The Kantemirovskaya tank division (Naro-Fominsk) received a batch of ten modernized T-80BVM combat vehicles. This was reported by the press service of the Western Military District (ZVO). The tank handover ceremony took place at the Alabino training ground. 

“As a result of the modernization, all the main characteristics of this tank have been increased: firepower, security, mobility, command control. The firing range of all types of ammunition has been increased during the day, at night and in conditions of limited visibility, ”the RF Ministry of Defense website says.

In addition to the Kantemirovsk division, T-80BVMs are supplied to motorized rifle units of the Northern Fleet and marine units of the Pacific Fleet. In the near future, these vehicles should be transferred to the Kazan Higher Tank Command School for training future officers.

According to experts, the T-80 family still has serious modernization potential and, to a certain extent, plays the role of a deterrent in the context of the expansion of NATO infrastructure near Russian borders. 

During the Cold War, representatives of the T-80 family were jokingly called "English Channel tanks" for their high speed qualities and the ability to make long marches. This nickname meant the readiness of the crews of these vehicles in the event of possible aggression from NATO, to quickly break through the defenses of the alliance member states and quickly reach the northwestern shores of France. 

"In extreme conditions"

The T-80BVM is a deeply improved version of the Soviet tank, which was put into service back in 1985. Modernization is taking place at the facilities of Omsktransmash JSC (part of Uralvagonzavod) as part of the state defense order.

As the experts explained, the enterprise mounts new units, equipment and weapons on T-80BV samples, which were mass-produced during the Soviet period and in the 1990s. This arrangement can significantly reduce costs.

“Thanks to the installation of modern equipment in the same tank hull, the Russian army is actually getting a new combat unit. Such a machine is practically in no way inferior to the new model, while its cost for the customer will be approximately 70% lower, ”said military expert Alexei Leonkov.

  • One of the representatives of the T-80 family during firing during the exercises of the Kantemirovskaya tank division
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  • © Mikhail Voskresensky

The crew of the T-80BVM is three people, weight - 46 tons, engine power - 1250 hp, speed - up to 70 km / h. The tank's arsenal includes a modernized 125-mm 2A46M-4 cannon, Nikitin-Sokolov-Volkov (NSVT) and Kalashnikov (PKT) machine guns of 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm, respectively.

Also, the T-80BVM is equipped with an armament stabilizer, the latest communications and the Sosna-U fire control system, which includes a laser rangefinder, commander and gunner's sights with day and night channels.

"In the course of modernization, the tanks (T-80BVM. - RT ) received the Reflex guided weapon system, the use of which gives an advantage in increasing the firing range, as well as the ability to hit a tank or other protected enemy object at a distance of up to five kilometers," materials of the RF Ministry of Defense.

A key feature of the updated tank and other representatives of the T-80 family is the presence of a single gas turbine engine (GTE). Various modifications of the T-72B3 and T-90, which are in service with the Russian army, are equipped with diesel power units.

The advantages of a gas turbine engine include high speed, the maneuverability of the machines equipped with it, the ability to start in cold weather with practically no preliminary warming up. However, the GTE is less protected from dust and consumes much more fuel than diesel units. 

Sergei Suvorov, a candidate of military sciences, told RT that in order to start operating a tank with a diesel unit at low temperatures, it takes up to 20 to 45 minutes to warm up, and sometimes less than a minute is enough for a car with a gas turbine engine. In this regard, the T-80 is well suited for operation in high latitudes and in severe frost conditions that are periodically observed in Central Russia.

“However, the T-80 normally“ feels ”in the warm season. Yes, the engine is susceptible to the negative effects of dust, but the engineers managed to significantly neutralize this disadvantage. For your information, this problem has not yet been resolved at the American gas turbine "Abrams", "Suvorov noted.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Omsk specialists are installing modernized gas turbine engines with new control systems on the T-80BVM. The improved engines consume less fuel, are reliable and unpretentious, especially in low temperatures.

In general, as noted by the Russian military, the T-80BVM "have improved characteristics of maneuverability and mobility, are equipped with new devices that increase combat effectiveness, the level of protection and operational reliability in extreme conditions."

Emphasis on protection

Before being delivered to the troops, the T-80BVM undergo rather severe tests. In addition to checking the quality of weapons, at the factory training ground, tanks have to overcome a route on which alternating ridges with a height of 3 to 7 m, dirt roads without slopes and difficult-to-pass sections with many turns.

“After that, the products are accepted by the customer's representative. At the final stage, in the assembly shop, the operation of the fire control system and the loading mechanism is checked, technical processing, painting and final completion of spare parts, tools and accessories are carried out, "the Rostec website, which includes Uralvagonzavod, is specified.

The Ministry of Defense believes that rearmament on the T-80BVM significantly enhances the combat potential of tank units. In particular, these vehicles allow servicemen to perform such a complex element of professional training as "flank shooting", when the crew of a tank moving along the target field must fire at various objects that imitate enemy equipment.

  • Tank T-80 BVM during the military Victory Parade on Red Square
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  • © Ilya Pitalev

According to Sergei Suvorov, the modernization of the T-80BV fleet is aimed at improving operational characteristics and increasing survivability in a modern theater of military operations, where a variety of anti-tank weapons are widely used.

“As a result of the modernization, the protection of the frontal projection from all types of weapons was significantly increased. We also managed to ensure a high probability of protecting the aft and side projections of the T-80BVM, ”Suvorov emphasized.

Alexei Leonkov also believes that Omsk specialists focused on improving the security of the gas turbine tank, including against guided missiles. In addition, the modernization made it possible to improve the T-80BVM chassis and machine control systems.

"Along with other Russian tanks, the T-80BVM is capable of fully performing the tasks assigned to it - to ensure a breakthrough of the line of strengthening of a potential enemy, to deliver flank and other attacks and to support infantry units with fire," Leonkov summed up.