Is T-72 obsolete?
That the T-72 is still in service today — and still being used by about 45 countries, including Russia — speaks to the longevity of this vehicle. The T-72 began life as a cheaper alternative to the disastrous T-64, a sophisticated mid-1960s tank that proved to be over-complicated and unreliable.
Is the T-72 still in service?
That the T-72 is still in service today — and still being used by about 45 countries, including Russia — speaks to the longevity of this vehicle. First deployed with the Soviet Army in 1973, the 41-ton T-72 featured a 125-millimeter smoothbore cannon.
How many T-72 tanks are still in service?
T-72 operators and variants The T-72 is a family of Soviet / Russian main battle tanks that first entered production in 1971. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refurbishment has enabled many to remain in service for decades. The early T-72 versions are considered as second-generation main battle tanks.
What kind of armor does a Soviet T-72 tank have?
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.
Is the T-72B3 a third generation tank?
The T-72B3 version introduced in 2010 is considered a third-generation main battle tank (MBT). 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 well-armoured tank with a weight of not more than 36 tons.
When did the Warsaw Pact stop using T-72 tanks?
Nizhny Tagil produced the tank in various modifications until 1992. The T-72 was the most common tank used by the Warsaw Pact from the 1970s until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.