The T-72 medium tank is a combat tracked vehicle with high cross-country manoeuvrability. It is intended for destruction of tanks and other armoured targets, or enemy manpower. Using its 12.7mm NSV anti-aircraft machine-gun, it can destroy low flying targets. It provides protection against pressure wave and NBC weapons. Its main armament is a 125 mm smoothbore gun, stabilized in two guiding planes, with maximum effective firing range of 4,500 m and a rate of fire of up to 8 shots in a minute. Moreover, it is fitted with a coaxial 7.62mm PKT machine-gun.
The T-72, which entered production in 1971, was first seen in public in 1977. The T-72, introduced in the early 1970s, is not a further development of the T-64, but rather a parallel design chosen as a high-production tank complementing the T-64. The T-72 retains the low silhouette of the T-54/55/62 series, featuring a conventional layout with integrated fuel cells and stowage containers which give a streamlined appearance to the fenders. While the T-64 was deployed only in forward-deployed Soviet units, the T-72 was deployed within the USSR and exported to non-Soviet Warsaw Pact armies and several other countries.
The Russian T-72 main battle tank was produced at the Malyshev HMB Plant, based in Kharkov, Ukraine and at UKBM Nizhny Tagil, Russian Federation. In addition to production in the USSR it has been built under license in Czechoslovakia, India, Poland and the former Yugoslavia.
The T-72, which came into service in the late 1970s, was successfully met by the Israelis in Lebanon in 1982. Armed with a long-barreled, smooth-bored 125mm gun and with a three-man crew, the T-72 at 45 tons (41,000 kg) is considerably lighter than the American M60A1. Both tanks have six road wheels on a side but the T-72 with its squat hull and long-barreled gun is distinctive in silhouette from the M-60, with its more massive turret.
DESCRIPTION:
The T-72 medium tank is similar in general appearance to the T-64. The T-72 has six large, die-cast, rubber-coated road wheels and three track return rollers. It has a 14-tooth drive sprocket and a single-pin track with rubber-bushed pins.
The gunner's IR searchlight is mounted to the right of the main gun. The 12.7-mm NSV anti-aircraft machine gun has a rotating mount, and there is no provision for firing it from within the tank. There are normally only a few small stowage boxes on the outside of the turret, and a single short snorkel is stowed on the left side of the turret. The T-72 has a larger engine compartment than the T-64, and the radiator grill is near the rear of the hull.
CAPABILITIES:
The T-72 has greater mobility than the T-62. The V-12 diesel engine has an output of 780 hp. This engine appears to be remarkably smoke-free and smooth-running, having eliminated the excessive vibration which was said to cause high crew fatigue in the T-62. Although the engine is larger than that of the T-64, the heavier (41 mt) T-72 is believed to have approximately the same road speed as the T-64. The T-72B1 is powered by a multi-fuel V-12 piston air-cooled 840 hp engine that will run on three fuels: Diesel, Benzene or Kerosene. Two 200-liter auxiliary fuel drums can be fitted on the rear of the hull.
The T-72 can be fitted with a snorkel for deep fording, and takes about 20 minutes to prepare for amphibious use.
The T-72 has better armor protection than the T-62, due to the use of layered armor and other features of the T-64. The advanced passive armor package of the T-72M and T-72M1 can sustain direct hits from the 105mm gun equipped M1 Abrams at up to 2,000 meter range. The later T-72Ms and T-72M1s are equipped with laser rangefinders ensuring high hit probabilities at ranges of 2,000 meters and below. The turret has conventional cast armor with a maximum thickness of 280-mm, the nose is about 80-mm thick and the glacis is 200-mm thick laminate armor. Besides the PAZ radiation detection system, the T-72 has an antiradiation liner (except on export models) and a collective NBC filtration and overpressure system.
The T-72 has the same integral smoke generating capability as earlier T-54/55/62, tanks, and variants have been observed with smoke grenade projectors mounted on the front of the turret.
The T-72 employs the same armament, ammunition, and integrated fire control as the T-64. The low, rounded turret mounts a 125mm smooth bore gun with a carousel automatic loader mounted on the floor and rear wall of the turret. The 125mm gun common to all the T-72 models is capable of penetrating the M1 Abrams armour at a range of up to 1,000 meters. The more recent BK-27 HEAT round offers a triple-shaped charge warhead and increased penetration against conventional armors and ERA. The BK-29 round, with a hard penetrator in the nose is designed for use against reactive armor, and as an MP round has fragmentation effects. If the BK-29 HEAT-MP is used, it may substitute for Frag-HE (as with NATO countries) or complement Frag-HE. With three round natures (APFSDS-T, HEAT-MP, ATGMs) in the autoloader vs four, more antitank rounds would available for the higher rate of fire.
The infra-red searchlight on the T-72 is mounted on the right side of the main armament, versus on the left on the earlier T-64. The 1K13-49 sight is both night sight and ATGM launch sight. However, it cannot be used for both functions simultaneously. A variety of thermal sights is available. They include the Russian Agava-2, French SAGEM-produced ALIS and Namut sight from Peleng. Thermal gunner night sights are available which permit night launch of ATGMs.
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on June 22:
1478 - Philips de Schone, Archduke of Austrian/King of Castilia (Philips I)
1757 George Vancouver, surveyed Pacific coast from SF to Vancouver I
1814 James Henry Lane, MC (Union), died in 1866 [or Jul 28 1833]
1837 Paul Morphy New Orleans, greatest chess player of all time (1857-61)
1856 H Rider Haggard author (King Solomon's Mine, She)
1858 Giacomo Puccini Italy, operatic composer (Madama Butterfly)
1887 Sir Julian Huxley London, biologist/philosopher, Darwin's Bulldog
1896 Francis C Denebrink US Naval officer (WW I, WW II, Korea)
1898 Erich Maria Remarque novelist (All Quiet on the Western Front)
1900 Jennie Tourel [Jennie Davidson], St Petersburg Russia, mezzo-soprano
1903 Carl Hubbell pitcher (NY Giants)-253 wins, 2.97 lifetime ERA
1903 John Dillinger one of America's Most Wanted
1906 Billy Wilder movie director (Some Like It Hot, Apartment, Stalag 17)
1907 Anne Morrow Lindbergh aviator/author (Gift from the Sea)
1920 Paul Frees Chicago Ill, animation voice (Bullwinkle)
1921 Gower Champion choreographer (42nd Street)
1922 Bill Blass Ft Wayne Ind, fashion designer (Nancy Reagan)
1928 Orson Bean Burlington Vt, comedian (I Got a Secret, To Tell the Truth)
1929 Ralph Waite actor (Last Summer, Cool Hand Luke, 5 Easy Piece)
1933 Dianne Feinstein (Senator D-Ca.)
1941 Ed Bradley Phila, CBS news correspondant (60 Minutes)
1947 David L Lander Bkln NY, actor (Squiggy-Laverne & Shirley)
1947 Don Henley drummer/singer (Eagles, Boys of Summer)
1948 "Pistol" Pete Maravich NBA star (Atlanta Hawks)
1948 Todd Rundgren rock singer (Hello it's Me, Bang on the Drum All Day)
1949 Lindsay Wagner LA Ca, actress (Bionic Woman, Paper Chase, Nighthawks)
1949 Meryl Streep NJ, actress (French Lieutenant's Woman, Sophie's Choice)
1954 Freddie Prinze NYC, comedian/actor (Chico & the Man)
Deaths which occurred on June 22:
1276 Innocent V, [Pierre the Tarantaise], Pope (1276), dies at about 36
1874 Howard Staunton world chess champion, designer of chess pieces, dies
1922 Field Marshal Sir Henry H Wilson murdered in London
1945 Isamu Tsjo, Japanese chief-staff 32nd Army, commits harakiri
1945 Mitsuri Ushijima, Jap lt-gen/commandant 32nd Army, commits harakiri
1954 Don Hollenbeck newscaster (CBS Weekend News), dies at 49
1965 David O Selznick Gone With the Wind's producer, dies at 63
1969 Judy Garland singer/actress, dies in London at 47
1979 Julius Sommer dies of heart failure, buried in Dayton Ohio
1987 Fred Astaire actor/dancer, dies at Century City Hospital in LA at 88
1988 Dennis Day Jack Benny Show singer, dies of Lou Gehrigs disease at 71
1993 Pat Nixon, 1st lady (1969-75), dies of lung cancer at 81
1995 Georges Yves Marie Congar, Dominican theologian cardinal, dies at 91
Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1966 SMITH WARREN P. JR.---PASADENA TX.
1967 PIRIE JAMES GLENN---TUSCALOOSA AL.
[02/18/73 RELEASED BY DRV, DECEASED 05/09/98]
1969 ENGELHARD ERIC CARL---BELLBROOK OH.
[04/01/74 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1969 ROBERSON JOHN W.---MALAKOFF TX.
1969 SEAGROVES MICHAEL ANTHONY---CHICAGO IL.
[04/01/74 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1970 EARLE JOHN S.---WESTFIELD MA.
1970 GUMBERT ROBERT W. JR.---NEW RICHMOND OH.
1971 STROHLEIN MADISON A.---PHILADELPHIA PA.
[INDICATIONS OF SHOOTOUT WITH NVA]
POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.
On this day...
431 Council of Ephesus (3rd ecumenical council) opens
816 Stephen IV begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1342 Bilbo Baggins returns to his home at Bag End, (Shire Reconning)
1377 Richard II succeeds Edward III as king of England
1497 Antitax insurrection in Cornwall suppressed at Blackheath
1559 Jewish quarter of Prague burned and looted
1611 Henry Hudson & son set adrift in Hudson Bay by mutineers
1675 Royal Greenwich Observatory established in England by Charles II
1772 Slavery outlawed in England
1775 1st Continental currency issued ($3,000,000)
1807 British board USS Chesapeake, a provocation leading to War of 1812
1808 Zebulon Pike reaches his peak
1812 Napoleon's Grand Army invades Russia
1815 2nd abdication of Napoleon (after Waterloo)
1847 Doughnut created
1848 Barnburners (anti-slavery) party nominates Martin Van Buren for Pres
1849 Stephen C Massett opens courthouse using only piano in Calif
1851 Fire destroys part of SF
1868 Arkansas re-enters US
1870 Congress creates Department of Justice
1873 Prince Edward Island joins Canada
1874 Dr Andrew T Sill, of Macon, Missouri, finds science of osteopathy
1889 Louisville Colonels set ML baseball record with 26th consecutive loss
1910 1st airship with passengers sets afloat-Zeppelin Deutscheland
1911 King George V of England crowned
1918 Circus train rammed by troop train kills 68 (Ivanhoe Illinois)
1925 G Shajn discovers asteroid #1058 Grubba
1930 Lou Gehrig hits 3 HRs in a game, Ruth hits 3 in doubleheader
1936 Virgin Islands receives a constution from US (Organic Act)
1937 Joe Louis KOs James Braddock for the heavyweight boxing crown
1938 Joe Louis KOs Max Schmeling at 2:04 of 1st round at Yankee Stadium
1940 France falls to Nazi Germany; armistice signed, France disarmed
1941 Estonians starts armed resistance against Soviet occupation
1941 Germany declares war on Soviet Union during WW II
1944 FDR signs "GI Bill of Rights" (Servicemen's Readjustment Act)
1944 Longest shut out in Phillies history, Phils beat Braves 1-0 in 15 inn Boston Brave Jim Tobin 2nd no-hitter of yr beats Phils, 7-0 in 5 inn
1947 12" rain in 42 mins (Holt, MO)
1949 Ezzard Charles defeats Jersey Joe Walcott for the boxing title
1957 KC stops using streetcars in it's transit system
1958 Game in KC between A's & Red Sox delayed 29 minutes due to tornado
1959 "Along Came Jones" by Coasters peaks at #9
1959 Eddie Lubanski bowls 2 consecutive perfect games
1959 Most Phillies strike out in a game (16 by Sandy Koufax)
1959 Vanguard SLV-6 launched for Earth orbit (failed)
1969 Aretha Franklin arrested in Detroit for creating a disturbance
1970 Pres Nixon signs 26th amendment (voting age lowered to 18)
1973 Skylab 2's astronauts land
1977 Former AG John Mitchell starts 19 months in Alabama prison
1978 James Christy's discovery of Pluto's moon Charon announced
1978 Neo-Nazis call off plans to march in Jewish community of Skokie, Ill (I hate Illinois Nazis)
1980 Jim King begins riding Miracle Strip Roller coaster 368 hours
1981 2 Habash terrorists attack a travel agency in Greece killing 2
1981 John McEnroe exhibites a disgraceful act of misbehavior at Wimbeldon (SHOCK)
1981 Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to killing John Lennon
1982 Susan Lea Hammett, of Miss, 18, crowned 25th America's Junior Miss
1983 "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life," released in France
1983 1st time a satellite is retrieved from orbit by Space Shuttle
1983 NHL institutes a 5 minute sudden death overtime period
1984 Calvin Griffith signs letter of intent to sell ownership of Twins
1984 Carl Pohlad becomes CEO of Minn Twins
1990 Florida passes a law prohibits wearing a throng bathing suit
1991 Underwater volcano, Mount Didicas, erupts in Phillipines
1996 At their first summit in six years, Arab leaders meeting in Cairo, Egypt, urged Israel to prove its commitment to peace by resuming negotiations without delay.
(and now back to the real world)
2000 Independent Counsel Robert Ray ended his investigation of the 1993 firings in the White House travel office, issuing no indictments but saying he'd found "substantial evidence" that First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton played a role in the dismissals.
Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
Congo : Army Day
El Salvador : School Teacher's Day/D¡a del Maestro
Haiti : Sovereignty Day/President's Day
Virgin Islands : Organic Act Day (1954)
Yemen PDR : Corrective Move Day
Newfoundland : Discovery Day (1497-John Cabot) (Monday)
National Sheriff's Week (Day 2)
National Doughnuts Day
National Dream Work Month
Religious Observances
RC : Mem of SS John Fisher, bp, martyr, & Thomas More, martyr (opt)
witch : Alban Hefin sabbat
Ang : Feast of Alban, 1st martyr of Britain
RC : Feast of St Paulinus, bishop of Nola, confessor
Religious History
1559 In England, Queen Elizabeth's Prayer Book was issued. During her 45-year reign, Elizabeth I rejected the Catholic faith, adopting instead the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Anglican Church.
1745 Colonial missionary to the American Indians David Brainerd wrote in his journal: 'I am often weary of this world, and want to leave it on that account; but it is more desirable to be drawn, rather than driven out of it.'
1750 Clergyman Jonathan Edwards was dismissed from his Congregational pulpit in Northampton, MA, after serving there 23 years. Maintaining his ultra- conservative theology, Edwards had grown to become administratively too inflexible for his congregation.
1865 The society known today as the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) was first organized. Its purpose is to provide information about the archaeology, the history and the people of the Holy Land.
1870 Scholars began translation work on the English Revised Version of the Bible. Released in 1881, the ERV became the textual basis for the American Standard Version (ASV), first published in the United States in 1901.
Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.
Thought for the day :
"You are not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."
Things To Do If You Ever Became An Evil Overlord...
The hero is not entitled to a last kiss, a last cigarette, or any other form of last request
The World's Shortest Books...
Dr. Kevorkian's Collection of Motivational Speeches
Dumb Laws...
North Carolina:
If a man and a woman who aren't married go to a hotel/motel and register themselves as married then, according to state law, they are legally married.
(A word to the wise)
Top 10 signs your family is stressed...
You have to check your kid's day-timer to see if he can take out the trash.
