Azov brigade's T‑80U tanks: Revolutionizing battlefield armor
Soldiers from the Azov Brigade showcased their T-80U tanks and the modifications that have significantly increased their survivability. Here are the performance specifications of this armoured spearhead from the USSR.
The "Azov" Brigade, despite ideological controversies, is among the most motivated and well-commanded units in Ukraine. For this reason, its battalions are often deployed to the most challenging front lines, such as rescue missions for encircled Ukrainian units.
Consequently, the unit receives the best possible equipment, including T-80U tanks, which significantly outperform and provide better protection than most models in the T-72 or T-64 families, to which Ukrainian tankers are mostly accustomed. Western vehicles like the Leopard 2 or M1A1 Abrams tanks are typically assigned to newly trained units.
Soldiers of the 12th Azov Brigade, in an interview with the portal Militarnyj, shared their impressions of switching from the T-64 to the T-80U and the enhancements made to the tank. Navin, a deputy in the 1st Company of the 2nd Armoured Platoon of the 12th Brigade, highly praises the new tanks, calling them a true assault machine compared to other tanks, which he considers toys.
He most appreciates the tank's excellent mobility and reverse speed compared to the T-72 family, where the maximum reverse speed is 5 km/h. The Ukrainian also praises the power of the GTD-1250 gas turbine, as it is twice as powerful as the engine of the T-64, with a similar weight.
Initially, drivers from the T-64 tanks were not enthusiastic about switching to T-80U tanks, but after becoming familiar with them, no one wanted to return to the older models.
T-80U - Armoured spearhead of the USSR
The T-80U tanks were developed in the late 1980s as an advancement of the T-80BW tanks, featuring an improved turret with factory-installed Kontakt-5 reactive armour, an enhanced fire control system, and the capability to fire 9M119 Refleks anti-tank guided missiles.
The T-80 tanks, as journalist Łukasz Michalik from Wirtualna Polska wrote, were revolutionary for the Russians due to the use of a gas turbine that provided almost instantaneous torque, unlike a diesel engine, which requires time to throttle up. This feature, combined with its mobility, earned them the nickname "flying tanks" in Russia.
Moreover, the frontal armour of the hull, and especially the turret, significantly surpasses what the base T-72B offers, which are used to produce T-72B3 or T-90M tanks. This means that if modern reactive armour is added to the T-80U hull, the end result can be even more effective.
The downside remains the autoloader with an ammunition magazine in the hull, which can cause a massive explosion and instant death of the crew inside if hit. However, it's worth noting that Ukrainians developing this project at the Malyshev factory in Kharkiv have created the T-84 Oplot tank, which is free from this defect.
It's also noteworthy that the Azov Brigade made modifications to the T-80U tanks they acquired to adapt them to current war conditions. Modifications include additional "Knife" reactive armour blocks where the factory-installed Kontakt-5 blocks do not reach, added skirt curtains with weights to protect the junction of the turret with the hull, and an extended turret niche in the form of a basket to protect the engine compartment from FPV drones.
