The T80UD is under-tiered; it should be at least Tier 10.7. Its armour makes it too strong for tier 10.3. Its Contact 5 ERA is overpowered, especially when combined with a 6-second autoloader and a powerful engine. The worst thing is that, if it is fully downtiered to tier 9.3, it can destroy the entire lobby.
Imagine you are playing your MBT 70 and encounter a T80UD. Even if you land the first shot, it probably won’t do much damage, unless you manage to destroy it in one shot — which is difficult, given the current state of the XM578 round. If you haven’t destroyed its gun by then, you’re finished. They will one-shot you to 90%, and even if they don’t, they will probably still outload you.
Now, if you compare it to other 10.3 Russian tanks, it’s still far better: it has better sights than both T72B variants, and an FCS that lets the commander fire the main gun too. They share the same APFSDS, but the reload time is one second faster than both T72s. The engine is also superior because it produces more horsepower. The only thing the T72s are ‘better’ at is their raw armour, but the T80UD compensates for this with its Contact-5 ERA.
In my opinion, it would be best to move it to tier 10.7, as it’s about as good as the Leopard 2A4, if not slightly better. And yes, I own the tank, so I can speak from experience.
