Hello all,
As I am slowly approaching the end of the russian tree, I am looking for a good video (or article) that explain the main differences between the modern russian MBTs, their pros and cons, etc…
From what I already read, T90 is an evolution of the T72, and they are slower but more protected than T80 serie, right?
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The T-90M has better armor than the T-80BVM, but the T-80BVM has better mobility, particularly its reverse speed.
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Um. This video might be outdated because its one year old or might be wrong but here what i found https://youtu.be/2iMJAjzxcEc?si=c5nOwoN01PB_S7GI
Skip to 38min to end
Okay, here it goes:
I’ll start with a baseline and explain some of the basics:
T-72A:
- -4 km/h reverse, average acceleration, no neutral steering.
- Slow turret traverse, slow gun elevation speed, no thermal sights.
- Standard autoloader for all T-72/90 models, this means a consistent 7.1 sec reload for every single T-72/90 model.
- Decent penetration and great muzzle velocity for it’s BR.
- Decent armour, weakspots are: Driver’s hatch area, lower front plate, breech area, turret roof. These weakspots are consistent for each and every T-64/72/80/90 model.
- Cramped interior, only 3 crew total and ammunition nearly everywhere. Don’t expect to survive penetrating shots.
Okay, now that we have a baseline I’ll just point out what improvements are brought with follow-on models:
T-72B and T-72B '89:
- New turret with better armour. Hull glacis array with vastly improved 1987 composites.
- New engine producing 840 hp, but mobility overall stays the same.
- Slightly faster turret traverse.
- New 3BM-42 APFSDS shell.
- '87 version gets Kontakt-1 ERA, only effective against shaped charges.
- '89 version gets Kontakt-5 ERA, this is also effective against kinetic energy threats (APFSDS). Generally doesn’t make a difference because it only covers areas that were already tough.
T-90A:
- New welded turret with better armour.
- Thermals sight.
- New 1000 hp engine.
- Worse gun depression.
- 3BM-60 APFSDS.
- (Useless) active protection system.
T-72B3(M):
- Faster turret traverse and gun vertical traverse.
- New 1130 hp engine.
- Improved side protection.
- Goes back to the T-72B '89’s turret.
T-90M:
- New turret again.
- Relikt ERA on turret and hull glacis, superior to Kontakt-5.
- Spall liners on the interior, helps prevent damage upon penetration.
T-80B (relative to T-72A again):
- V-46 Diesel swapped for a GTD-1000TF gas turbine engine, much improved mobility over a T-72A. Also features different gearing which allows a reverse speed of -11 km/h.
- Thermal sights.
- 3BM-42 APFSDS.
- Kontakt-1 ERA like the T-72B '87.
T-80U:
- New improved turret and glacis composites.
- Kontakt-5 ERA instead of Kontakt-1.
- GTD-1250 engine.
- Faster autoloader at 6.5 seconds.
T-80BVM:
- T-80BV (we don’t have this exact model in War Thunder) but upgraded in 2017.
- Relikt ERA like the T-90M, improved turret traverse speed and vertical gun traverse like the T-72B3 and T-90M.
- Improved hull side armour like the T-72B3 and T-90M.
- Still has that crappy T-80B turret underneath the Relikt, so it’s turret armour is poor.
Oh, and a T-64A is a T-72A but with worse armour.
T-64B is a T-72A with better armour.
If you wanna know which ones to go for, I’ll do a quick rating:
- T-72A: 6/10
- T-72B’s: 5/10
- T-80B: 7/10
- T-90A: 6/10
- T-72B3: 5/10
- T-90M: 6/10
- T-80U: 7/10
- T-80BVM: 7.5/10
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Wow. Thank you a lot :)