Having joined the Western project for the modernization of T-72 tanks for Ukraine, the Czech Republic is trying, by analogy with the United States, to “load its military-industrial complex with orders,” experts interviewed by RT said.

“To whom is the war, and to whom is the mother dear.

The Czech Republic is trying to raise its military-industrial complex by modernizing the failed T-72 tanks, as well as getting funding for it.

Prague essentially wants to dispose of its old fleet of T-72s, which, under normal circumstances, the Czech Republic would have to spend a lot of money on.

Now it’s more profitable for her to give tanks to Ukraine, albeit improved ones, but to get profit from her Western allies for this, ”retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk, a military expert, said in an interview with RT.

In turn, Alexei Podberezkin, director of the Center for Military-Political Research, believes that by getting rid of old types of weapons, the Czech Republic hopes to receive new tanks from the West.

“Prague not only wants to receive financial bonuses from the T-72 modernization project for Kyiv, but also expects to receive new American Abrams tanks, moreover, as a gift from the United States,” the expert said in a conversation with RT.

Earlier, Czech television showed the workshops of one of the key manufacturers of ground military equipment in the Czech Republic Excalibur Army, in which the T-72 is being restored and finalized for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

At the same time, the organization stated that some of their employees are Ukrainian specialists.

Recall, on January 9, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited the production facilities of the manufacturer of military equipment Excalibur Army.

During his visit, he boasted that thanks to the participation of private companies, the Czech Republic was among the first countries to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

According to him, such support "on a commercial basis" makes up the vast majority of the supply of military equipment that the Czech Republic sends to Kyiv.

For example, last year Excalibur Army delivered about 150 heavy vehicles to the Ukrainian army.

As noted in a press release from the Czech Ministry of Defense dedicated to Fiala's visit, the Excalibur Army is participating in the international project for the modernization of T-72 tanks for Ukraine, which is funded by the United States and the Netherlands and coordinated by the Czech defense department.

According to local media, Excalibur Army, which is part of the Czechoslovak Group (CSG) engineering and weapons holding, has won a contract to modernize nearly 100 T-72 tanks.

According to the Czech edition Ceske Noviny, the Excalibur Army company will improve the T-72 decommissioned from the armed forces of a number of countries, after which they are sent to Ukraine.

  • Excalibur Army facility

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic

This information was commented on January 10 by Deputy Head of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev during a meeting of the working group of the Military-Industrial Commission of the Russian Federation to control the production of popular types of weapons, military, special equipment and weapons.

“I drew ... attention to the information that our opponents financed the modernization of 100 T-72 tanks, I emphasize, not some foreign tanks, but T-72, in order to supply them to Ukraine from the Soviet legacy,” he said, stressing that Russian military-industrial complex manufacturers must "act faster, more persistently and more efficiently."

It is worth noting that back in the spring of 2022, the head of the Czech Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs, Ondrej Benesik, wrote on his Twitter page that Prague had begun supplying T-72 tanks to Kyiv.

At the same time, Czech TV specified that non-modernized T-72 tanks of older types from the stocks of the Czech Armed Forces were sent to Ukraine.

Western project

Recall that in early November 2022, the United States announced the allocation to Ukraine of another $400 million military aid package, which involves the transfer to Kyiv of T-72 tanks, the most common vehicles among the Warsaw Pact countries, which were operated from the 1970s until the collapse of the USSR in 1991 .

As Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh clarified during the briefing, we are talking about 45 of these modernized vehicles "with a modern optical aiming system, communications equipment and armored sets."

“This is the first supply of tanks from the United States, but it needs to be clarified here so that there is no misunderstanding: these tanks will be taken from the defense sector of the Czech Republic, and the US is paying for the modernization of 45 of them.

In addition, the government of the Netherlands is following our example by committing to provide another 45 tanks.

In total, 90 tanks will be sent to Ukraine,” Singh said.

At the same time, she found it difficult to answer the question of which modification of the T-72 is being upgraded by the United States and what is the source of ammunition for these tanks, given that the Pentagon has repeatedly mentioned that the stocks of the post-Soviet countries and a number of NATO members have been exhausted.

“I don’t have more detailed information regarding the tanks themselves.

These are T-72 tanks supplied by the defense sector of the Czech Republic.

I have no more information on this matter, ”said Sing, adding later that the T-72s are being modernized “on a Czech industrial base.”

In turn, the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands announced a new package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of €120 million, of which €45 million the ministry promised to spend "on providing T-72 tanks" to Kyiv from the Czech Republic.

"Not properly maintained"

According to experts, Prague, having agreed to participate in the project for the restoration and improvement of T-72 tanks for Ukraine, follows in the wake of the West's policy of pumping weapons into Kyiv.

“In addition to the Czech Republic, there is essentially nowhere else to carry out the modernization and repair of such equipment: it is there that the repair base is located, which operated in Soviet times, but is still capable of performing its functions.

Poland does not have everything necessary for this, and although Bulgaria has the necessary military-industrial complex potential, it reacted extremely reservedly to the idea of ​​modernizing the T-72 for Ukraine.

The Czech Republic has completely fallen under the policy pursued by Western countries, led by the United States, to supply Kyiv with weapons and prolong the conflict in Ukraine,” said Anatoly Matviychuk.

According to him, in the West it was decided to upgrade the T-72 tanks for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since the introduction of Western armored vehicles is too expensive and takes a lot of time for training.

“Specialists in Ukraine serving the T-72 know these tanks because they were produced in the USSR.

Imagine if now Western-style cars came to Kyiv: it would take a lot of time to train the military for their operation.

For example, only engineers who are able to service armored vehicles are trained for five years, ”said Matviychuk.

  • T-72 tanks in the Czech Republic

  • AP

  • © CTK, Roman Vondrous

In his opinion, in the process of modernizing the T-72 tanks for Ukraine, they can “hang dynamic equipment” on their armor and add electronics.

“Apparently, their protection will be strengthened, electronic equipment, a ballistic computer will appear.

I think the improvement will primarily affect the firepower of these machines.

As for the undercarriage, it is possible that the rubber-articulated caterpillar will be replaced with an all-metal one, ”the expert suggested.

Alexey Podberezkin also believes that active armor will be installed on the modernized T-72 tanks for Ukraine, as well as other changes.

“In addition to active armor protection, first of all, in the Czech Republic they will increase the technical data of engines, possibly improve the control and aiming system, add thermal imagers,” the analyst believes.

However, Podberezkin doubts that the project to modernize the T-72 tanks for Kyiv will be able to significantly increase the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“The fact is that these machines in the post-Soviet space outside the Russian Federation were often stored in the open air and did not undergo proper maintenance, which cannot be said about those T-72s that remained as a Soviet heritage with the Russian side.

Modernization in the Czech Republic of such samples can take a lot of time.

In addition, after the improvement, the tanks should be delivered to Ukraine, where all deliveries of this kind are under the gun of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which regularly strike at Ukrainian military equipment, ”the expert stated.

Podberyozkin also stressed that the T-72s, which are undergoing modernization in Russia, are not inferior in their effectiveness to Western tanks, the same American Abrams.

“A lot more depends on who controls these tanks, how their capabilities are used.

The Russian military has enough experience for this, ”the analyst noted.