History
Pakistani relations with Ukraine started in full swing in the early 1990s. In 1992, the foundations for formal diplomatic ties were laid.
Economic ties ran deep with respect to the nation’s populace and food imports. However, behind closed doors, a deeper understanding was being reached mutually. During Pakistan and China’s co-development of the Type-90 II (which later came to be the MBT-2000/Al Khalid), a version of the initial series of 4 of the Pakistani prototypes was trialled with the KMDB 6TD-II 1200hp engine.
After being impressed with the performance, the engine was adopted into the standard service models of the Pakistani Al Khalid and, as far as I know, the Chinese export models as well.
At the same time, the late 1980s and 1990s were a time when the world was preparing for the dawn of the next century, and Pakistan was not planning to be left behind. They held extensive trials of multiple Main battle tanks to supplement and work alongside their workhorse, the Al Khalid.
The trials saw the testing of the M1 Abrams from the USA (1988), which performed horribly, overheating and missing most of the shots taken.
Alongside many others, even the PT-91 was under consideration. However, none could really stay strong in the rough and harsh climate of the Pakistani deserts. Hence, they were all rejected.
In the late 1990s, after trials, Pakistan and Ukraine signed the biggest arms deal of that period of time. For a sum of 650million USD, Pakistan acquired 320 T-80UD (Objekt 478B) tanks from Ukraine. Ukraine, while promising to deliver, lacked capital and materials. To add to that, many of the tanks that were promised to be delivered were missing parts, sometimes even whole turrets, and as Russia was not keeping to provide parts to Ukraine, especially the cast turret of the T-80UD, Ukraine used parts from their T-84 line to complete the tanks. This gave rise to a first batch of deliveries of standard T-80UDs with the 6TD-1 1000hp engine and TVD sights. The next batch was, according to demand, equipped with the 1200hp 6TD-II engine.
Then came the batch with missing parts. The welded turret design from the T-84 was used here to complete the tanks, giving rise to the new Objekt 478BE (T-80UD/BE). This turret was overall better protected than the welded turret and is distinguishable by the polygonal shape and the shifted position of the smoke dischargers from the front to the sides in quad packs.
T-84 Oplot
Building on the trust and ties of the past, in response to the Pakistani Al Haider MBT program, Ukraine took the initiative and submitted its flagship Oplot-M for trials in 2015.
The vehicle did not perform according to requirements, and Pakistan ordered a modified vehicle to better fit their needs. Ukraine could not deliver in time to compete in the contest, and eventually Pakistan ended up purchasing the VT-4 from China and acquiring TOT to domestically produce it as the Al Haider. Ukraine did not give up however, and in time, they presented the modified Oplot-P prototype to the Pakistan Army.
The new MBT featured a lighter overall weight and a different Armour configuration. The initial prototype seems to have mounted the Varta in the factory; however, they did away with it in the demonstration. The vehicle dropped the multiple heavy, full-length ERA side skirts from the Oplot-M and instead prioritised a much smaller amount of half-length Nizh ERA blocks. The rest of the rear compartment was instead covered by Rubber screens with metal sheets bolted in the mid-section.
The Nizh by itself, according to OEM documents, can heavily reduce penetration of shaped charges and KE penetrators depending on the round.
Nizh-1M
During the demonstration, the Oplot-P was not equipped with metal covering sheets on top of the Turret ERA blocks, nor the hanging rubber panels commonly seen on the Oplot-M. However, we can see from a video from the Smithsonian advertising the firepower of the T-84 BM Oplot. Interestingly, instead of a Ukrainian Oplot-M, the video showcases the Oplot-P, albeit now matured into what could be called a production-ready vehicle.
It now sports a new desert camouflage, presumably for desert trials in Pakistan, and mounts the metal sheet covers and rubber pre-detonator (for CE penetrators) screens combination on the turret. The Varta is still neglected, however, since it has outlived its usefulness in the current day and age.
The Oplot-P is the natural progression of the Oplot series of tanks, and as other nations, such as China, have learnt from Pakistani requirements and innovation (JF-17 development), the Oplot has now come to its new stage, valuing smarter armour choices and lighter loads on the engine and transmission block in order to not only increase mobility and agility, but also drivetrain lifespan and decrease overall maintainance of the running gear.
List of differences between Oplot-M/T and Oplot-P
Camo
Production standard
Demonstration standard
ERA and armour
Yellow = marching configuration
Green = differences in ERA
Green* = not mounted yet, but still different from the Oplot-T
Blue = just not mounted yet
Technical Specifications
Crew: 3 (Commander, Gunner, Driver)
— Mobility —
Weight: ~49t
Power: 1,200hp
Top speed: 70kmph (reverse: 32kmph)
Power/weight: 24.45hp/t
Suspension: Torsion bar
Length: 7.075m
Width: ~3.65m (less than M/T since the heavy Duplet was replaced with the lighter Nizh-1M)
Height: 2.8m
— Armament —
Main gun: 125 mm
Autoloader: Yes, 6.5s reload, 28 rounds
Secondary gun(s): 1 x 7.62mm KT-7.62 MG, 1 x 12.7mm KT-12.7 MG
Elevation: -4/15
Traverse: 360°
Gun sight: 2.7x–12.0x
Laser Range Finder: Yes
Thermals: Yes
NVD: Yes
— Ammunition —
- 125mm
Count: 46 - 3BK18M
- 3OF26
- BTA4
- GP125
- 3BM42
- domestic Pakistani 125mm DU ammunition
-
7.62mm
Count: 1250
Rate of fire: 700 rpm -
12.7mm
Count: 450
Rate of fire: 700 rpm
Sources
- Morozov.ua (official)
- At the Forward Edge of Battle - A History of the Pakistan Armoured Corps 1938-2016 Volume 2
- DUPLET-2М – UAM V. O. Khytryk
- NIZH-1M – UAM V. O. Khytryk
- Quwa
- depo-Kharkiv
- below the turret ring
- article from 2017 mentions ongoing trials, we know the oplot-M trials were in 2015, hence the 2017 trials are for the new version, the oplot-P
- podrobnosti.ua
- rbc.ua
- https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/k1z2lp/m1_abrams_at_pakistani_trials1988
- Yes
- No
