Posted on 06/03/2016 7:51:18 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Countries which use Russia’s most mass-produced second-generation main battle tank – the T-72 – need not worry about what to do with aging equipment and the transition of military operations from open to urban conditions. Russia's Uralvagonzavod Corporation (UVZ), manufacturers of the tank, has worked out how to modernize the T-72 for effective combat in urban environments.
Vyacheslav Khalitov, UVZ's deputy director for special equipment, told Gazeta.ru that their project is based on experiences of the war in Syria.
"If you look closely at the armed conflicts in the world, war is now fought mainly in the cities, no one fights in the open anymore, because it is, in fact, instantaneous destruction," said Khalitov. "But you can fight quite successfully in the city and in urban areas generally. Therefore, while analyzing Syria and the wars in Iraq and the Middle East, we decided to make a special set of additional protection systems, which could be installed on the vehicle at the right moment, to fight more efficiently in urban environments."
Integrated protection systems for the tank crew To give the T-72 a new lease of life, they first propose to increase its firepower – to install a more efficient fire-control system with the Sosna multi-channel sighting system, a new electromechanical drive stabilizer, the upgraded 2A46M cannon and an autoloader modified to fire missiles.
Modernizing the T-72 for urban warfare also involves mounting a bulldozer blade, which clears all debris from collapsing buildings and other structures, and allows vehicles to pass.
A cockpit will be mounted on the T-72 to protect the tank commander, who has to look out of the hatch to fire the anti-aircraft machine gun, making him vulnerable to fire from all sides.
"We have made this cockpit with windows, so that he should have all-round visibility, but be fully enclosed himself. There is mostly anti-bullet armour protection there," said Khalitov.
The tank itself will be fitted with reactive armour tiles on all sides. They will protect the hull over track skirts, from the front, rear and sides, as well as the turret.
The tank will be equipped with electronic warfare devices
The modernized T-72 tank will be also equipped with electronic warfare devices. Khalitov said since militants now use radio-controlled missiles, it was necessary to block their signals over a wide area, a particularly important criterion in urban areas.
"We have installed equipment that suppresses radio-controlled explosive devices – these are two inconspicuous devices behind the turret that look similar to antennas; this equipment suppresses all signals sent to an explosive device," he said.
Viktor Murakhovsky, a specialist in weapons and military equipment, said the specific conditions of the city force designers to make technical improvements to the armour.
"Firstly, shelling from all directions is possible, not only from a frontal firing angle, as usually happens in the field." Murakhovsky said."Secondly, it requires large angles of gun elevation to fire at the upper floors of buildings. Third, it requires better viewing conditions for those operating the weapons – there should be better all-round and upward visibility. In Israel, for example, they have two or three extra machine guns on the roof of a tank – it is designed to hit the enemy in the upper floors of buildings."
Where to see the new tank?
The T-72 tank, upgraded for urban conditions and fitted with a fire control system and thermal imaging sight in the new configuration, will be displayed to potential customers for the first time at KADEX 2016, the Fourth International Exhibition of Arms and Military Equipment, being held in Astana, Kazakhstan from June 2 to 5.
First published in Russian in Gazeta.ru.
I like the idea of the raised cockpit and the visibility, but it sure looks like a nice target for a RPG........
FR Treadhead Ping.
We’ll kick their ass in the city too!
It’s a homely thing, isn’t it?
Definitely an easy aiming point.
It’s to be fitted with the Arena active protection system - aka the RPG shield or CIWS for tanks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_%28countermeasure%29
Once the Arena system goes off, you can bet the commander’s going to drop back inside and pull the hatch behind him. Looks like a great target, isn’t.
There is something to be said for isolationism and staying out of all the little scrapes around the world but speaking from a strictly technical point of view, the experience and knowledge gained from engaging in these actions is invaluable in developing out military. Not sure if that is worth people’s lives but it will costs lives if we are not prepared.
The German Stuhrmtiger had a stubby 38 centimeter tube that fired rocket launched (naval) shells. They had to be loaded with a little crane.
After their initial experience with Russian urban warfare, they wanted something that flattened buildings.
No, we won’t, because most of our M1s can’t advance with infantry in direct support due to the exhaust temps. The MOUT kit (which makes the M1 look a lot like this) does alleviate that but it’s not perfect. At best we have a slight advantage in city fighting, where it’s usually the tank that shoots first that wins.
Also, the T-72 now has a tandem-warhead round intended to burn through the M1’s armor.
The Germans found out that the Russians were the past masters of urban warfare - something that’s probably still true today.
“We’ll kick their ass in the city too!”
Are you still living in the 80s?
Also, as the Germans found out, even flattening the building wouldn’t get all the Russians out.
You'll note that the weapons station on top is unmanned so if the commander goes heads up there's not really any protection for him. And the M1 still doesn't have an active protection system, so the CROWS station on top *does* make a dandy RPG target where the splash will kill the commander unless he's buttoned up. The CROWS turret also means the commander's got some pretty big blind spots.
...I ,like the idea of the raised cockpit and the visibility, but it sure looks like a nice target for a RPG....
But, will the cockpit armor and windows stop high power rifle AP or .50 AP?
The Reds liked to knock holes in walls between apartments so they could run from one end of a building to the other.
The krauts thought they’d cleared a building but the sniping continued.
Yeah, like roaches move next door when their home is sprayed, then return.
I like the cupola on the T-72.
My choice / thoughts.....
CROW system versus crew commanders noggin exposed with the equal of a GAU19 in 12.7 or M134DT Dillon minigun.... maybe a stubby barrel main gun like the old engineering M48 patton or M558 with the 152mm Demolition main gun used to kill bunkers and buildings...... add RPG screens and reactive armor for dual shape charge munitions.....
And of course their variant of the M9 dozer blade ...
They also used to tunnel between basements - not just out the walls of the basements, but down through the floor, well down past the range of bombs or artillery, over to another building or six then back up. The number of tactics like these that they used can and do fill several not insubstantial books.
Yeah, without Arena it’s an interesting if perhaps questionable decision. With Arena, it makes a *lot* of sense.
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