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T-72UMG: Turkmenistan’s Rare Upgrade
History:
The breakup of the USSR in 1991 created numerous new nations, each of which had to fend for themselves now that the Soviet Army could no longer protect them. Most were left with the vehicles stationed there during the USSR’s existence, meaning the available equipment varied wildly depending on the perceived importance of the region under Soviet rule. This meant that the nations in Central Asia were quite a bit behind in terms of technology.
One of those nations was Turkmenistan which, up until very recently, operated extremely outdated Soviet equipment. Relics such as the BMP-1, BTR-60/70, and T-72 Ural remain in service to this day, with only a handful of slightly more capable BMP-2, BTR-80, and T-72A/AV rounding out their early armored forces. As time progressed, a policy of “friendship through arms” allowed Turkmenistan to begin upgrading and enhancing their military with new products from around the world. Arms deals were made with Russia, Turkey, China, Israel, Serbia, and Ukraine, just to name a few. The partnership with Ukraine would prove to be quite fruitful for both sides, providing Turkmenistan with several upgrade packages to older vehicles while simultaneously giving the nascent Ukrainian armored vehicle industry some much needed export success. The first of these upgrades was the rare and, as of writing, unique to Turkmenistan T-72UMG.
First offered by the Kharkiv Morozov Design Bureau in the late 1990s, The T-72UMG was part of a larger set of T-72 upgrades offered by the plant. The T-72UMG, along with its more well-known siblings the T-72AG and T-72AMG, was a way for operators of older T-72 models to bring them up to modern standards and extend the life of their tanks instead of investing in new ones. While the T-72AG and T-72AMG seem to have gotten plenty of attention, the T-72UMG slipped under the radar and is not even mentioned on the KMDB website. This may be due to the fact that only Turkmenistan ever acquired it, and even then only for a few dozen tanks. It also was the most “budget-conscious” of the three, offering the fewest upgrades. All three upgrade packages share the same core enhancements, overhauling the armament, sights, and fire control system to the standard of the T-80U. They also all add ERA to the tank, as well as rubber flaps and skirts. Where they differ is twofold: how the ERA is configured and whether or not the propulsion and drivetrain are enhanced. The T-72AG receives a new Ukrainian 6TD-series diesel engine and various drivetrain upgrades to accompany it, while the AMG and UMG do not, only getting the V-84 engine of the T-72B. Unfortunately, these three upgrade packages have seen very little export success, with only the T-72UMG ever having found a customer.
The upgrades for Turkmenistan were begun in the early 2000s, with both T-72A and T-72 Ural models receiving the upgrades. These upgrades only lasted for a brief period, however, as in 2010, Turkmenistan began to purchase T-90s from Russia, specifically the T-90S. As these were vastly superior to even the upgraded T-72UMG, the contract with Ukraine was cancelled, leaving only a few dozen T-72s having been upgraded. Thus, the vast majority of Turkmen T-72s remain in their unaltered state, even more outdated than in the 1990s. Still, the T-72UMGs provide an excellent midway point between the highly-advanced T-90s and the ancient T-72s and are likely to remain in service for a long time, proving that unique armor can show up in the most unassuming places.
Description:
As mentioned above, the T-72UMG modifies early T-72s with components from the T-80UD and T-84.
The main aspect of the upgrade package is the fire control system. Both the gunner and commander have had their sights and ballistic computer completely overhauled. The gunner receives the 1A42 FCS, complete with 1G46 day sight and TPN-4E night sight. The day sight offers target detection out to 5,000m, full two-axis stabilization, 2.4x-12x variable zoom, and the ability to guide GL-ATGMs. For nighttime fighting the passive night sight can detect targets out to 1,400m and has a fixed 6.8x magnification with an FOV of 5.4 degrees. It is electrically driven following the line of sight of the 1G46 day sight for maximum accuracy.
The commander is equipped with the TKN-4S combination day/night sight, providing numerous upgrades over the original TKN-3. Daytime target detection range has been extended to 4,000m, while nighttime range is up to 700m. The sight is stabilized in the vertical plane, and it has a variable 1x-8x zoom.
Other FCS upgrades include the addition of an improved laser rangefinder, a digital ballistics computer, and commander override for the armament system.
There is the option for upgraded Catherine FC gunner thermals, but I can neither confirm nor deny this having been fitted. As this is the most minimal of the three upgrades, it can be assumed that thermals are not present.
The gun has been upgraded to the 2A46M1 standard, along with the 2E42M enhanced gun stabilization system. This allows for the use of newer APFSDS projectiles and GL-ATGMs including 9M119 Refleks or Ukrainian Kombat. The stabilizer is vastly improved from the original, reducing error and allowing for precise fire on the move. The turret drive has also been upgraded to a new electromechanical system.
The last firepower change comes in the form of a remotely-controlled 12.7mm NSVT heavy machine gun mounted on the commander’s cupola. No longer requiring the commander to expose himself to fire it, it can now be operated entirely with controls inside the tank, ensuring protection while still allowing maximum firepower. A new PZU-7 monocular periscope sight has been fitted, allowing for target detection out to 2,000m. It is day-only, but it does have an illuminated reticle, offering some potential for operation in low-light conditions. The sight has elevation angles of -5/+70 degrees while the machine gun has angles of -3/+20 degrees. The gun features a new automatic electric drive mechanism, allowing for a variable traverse speed between 0.1-35 degrees per second. This allows for both rapid aiming and extremely fine adjustment, all the while being stable and accurate, even while on the move.
The other main component of the upgrade comes in the form of protection, specifically the addition of Kontakt-5 ERA. It has been mounted in a configuration similar to that of the T-72B3, with large tiles on the UFP, sides, and turret cheeks, and small tiles on the turret roof. There is also an element of T-80U with the addition of rubber screens hanging from the ERA wedges on the turret. Two large ones hang from the bottom of the LFP, and there are side skirts added as well. Additionally, because of the ERA being mounted to the turret cheeks, the T-72UMG now uses an 8-round T-72B-style smoke grenade cluster mounted to the left side of the turret.
Lastly, the engine has been upgraded from the 780 hp V-46-4 or V-46-6 (T-72 Ural and T-72A, respectively) to the 840 hp V-84-1 from the T-72B. This is helpful, as with all the upgrades, the T-72UMG weighs more, so a more powerful engine helps to ease that somewhat. While not as powerful or efficient as the Ukrainian diesel engines, this is still an improvement, providing an hp/ton ratio of 18.5 and a top speed of around 60 km/h (37 mph).
Specifications:
Spoiler
Main Armament: 125mm 2A46M1 smoothbore gun
Secondary Armament: 1x 12.7mm NSVT (commander’s cupola), 1x 7.62mm PKT (coaxial)
Armor: Base armor identical to T-72A + Kontakt-5 ERA, rubber-fabric screens, and side skirts
Ammo Count: 44 125mm rounds (22 in carousel autoloader, 22 in storage), 450 12.7mm rounds, 2,000 7.62mm rounds
Engine: Kharkiv Model V-84-1 V12 diesel, 840 hp
Transmission: Hydraulically-assisted synchromesh, 7 forward/1 reverse gears
Top speed: 60 km/h (37 mph) forward, 4 km/h (2.5 mph) reverse
NVDs: Commander and gunner
Smoke: 8x 81mm “Tucha” smoke grenades, ESS
Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander)
Gallery:
If there is anything I have missed or gotten incorrect, please let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope you will also check out my other suggestions! Thanks, and have a great day.
Sources:
Spoiler
Esoteric Armour: Ukrainian T-72UMG Tanks In Turkmenistan - Oryx
Snaps From Ashgabat: Turkmenistan’s 2021 Military Parade - Oryx
Friendship Through Arms: Turkmenistan’s Fighting Vehicles - Oryx
Основной боевой танк Т-72АГ, Т-72АМГ, Т-72УМГ (T-72AG, T-72AMG, T-72UMG)
The T-72AG Tank - TankNutDave.com
https://web.archive.org/web/20200222170610/http://morozov.com.ua/en/bronetankovaya-tehnika-i-vooruzhenie/tanki/modernizaciya/t-72/
T-72 operators and variants - Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO-q7O30Pn0&t=67s
T-72 AG
