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Hello, today I would like to suggest the T-80BV.
Unlike the T-80B(V) we have in the game, the T-80BV has an improved hull composite armor.
Specifications
Spoiler
Crew: driver, gunner and commander.
Armament: 125mm 2a46m-1 main gun, 12.7mm nsvt machine gun and 7.62mm coax.
Ammunition: apfsds, heat-fs, gun launched atgm and he
Protection: composite armor (same as T-80B turret and T-80U hull), kontakt-1 era, 8x smoke launchers and ess
Combat weight: 43 tonnes
Engine: GTD-1000TF gas turbine engine
Transmission: 5 forward 1 reverse
Mobility: 70kph forward 11 kph reverse
Background
Spoiler
Development History
The first gas turbine engine powered tank project started in 1949. The tank was never built, because at the time the turbine engines were unreliable.
In 1955, 2 prototype engines with 1000 horsepower were built. 2 years later the designers built 2 prototypes of object 278 which both were hybrids of the IS-7 and T-10 heavy tanks, powered by GTD-1 turbine engine it was able to achieve 53kph of top speed. The prototypes were armed with M65 130mm guns and weight 53.5 tonnes. Unfortunately the range was limited because of the high fuel consumption engine and limited fuel capacity of the tank; the maximum range was 300 km.
In 1963 designers were experimenting with the GTD-3TL on a T-64 tank, which was named T-64T. The engine was able to generate 700 horsepower. This was tested until 1965.
In 1966 the “rocket tank” (object 288) was built. The tank got 2 GTD-350 turbine engines from Mi-2 helicopter generating 691 horsepower combined. Trials proved that twin propulsion wasn’t better than turbine engines that were developed since 1968.
object 219
2 prototypes were built: the object 219 sp1 and object 219 sp2
The sp1 was essentially T64T that was powered by GTD-1000T producing 1000 horsepower. Due to increased weight and dynamic characteristics, the tank required a complete redesign of the suspension.
The sp2 got bigger drive sprockets and return rollers. The number of road wheels was increased from five to six. The turret construction was altered to use the same compartment, 125mm 2a46 cannon, autoloader and ammunition placement as the T-64A. Some other equipment were borrowed from T-64A.
Production history
In 1974 it was denied to put the object 219 into production due to it’s high fuel consumption and lack of advantages in armament and armor over the tanks that were in production. 2 years after the object 219-2 was accepted for production as the T-80.
The object 219R featuring k combination composite armor was accepted for service in 1978 as the T-80B. The original T-80 tank’s production ended in the same year. The T-80B went into production in 1979.
Later the T-80BV was produced. The tank featured a new 5 layer composite armor (50mm steel, 35mm textolite, 50mm steel, 35mm textolite, 50mm steel) and got kontakt-1 era on the turret, the turret roof, the upper frontal plate and side skirts.
The turret composite armor was kept the same as on the T-80B; quartz filler sandwiched between steel.
The old T-80B’s were also improved to the BV level, getting kontakt-1 era on the turret face, the turret roof, the upper frontal plate and side skirts. But it kept the same old hull armor (60mm steel, 100mm textolite, 45 mm steel), so the designers decided to just weld a 30mm plate to the upper frontal plate.
Sources