T-72

T-72
T-72B3
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1973–present
Used by	See Operators
Wars	See Combat History
Production history
Designer	Leonid Kartsev-Valeri Venediktov
Designed	1967–1973
Manufacturer	Uralvagonzavod
Unit cost	0.5-1.2 in 1994-1996,[1] 30,962,000–61,924,000 rubles (US$1–2 million) (in 2009)[2]
Produced	1973–present
Number built	25,000+
Specifications (T-72A[3][4])
Weight	41.5 tonnes (45.7 short tons)
Length	9.53 m (31 ft 3 in) gun forward 6.95 m (22 ft 10 in) hull
Width	3.59 m (11 ft 9 in)
Height	2.23 m (7 ft 4 in)
Crew	3
Armour	steel and composite armour
Main armament	125 mm 2A46M/2A46M-5[5] smoothbore gun
Secondary armament	7.62 mm PKT coax machine gun 12.7 mm NSVT antiaircraft machine gun
Engine	V-12 diesel 780 hp (582 kw)
Power/weight	18.8 hp/t
Transmission	Synchromesh, hydraulically assisted, with 7 forward and 1 reverse gears.
Suspension	Torsion bar
Ground clearance	0.49 m (19 in)
Fuel capacity	1,200 L (320 U.S. gal; 260 imp gal)
Operational range	460 km (290 mi), 700 km (430 mi) with fuel drums
Speed	60 km/h (37 mph)[4]

T-72 tank Lion of Babylon M-84 M-84D M-95 Degman M-84AS PT-91 Twardy T-90 Tank EX TR-125 Type 99 tank T-72 operators and variants

Cold War tanks List Category MBTs AMX-30 AMX-40 Centurion Challenger 1 Chieftain Chonma-ho EE-T1 Osório K1 88 Leopard 1 Leopard 2 M1 Abrams M60 Patton M-84 Magach MBT-70 MBT-80 Merkava Object 187 Object 292 Object 785 OF-40 Panzer 68 Stridsvagn 103 T-62 T-64 T-72 T-80 TAM TR-85 Type 59 Type 61 Type 69/79 Type 74 Nana-yon Type 88 Vijayanta Vickers MBT WZ-122 Light AMX-13 Expeditionary tank M8 Armored Gun System M41 Walker Bulldog M551 Sheridan PT-76 Scorpion SK-105 Kürassier Stingray Stridsvagn 74 T92 Light Tank Type 62 Type 63 Type 64 WZ-132 Medium M26 Pershing M46 Patton M47 Patton M48 Patton Panzer 58 Panzer 61 T-44 T-54/55 T95 Type 58 Heavy AMX-50 Conqueror IS-3 Object 279 M103 T-10 T30 Stridsvagn KRV WZ-111 Tank destroyers Infanterikanonvagn 73 Infanterikanonvagn 91 Kanonenjagdpanzer History WWI Interwar WWII Cold War Tank

Post-Cold War tanks List Category Under 120 mm gun Ch'ŏnma-ho Ramses II Under 50 tonnes Al-Zarrar Al-Khalid P'okpoong-Ho PT-91 Twardy T-84 T-90 Type 10 Type 59G Type 96 Zulfiqar Over 50 tonnes Ariete Arjun BM Oplot Challenger 2 K1 88-Tank K2 Black Panther Leclerc Leopard 2 M1 Abrams M60-2000 Merkava Sabra Type 90 Type 99 tank Not in service Altay Black Eagle EE-T1 Osório VT-4 Main Battle Tank M-95 Degman M-84AS T-95 Tank EX Type 99KM T-14 Armata History WWI Interwar WWII Cold War Tank

The T-72 is a Soviet second-generation main battle tank that entered production in 1971.^[6] About 20,000 T-72 tanks were built,^[7] making it one of the most widely produced post–World War II tanks, second only to the T-54/55 family. The T-72 was widely exported and saw service in 40 countries and in numerous conflicts. Improved variants are still being built for export customers.

Development

T-64

The development of the T-72 was a direct result of the introduction of the T-64 tank. The T-64 (Object 432) was a very ambitious project to build a competitive tank with a weight of not more than 36 tons under the direction of Alexander Morozov in Kharkov.^[8] To achieve that goal the crew was reduced to three soldiers, saving the loader by introducing an automated loading system. This and other steps allowed a reduced weight, but caused problems when looking for a reliable engine to fit in the smaller hull.^[9]

The production of the T-64 with a 115-mm gun began in 1964, but plans to build the T-64A with a more powerful 125-mm gun had already been made back in 1963.^[10]

Problems with the first batch of T-64 tanks were centred around the 5TDF 700 hp engine and the auto loading mechanism. The engine was unreliable,^[11] was difficult to mend, and only had a guaranteed life span of a World War 2 era tank engine.^[12]

A strong lobby around designer Morozov advocated for the T-64 in Moscow, preventing rivalling developments and ideas to be discussed.^[13][14]

Detour: mobilization model

A mobilisation model of the T-64 with the cheaper and much more reliable V-45 engine (780 hp) was to be developed by Uralvagonzavod, since the Malyshev Factory in Kharkov could not provide a sufficient number of 5TDF engines for all Soviet tank factories in wartime.^[15]

The 5TDF was too complex and its production twice as costly as the V-45 engine.^[16] In 1967 the Uralvagonzavod formed "Section 520", which was to prepare the serial production of the T-64 for 1970.^[17] The team soon found out that the more powerful V-45 engine put a lot of stress on the fragile T-64 hull, so that after some time cracks started to materialize. A more stable solution had to be found.^[15]

Finally, an idea from 1960 was used, when a modification of the T-62 had been discussed: In 1961 two prototypes of "Object 167" had been built by Uralvagonzavod to test a more powerful hull and running gear combination for that tank. Under influence from Kharkov the idea had been turned down by Moscow.^[18] But this construction, with its big, rubbercoated roadwheels now formed the basis for the "mobilisation model" of the T-64.^[19]

Additional changes were made to the automatic loading system, which also was taken from an earlier project, originally intended for a T-62 upgrade. Ammunition, consisting of a separate projectile and a propellant charge was now stored horizontally on two levels, not vertically on one level like in the T-64.^[20] It was said to be more reliable than the T-64 autoloader.^[19] In 1964 two 125-mm guns of the D-81 type had been used to test their installation in the T-62, so the Ural plant was ready to adopt the 125-mm calibre for the T-64A as well.^[21]

T-72

Uralvagonzavod produced the first prototype with 125-mm gun and V-45K engine in 1968 as "Object 172". After intensive comparative testing with the T-64A, Object 172 was re-engineered in 1970 to deal with some minor problems.^[22] However, being only a "mobilisation model", a serial production of Object 172 was not possible in peacetime. In an unclear political process^[23] decree number 326-113 was issued, which allowed the production of Object 172 in the Soviet Union from 1. January 1972 and freed Uralvagonzavod from the T-64A production.^[24]

The first batch was build as "Object 172M" and after some modifications it was tested again in 1973 and accepted into service as "T-72".^[25]

At least some technical documentation on the T-72 is known to have been passed to the CIA by the Polish Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski between 1971 and 1982.

Production history

The T-72 was the most common tank used by the Warsaw Pact from the 1970s to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was also exported to other countries, such as Finland, India, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yugoslavia, as well as being copied elsewhere, both with and without licenses.

Licensed versions of the T-72 were made in Poland and Czechoslovakia, for Warsaw Pact consumers. These tanks had better and more consistent quality of make but with inferior armour, lacking the resin-embedded ceramics layer inside the turret front and glacis armour, replaced with all steel. The Polish-made T-72G tanks also had thinner armour compared to Soviet Army standard (410 mm for turret). Before 1990, Soviet-made T-72 export versions were similarly downgraded for non-Warsaw Pact customers (mostly the Arab countries). Many parts and tools are not interchangeable between the Russian, Polish and Czechoslovakian versions, which caused logistical problems.

Yugoslavia developed the T-72 into the more advanced M-84, and sold hundreds of them around the world during the 1980s. The Iraqis called their T-72 copies the "Lion of Babylon" (Asad Babil). These Iraqi tanks were assembled from "spare parts" sold to them by Russia as a means of evading the UN-imposed weapons embargo. More modern derivatives include the Polish PT-91 Twardy. Several countries, including Russia and Ukraine, also offer modernization packages for older T-72s.

Various versions of the T-72 have been in production for decades, and the specifications for its armour have changed considerably. Original T-72 tanks had homogeneous cast steel armour incorporating spaced armour technology and were moderately well protected by the standards of the early 1970s. In 1979, the Soviets began building T-72 modification with composite armour similar to the T-64 composite armour, in the front of the turret and the front of the hull. Late in the 1980s, T-72 tanks in Soviet inventory (and many of those elsewhere in the world as well) were fitted with reactive armour tiles.

Laser rangefinders appear in T-72 tanks since 1978; earlier examples were equipped with parallax optical rangefinders, which could not be used for distances under 1,000 metres (1,100 yd). Some export versions of the T-72 lacked the laser rangefinder until 1985 or only the squadron and platoon commander tanks (version K) received them. After 1985, all newly made T-72s came with reactive armour as standard, the more powerful 840 bhp (630 kW) V-84 engine and an upgraded design main gun, which can fire guided anti-tank missiles from the barrel. With these developments the T-72 eventually became almost as powerful as the more expensive T-80 tank, but few of these late variants reached the economically ailing Warsaw Pact allies and foreign customers before the Soviet bloc fell apart in 1990.

Since 2000, export vehicles have been offered with thermal imaging night-vision gear of French manufacture as well (though it may be more likely that they might simply use the locally manufactured 'Buran-Catherine' system, which incorporates a French thermal imager). Depleted uranium armour-piercing ammunition for the 125 mm (4.9 in) gun has been manufactured in Russia in the form of the BM-32 projectile since around 1978, though it has never been deployed, and is less penetrating than the later tungsten BM-42 and the newer BM-42M.

Models

Main models of the T-72, built in the Soviet Union and Russia. Command tanks have K added to their designation for komandirskiy, "command", for example T-72K is the command version of the basic T-72. Versions with reactive armour have V added, for vzryvnoy, "explosive".

T-72 Ural (1973)^[26]

Original version, armed with 125 mm smoothbore tank gun and optical coincidence rangefinder.^[27][28][29]

T-72A (1979)^[26]

Added laser rangefinder and electronic fire control, turret front and top being heavily reinforced with composite armour (nicknamed Dolly Parton by US intelligence), provisions for mounting reactive armor, smoke grenade launchers, flipper armour mount on front mudguards, internal changes.^{[3][26][28][29]}

T-72M

Export "Monkey model" version, similar to T-72A but lacking composite armour and with downgraded weapon systems, such as a lack of fire-control systems. Also built in Poland and former Czechoslovakia,^[29][30] see also T-72m4cz.

T-72 SIM1

Increased implementation of K-1 reactive and K-5 passive armor. New FALCON command and control system, GPS navigation system and Polish SKO-1T DRAWA-T fire control system with thermal imager and laser rangefinder (from PT-91 Twardy).^[31] It has also a friend-or-foe recognition system.

T-72B (1985)^[26]

New main gun, stabilizer, sights, and fire control, capable of firing 9M119 Svir guided missile, additional armour including 20 mm (0.8 in) of appliqué armour in the front of hull, improved 840 hp (630 kW) engine.

The T-72 design has been further developed into the following new models: Lion of Babylon tank (Iraq), M-84 (Yugoslavia), M-95 Degman (Croatia), M-2001 (Serbia), PT-91 Twardy (Poland), Tank EX (India),^[32] and TR-125 (Romania).

Variants

The T-72 hull has been used as the basis for other heavy vehicle designs, including the following:

• BMPT – Heavy convoy and close tank support vehicle.
• TOS-1 – Thermobaric rocket launcher, with 30-tube launcher in place of the turret.^[29]
• BREM-1 (Bronirovannaya Remonto-Evakuatsionnaya Mashina) – Armoured recovery vehicle with a 12-tonne crane, 25-tonne winch, dozer blade, towing equipment, and tools.^[29]
• IMR-2 (Inzhenernaya Mashina Razgrashdeniya) – Combat engineering vehicle with an 11-tonne telescoping crane and pincers, configurable dozer blade/plough, and mine-clearing system.
• MTU-72 (Tankovyy Mostoukladchik) – Armoured bridge layer, capable of laying a 50 t (55 short tons) capacity bridge spanning 18 m (59 ft) in three minutes.^[29]

Design characteristics

The T-72 shares many design features with other tank designs of Soviet origin. Some of these are viewed as deficiencies in a straight comparison to NATO tanks, but most are a product of the way these tanks were envisioned to be employed, based on the Soviets' practical experiences in World War II.

Weight

The T-72 is extremely lightweight, at forty-one tonnes, and very small compared to Western main battle tanks. Some of the roads and bridges in former Warsaw Pact countries were designed such that T-72s can travel along in formation, but NATO tanks could not pass at all, or just one-by-one, significantly reducing their mobility. The basic T-72 is relatively underpowered, with a 780 hp (580 kW) supercharged version of the basic 500 hp (370 kW) V-12 diesel engine originally designed for the World War II-era T-34. The 0.58 m (1 ft 11 in) wide tracks run on large-diameter road wheels, which allows for easy identification of the T-72 and descendants (the T-64/80 family has relatively small road wheels).

The T-72 is designed to cross rivers up to 5 m (16.4 ft) deep submerged using a small diameter snorkel assembled on-site. The crew is individually supplied with a simple rebreather chest-pack apparatus for emergency situations. If the engine stops underwater, it must be restarted within six seconds, or the T-72's engine compartment becomes flooded due to pressure loss. The snorkeling procedure is considered dangerous but is important for maintaining operational mobility.

Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection

The T-72 has a comprehensive nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) protection system. The inside of both hull and turret is lined with a synthetic fabric made of boron compound, meant to reduce the penetrating radiation from neutron bomb explosions. The crew is supplied clean air via an extensive air filter system. A slight over-pressure prevents entry of contamination via bearings and joints. Use of an autoloader for the main gun allows for more efficient forced smoke removal compared to traditional manually loaded ("pig-loader") tank guns, so NBC isolation of the fighting compartment can, in theory, be maintained indefinitely. Exported T-72s do not have the antiradiation lining.

Interior

Like all Soviet-legacy tanks, the T-72's design has traded off interior space in return for a very small silhouette and efficient use of armour, to the point of replacing the fourth crewman with a mechanical loader. The basic T-72 design has extremely small periscope viewports, even by the constrained standards of battle tanks and the driver's field of vision is significantly reduced when his hatch is closed. The steering system is a traditional dual-tiller layout instead of the easier-to-use steering wheel or steering yoke common in modern Western tanks. This set-up requires the near-constant use of both hands, which complicates employment of the seven speed manual transmission.

There is a widespread Cold War-era myth, that T-72 and other Soviet tanks are so cramped, that the small interior demands the use of shorter crewmen, with the maximum height set at 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) in the Soviet Army.^[33] According to official regulations, however, the actual figure is 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)^[34]

Armour

External images

The cavity in the cast turret

Laminated turret matrix of the T-72B

Armour protection of the T-72 was strengthened with each succeeding generation. The original T-72 turret is made from conventional cast armour. It is believed the maximum thickness is 280 mm (11 in), the nose is about 80 mm (3.1 in). The glacis of the new laminated armour is 200 mm (7.9 in) thick, which when inclined gives about 500–600 mm (20–24 in) thickness along the line of sight. Late model T-72s feature composite armour protection; According to retired Major James M. Warford, variants developed after the T-72 Base Model and T-72M/T-72G MBTs, featured a cast steel turret that included a cavity filled with quartz or sand in a form similar to US “fused-silica" armor.^[35] Steven J. Zaloga on the other hand mentions that the T-72 Model 1978 (Obiekt 172M sb-4), which entered production in 1977, featured a new turret with special armor composed of ceramic rods.^[36]

The T-72A featured a new turret with thicker but nearly vertical frontal armour. Due to its appearance, it was unofficially nicknamed "Dolly Parton" armour by the US Army.^[37] This used the new ceramic-rod turret filler, incorporated improved glacis laminate armor and, mounted new anti-shaped-charge sideskirts.^[38]

The T-72M was identical to the base T-72 Ural model in terms of protection,^[39] retaining the monolithic steel turret.^[40] The modernized T-72M1 was closer to the T-72A in terms of protection. It featured an additional 16 mm (0.63 in) of High Hardness Steel appliqué armour on the glacis plate, which produced an increase of 43 mm (1.7 in) in line of sight thickness. It was also the first export variant with composite armour in the turret containing ceramic rods^[41] sometimes called "sandbar armour".^[36]

Several T-72 models featured explosive reactive armour (ERA), which increased protection primarily against HEAT type weapons. Certain late-model T-72 tanks featured heavy ERA to help defeat modern HEAT and AP against which they were insufficiently protected.

Late model T-72s, such as the T-72B, featured improved turret armour, visibly bulging the turret front—nicknamed "Super-Dolly Parton" armour by Western intelligence.^[42] The turret armour of the T-72B was the thickest and most effective of all Soviet tanks; it was even thicker than the frontal armour of the T-80B.^[42] The T-72B used a new "reflecting-plate armor" (bronya s otrazhayushchimi listami), in which the frontal cavity of the cast turret was filled with a laminate of alternating steel and non-metallic (rubber) layers.^[43] The glacis was also fitted with 20 mm (0.8 in) of appliqué armour. The late production versions of the T-72B/B1 and T-72A variants also featured an anti-radiation layer on the hull roof.

Early model T-72s did not feature side skirts; instead the original base model featured gill or flipper-type armour panels on either side of the forward part of the hull. When the T-72A was introduced in 1979, it was the first model to feature the plastic side skirts covering the upper part of the suspension, with separate panels protecting the side of the fuel and stowage panniers.

The July 1997 issue of Jane's International Defence Review confirmed that after the collapse of the USSR, US and German analysts had a chance to examine Soviet-made T-72 tanks equipped with Kontakt-5 ERA, and they proved impenetrable to most modern US and German tank projectiles;:^[44] KE-effective ERA, such as Kontakt-5, drove the development of M829A3 ammunition.^[45] Russian tank designers responded with newer types of reactive armour, including Relikt and Kaktus.

Estimated protection level

The following table shows the estimated protection level of different T-72 models in rolled homogeneous armour equivalency. i.e., the composite armour of the turret of a T-72B offers as much protection against an APFSDS round as a 520 millimetres (20 in) thick armour steel layer.

Model	Turret vs APFSDS	Turret vs HEAT	Hull vs APFSDS	Hull vs HEAT
T-72 'Ural'[46] 1973[47][48][49]	380–410 mm (15–16 in)	450–500 mm (18–20 in)	335–410 mm (13.2–16.1 in)	410–450 mm (16–18 in)
T-72A(1979–1985)[50][51]/1988+Kontakt 1[48][51][52]	410–500 mm (16–20 in)	500–560 mm (20–22 in)	360–420 mm (14–17 in)	490–500 mm (19–20 in)
T-72M 1980[48]	380 mm (15 in)	490 mm (19 in)	335 mm (13.2 in)	450 mm (18 in)
T-72M1[46]	380 mm (15 in)	490 mm (19 in)	400 mm (16 in)	490 mm (19 in)
T-72B+Kontakt 1[46][53] 1985	520–540 mm (20–21 in)	900–950 mm (35–37 in)[54]	480–530 mm (19–21 in)	900 mm (35 in)
T-72B+Kontakt 5[53][55] 1988[56]	770–800 mm (30–31 in)	1,180 mm (46 in)	690 mm (27 in)	940 mm (37 in)

Possible easy replacement instead of Kontakt 5 (or 1) install Relikt. Acceptably an exact formula (for 5)^[57]×^[58] ((equivalent of armor − 20%) = result + 40%. This will be the equivalent of fresh of armor set by Relikt vs APFSDS).^[59][60] T-72B + Relikt vs APFSDS, turret 860-900, hull-770. Officially, the Relikt is not used, but is offered for export (for T-90MS Relikt is a basic set, for the T-90S basic set – Kontakt 5).

The calculation for a * vs HEAT * more complicated. And is required for acceptable accuracy of the result data is the official source of information of results but not formulas. Specifically for each model different tanks (T-72, T-80 or T-90)^[58]

Gun

The T-72 is equipped with the 125 mm (4.9 in) 2A46 series main gun, a significantly larger (20-mm larger) calibre than the standard 105 mm (4.1 in) gun found in contemporary Western MBTs, and still slightly larger than the 120 mm/L44 found in many modern Western MBTs. As is typical of Soviet tanks, the gun is capable of firing anti-tank guided missiles, as well as standard main gun ammunition, including HEAT and APFSDS rounds.

The main gun of the T-72 has a mean error of 1 m (39.4 in) at a range of 1,800 m (1,968.5 yd). Its maximum firing distance is 9,100 m (9,951.9 yd), due to limited positive elevation. The limit of aimed fire is 4,000 m (4,374.5 yd) (with the gun-launched anti-tank guided missile, which is rarely used outside the former USSR). The T-72's main gun is fitted with an integral pressure reserve drum, which assists in rapid smoke evacuation from the bore after firing. The 125 millimeter gun barrel is certified strong enough to ram the tank through forty centimeters of iron-reinforced brick wall, though doing so will negatively affect the gun's accuracy when subsequently fired. Rumours in NATO armies of the late Cold War claimed that the tremendous recoil of the huge 125 mm gun could damage the fully mechanical transmission of the T-72. The tank commander reputedly had to order firing by repeating his command, when the T-72 is on the move: "Fire! Fire!" The first shout supposedly allowed the driver to disengage the clutch to prevent wrecking the transmission when the gunner fired the cannon on the second order. In reality, this still-common tactic substantively improves the tank's firing accuracy and has nothing to do with recoil or mechanical damage to anything. This might have to deal with the lower quality (compared to Western tanks) of the T-72s stabilizers.

The vast majority of T-72s do not have FLIR thermal imaging sights, though all T-72s (even those exported to the Third World) possess the characteristic (and inferior) 'Luna' Infrared illuminator. Thermal imaging sights are extremely expensive, and the new Russian FLIR system, the 'Buran-Catherine Thermal Imaging Suite' was only introduced recently on the T-80UM tank. Most T-72s found outside the former Soviet Union do not have laser rangefinders. T-72 built for export have a downgraded fire-control system.

Autoloader

Like the earlier domestic-use-only T-64, the T-72 is equipped with an automatic loading system, eliminating the need for a dedicated crewmember, decreasing the size of the tank, and hence the mass.

However, the autoloader is of noticeably different design. Both the T-64 and T-72 carry their two-section 125 mm ammunition (shell and full propellant charge, or missile and reduced propellant charge) in separate loading trays positioned on top of each other; but firstly, in T-64, 28 of these were arranged vertically as a ring under the turret ring proper, and were rotated to put the correct tray into position under the hoist system in the turret rear. This had the disadvantage of cutting the turret off from the rest of the tank, most notably, the driver. Accessing the hull required partial removal of the trays. T-72 uses a design that has lower width requirements, and does not isolate the turret compartment: the trays are arranged in a circle at the very bottom of the fighting compartment; the payoff is the reduction of the number of trays to 22. The second difference was that in the T-64 the trays were hinged together and were flipped open as they were brought into position, allowing both the shell/missile and propellant charge to be rammed into the breech in one motion; in T-72 the tray is brought to the breech as-is, with the shell in the lower slot and the charge in the upper one, and the mechanical rammer sequentially loads each of them, resulting in a longer reloading cycle.^[61]

The average rate of fire for this type of carousel automatic loader is quoted to be 6-8 rounds per minute.

The autoloader system also includes an automated casing removal mechanism that ejects the propellant case through an opening port in the back of the turret during the following reload cycle.

The autoloader disconnects gun from the vertical stabilizer and cranks it up three degrees above the horizontal in order to depress the breech end of the gun and line it up with the loading tray and rammer. While loading, the gunner can still aim because he has a vertically independent sight. With a laser rangefinder and a ballistic computer, final aiming takes at least another three to five seconds, but it is pipelined into the last steps of auto-loading and proceeds concurrently.

In addition to the 22 auto-loaded rounds, the T-72 carries 17^[62] rounds conventionally in the hull, which can be loaded into the emptied autoloader trays or directly into the gun—slowly and awkwardly, due to the absence of a human loader.

Service

The T-72 was never used in the Afghanistan War. The 40th Soviet Army that was deployed there had only T-55 and T-62 tanks.

The Russian Federation has over 5,000 T-72 tanks in use, including around 2,000 in active service and 3,000 in reserves. The T-72 has been used by the Russian Army in the fighting during the First and Second Chechen Wars and the Russo-Georgian War. The T-72 has been used by over 40 countries worldwide.

Syria

In the 1982 Lebanon War, Syrian T-72s engaged Israeli M60A1 and probably Merkava tanks in the south of Lebanon.^[63] On 9 June 1982, the Syrian General HQ ordered a brigade of the 1st Armored Division, equipped with T-72 tanks, to move straight ahead, cross the border, and hit the right flank of the Israeli units advancing along the eastern side of Beka'a. The T-72s clashed with several companies of M60s, destroying some Israeli companies in process while suffering only a few losses in exchange.^[64] After the end of the ceasefire, Syrian T-72s continued to be used and destroyed several Israeli tanks and armored vehicles. Syrian and Russian sources claim that the T-72 had success against the latest Israeli Merkava tanks and that no T-72s were lost. Others claim that the two tanks never met in combat and that 11-12 T-72s were lost mostly due to anti-tank ambushes and the usage of TOW missiles. 105mm guns failed to penetrate the frontal armor of the Syrian T-72s. Only in one case the frontal hull armor was penetrated by a TOW missile. According to some unofficial sources, one Syrian T-72 was knocked out by Israeli tank fire. However, according to official figures, no Syrian T-72s were lost due to Israeli tank fire. After the war, Syrian president Hafez al-Assad called the T-72 "the best tank in the world."^[63][65] The T-72 has been in extensive use in the Syrian Civil War by the Syrian Arab Army since 2011 and quite a few captured examples are used by the anti-government Free Syrian Army rebels and jihadists groups such as the Islamic Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Iraq

The Iraqi T-72Ms performed well against opposing Iranian tanks such as Chieftains and Pattons in the Iran–Iraq war. In the early stages of the war, an Iraqi battalion of T-72 tanks faced an Iranian battalion of Chieftain tanks. During the battle all Iranian tanks were destroyed, while the Iraqis suffered no losses. Iraqi T-72M had great success in the battle for Basra and the last stages of the war. 105mm M68 tank guns and TOW missiles proved ineffective against the frontal armor of Iraqi T-72s.^[66][67] 60 T-72 tanks were lost during the eight years of war.^[68][69] According to Iranians and Iraqis, the T-72 was the most feared tank of the Iran–Iraq War.^[70][71]

The Iraqi assembled T-72 version Lion of Babylon engaged Western forces in both Iraq wars. Battle of 73 Easting took place during a sandstorm in the Iraqi desert. American M1A1s and Bradley Fighting Vehicles came up against Iraqi Republican Guard T-72s and BMPs and inflicted heavy losses on Iraqi armored forces while taking few in return. The primary battle was conducted by 2ACR's three squadrons of about 400 soldiers, along with the 1st Infantry Division's two leading brigades, who attacked and destroyed the Iraqi 18th Mechanized Brigade and 37th Armored Brigade of the Tawakalna Division, each consisting of between 2,500 to 3,000 personnel.^[72] On 26 February 1991, the Iraqis used dug-in T-72 tanks to stop the advance of an American mechanized infantry company supported by two M1 tanks in southern Iraq during the Battle of Phase Line Bullet.

The Iraqi T-72Ms used 3BM9 shells (removed from service in the USSR in 1973),^{[73][74][75][76]} with a penetration of 245 mm at a distance of up to 2500 meters.^[77]

Chechen wars

During the first Chechen campaign, Russia used 225 T-72 and T-80 tanks. The Kobra tank-launched missiles were used, which effectively destroyed targets at a range of 4 km. During the three months of fighting, 15 T-72B and about 5 T-72A were destroyed. In all cases, the tanks were destroyed when hit in the side or on the top; the frontal armor was never penetrated. Dudayev's forces had dozens of T-62 and T-72 tanks (with white turrets). In the summer of 1994, Russian aircraft destroyed about 15 of Dudayev's tanks. After the assault by the Russian army during the winter of 1994, Dudayev's last 30 tanks were destroyed or captured. Seven captured T-72s were used in combat by the Russian army. During the first war, at least two tank duels took place. In the first one, Dudayev's T-72A knocked out one T-62M belonging to pro-Russian Chechens. In the second duel, one of Dudayev's T-72As was destroyed by a Russian T-72B.^{[78][79][80][81]} From 1997 to 2003, Chechen rebels managed to destroy only three Russian T-72s, including only one tank during the second Chechen campaign.^[82][83]

War in South Ossetia

During the war, Russia lost two T-72B tanks. In one case a platoon of four Russian T-72s destroyed more than 15 Georgian armored vehicles on the streets of Tskhinvali, while losing one tank. During the five days of war, several Georgian T-72 tanks were destroyed or captured, including most of the Israeli modifications T-72SIM.^{[84][85][86][87]}

War in Donbass

On the 26 August 2014, International Institute for Strategic Studies claimed that it has identified a mixed column composed of at least 3 T-72B1s and a lone T-72BM. The significance of this sighting was that Russia attempted to maintain plausible deniability over the issue of supplying tanks and other arms to the separatists. Russia continuously claimed that any tanks operated by the separatists must have been captured from Ukraine's own army. The T-72BM is in service with the Russian Army in large numbers. This modernized T-72 is not known to have been exported to nor operated by any other country.^[88] In a March 4, 2015 interview with Dorzhi Batomunkuev, it was revealed that he operated a T-72B as part of a 32 tank Russian army unit when fighting for Debaltseve in Ukraine in February 2015. His tank was destroyed and he suffered severe burns.^[89] According to globalsecurity.org Ukraine had, before the war, about 1,700 of several different variants of the T-72,^[90] down to 600 in 2014 (warehousing condition outside Army).^[91]

Further service

In January 2009, it was reported that the Iraqi government was negotiating a deal to purchase up to 2,000 T-72 tanks. The T-72s were to be rebuilt and modernized.^[92]

In September 2009 it was announced that Venezuela was planning to purchase 92 Russian T-72B1V tanks. The first T-72s destined to Venezuela arrived at the port of Puerto Cabello on 25 May 2011.^[93][94] In June 2012, Russia and Venezuela agreed on a deal for 100 more T-72B1Vs.^[95]

Xu Bin-shi, a high ranking Chinese military engineer, revealed during an interview that China first obtained a T-72 from Romania in the 1980s, in exchange for plasma spray technology.^[96]

During the Syrian Civil War, government forces used T-72s, among other armored vehicles, against the opposition forces. Initially, the insurgent forces were forced to use IED's and RPG-7 ambush tactics against the government armored forces. Later, modern Russian RPGs and Yugoslav M79 Osas were recorded in rebel hands and being used to get successful hits on T-72s.^[97] Starting in 2012, the delivery and capture of modern anti-tank guided missiles enabled the opposition forces to successfully engage and destroy any government armored vehicle types, T-72 included, from safer distances.^[98]

Combat history

• 1980-2001 Afghanistan war (Afghanistan)
• 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War (Iraq) (Iran)
• 1982 Lebanon (Syria)
• 1983–2009 Sri Lankan Civil War (India)
• 1988–1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War (Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan)
• 1988–1993 Georgian Civil War
  • 1991–1992 War in South Ossetia
  • 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia
• 1992-1997 Civil war in Tajikistan
• 1990–1991 First Persian Gulf War (Iraq, Kuwait)
• 1990–2002 Sierra Leone Civil War (Executive Outcomes) ^[99]
• 1991–2001 Yugoslav Wars (Yugoslavia)
  • 1991 Ten-Day War (Yugoslavia)
  • 1991–1995 Croatian War of Independence (Yugoslavia, Krajina Serbs, Croatia and Republika Srpska)
  • 1998 Kosovo (Yugoslavia)
  • 2001 2001 Macedonia conflict (Macedonia)
• 1991-2002 Algerian Civil War (Algeria)
• 1994 Rwanda Civil War (Uganda)
• 1994–1996 First Chechen War (Russia, Chechnya (limited)) First known case of using tank-launched missiles, which effectively destroy targets at 4 km range.^[100]
• 1999–2009 Second Chechen War (Russia)
• 2003 Invasion of Iraq (Iraq)
• 2008 War in South Ossetia (Russia and Georgia)
• 2011 2011 Libyan civil war (Gaddafi Government and Anti-Gaddafi forces)
• 2012– Syrian civil war – Government forces using T-72 tanks. Opposition forces using captured government's tanks
• 2013– South Sudanese conflict
• 2014– Conflict in Ukraine (Ukraine)
• 2014– Northern Iraq offensive
• 2015- Boko Haram insurgency (Nigerian Government Forces) ^[101]

See also

• Comparable AFVs: Chieftain tank
• Related lists: List of tanks, List of Soviet tanks
• 125mm Smoothbore Rounds
• AT-8 Songster

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to T-72 tanks.

• Vasiliy Fofanov's Modern Russian Armour Page
• Huge pile of Hungarian T-72 walkarounds
• T-72 variants (German)
• http://www.inetres.com/gp/militry/cv/tank/T-72.html
• Military Today article

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