per minute with manual loading. Direct shot range - 2100 m, maximum firing range of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile - 11 km; aimed fire at night using active night vision devices can be fired at a distance of 1300-1500 m. In addition to the cannon, the tank is armed with a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun coaxial with the gun (ammunition load - 1250 rounds), and mounted on the bracket of the commander's cupola 12 .7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun NSVT "Utes" (shooting from it is carried out by the commander, being at this time outside the reserved volume); Ammunition "Cliff" is 300 rounds.

The gunner was equipped with a TPD-2-49 sight with a stereoscopic optical rangefinder, which allows determining the distance to the target within 1000-4000 m. The optical axis of the sight has independent stabilization in the vertical and horizontal planes. Night sights of the commander and gunner are similar to those used on the T-64A tank.

WMD protection

The T-80 has a collective system of protection against weapons of mass destruction, similar to the system used on the T-64. The inner walls of the fighting compartment are covered with a lining made of a polymeric material that performs a dual function. Due to its chemical composition, the lining significantly weakens the effect of gamma and neutron radiation on the crew, and when kinetic ammunition enters the tank, the lining prevents small fragments of armor from scattering inside the hull. In addition, fuel tanks provide additional protection for the crew from neutron weapons. The WMD protection system includes a radiation and chemical reconnaissance device, ZETs-11-2 switching equipment, a filter-ventilation unit, an engine stop mechanism, closing seals with actuators and permanent hull and turret seals, the system operates in automatic or manual mode. In automatic mode, when radiation or toxic substances are detected outside the tank, the seals are closed, the FVU is turned on, and sound and light alarms are activated, warning the crew about the contamination of the area.

Engineering equipment

Self-digging equipment is mounted on the lower front armor plate of the hull, which is a blade with four struts and guides. The set of means for self-extraction includes a log, fastening in the aft part of the hull, two cables and brackets with bolts and nuts, with which the log is attached, if necessary, to the tracks. The T-80 has attachments for attaching the KMT-6 mine trawl.

The tank is equipped with equipment for underwater driving, which provides overcoming water obstacles up to 5 m deep.

T-80B ("OBJECT 219R")

In 1978, a new modification, the T-80B, was adopted. Unlike the T-80, its 2A46M-1 cannon can fire 9M112 guided missiles at a distance of up to 4 km, with a probability of hitting an armored target of 0.8. The missile corresponds in shape and size to the projectile, and can be placed in the trays of the mechanized ammunition rack of the automatic loader.

Missile guidance is semi-automatic: the gunner only needs to keep the aiming mark on the target. The ATGM coordinates relative to the aiming line are determined by means of an optical system using a modulated light source mounted on the missile, and control commands are transmitted via a narrowly focused radio beam.

The TPD-2-49 sight replaced the more advanced 1G42 sight with a built-in laser rangefinder and independent stabilization of the optical axis in two planes.

A ballistic computer was introduced into the 1A33 fire control system. Improved communication equipment; instead of the outdated R-123M radio station, the R-173 radio station is used. Communication equipment with aviation and a friend-foe identification device were introduced into the radio equipment.

Compared to the first T-80 tanks, the T-80B tanks also have more advanced multilayer armor protection, equivalent in properties to steel armor 500 mm thick. Since 1980, more powerful GTD-1000TF engines (1100 hp) have been installed on the T-80B.

Smoke grenade launchers of the 902 Tucha system are mounted on the outer surface of the tower.

T-80BV ("OBJECT 219RV")

In 1985, a modification of the T-80B with hinged dynamic protection entered service. The machine received the designation T-80BV. Somewhat later, the installation of dynamic protection began on the previously built T-80Bs in the process of their overhaul.

The predicted growth in the combat capabilities of foreign main tanks, along with the improvement of means of combating armored vehicles, required further improvement of the "eighties". Work on the development of this machine was carried out both in Leningrad and in Kharkov.

In 1976, the KhMDB completed a preliminary design of the "object 478", which outlined a significant increase in the combat and technical characteristics of the T-80. It was supposed to install a diesel engine, traditional for Kharkivites, - 6TDN with a capacity of 1000 hp, on the tank (the option of 1250 hp was also being worked out). It was supposed to install a new turret, guided missile weapons, a new sight, etc. on the car. Work on the "object 478" served as the basis for the creation in the second half of the 1980s of the serial diesel tank T-80UD.

T-80U ("OBJECT 219AS")

The emergence in NATO countries of new means of combating tanks, primarily A-10A Thunderbolt-2 attack aircraft, AN-64 Apache attack helicopters equipped with powerful Mayverick and Hellfire ATGMs capable of burning through armor up to 1000 thick mm, as well as new modifications of the TOW and Khot missiles, required a further increase in the protection of the main tanks.

At the same time, the variety of types of armored vehicles produced in the country worried the leadership of the USSR Armed Forces. It was decided to install on the T-80 chassis a new turret developed in Kharkov for the modification of the T-64, known as the "object 476". The cast tower, created under the direction of N.A. Shomin, had an increased volume and an armored shield, consisting of spaced steel plates with internal armored vertical plates, the space between which was filled with a urethane field.

The development of a modernized tank with a "Kharkov" turret in SKB-2 LKZ began in the early 1980s. The machine, which received the designation T-80A ("object 2I9A"), also had improved weapons (ATGM "Reflex") and a number of other innovations, in particular, built-in bulldozer equipment. An experimental tank of this type was built in 1982; subsequently, several more experimental vehicles were produced that had minor differences. In 1984, an experimental set of mounted dynamic protection was installed on them.

To test the new Reflex guided weapon system with laser-guided missiles, as well as the Irtysh weapon control system, the LKZ design bureau in 1983 created an experimental vehicle “object 2198” on the basis of the T-80B serial tank.

Both experienced tanks gave impetus to the next important step in the evolution of the "eighties", made by Leningrad designers. Under the leadership of Nikolai Popov, work began on the T-80U tank ("object 219AC") - the latest and most powerful modification of the "eighties", recognized by many domestic and foreign experts as the strongest tank in the world. The machine, which retained the main layout and design features of its predecessors, received a number of fundamentally new units. At the same time, the mass of the tank compared to the T-80BV increased by only 1.5 tons.

The firepower of the T-80U has been significantly increased due to the use of a new complex of guided missile weapons "Reflex" with an anti-jamming fire control system that provides an increase in the range and accuracy of fire while reducing the time to prepare the first shot. New complex provided the ability to deal not only with armored targets, but also with low-flying helicopters. The 9M119 missile, controlled by a laser beam, provides a range of hitting a tank-type target when firing from a standstill at ranges of 100 - 5000 m with a probability of 0.8.

The ammunition load of the 2A46M-1 gun (other names D-81TM, "Rapier-3"), including 45 rounds, consists of armor-piercing HEAT projectiles ZBK14M and ZBK27, armor-piercing projectiles with a tungsten core ZBM12 and ZBM42, armor-piercing projectiles with a depleted uranium core ZBM32, as well as high-explosive fragmentation projectiles 2OF19 and ZOF26. Armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile has an initial velocity of 1715 m/s (which exceeds the initial velocity of the projectile of any other foreign tank) and is capable of hitting heavily armored targets at a point-blank range of 2200 m.

With the help of a modern fire control system, the commander and gunner can search for targets, track them, as well as aim fire day and night, both from a place and on the move, and use guided missile weapons.

The 1G46 "Irtysh" daytime optical sight with a built-in laser rangefinder allows the gunner to detect small targets at a distance of up to 5000 m and determine the range to them with high accuracy. The sight is stabilized in two planes, regardless of the weapon. Its pancratic system changes the magnification of the optical channel within 3.6 - 12.0.

At night, the gunner searches and aims using the Buran-PA combined active-passive sight, which also has a stabilized field of view.

The tank commander conducts surveillance and gives target designation to the gunner using the PNK-4S sighting and observation day / night complex, stabilized in the vertical plane.

The digital ballistic computer takes into account corrections for range, target flanking speed, own tank speed, cannon trunnion angle, bore wear, air temperature, atmospheric pressure and side wind.

The gun received a built-in control device for the alignment of the gunner's sight; quick-release connection of the barrel tube with the breech, allows the replacement of the barrel in combat conditions, without dismantling the entire gun from the turret.

When creating the T-80U tank, considerable attention was paid to strengthening its protection. Work was carried out in several directions. Due to the use of a new camouflage color, which distorts the appearance of the tank, it was possible to reduce the probability of detecting the T-80U in the visible and IR ranges. Enhanced both armor and dynamic protection of the tank. The first series of the tank were equipped with a hinged set of dynamic protection "Contact". Then (for the first time in the world) elements of built-in dynamic protection (VDZ) were implemented, which is able to withstand not only cumulative, but also kinetic projectiles. VDZ covers more than 50% of the surface, nose, sides and roof of the tank. The combination of advanced multi-layered combined armor and VDZ "removes" almost all types of the most common cumulative anti-tank weapons and reduces the likelihood of being hit by "blanks". In terms of the power of armor protection, which has an equivalent thickness of 1100 mm against a sub-caliber kinetic projectile and 900 mm - under the action of cumulative ammunition, the T-80U surpasses almost all fourth-generation foreign tanks.

When armor is penetrated, the tank's survivability is ensured by the use of the fast-acting automatic fire-fighting system "Hoarfrost", which prevents ignition and explosion of the fuel-air mixture. To protect against the explosion of mines, the driver's seat is suspended from the turret sheet, and the rigidity of the hull in the control compartment area is increased by using a special piller behind the driver's seat.

An important advantage of the T-80U was its perfect system of protection against weapons of mass destruction, surpassing such protection of the best foreign vehicles. The tank has a lining and a lining made of hydrogen-containing polymers with the addition of lead, lithium and boron, local protection screens made of heavy materials, automatic sealing systems for habitable compartments and air purification.

The use of a self-digging system with a bulldozer blade 2140 mm wide and a system for setting smoke screens using the Tucha system, which includes eight 902B grenade launchers, contributes to an increase in survival. The tank can also be equipped with a mounted KMT-6 track trawl. excluding the detonation of mines under the bottom and tracks.

A significant innovation was the use of an auxiliary power unit GTA-18A with a capacity of 30 hp on the tank, which allows saving fuel while the tank is parked, while maintaining defensive battle, as well as in ambush. The resource of the main engine is also saved. The auxiliary power unit, located in the rear of the machine in the bunker on the left fender, is “built into” the general system of the gas turbine engine and does not require any additional devices for its operation.

Initially, it was supposed to install a gas turbine engine GTD-1000 (“product 37”) with an HP 1200 power on the tank. However, the fine-tuning of the engine, which has a complex adjustment system, was delayed (in particular, due to the fact that the Klimov Design Bureau was loaded with work on aircraft power plants). As a result, it was decided to equip the tank with a less powerful GTD-1000TF engine ("product 38F") with a capacity of 1100 hp.

By the end of 1983, an experimental series of ten T-80Us was made in Kharkov, eight of which were transferred to military trials. In 1985, the development of the tank was completed, and its large-scale serial production began in Omsk and Kharkov,

T-80UD

As mentioned above, the T-80 became the world's first production tank with a gas turbine engine. The installation of the turbine was considered a great success for tank builders, but not all tankers agreed with this conclusion. Capricious jet engines greatly complicated the work of the engineering and technical services of combat units; perhaps it was the techies who “launched” the next assessment of the T-80 into the world - this tank has only one drawback - the gas turbine engine.

In addition to the difficulty in operation, the gas turbine engine was inferior to the traditional diesel engine in such an important parameter as efficiency. In addition to everything, the GTD-1000 cost the National Economy 104,000 rubles in the 1980s, and the V-46 tank diesel cost 9,600 rubles.

The answer to the question of which is better - a tank gas turbine or a diesel engine has remained open (and not only in your country, the Americans put a turbine on their Abrams, and the Germans put a diesel engine on the Leopard). In this regard, interest in installing a diesel engine on the most powerful domestic tank was constantly maintained. In particular, there was an opinion about the preference for the differential use of turbine and diesel tanks in various theaters of military operations.

Work on the creation of a diesel version of the "eighties" has been carried out since the mid-1970s. In Leningrad and Omsk, experimental vehicles "object 219RD" and "object 644" were created, equipped, respectively, with A-53-2 and V-46-6 diesel engines. However, the Kharkovites achieved the greatest success, creating a powerful (1000 hp) and economical six-cylinder diesel engine 6TD - a further development of 5TD. The development of this engine began in 1966, and since 1975 its development began on the chassis of the "object 476". In 1976, the Kharkovites proposed a variant of the T-80 tank with 6TD ("object 478"). In 1985, on its basis, under the leadership of General Designer I.L. Protopopov, the “object 478B” (“Birch”) was created. Compared to the “reactive” T-80U, the diesel tank had slightly worse dynamic characteristics, but had an increased cruising range. The installation of a diesel engine required a number of changes in the transmission and control drives. In addition, the car received remote control of the Utes anti-aircraft machine gun.

The first five serial "Birches" were assembled by the end of 1985, they were immediately sent for military trials. In 1986, the machine was launched into a large series, and in 1987 it was put into service under the designation T-80UD. The T-80UD was significantly different from the jet eighties, so it was supposed to give it a new designation T-84, however, they limited themselves to letters - UD (improved diesel), later, after gaining independence, the Ukrainians returned to the next model of the "eighties" to the designation T-84. "Birch" was tested with the condition of subsequent elimination of the customer's comments. The refinement of the tank continued for two years in parallel with mass production.

In 1988, the T-80UD was modernized: the reliability of the power plant and a number of units was increased, the hinged dynamic protection "Contact" was replaced with built-in dynamic protection, and the weapons were finalized. Until the end of 1991, about 500 T-80UDs were produced in Kharkov (of which only 60 were transferred to units stationed on the territory of Ukraine). In total, by this time in the European part of the USSR there were 4839 T-80 tanks of all modifications.

T-80 TWO WAYS: IN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

The presence of two centers for improving the T-80 tanks (in St. Petersburg and Kharkov) predetermined the peculiar ways of further development of the design in Russia and Ukraine. Perhaps the only thing in common was that both Ukrainian and Russian designers adapted new modifications, first of all, to the requirements of possible foreign customers, since at that time neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian armies were able to purchase complex military equipment in tangible amounts.

T-84

The Ukrainians won in 1996 a tender for the supply of main battle tanks to the Pakistani army. In the same 1996, a contract was signed for the supply of 320 diesel T-80s worth 580-650 million dollars (different sources give different figures), which received the Ukrainian designation T-84, to Pakistan (this number probably included tanks available in the Armed Forces of Ukraine). The export value of one T-84 was $1.8 million.

In Kharkov, a more powerful (1200 hp) 6TD-2 diesel engine was created, designed for installation on modernized T-64 and T-84 samples. Pakistan expressed interest in the participation of specialists from Kharkov in a joint Sino-Pakistani program to develop a promising main tank. Work on this car began back in 1988, but the developers were unable to overcome a number of technical problems, primarily related to the chassis and power plant. In 1998, the Pakistani side proposed installing a turret, developed in China for a promising tank, on the hull of the Ukrainian T-84. As the main engine, it is possible to use a "native" 6TD-2 diesel engine or a diesel engine of the European design "Perkins" V12 with a capacity of 1200 hp.

In 2000, KMDB specialists developed a version of the T-84, modified to NATO standards, called the T-84-120 Yatagan. The tank was equipped with a 120 mm cannon, an FN machine gun and communications equipment from the French company Thomson. The T-84-120 was made in a single copy, and did not go further into the series, since no orders were received for it.

In 2008, the production of the modern Ukrainian MBT "Oplot" was launched in Kharkov. This tank is significantly different from the T-84. It is equipped with a modern digital FCS and a thermal imaging sight, a commander's combined panoramic sight with day and night thermal imaging channels, and a laser rangefinder. The tank received a welded-rolled turret of a new shape, a built-in Duplet dynamic protection system, a Warta optoelectronic suppression system, and side screens that protect the hull and chassis from RPG rounds.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine ordered 10 Oplot tanks, for which they could not pay the manufacturer.

In 2011, Thailand ordered a batch of 49 Oplot-T tanks (tropical version). In 2013, the first batch of 5 tanks was delivered to the customer. At present, the factory Malyshev in Kharkov, the assembly of the second batch of "Oplotov-T" for the Thai army is underway.

T-80UM/UK

Russian designers, in the absence of powerful tank diesel engines left in Ukraine, continued to improve the "jet" T-80. The production of gas turbine T-80s has completely moved to a plant in Omsk. In 1990, the production of a tank with a more powerful GTD-1250 engine (1250 hp) began there, which made it possible to slightly improve the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle. Power plant protection devices against overheating were introduced. The tank received an improved 9K119M missile system.

T-80UM1 "Bars" with KAZ "Arena"

To reduce the radar signature of the T-80U tank, a special radar absorbing coating was developed and applied. The reduction in the effective scattering surface (ESR) of ground combat vehicles has become of particular importance after the advent of airborne real-time radar reconnaissance systems using high-resolution synthetic aperture side-looking radars. At a distance of several tens of kilometers, it became possible to detect and track the movement of not only tank columns, but also individual units of armored vehicles. The first two aircraft with such equipment - E-8JSTARS - were successfully used by the Americans during Operation Desert Storm, as well as in the Balkans.

On the part of the T-80U, they began to install the Agava-2 thermal imaging observation and aiming device (the industry delayed the supply of thermal imagers, so not all machines received them). Video image (for the first time on domestic tank) is displayed on a TV-type screen. For the development of this device, its creators in 1992 were awarded the Zh.Ya. Kotin Prize.

The serial T-80U tank with the above improvements introduced is known under the designation T-80UM.

Another important innovation that significantly increased the combat survivability of the T-80U was the use of the TShU-2 Shtora optoelectronic suppression system. The purpose of the complex is to prevent anti-tank guided missiles with a semi-automatic guidance system from hitting the tank, as well as to interfere with enemy weapon control systems with laser target designation and laser rangefinders. The complex included an opto-electronic suppression station (SOEP) TShU-1 and an aerosol curtain installation system (SPZ). SOEP is a source of modulated IR radiation with parameters close to those of ATGM tracers of the Dragon, TOW, HOT, Milan, etc. types. Influencing the IR receiver of the semi-automatic ATGM guidance system, it disrupts the missile guidance. SOEP provides interference in the form of a modulated infrared radiation in the sector +/-20 deg., from the axis of the bore along the horizon and 4.5 deg. - vertical. In addition, TShU-1, two modules of which are located in front of the tank turret, provide IR illumination at night, aimed fire using night vision devices, as well as to dazzle any (including small-sized) objects.

The SDR, designed to disrupt the attack of such missiles as Maverick, Hellfire and the 155-mm Copperhead artillery projectile, responds to laser radiation within 360 degrees, in azimuth and -5 / +25 in the vertical plane. The received signal is processed at high speed by the control unit, and the direction to the source of quantum radiation is determined. The system automatically determines the optimal launcher, generates an electrical signal proportional to the angle to which the tank turret with grenade launchers should be turned, and issues a command to fire a grenade that forms an aerosol screen at a distance of 55-70 m three seconds after the grenade is fired, the SOEP operates only in automatic mode, and SPZ - in automatic, semi-automatic and manual.

Ground tests of "Shtora-1" confirmed the high efficiency of the complex: the probability of hitting a tank with missiles with semi-automatic command guidance is reduced by 3-5 times, missiles with semi-active laser homing - by 4-5 times, and corrected artillery shells - by 1.5 times . The complex is able to provide countermeasures simultaneously against several missiles attacking the tank from different directions.

The "Shtora-1" system was tested on an experimental T-80B ("object 219E") and for the first time began to be installed on a serial command tank T-80UK - a variant of the T-80U vehicle, designed to provide control of tank units. Besides, command tank received a system for remote detonation of high-explosive fragmentation projectiles with non-contact electronic fuses. T-80UK communication facilities operate in the VHF and KB bands. The R-163-50U ultra-shortwave radio station with frequency modulation, operating in the operating frequency range of 30-80 MHz, has 10 preset frequencies. With a four-meter whip antenna in medium-rough terrain, it provides a range of up to 20 km. With a special combined dipole antenna mounted on an 11-meter telescopic mast mounted on the body of the vehicle, the communication range increases to 40 km (with this antenna, the tank can only work in the parking lot). The R-163-50K short-wave radio station, operating in the frequency range of 2-30 MHz in telephone-telegraph mode with frequency modulation, is designed to provide communication over a long distance. It has 16 preset frequencies. With a whip HF antenna 4 m long, which ensures operation when the tank is moving, the communication range was initially 20-50 km, but by introducing the possibility of changing the antenna pattern, it was possible to increase it to 250 km. With a whip 11-meter telescopic antenna, the operating range of the R-163-50K reaches 350 km.

The commander's tank is also equipped with a TNA-4-3 navigation system and an AB-1-P28 self-contained gasoline power generator with a power of 1.0 kW, an additional function of which is to recharge the batteries while stationary with the engine off.

The creators of the machine have successfully solved the issue of electromagnetic compatibility of numerous radio-electronic means. For this, in particular, a special electrically conductive caterpillar tape was used.

Armament, power plant, transmission, undercarriage, surveillance devices and other equipment of the T-80UK corresponds to the T-80UM tank, but the ammunition load of the gun has been reduced to 30 rounds, and the PKT machine gun to 750 rounds.

The development of the T-80 tank was a major achievement of the domestic industry. Designers A.S. Ermolaev, V.A. Marishkin, V.I. Mironov, B.M. Kupriyanov, P.D. Gavra, V.I. Gaigerov, B.A. Dobryakov and many other specialists. More than 150 copyright certificates for inventions proposed in the process of creating this machine speak of the amount of work done. A number of tank designers were awarded high government awards. By decrees of the President of the Russian Federation, a group of specialists and the general designer of the T-80U tank, N.S. Popov, were awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology for the development of new technical solutions and the introduction of the machine into mass production.

However, the T-80 is far from exhausting the possibilities for further modernization. The improvement of the means of active protection of tanks also continued. In particular, on the experimental T-80B, the Arena Active Tank Protection Complex (KAZT) was introduced, developed by the Kolomna Design Bureau and designed to protect the tank from ATGMs and anti-tank grenades attacking it. Moreover, the reflection of ammunition is ensured, not only flying directly at the tank, but intended to destroy it when flying from above. To detect targets in the complex, a multifunctional radar with an “instant” view of space in the entire protected sector and high noise immunity was used. For targeted destruction of enemy missiles and grenades, highly targeted protective ammunition is used, which has a very high speed and is located along the perimeter of the tank turret in special mounting shafts (the tank carries 26 such ammunition). Automatic control of the operation of the complex is carried out by a specialized computer, which also provides control over its performance.

The sequence of operation of the complex is as follows: after it is turned on from the tank commander's control panel, all further operations are performed automatically. The radar provides a search for targets flying up to the tank. Then the station is switched to the auto-tracking mode, developing the parameters of the target's movement and transferring them to the computer, which selects the number of protective ammunition and the time of its operation. Protective ammunition forms a beam of submunitions that destroy the target on approach to the tank. The time from target detection to its destruction is record short - no more than 0.07 s. After 0.2-0.4 s after the defensive shot, the complex is again ready to “shoot” the next target. Each defensive munition fires at its own sector, with the sectors of closely spaced munitions overlapping, which ensures the interception of several targets approaching from the same direction.

The complex is all-weather and "all-day", it is able to work when the tank is moving, when the turret is turned. An important problem that the developers of the complex managed to successfully solve was to ensure the electromagnetic compatibility of several tanks equipped with the Arena and operating in a single group.

The complex practically does not impose restrictions on the formation of tank units under the conditions of electromagnetic compatibility.

"Arena" does not respond to targets located at a distance of more than 50 m from the tank, to small targets (bullets, fragments, small-caliber shells) that do not pose an immediate threat to the tank, to targets moving away from the tank (including its own shells), on low-speed objects (birds, clods of earth, etc.). Measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the infantry escorting the tank: the danger zone of the complex - 20-30 m - is relatively small, when protective shells are fired, no side-killing fragments are formed, there is an external light alarm that warns the infantrymen behind the tank about the inclusion of the complex.

Equipping the T-80 "Arena" allows you to increase the survival rate of the tank during offensive operations by approximately two times. At the same time, the cost of losses of tanks equipped with KAZT is reduced by 1.5-1.7 times. Currently, the Arena complex has no analogues in the world. Its use is especially effective in local conflicts, when the opposing side is armed with only light anti-tank weapons.

Tank T-80UM-1 "Bars" with KAZT "Arena" was first publicly demonstrated in Omsk in the fall of 1997. A variant of this tank with another active defense system, Drozd, was also shown there.

In order to increase the ability to combat air targets (primarily - attack helicopters), as well as the tank-dangerous manpower of the enemy in the Central Research Institute "Tochmash" created and tested a set of additional weapons for the T-80 tank with a 30-mm automatic gun 2A42 (similar to that installed on the BMP-3, BMD-3 and BTR-80A). The gun, which has a remote control, is installed in the upper rear part of the tower (while the 12.7-mm Utes machine gun is dismantled). The guidance angle relative to the tower is 120 degrees horizontally and -51 + 65 vertically. Ammunition installation - 450 shells.

T-80UM2 "BLACK EAGLE"

A further development of the T-80 was the Black Eagle tank, created in Omsk. For the first time this tank was demonstrated at the international arms exhibition Omsk-97. The demonstration caused considerable excitement in the world military press, especially since the tank was demonstrated at a distance of 500 m, and its turret was completely covered with a camouflage net.

Chassis and body "Black Eagle" inherited from the T-80. A new welded tower with a horizontal placement of the automatic loader is installed on the hull. The Cactus dynamic armor protection system is mounted on the frontal parts of the turret and hull, the Cactus blocks are also hung on the front of the side screens covering the undercarriage. GTE power increased to 1500 hp. At the same time, the mass of the vehicle increased to 50 tons. The main armament of the T-80UM2 remained the same - the 125-mm 2A46M gun.

The commander and gunner have stabilized sights with day and night channels; a laser rangefinder is integrated into the gunner's sight. Compared to the tanks of previous models, the commander and gunner have changed places; the workplace of the commander of the Black Eagle tank is located to the left of the gun, the gunner is to the right. The T-80UM2 tank is equipped with the Arena active protection system. According to information published after the first demonstration of the tank, it is equipped with a 1500 hp gas turbine engine. Later, there were reports of the use of a GTD-1250G with a power of 1250 hp on the T-80UM2. and upgraded transmission.

This is how the serial production of the Black Eagle began, however, according to some reports, the developments obtained during the creation of this machine were used to create a new generation Russian tank - the Armata.

T-80 IN THE TROOPS

Unlike the T-72, which was widely exported outside the USSR, the T-64 and T-80 in Soviet times were only in service with the SA. The guard units of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany had priority in obtaining these vehicles. It was planned that in the event of war, a tank fist with a T-64 and T-80 at the tip would be able to reach the English Channel in one to two weeks. These tanks have become a big problem for NATO military leaders. During the 70s - 80s. practically all newly created weapon systems in the West were to one degree or another intended to fight tanks. The Americans even made their Abrams not so much as a traditional breakthrough tank, but as an anti-tank weapon. And yet, despite the highest degree of saturation Western Europe anti-tank weapons (helicopters, aircraft, various ATGMs, and finally tanks), NATO strategists also came to the conclusion that the advanced tank units of the Warsaw Pact would reach the Atlantic no more than two weeks after the start of large-scale hostilities.

The T-64 tanks were the first to receive in 1967 the 100th Guards Training Tank Regiment and the 41st Guards Tank Division, and their military tests were also carried out there. The division was located near the plant number 75 (plant named after Malyshev), which produced the T-64. The choice of a compound located near the manufacturing plant was dictated by the need to assist tankers in the operation and maintenance of new equipment by teams of factory specialists. In the GSVG, the 2nd and 20th guards, 3rd tank armies were armed with T-64 tanks, the 1st guards tank and 8th guards armies were armed with "eighties".

T-80UD units were the first to receive units of the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division Tamanskaya and the 4th Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division. Publicly, the T-80UD was first demonstrated at a parade in Moscow on May 9, 1990. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, 4839 T-80 tanks of all modifications were in service.

The T-80 tanks were well received by the troops, bribed them high speed and excellent starting qualities of the gas turbine engine. According to General Staff analysts, in the event of a major war, armored divisions equipped with "eighties" could reach the English Channel in five days, even before US reserves begin to land in Europe. The development of new machines proceeded in an atmosphere of heightened secrecy, and their vague, obscure photographs only occasionally appeared on the pages of the Western press, each time serving as the "highlight of the issue." However, sometimes "jet tanks" appeared before the "general public." So, during one of the exercises of the Western Group of Forces, the T-80 battalion, making a swift maneuver, entered the highway near Berlin and rushed along it, overtaking buses and Trabants.

The real experience of the combat use of the T-80 is very far from the once planned rapid rush to the West. In October 1993, the T-80s of the Kantemirovskaya division shot at the Russian Parliament with direct fire. The track record of the tank includes Chechnya and Tajikistan. With the filing of the media symbol Chechen war was the New Year's assault on Grozny. It is difficult to say what the command was guided by when introducing armored vehicles into the city, because no armor will save from point-blank shots from RPGs and ATGMs. As you know, it ended with the heaviest losses of the Russian army.

In the future, instead of the massive use of armored vehicles, small armored groups were widely used - a tank (T-80 or T-72) and two or three infantry fighting vehicles. Such armored groups no longer entered the settlements, "rolling out" the defense of the Dudayevites from a safe distance. This tactic was successful: on April 4, 1996, the 27th Yekaterinburg Motorized Rifle Regiment, which consisted of 500 people, supported by tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, captured Gudermes, which was defended by about 800 militants, suffering minimal losses - one killed, several wounded. At the same time, for completely incomprehensible reasons, the use of "clean" tank units continued. So, in the summer of 1995, a separate tank battalion of the 166th motorized rifle brigade, armed with T-80BV tanks, covered the direction to Shali from militant attacks. The divisions of the battalion were located in an open field; I think that a well-trained infantry company would have completed such a task with great success: they had to defend themselves not from the Abrams and Leopards, but from light infantry.

Tanks were involved in escorting convoys, and often a tank with a mounted minesweeper was in the lead.

Currently, the T-80 is one of the most massive main tanks of the fourth generation, second only to the T-72 and the American M1 Abrams. As of early 2013, the Russian army had approximately 4,000 T-80BVs and T-80Us, of which 3,000 are in storage. Some more T-80s are in the Coastal Forces of the Russian Navy. In 2013, the head of the main armored department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation A. Shevchenko announced the cessation of further operation of the T-80 and the decommissioning of all tanks of this series by 2015, however, then, apparently, these plans were abandoned. In any case, as of 2015, there is no such information in the media. The decommissioning of one of the most massive tanks would have the most serious consequences for the country's defense. Apparently, the issue of abandoning the T-80 should have been raised no earlier than the start of the massive supply of vehicles more than modern types, for example, "Armata".

The Ukrainian Armed Forces do not actively use T-80s, but as of 2013, there were 165 vehicles of this type in storage.

In addition to Russia and Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, and Syria have T-80 vehicles.

T-80 TANKS OUTSIDE RUSSIA

The first country to officially purchase the T-80 was Cyprus. The delivery of 41 tanks (the contract amount is $174 million) increased the number of tank units of the Greek community of the island by almost a third (besides the T-80, the Greek Cypriots are armed with 104 AMX-30V2 tanks). T-80s allow, to some extent, to compensate for the quantitative superiority in tanks that the Turkish community has (265 M-48A5 tanks). In 2009, a contract was signed for the supply of another 41 T-80U / T-80UK. Thus, the total number of T-80s in the Cypriot army was 82 vehicles.

However, Great Britain became the first non-CIS country where the G80 got to. There are several versions of the appearance of the T-80U tank by the British: from the goodwill gesture of President B.N. Yeltsin, made during one of his visits to England (January 1992 or November of the same year) to the successful operation Intelligence Service. According to one version, a certain Russian commercial firm offered the Ministry of Defense in early 1992 its services in selling four T-80Us in Morocco. Officially, the sale was allegedly carried out by the foreign trade organization Voentekh, with each tank estimated at $ 5 million, despite the fact that the average cost of more advanced T-80 variants is foreign market is approximately 2.2 million dollars. How many and where the tanks were sold remained unclear, but the Minister of Defense of Morocco, who arrived on a visit to Moscow in the fall of 1992, was very surprised when he learned about the purchase by his country Russian tanks. But it is quite clear why the British needed the T-80U, which they thoroughly studied, tested and fired at their ranges Chertsey, Fort Halsted and Bovington.

It is possible that the information obtained during the tests of the T-80U made it possible to disrupt a number of deals for the supply of tanks of this type to the countries of the Near and Middle East; the British tried to clearly outline the shortcomings of the tank, modestly shading its advantages. The first reliable information about the presence of the T-80U in England was published in January 1994, and the publications did not indicate when the tank got there.

There were also reports that the T-80U was being tested at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in the United States. One tank was transferred to the US by the UK, and four more were received in 2003 from Ukraine.

Outside the CIS, the T-80U was first shown at an arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi, held in February 1993. The display aroused great interest, but no contracts were signed, possibly due to the counter-propaganda campaign of Western competitors.

As noted above, Ukraine supplied T-84 tanks to the armed forces of Pakistan. The press reported on the participation of T-84s delivered by Ukraine to Pakistan in combat operations in Afghanistan. Tanks with Pakistani crews fought on the side of the Taliban, but official Islamabad denied this information. As of 2013, the Pakistan Army had 320 T-80UDs.

In addition, the owners of a fairly large fleet of T-80s are the army of South Korea - 80 T-80U and Yemen - 66 T-80.

Prepared for the portalhttp://www.. Army series. The T-80 is the best tank in the world."

Modern battle tanks of Russia and the world photos, videos, pictures to watch online. This article gives an idea of ​​the modern tank fleet. It is based on the classification principle used in the most authoritative reference book to date, but in a slightly modified and improved form. And if the latter in its original form can still be found in the armies of a number of countries, then others have already become a museum exhibit. And all for 10 years! To follow in the footsteps of the Jane's guide and not consider this combat vehicle (quite by the way, curious in design and fiercely discussed at the time), which formed the basis of the tank fleet of the last quarter of the 20th century, the authors considered it unfair.

Films about tanks where there is still no alternative to this type of armament of the ground forces. The tank was and probably will remain for a long time modern weapons due to the ability to combine such seemingly contradictory qualities as high mobility, powerful weapons and reliable crew protection. These unique qualities of tanks continue to be constantly improved, and the experience and technologies accumulated over decades predetermine new frontiers of combat properties and military-technical achievements. In the age-old confrontation "projectile - armor", as practice shows, protection from a projectile is being improved more and more, acquiring new qualities: activity, multi-layeredness, self-defense. At the same time, the projectile becomes more accurate and powerful.

Russian tanks are specific in that they allow you to destroy the enemy from a safe distance, have the ability to perform quick maneuvers on impassable roads, contaminated terrain, can “walk” through the territory occupied by the enemy, seize a decisive bridgehead, induce panic in the rear and suppress the enemy with fire and caterpillars . The war of 1939-1945 was the most ordeal for all mankind, since almost all countries of the world were involved in it. It was the battle of the titans - the most unique period that theorists argued about in the early 1930s and during which tanks were used in large quantities virtually all warring parties. At this time, a "check for lice" and a deep reform of the first theories of the use of tank troops took place. And it is the Soviet tank troops that are most affected by all this.

Tanks in battle that became a symbol of the past war, the backbone of the Soviet armored forces? Who created them and under what conditions? How did the USSR, having lost most of its European territories and having difficulty recruiting tanks for the defense of Moscow, be able to launch powerful tank formations on the battlefield already in 1943? This book, which tells about the development of Soviet tanks "in the days of testing ", from 1937 to the beginning of 1943. When writing the book, materials from the archives of Russia and private collections of tank builders were used. There was a period in our history that was deposited in my memory with some depressing feeling. It began with the return of our first military advisers from Spain, and stopped only at the beginning of forty-third, - said the former general designer of self-propelled guns L. Gorlitsky, - there was some kind of pre-stormy state.

Tanks of the Second World War, it was M. Koshkin, almost underground (but, of course, with the support of "the wisest of the wise leader of all peoples"), who was able to create the tank that, a few years later, would shock German tank generals. And what’s more, he didn’t just create it, the designer managed to prove to these stupid military men that it was his T-34 that they needed, and not just another wheeled-tracked “highway”. The author is in slightly different positions that he formed after meeting with the pre-war documents of the RGVA and RGAE. Therefore, working on this segment of the history of the Soviet tank, the author will inevitably contradict something "generally accepted". This work describes the history of Soviet tank building in the most difficult years - from the beginning of a radical restructuring of all the activities of design bureaus and people's commissariats in general, during a frantic race to equip new tank formations of the Red Army, the transfer of industry to wartime rails and evacuation.

Tanks Wikipedia the author wants to express his special gratitude for the help in the selection and processing of materials to M. Kolomiyets, and also to thank A. Solyankin, I. Zheltov and M. Pavlov, the authors of the reference publication "Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. 1905 - 1941" because this book helped to understand the fate of some projects, unclear before. I would also like to recall with gratitude those conversations with Lev Izraelevich Gorlitsky, the former Chief Designer of UZTM, which helped to take a fresh look at the entire history of the Soviet tank during the Great Patriotic War Soviet Union. Today, for some reason, it is customary to talk about 1937-1938 in our country. only from the point of view of repressions, but few people remember that it was during this period that those tanks were born that became legends of the wartime ... "From the memoirs of L.I. Gorlinkogo.

Soviet tanks, a detailed assessment of them at that time sounded from many lips. Many old people recalled that it was from the events in Spain that it became clear to everyone that the war was getting closer to the threshold and it was Hitler who would have to fight. In 1937, mass purges and repressions began in the USSR, and against the backdrop of these difficult events, the Soviet tank began to turn from a "mechanized cavalry" (in which one of its combat qualities protruded by reducing others) into a balanced combat vehicle, which simultaneously had powerful weapons, sufficient to suppress most targets, good cross-country ability and mobility with armor protection, capable of maintaining its combat effectiveness when shelling a potential enemy with the most massive anti-tank weapons.

It was recommended that large tanks be introduced into the composition in addition only special tanks - floating, chemical. The brigade now had 4 separate battalions of 54 tanks each and was reinforced by the transition from three-tank platoons to five-tank ones. In addition, D. Pavlov justified the refusal to form in 1938 to the four existing mechanized corps three more additionally, believing that these formations are immobile and difficult to control, and most importantly, they require a different organization of the rear. The tactical and technical requirements for promising tanks, as expected, have been adjusted. In particular, in a letter dated December 23 to the head of the design bureau of plant No. 185 named after. CM. Kirov, the new chief demanded to strengthen the armor of new tanks so that at a distance of 600-800 meters (effective range).

The latest tanks in the world when designing new tanks, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of increasing the level of armor protection during modernization by at least one step ... "This problem could be solved in two ways. Firstly, by increasing the thickness of the armor plates and, secondly," by using increased armor resistance". It is easy to guess that the second way was considered more promising, since the use of specially hardened armor plates, or even two-layer armor, could, while maintaining the same thickness (and the mass of the tank as a whole), increase its durability by 1.2-1.5 It was this path (the use of specially hardened armor) that was chosen at that moment to create new types of tanks.

Tanks of the USSR at the dawn of tank production, armor was most massively used, the properties of which were identical in all directions. Such armor was called homogeneous (homogeneous), and from the very beginning of the armor business, the craftsmen strove to create just such armor, because uniformity ensured stability of characteristics and simplified processing. However, at the end of the 19th century, it was noticed that when the surface of the armor plate was saturated (to a depth of several tenths to several millimeters) with carbon and silicon, its surface strength increased sharply, while the rest of the plate remained viscous. So heterogeneous (heterogeneous) armor came into use.

In military tanks, the use of heterogeneous armor was very important, since an increase in the hardness of the entire thickness of the armor plate led to a decrease in its elasticity and (as a result) to an increase in brittleness. Thus, the most durable armor, other things being equal, turned out to be very fragile and often pricked even from bursts of high-explosive fragmentation shells. Therefore, at the dawn of armor production in the manufacture of homogeneous sheets, the task of the metallurgist was to achieve the highest possible hardness of the armor, but at the same time not to lose its elasticity. Surface-hardened by saturation with carbon and silicon armor was called cemented (cemented) and was considered at that time a panacea for many ills. But cementation is a complex, harmful process (for example, processing a hot plate with a jet of lighting gas) and relatively expensive, and therefore its development in a series required high costs and an increase in production culture.

Tank of the war years, even in operation, these hulls were less successful than homogeneous ones, since for no apparent reason cracks formed in them (mainly in loaded seams), and it was very difficult to put patches on holes in cemented slabs during repairs. But it was still expected that a tank protected by 15-20 mm cemented armor would be equivalent in terms of protection to the same, but covered with 22-30 mm sheets, without a significant increase in mass.
Also, by the mid-1930s, in tank building, they learned how to harden the surface of relatively thin armor plates by uneven hardening, known since the end of the 19th century in shipbuilding as the "Krupp method". Surface hardening led to a significant increase in the hardness of the front side of the sheet, leaving the main thickness of the armor viscous.

How tanks shoot videos up to half the thickness of the plate, which, of course, was worse than carburizing, since despite the fact that the hardness of the surface layer was higher than during carburizing, the elasticity of the hull sheets was significantly reduced. So the "Krupp method" in tank building made it possible to increase the strength of armor even somewhat more than carburizing. But the hardening technology that was used for sea armor of large thicknesses was no longer suitable for relatively thin tank armor. Before the war, this method was almost never used in our serial tank building due to technological difficulties and relatively high cost.

Combat use of tanks The most developed for tanks was the 45-mm tank gun mod 1932/34. (20K), and before the event in Spain, it was believed that its power was enough to perform most tank tasks. But the battles in Spain showed that the 45-mm gun could only satisfy the task of fighting enemy tanks, since even the shelling of manpower in the mountains and forests turned out to be ineffective, and it was only possible to disable a dug-in enemy firing point in the event of a direct hit . Shooting at shelters and bunkers was ineffective due to the small high-explosive action of a projectile weighing only about two kg.

Types of tanks photo so that even one hit of a projectile reliably disables anti-tank gun or machine gun; and thirdly, to increase the penetrating effect of a tank gun on the armor of a potential enemy, since, using the example of French tanks (already having an armor thickness of the order of 40-42 mm), it became clear that the armor protection of foreign combat vehicles tends to be significantly increased. There was a right way to do this - increasing the caliber of tank guns and simultaneously increasing the length of their barrel, since a long gun of a larger caliber fires heavier projectiles at a higher muzzle velocity over a greater distance without correcting the pickup.

The best tanks in the world had a large caliber gun, also had a large breech, significantly more weight and increased recoil reaction. And this required an increase in the mass of the entire tank as a whole. In addition, the placement of large shots in the closed volume of the tank led to a decrease in the ammunition load.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that at the beginning of 1938 it suddenly turned out that there was simply no one to give an order for the design of a new, more powerful tank gun. P. Syachintov and his entire design team were repressed, as well as the core of the Bolshevik Design Bureau under the leadership of G. Magdesiev. Only the group of S. Makhanov remained at liberty, who from the beginning of 1935 tried to bring his new 76.2-mm semi-automatic single gun L-10, and the team of plant No. 8 slowly brought the "forty-five".

Photos of tanks with names The number of developments is large, but in mass production in the period 1933-1937. not a single one was accepted ... "In fact, none of the five air-cooled tank diesel engines, which were worked on in 1933-1937 in the engine department of plant No. 185, was brought to the series. Moreover, despite the decisions on the highest levels about the transition in tank building exclusively to diesel engines This process was hampered by a number of factors. Of course, diesel had significant efficiency. It used less fuel per unit of power per hour. Diesel fuel is less prone to ignition, since the flash point of its vapors was very high.

Even the most finished of them, the MT-5 tank engine, required reorganization of engine production for serial production, which was expressed in the construction of new workshops, the supply of advanced foreign equipment (there were no machine tools of the required accuracy yet), financial investments and strengthening personnel. It was planned that in 1939 this diesel engine with a capacity of 180 hp. will go to mass-produced tanks and artillery tractors, but due to investigative work to find out the causes of tank engine accidents, which lasted from April to November 1938, these plans were not fulfilled. The development of a slightly increased six-cylinder gasoline engine No. 745 with a power of 130-150 hp was also started.

Brands of tanks with specific indicators that suited the tank builders quite well. Tank tests were carried out according to new methodology, specially developed at the insistence of the new head of the ABTU D. Pavlov in relation to military service in war time. The basis of the tests was a run of 3-4 days (at least 10-12 hours of daily non-stop traffic) with a one-day break for technical inspection and restoration work. Moreover, repairs were allowed to be carried out only by field workshops without the involvement of factory specialists. This was followed by a "platform" with obstacles, "bathing" in the water with an additional load, simulating an infantry landing, after which the tank was sent for examination.

Super tanks online after the improvement work seemed to remove all claims from the tanks. And the general course of the tests confirmed the fundamental correctness of the main design changes - an increase in displacement by 450-600 kg, the use of the GAZ-M1 engine, as well as the Komsomolets transmission and suspension. But during the tests, numerous minor defects again appeared in the tanks. The chief designer N. Astrov was suspended from work and was under arrest and investigation for several months. In addition, the tank received a new improved protection turret. The modified layout made it possible to place on the tank a larger ammunition load for a machine gun and two small fire extinguishers (before there were no fire extinguishers on small tanks of the Red Army).

US tanks as part of modernization work, on one serial model of the tank in 1938-1939. the torsion bar suspension developed by the designer of the Design Bureau of Plant No. 185 V. Kulikov was tested. It was distinguished by the design of a composite short coaxial torsion bar (long monotorsion bars could not be used coaxially). However, such a short torsion bar did not show good enough results in tests, and therefore the torsion bar suspension did not immediately pave its way in the course of further work. Obstacles to be overcome: rises not less than 40 degrees, vertical wall 0.7 m, overlapping ditch 2-2.5 m.

Youtube about tanks work on the production of prototypes of D-180 and D-200 engines for reconnaissance tanks is not being carried out, jeopardizing the production of prototypes. 10-1), as well as the amphibious tank version (factory designation 102 or 10-2), are a compromise solution, since it is not possible to fully meet the requirements of the ABTU.Variant 101 was a tank weighing 7.5 tons with a hull according to the type of hull, but with vertical side sheets of case-hardened armor 10-13 mm thick, because: "Sloped sides, causing serious weighting of the suspension and hull, require a significant (up to 300 mm) broadening of the hull, not to mention the complication of the tank.

Video reviews of tanks in which the power unit of the tank was planned to be based on the 250-horsepower MG-31F aircraft engine, which was mastered by the industry for agricultural aircraft and gyroplanes. Gasoline of the 1st grade was placed in a tank under the floor of the fighting compartment and in additional onboard gas tanks. The armament fully met the task and consisted of coaxial machine guns DK caliber 12.7 mm and DT (in the second version of the project even ShKAS appears) caliber 7.62 mm. The combat weight of a tank with a torsion bar suspension was 5.2 tons, with a spring suspension - 5.26 tons. The tests were carried out from July 9 to August 21 according to the methodology approved in 1938, and Special attention given to tanks.