- Yes
- No (please explain)
History:
The T-80 series of tanks began with the first inception of the T-80 being adopted in 1976, bringing a newly improved gas-turbine engine, enhanced composite armor, and the powerful 2A46M-1 officially into the ranks of the Soviet Union’s tank fleet. Over the next decade, the T-80 would see a series of upgrades to the design, primarily involving electronics, fire control systems, and ATGM firing capabilities in the T-80B and BV variants. By 1985, the T-80U would string on even greater enhancements to the previous models: an improved 1,250 hp engine and kontakt-5 E.R.A, both of which would see the T-80 series carried through the following decade.
This particular T-80U tank’s story however begins in 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequent rapid economic decline of the nations of the Eastern Bloc. As the newly formed Russian Federation transitioned to a more democratic government, officials needed a way to make money quickly in order to offset the ongoing collapse. Coinciding with the rapid downscaling of the military, one solution members of the government and economic ministries pushed for was the sale and export of surplus military equipment with a series of decrees enacted to regulate the proper transfer of such equipment. As a result, one of these pieces of equipment was the T-80U, with several countries expressing interest including Cyprus, the Republic of Korea (as repayment for a previous loan), Sweden (who ultimately decided against adoption following their 1993 tank trials), and today’s discussion, the United Kingdom.
The task of getting a T-80U tank in their possession would initially be challenging, as the various decrees and lingering Cold War restrictions hindered any public sales of military assets to Western nations. That changed in 1992 however, as the U.K. would manage to land a T-80U in their possession through a series of economic violations and personal monetary gains by the officials in charge of the Voentekh company (an economic entity created by the Ministry of Finance earlier that same year) that was in charge of such export sales. Although the Russian Federation eventually took notice of the discrepancy, it was already too late as the shipment had taken place.
Unfortunately, much of the information on the testing and results undertaken by the United Kingdom Defense Ministry remains classified, though according to members of the U.K. parliament involved with the delivery, the tank was used for “defense research and development purposes.” As of now, this T-80U is left to sit at the Defense Academy of the U.K. in Shrivenham as an observation piece for training and education on Soviet armored vehicles.
Specifications:
Design:
Dimensions:
• Length: 9.66 meters
• Width: 3.59 meters
• Height: 2.2 meters
Suspension: Torsion Bar
Engine: 1,250 hp GTD-1250 turbine
Weight: 46.02 tons
P-to-W Ratio: 27.2hp/t
Max Speed: 70km/h Forward, 11km/h Reverse
Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander)
Armor: Composite Internal Armor w/ External Kontact-5 E.R.A on a Rolled Homogeneous Armor Plate
Main Armament:
• 125mm 2A46M-1 Smoothbore Gun
• 6s Carousel Autoloader w/ 28 Rounds, 45 Round Total Tank Carrying Capacity
• Vertical Traverse of +15° to -5° at 4.4°/s
• Horizontal Traverse of 360° at 24.4°/s
List of Ammunition:
• 3BK18M HEATFS
• 3BM42 APFSDS
• 3OF26 HE
• 9M119 ATGM
Secondary Armaments:
Anti-Aircraft MG:
• 12.7mm NSVT Anti-Aircraft HMG
• 100 Rounds per Belt w/ 500 Rounds Total, 700 Rounds per Minute
Co-Axial MG:
• 7.62mm PKT Co-Axial MG
• 250 Rounds per Belt w/ 1250 Rounds Total, 700 Rounds per Minute
Equipment:
• 2-Plane Stabilizer
• Laser Rangefinder
• Smoke Grenades & ESS
• 1st Generation Thermals for the Gunner w/ a 2.7x to 12.0x Optic Zoom
• Night Vision for the Commander w/ a 1.0x to 8.0x Optic Zoom
• Night Vision for the Driver
Photos from the Defense Academy of the UK:
Sources:
U.K. Parliament - Publications & Records of the Armed Forces
U.K. Parliament - Written Answers on Questions of the T-80U
Military Vehicles Forecast - Archived Report of the T-80
T-80 Main Battle Tank - A third-generation main battle tank developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s.
Russia and the Arms Trade - Pages 223 to 224
Russia’s Arms Sales Lobbies
Jane’s Armour and Artillery 2011-2012 - Pages 106 to 111
T-80U Main Battle Tank, Russia
T-80 Main Battle Tank Data
