The T-80 turned out to be a complete disaster. T-80 turned out to be a complete disaster T 80 tank with a 120 mm gun

It is a further development of the T-80B tank. Improvements have affected all the main combat and operational properties. First of all, the survivability of the tank has been significantly increased due to changes in the design of armor barriers, the inclusion of built-in dynamic protection, and a slight increase in the mass of material released for armor. The capabilities of both long-range and close-range fire combat have been improved thanks to the use of a new guided weapon system, improved weapon characteristics and a fire control system. Mobility indicators have increased due to the use of a more powerful gas turbine engine (919 kW), improved transmission and motion control drives.

The tank was put into service in 1985. Since 1987, the production of a modification with a diesel engine, which received the T-80UD index, has been mastered in Kharkov. The use of a two-stroke diesel engine led to design changes in the transmission and motion control drives. There are other design differences, for example, in the installation of an anti-aircraft machine gun. The main characteristics remained unchanged.

In order to improve the mine resistance of the tank, the driver's seat is not attached to the bottom, but is suspended from the roof (turret sheet). On the left behind the seat, a piller is installed, which increases the rigidity of the structure.

IN fighting compartment, unlike the T-80BV tank, seven rounds were additionally placed (non-mechanized ammo rack). The relative position of the instruments has changed somewhat due to the introduction of duplicated fire control and the use of a thermal imager.

Fuel tanks are located in the control compartment, in the fighting compartment and in the MTO. The capacity of internal fuel tanks is 1090 liters. Another 680 liters of fuel is placed in five external tanks. Three additional barrels of 200 liters each can be installed on the tank. Thus, the transportable fuel supply reaches 2370 liters.

To supply consumers with electricity and recharge the battery when the main engine is off, to supply electricity together with the battery when starting and cranking the main engine, the tank has a gas turbine power unit with a generator with a capacity of 18 kW. It is located in the stern of the machine in the bunker on the left fender. The power unit control panel is located in the control compartment.

The main armament is a 125-mm modernized 2A46M-1 smoothbore gun - a launcher.

In the cradle of a new design, to reduce the effect of the gap between the pipe and the guides of the cradle on the accuracy of shooting, three backlash-selecting devices are mounted.

To align the zero line of sight without the crew leaving the tank, there is a built-in control device, consisting of a rear sight on the muzzle of the barrel, a telephoto lens and a prism between the protective glass and the head of the rangefinder sight.

Ammunition for the gun consists of 45 rounds of separate-sleeve loading. It includes a shot with a 9M119 guided missile, which has a cumulative warhead. The main part of the ammunition is placed in the rotating conveyor of the loading mechanism (28 shots). Other artillery rounds are in non-mechanized stacks in the hull and turret (seven shells and charges in the control compartment, the rest in the fighting compartment).

The fire control complex provides for the search for targets and tracking them by the commander and gunner, automatic input of corrections for deviations from normal firing conditions, guidance and stabilization of the gun and the machine gun coaxial with it, launch and automatic guidance of the missile, target designation from the commander. Functionally, it combines the gun and coaxial machine gun control complex; guided weapon system.

The cannon and coaxial machine gun control equipment includes a gunner's information-computing day sighting system, a weapon stabilizer, a commander's sighting and observation system, and a gunner's night sighting system.

The sight-rangefinder - guidance device has independent stabilization of the field of view in two planes and a pancratic magnification system from 3.6 to 12 times. It provides guidance and stabilization of the information laser beam, measurement and indication of the range to targets, and generation of control signals for the gun and turret drives.

An electronic ballistic computer generates corrections for the range to the target, its flank movement, the speed of the tank itself, the deviation of air and charge temperature, bore wear, atmospheric pressure, side wind, and the angle of inclination of the cannon trunnion axis.

The armament stabilizer includes an improved small-sized electro-hydraulic drive for vertical guidance of the gun and an electric machine drive for the turret.

The gunner's night sighting system includes a thermal imaging sight, which can be used by the tank commander with the help of his video viewing device, and a parallelogram drive with a device for correcting the position of the illuminator.

The sighting and observation complex of the PNK-4S commander provides observation of the battlefield, priority duplicated control of the cannon and coaxial machine gun, firing artillery shells from the cannon day and night, and target designation.

Combined day-night sight TKN-4S commander has an independent stabilization of the field of view in the vertical plane. The sight includes two daytime optical channels (single and 7.5x magnification) and a passive-active night channel.

As an auxiliary weapon, the tank has a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun coaxial with a cannon and a 12.7 mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun.

The 9K119 guided weapon system consists of equipment installed in the tank and a guided missile shot. A semi-automatic remote control system using a laser beam is used to guide the missile. Rocket firing range - up to 5000 meters.

The hull has a welded structure, with large angles of inclination of the bow parts. The upper frontal sheet is combined, with an angle of inclination of 68 degrees from the vertical. The tower is cast, in the frontal sector it has combined armor protection.

Dynamic protection is made in the built-in version. Such a scheme provides an increase in security, both from cumulative and kinetic projectiles.

Protection of the crew from the damaging factors of WMD is provided by a collective protection system similar to the system of the T-80BV tank. The machine is equipped with individual anti-radiation vests. The tank is equipped with a high-speed PPO 3ETs13 "Hoarfrost" system.

The tank is equipped with a gas turbine engine GTD-1250, made according to a three-shaft scheme, with two independent compressors and a free power turbine. Engine power 919 kW (1250 hp). Diesel is considered the main fuel. In addition, it is allowed to use low-octane gasolines, jet fuels. The transmission has, in comparison with the T-80BV tank, some differences due to the increased engine power and the use of a hydraulic brake.

The chassis is the same as that of the T-80BV tank.

The main modifications of the T-80 tank

T-80 (1976)- basic pattern.

T-80B (1978)- installed upgraded gun, improved SLA, introduced KUV, improved protection characteristics. Since 1980, the GTD-1000TF engine with a power of 1100 hp.

T-80BV (1985)- installed hinged dynamic protection.

T-80U (1985)- installed a modernized gun, a new FCS with duplication from the commander, introduced new complex guided weapons with missile guidance on a laser beam, gas turbine engine GTD-1000TF with a power of 1100 hp. (or GTD-1250 with a power of 1250 hp), protection characteristics have been improved. Since 1992, a thermal imager has been installed on the tank.

T-80UD (1987)- a diesel engine 6TD with a power of 1000hp was installed, dynamic protection in a built-in design.

Combat and technical characteristics of the T-80U tank

Combat weight .............................. 46 t Crew .............. ................. 3 pers. Height on the roof of the tower ................... 2202 mm Cannon ........................ ........... 125-mm smoothbore - launcher Ammunition ............................................ 45 rounds Types of ammunition ........................ BPS, OFS, BKS, guided missile Guided weapons complex ........ 9K119 Guided missile .. ................... 9M119 with laser beam control UR launch range ............................ .100-5000 m Probability of hitting UR................ 0.8 on a tank-type target when firing from a place and on the move Rangefinder ........... ................... Laser Stabilizer ............................... vertically electro-hydraulic, horizontally electromechanically ..... yes Loading .............................. automatic Duplicated fire control ........ .. from the tank commander Machine guns ................................. one 12.7 mm, one 7.62- mm Armor protection... ...................... combined dynamic protection ................ built-in Smoke grenade launchers. .................... 8 pcs. Maximum speed ........................ 70 km/h Highway range .................................. 400 km Engine ............................... gas turbine, three-shaft Engine power ........... ........... 919 kW (1250 hp) Transmission ............................... mechanical planetary Suspension ............................. torsion bar Caterpillar .............. ................... with RMSH with rubber-coated treadmill Depth of the overcome water obstacle .. 5 m (with preparation)

April 19, 1968 by a joint resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On the creation of gas turbine power plants for objects armored vehicles» SKB-2 at the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) was instructed to create a new machine with a gas turbine power plant based on the T-64 tank. The development of the engine was entrusted to the Leningrad NPO. Klimov. A gas turbine engine (GTE) with the same volume as a diesel engine developed much more power. This would allow the tank to achieve higher speeds, significantly increase maneuverability on the battlefield, and improve the control of the vehicle itself. Soviet tank builders already had experience in using gas turbine engines, especially at the Kirov plant. In 1948, here at the Special Design Bureau for Turbine Production, under the leadership of A. Starostenko, a project was completed for a heavy tank with such an engine, but it remained a project. When in 1955 LKZ was commissioned to create a new heavy tank with a 1000 hp engine. - weighing up to 55 tons, with a 130-mm gun, work began to be carried out in two directions: options were developed with a diesel engine ("object 277"), and with a gas turbine engine ("object 278"). Two prototype GTE designed under the leadership of G. Ogloblin.

In 1957, LKZ manufactured two experimental gas turbine units GTD-1 for the “object 278”, which was created on the basis of the IS-7 and T-10 tanks. They were supposed to provide a sample weighing 53.5 tons with a speed of over 57 km / h. But soon all work related to heavy tanks was stopped in our country by order of the government. "Object 278" could not be completed. True, the search in this direction at the plant continued. In the 1960s, for example, the "object 288" was tested on the basis of the T-64 tank with two GTD-350 helicopter gas turbine engines with a capacity of 350 hp each.

In 1963, in the Kharkov design bureau No. 60 A. Morozov developed an experimental version of the T-64T tank with a helicopter GTD-ZTL with a power of 700 hp. In 1964, at Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil, under the leadership of L. Kartsev, an “object 167T” was also created on the basis of the T-62 with a GTD-ZT turbine with a capacity of 800 hp.

In 1969, the first tank of the Leningrad Kirov Plant with a gas turbine engine was manufactured in accordance with the requirements of a government decree of April 19, 1968. This sample is known as the “object 219” based on the T-64 with a GTD-1000 with a power of 1000 hp, developed at the NPO. Klimov. However, the installation of a powerful engine, the increased weight of the machine and the requirements for dynamic characteristics made it necessary to make significant changes to its design, especially to the chassis. I had to develop new shock absorbers and torsion bars, guide and drive wheels, rollers, even tracks with rubber tracks, optimized the shape of the tower. But they retained weapons, automatic loaders, ammunition, guidance and observation devices, etc. In a word, the machine, "keeping the basic design and layout features of its predecessors, could be fully considered new", although they tried to largely unify it with the T-64 and T-72 tanks.

In 1976, the tank was adopted by armored units Soviet army under the index T-80 (the name "Thunderstorm"). Serial production was, of course, at the LKZ, and then at the Omsk Transport Engineering Plant.

Throughout the entire period of its long history, the T-80 tank has undergone modernization, sometimes insignificant, and even very serious. So, in the same 1976, the production of an improved T-80B model equipped with the 9K112 Cobra ATGM complex began. Since 1984, the T-80BV tank with dynamic protection began to enter the troops.

The first T-80s were supplied to the guards units located in the European part of the Union. In 1984, units of the 1st, 2nd and 8th Guards Tank Armies located in the GDR began to arm them.

For the first time, T-80s participated in the May Day parade in Moscow in 1989. In 1993, these vehicles were demonstrated at the international military exhibition IDEX in Abu Dhabi.

It is believed that the T-80 and T-80B tanks produced only 266 units.

The “Technical description and operating instructions for the T-80B tank” states: “Thanks to powerful weapons and advanced surveillance devices, the tank is able to hit tanks and other armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, artillery, as well as manpower and other targets. Powerful armor protection allows the tank to perform combat missions under strong enemy fire and, in combination with the collective protection system, provides effective use tank in the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons and other means of mass destruction. The tank's high mobility ensures good maneuverability in combat."

DESIGN OF THE T-80B TANK

The tank inherited the layout of its well-known predecessors, including the T-64, with a control compartment in the front of the hull. The driver's seat is located here, in front of which on the bottom there are steering control levers, fuel supply and nozzle control pedals, and a control instrument panel is located on the front sheet. To the left and right of the seat are fuel tanks and a tank rack, behind is a conveyor for the gun loading mechanism. Above the shield are three TNPO-160 prism observation devices; the central device for driving at night was replaced by a night viewing device TVNE-4B.

Devices of the system of protection against weapons of mass destruction (WMD) with a sensor, a measuring console, a power supply unit are installed in a niche of the right tank. The bilge pump is located under the control board. Four rechargeable batteries- in the rack behind the left tank.

An exit hatch is located above the driver's seat in the turret sheet. To the right of it are the air intake device of the radiation and chemical reconnaissance device (PRKhR) and the A-3 TPU apparatus. In addition, there is an escape hatch in the bottom behind the seat.

Suspension torsion bars run along the bottom of the hull, and control drive rods run along the sides.

In the middle part of the tank there is a fighting compartment, in the turret of which a gun with a loading mechanism (M3) is installed. M3 provides for the supply and sending of shots, catches and places the extracted cartridge cases.

To the right of the gun is the commander's seat, to the left is the gunner's. In front of the commander's seat there is an A-1 TPU apparatus, a radio station, an M3 control panel, a hydrodynamic gun stopper, a weapon stabilizer linear acceleration sensor, a control panel with toggle switches for the engine stop mechanism (MOD), fire equipment (PPO), etc. The commander's turret is equipped with prismatic viewing devices - two TNPO-160 and two TNPA-65, commander's observation device TKN-3, switches for the infrared searchlight of the OS, tower lights and dimensions.

Two medium fuel tanks are placed near the rear wall of the compartment.

The gunner has a sight-range-number, a night sight, an azimuth indicator, a gunner's console, mechanical descent and cocking handles for the gun, a turret stopper, a control panel for the smoke grenade launch system, and an A-2 TPU apparatus. Under its seat is a stabilizer control unit, on the bottom - a rotating contact device of the tower. There is another TNPA-65 device in the gunner's hatch.

On the tanks of the initial series, sights and instruments were similar to the T-64A.

The walls of the control and combat compartments are covered from the inside with lining - a layer of polymeric materials. This protects the crew from being hit by fragments in case of penetration into the shells, most importantly, it weakens the effect of gamma radiation, thanks to a certain chemical composition of the coating.

The power compartment is in the stern of the tank. A monoblock is located here: an engine with service systems and units; there are engine and transmission control drives, sensors and sprayers of the PPO system, instrumentation, and a pump unit for thermal smoke equipment (TDA).

Monoblock significantly reduces the time of installation of the power unit in the tank or its dismantling.

A three-shaft gas turbine engine GTD-1000T with a power of 1000 hp was installed on the tank. Since 1981, the T-80B began to use boosted up to 1100 hp. GTD-1000TF. This multi-fuel engine runs on diesel fuel, gasoline A-72 and A-76, fuel TC-1 and TC-2. The volume of fuel tanks: internal - 1100 l, external - 700 l, two additional barrels - 400 l.

The power to the shafts of the onboard gearboxes (BKP) is transmitted from both ends of the output gearbox of the engine. Each of them is mounted in a block with a coaxial planetary final drive involved in its drive wheel.

Important difference in engine management - the presence of an adjustable nozzle apparatus (RSA), in fact, replacing the clutch mechanism in a conventional engine.

The air cleaning system is also essential with a high air flow rate - up to 4 kg / s - and a high flow rate. GTE is very sensitive to the presence of dust in the incoming air. The engine has an air cleaner unit, two dust extraction fans, air filters for the turbine nozzle apparatus, two air ducts for ejection of cooling air and dust, and, in addition, a system for blowing dust from the interblade channels of the compressor impellers when operating in clogged and dusty conditions (deserts, sandstorms). , sumum, etc.). The air cleaning system operates in two modes: when driving on land and with OPVT under water.

A gas turbine engine with the same occupied volume as a diesel engine has a significantly greater power, is easier to maintain, and is less noisy. In addition, it has a smaller unmasking effect in the IR range, since the heat transfer of a diesel engine is several times higher. This, along with the thermal insulation of the roof and exhaust louvers, ventilation of the power compartment, the use of side screens, the absence of large heated surfaces of the radiators of the cooling system, ensures a low level of thermal radiation of the tank. The engine starts at low temperatures without additional heating.

However, since the gas turbine engine has a 1.5 - 2 times higher fuel consumption, the tanks occupied a larger volume of the engine-transmission compartment (MTO) than, say, on the T-64, so the car body was somewhat lengthened.

To the left of the monoblock in the MTO, a consumable fuel tank is installed, to the right - the rear fuel tank and next to the transmission oil tank, behind - the stern

In front of the roof of the compartment there are entrance blinds covered with metal nets on top. The rear part can be opened and even removed during routine maintenance or engine repair.

The hull of the tank is welded, made of armor plates. Its bow is formed by inclined top and bottom sheets, welded not only to each other, but also to the front roof sheet, sides and bottom. Frontal parts - composite armor plates, made up of rolled steel of medium hardness, high hardness steel and fiberglass. In the "steel" equivalent (in terms of the thickness of the armor plates), their thickness is 400 mm. The armor of the hull is differentiated in accordance with the probabilistic laws of shelling and destruction.

1-barrel 125-mm gun D-81; 2 anti-aircraft 12.7 mm NSVT machine gun; 3-outer aft fuel tank; 4-wheel drive; 5-wheel roller; 6-side protective screen; 7-guide wheel; 8 elements of the KDZ case; 9 - commander's cupola; 10-pipe OPVT; 11-roof MTO; 12-grid of the exhaust device of the gas turbine engine; 13 - antenna; 14-wind sensor; 15-box of clothing items; 16 - smoke grenades; 17 gunner's hatch; 18 - KDZ elements on the tower; 19-driver's hatch; 20 - gun ejector; 21-commander's observation device; 22 - IR illuminator; 23-sight-rangefinder gunner; 24 night sight; 25-viewing device of the driver; 26-bottom sheet of the bottom; 27 track; 28-front mudguard; 29-paired 7.62 mm PKT machine gun

1 - shot resolution block; 2- sight-rangefinder; 3 - linear acceleration sensor; 4-tank ballistic computer; 5-cosine potentiometer; 6-wind sensor; 7-roll sensor; 8-electric block of the sight-rangefinder; 9-control unit; 10-feeding plant; 11-block of hydrotachometers; 12-angle limiter; 13 - reduction device; 14-speed sensor

Mine trawl attachment strips and brackets for mounting equipment for self-digging are welded to the bow sheets of the hull. On the top sheet there are towing hooks with latches, headlight brackets with their guards, brackets for fastening and laying the tow cable, protective shields for the driver's viewing devices. Guide wheel brackets are welded at the junction of the front and side sheets.

Side sheets of the hull - vertical rolled 80 mm thick. Brackets and stops of balancers, supporting rollers, pins of hydraulic shock absorbers are welded to them from the outside. Protective shelves with external fuel tanks, boxes for spare parts, as well as vertical side shields are stretched along the sides.

The stern consists of upper and lower stern sheets welded together; their thickness is 80 mm. They have towing hooks, brackets for rear marker lights and additional barrels of fuel, spare track mounts; a box of exhaust shutters with locks and a stopper is installed.

The roof of the hull is also made of welded armor plates, partly - above the power compartment - is removable.

The bottom of the tank is made up of three sheets, it is trough-shaped with longitudinal and transverse stampings to ensure rigidity and placement of torsion bars. It has maintenance hatches.

The thickness of the roof and bottom sheets is 30 mm or less.

Tower - shaped armor casting; a roof with a protective head of the rangefinder sight is welded to its upper part. In front of the turret there is a cannon embrasure, which is a complex labyrinth of two pairs of protective cheeks and grooves that protects the crew from penetration into the fragments, as well as from the effects of a blast wave. The coaxial machine gun embrasure is to the right of the gun. A night sight illuminator bracket is also welded on here.

To the left and right of the gun there are bolts for mounting the smoke grenade launcher system.

The commander's cupola with a hatch is in the right half of the roof, the gunner's hatch is in the left. Near it is a flange for installing a night sight, a shaft for an observation device.

At the rear of the turret there are mounts for the taillight and side light, an antenna mount flange, brackets for removable OPVT equipment and its reset levers, and a wind sensor mount.

A bottom sheet with holes for fastening bolts to the upper turret shoulder strap is welded to the bottom of the turret. Tower support - ball.

In the initial series, the T-80 turret was unified with the T-64A tank; on the T-80B tank - from the T64B.

In the chassis of the T-80B - six dual road wheels on board, five rubber-coated support rollers. Idler wheel with tension mechanism - front, composed of two welded cast discs.

The drive wheel has removable gear rims. Track rollers - lightweight aluminum alloy, dual-slope, with removable discs.

In the caterpillar of the tank - 80 tracks with rubber-metal hinges, each of two stamped links. The tracks are connected with the help of ridges and bolted shoes. The track tread has rubber pads to reduce stress on the undercarriage. If necessary - for driving on the highway in order to avoid its destruction - it is possible to put on rubber asphalt "shoes" on its outer surface.

Tank suspension - individual. Torsion bars, commensurate in length and width of the hull, provide increased dynamic travel of the road wheels. Hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers are installed on the 1st, 2nd and 6th nodes.

The chassis of the T-80 provides a smooth ride, low noise level and at the same time high dynamic performance. Experts consider it the best of all available on our tanks.

In the transmission with a hydraulic servo control system, as on the T-64, there are two final drives complete with final drives, three planetary gear sets and five clutches per side.

The high speed characteristics of the tank, combined with ease of control, low shock vibration overloads and improved crew habitation conditions, make it possible to make long marches.

The armament of the T-80B tank: 125 mm 2A46M-1 (D-81 TM) smoothbore gun, 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun, 12.7 mm Utyos NSVT machine gun, 9K112 ATGM system. The tank is equipped with a fire control system (FCS) 1AZZ. With its help, it is possible to fire at tanks and armored targets moving at speeds up to 75 km / h, at small targets and manpower when firing from a place and on the move at speeds up to 30 km / h, both in line of sight and from closed positions. It includes a 1G42 rangefinder sight, a 2E26M armament stabilizer, a set of input sensors for wind, roll, tank speed, heading angle, a 1G43 shot resolution unit, and a 1V517 tank ballistic computer (TBV).

It is TBV that generates data on aiming angles and angular lead of the gun from automatically entered information from sensors and a rangefinder. Armament stabilizer - two-plane gyroscopic with electro-hydraulic drives.

When the tank moves on the battlefield, the stabilizer gyroscope retains its position in space unchanged, thereby ensuring the immobility of the field of view of the sight. However, the gun itself, for dynamic reasons (friction in the trunnions, hydraulic resistance in the slave cylinder), lags behind the required stabilized position. The shot permission block issues a command to fire only when the specified minimum angle of mismatch between the stabilized aiming line and the actual position of the gun is provided.

The gun is loaded automatically by the loading mechanism (M3). After each shot fired, a pallet is ejected from the bore, which fits into the M3 catching mechanism. When you press the button for selecting the type of projectile on the control panel, firstly, the stabilizer automatically brings the gun to a certain loading angle, and secondly, the conveyor is set in motion, bringing the selected shot to the breech. The feed mechanism moves the tray with the shot to the chambering mechanism, which “charges” the gun - after which its shutter closes. At the same time, the previous tray from the catcher is transferred to the newly freed tray. The loaded gun is removed from the stopper and the stabilizer is displayed on the aiming line. After the opening of fire, the cycle repeats.

The minimum duration of loading one shot - when the conveyor is rotated one step - 7.1 s. Conveyor capacity 28 shots. The time of its full loading by the crew is only 13 - 15 minutes.

The ammunition load of the T-80B tank includes 38 shots; 28 of them - armor-piercing sub-caliber, high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative, as well as guided ones are placed in the conveyor of the loading mechanism. The other five shells and seven charges are in the control compartment in the tank rack; two more shells and two charges at the bulkhead of the power compartment between the middle fuel tanks, finally, one shell is placed vertically in the fighting compartment behind the back of the commander's seat, and the charge is laid on the floor.

For a machine gun of 7.62 mm caliber, the ammunition supply is 1250 pieces and is located in stores in the fighting compartment, as well as one store on the machine gun mount itself. For the 12.7 mm machine gun - 500 rounds - in magazines on the right side of the turret and one - also on the machine gun mount.

Fire from the D-81 cannon can be fired with high-explosive fragmentation shells ZOF19 of the ZVOF22 shot and ZOF26 of the ZVOFZ6 shot, designed to destroy manpower, various military equipment and field-type shelters. They are equipped with a B-429E fuse, which provides three functions: high-explosive, fragmentation and delayed action of the projectile. The maximum firing range is 14,000 m at a gun elevation angle of 140.

For direct fire on tanks, self-propelled artillery mounts, other armored vehicles in the ammunition load have HEAT rounds ZBK12M shots ZVKB7 and ZBK14M shots ZVBK10; they are effective at ranges up to 1500 m. The cumulative charge is located in their very case.

In addition to tanks and armored vehicles, firing is also carried out at the embrasures of long-term defensive structures and armored caps with armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles ZBM9, ZBM12, ZBM15, ZBM17 shots ZVBMZ, ZVBM6, ZVBM7, ZVBM8, respectively. The projectile has a ballistic tip and a tracer with a burning time of 2 - 3 s in the rear.

When firing all types of tank shells, a single 4Zh40 charge is used, consisting of a partially burning cartridge case and the combat powder charge itself with means of ignition, flame extinguishing and other elements placed in the cartridge case. When fired, the part of the cartridge case pressed into the pan burns out, the metal pan itself is thrown out of the gun chamber onto the catcher of the loading mechanism.

All T-80 ammunition is unified with T-64 and T-72.

The SLA of the tank allows for effective firing from a cannon also with guided projectiles 9M112M of the 9K112 "Cobra" complex at a distance of up to 4000 m at armored targets under the condition of direct visibility. It is also possible to fire at helicopters at the same distance if their speed is not more than 300 km / h and the height is up to 500 m. The projectile is controlled in flight by a gunner via a radio link, constantly keeping the aiming mark on the target.

The installation of smoke screens is provided by thermal smoke equipment (TDA). The smoke generating substance is the engine fuel.

The tank is equipped with a semi-automatic system for the collective protection of the crew and internal equipment from the effects of a shock wave, radioactive and toxic substances, with a radiation and chemical reconnaissance device, a filter-ventilation unit, an engine stop mechanism, closing seals.

Thanks to the rational distribution of the thickness of the armored hull and turret, the use of lining and over-battle - anti-cumulative shields made of reinforced rubber with armor plates installed along the entire side - a "high multiplicity of attenuation of penetrating radiation during nuclear explosions and during combat operations on contaminated terrain is achieved radiation substances.

There is also fire equipment - an automatic system of three-time action PPO. It consists of 15 thermal sensors scattered throughout the tank body, three cylinders of fire-extinguishing liquid with freon 114B2.

Tank communication facilities are unified with all types of tanks and other combat vehicles. The R-123M transceiver station (operating frequency range 20 - 51.5 MHz) allows you to maintain communication with the same type of stations in medium-rough terrain at a distance of at least 20 km even when moving at a speed of 40 km / h.

The T-80 tank is equipped with OPVT equipment to overcome water barriers up to 5 m deep along the bottom. To install it, mounting covers, an air supply pipe through which air is sucked into the engine air cleaner, and a gas exhaust pipe are placed on the intake louvres.

To open trenches and shelters, the tank can be equipped with bulldozer equipment, which is mounted on the lower frontal hull plate. In addition, it is possible to install an anti-mine trawl for making passages in minefields.

MAIN DATA OF THE T-80B TANK

Combat weight, kg………………..………….42 500

Crew, people……………………..………………….3

Specific power, hp/t………………..25.8

Overall dimensions, mm:

length with cannon forward…..…………….9651

body length………………..…………….6982

width………………………….…………….3384

height on the roof of the tower……………….2219

track width……………………………….2800

clearance………………………….………………451

Armor protection……………..protivosnaryadnaya

Armament:…………………smoothbore

D 25 mm gun 2A46M-1

coaxial 7.62 mm PKT machine gun

anti-aircraft 12.7-mm machine gun NSVT "Cliff"

7.62 mm AKMS assault rifle

F-1 grenades

Ammunition…………38 shots to the gun

cartridges for PKT……………..…………….1250

kNSVT………………………….………………300

to AKMS…………………………………………300

pomegranate…………………………….………………..10

Engine:………………………..GTD-YUOOTF

1100 hp

Movement speed, km/h:

along the highway………………………..60-65

on a dirt road……….………..40-45

Maximum speed, km/h……………..70

Fuel reserve, l………………..…………….2200

Overcome obstacles, m:

wall height………………..………………….1

ditch width…………………….……………..2.85

fording depth…………..1.2 (5-s OPVT)

maximum angles, hail, rise…..32

roll……………………………..………………..30

IN idea:

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The T-80 tank is a prime example of how heavily armored vehicles can hide serious flaws. At one time, the Russian military command considered the T-80 a high-class vehicle, but these tanks suffered heavy losses in battles with militants equipped with light weapons during the first Chechen war. After that, he never managed to restore his reputation.

That shouldn't have happened. The T-80 tank was the last main battle tank designed in the Soviet Union. It was the first Soviet tank equipped with a gas turbine engine, and as a result, he was able to move on the roads with a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour, and also had a large power density per unit weight, which was 25.8 horsepower per ton.

Thanks to this, the standard T-80B tank became one of the fastest and most maneuverable tanks produced in the 1980s.

The fighting prowess of the Chechen rebels and the failed Russian tactics are more responsible for the loss of T-80 tanks than their design. However, he had significant shortcomings. Ultimately, the T-80 was too expensive, and besides, it consumed too much fuel. After some time, the Russian military made a choice in favor of the more economical T-72 tank.

The T-80 was a further development of its predecessor, the T-64 tank. As the most modern model of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the T-64 differed from the simpler vehicles favored by the Soviets, such as the T-54/55 and T-62.

Context

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Which tank is better: Chinese "Type 99", M1 "Abrams" or T-90

The National Interest 01/25/2018 For example, the T-64 was the first Soviet tank to have an automatic loader instead of a loader, and as a result, the crew was reduced from four to three people. The second innovation of the T-64, which created a certain trend, was the use of composite armor, in which layers of ceramics and steel were used, and as a result, the protection of the tank was increased in comparison with the use of steel sheets alone.

In addition, the T-64 was equipped with light steel road wheels of small diameter, while the T-55 and T-62 used large rubber-coated rollers.

The first T-64A model launched into serial production was produced with a 125-mm 2A46 "Rapier" cannon, which became so popular that it began to be installed on all subsequent Russian tanks, up to the T-90. It is noteworthy that in the end the weight of the T-64A was only 37 tons, which is quite small for a tank of this size.

But as remarkable as these innovations were, it must be admitted that the T-64 had a capricious 5TDF engine and an unusual suspension, which often broke down. For this reason, the Soviet Army specifically sent such tanks to those units that were stationed near the Kharkov plant where they were manufactured.

But that's not all. There were rumors that the new automatic loading system would tear off the hands of gaping tankers who were located too close to it. This is quite likely, given the tiny interior of the T-64 tank.

Solving the problems of the T-64A, the Soviets began to think about creating a new tank with an engine equipped with a gas turbine. Gas turbine engines have a high throttle response and a good power/weight ratio. They are easy to get into cold weather without preheating, which is important in harsh Russian winters. And besides, they are lightweight.

On the downside, gas turbine engines consume a lot of fuel and are more susceptible to dirt and dust, which is the result of increased air intake compared to conventional diesel engines.

The original basic model of the T-80 tank was put into service only in 1976, much later than planned. The Soviet tank industry was busy fixing the shortcomings of the T-64 tanks, and preparing for the production of the T-72 because it was a cheaper fallback. At the same time, the Soviets were ramping up production of the T-55 and T-62 tanks for their Arab allies, who had lost hundreds of armored vehicles in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

The first T-80 models also had their problems. In November 1975, Andrei Grechko, then Minister of Defense, banned the further production of these tanks due to too big expense fuel and a slight increase in firepower compared to the T-64A. And only five months later, Grechko's successor Dmitry Ustinov allowed mass production of this new tank to begin.

The construction of the first T-80 model lasted only two years, since it was surpassed in its characteristics by the T-64B tank, which had a new fire control system that allowed firing 9M112 Cobra missiles from the main gun. Even more important point was that the T-80 cost almost three and a half times more than the T-64A.

The base model was replaced in 1978 by the T-80B tank. It was considered the most modern and high-class tank in the East, and therefore most of T-80B was heading to the places of the high risk- to the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

For its high speed, it was nicknamed the "Channel tank". In the Soviet war games, it was assumed that the T-80B could reach the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in five days - provided they did not run out of fuel.

The new Soviet tank borrowed a lot from the T-64. In addition to sub-caliber, cumulative and anti-personnel fragmentation shells its 125-mm 2A46M-1 smoothbore gun could launch the same 9K112 Cobra missiles.

Since anti-tank guided missiles were significantly more expensive than conventional tank rounds, this tank's ammunition load included only four missiles, but 38 rounds. The missiles were designed to shoot down attack helicopters and hit vehicles with ATGM systems installed on them outside the firing range of conventional T-80B tank projectiles.

A 7.62-mm PKT machine gun coaxial with a cannon and a 12.7-mm NSVT "Utes" machine gun on the commander's turret made up the anti-personnel armament of this tank.

The T-80 could already boast of modern composite armor, but even more armor protection was provided by the dynamic protection complex (KDZ) "Kontakt-1". Equipped with horizontal layers of such armor, the T-80 tanks (the latest T-72A models had a similar KDZ configuration) were called the T-80BV.

In 1987, the T-80U began to be produced instead of the T-80B, although they did not surpass their predecessors in total numbers.

The T-80U tank was equipped with the Kontakt-5 dynamic protection system. It was an improved version of the Kontakt-1 KDZ, which consisted of hinged containers with explosives, while the Kontakt-5 system had a set of factory-made outward-facing plates to deflect the attacking ammunition. The "Kontakt-1" system is only effective against HEAT projectiles, while the "Kontakt-5" system also protects against kinetic armor-piercing shells with a detachable pallet.

Inside the T-80U, instead of the 1A33 fire control system, which was equipped with the T-80B models, a more modern 1A45 system was installed. Engineers replaced the Cobra missiles with laser-guided 9K119 Reflex missiles. This is a more reliable weapon, with a longer range and greater power of destruction. In the T-80 tank, seven 125-mm shells were placed more than in the T-80B.

However, the T-80U tank was not produced for long. His new GTD-1250 power plant still consumed too much fuel and was difficult to maintain. Instead, they began to produce the diesel model T-80UD. It was the last version of the T-80 tank. Soviet-made. It was also the first model to be seen in action outside the range...if by "action" we mean the shelling of the Russian parliament from a tank gun in October 1993 during the constitutional crisis.

In December 1994, the war against the separatists began in Chechnya, where the T-80 was used for the first time ... and it became a disaster of epic proportions for him.

When the rebels in Chechnya declared independence, Russian President Boris Yeltsin ordered the troops to return this former Soviet republic into Russia by force. The created group included T-80B and T-80 BV. The crews were not prepared to fight on T-80 tanks. They did not know about his gluttony and sometimes completely burned the fuel supply at idle.

The offensive of the Russian armed forces on the Chechen capital city of Grozny was more like carnage for the upcoming ones. Between December 31, 1994 and the evening of the next day, about a thousand soldiers died and 200 pieces of equipment were destroyed. The most modern Russian tanks T-80B and T-80BV as part of the Russian advancing group suffered terrible losses.

Although the T-80s are well protected from direct frontal hits, many of the tanks were destroyed in catastrophic explosions and their turrets were blown off after numerous shots from Chechen fighters from RPG-7V and RPG-18 grenade launchers.

It turned out that the automatic loader T-80 "Basket" had a fatal flaw in the design. In the automatic loading system, the finished projectiles were stored upright and were only partially protected by road wheels. A shot from an RPG directed above the road wheels into the side of the tank often caused detonation of the ammunition load and led to the collapse of the turret.

In this regard, the T-72A and T-72B were similarly punished, however, they had a slightly higher chance of surviving a side hit because their automatic loading system used a horizontal arrangement of ammunition that was below the rims of the road wheels.

The second significant drawback of the T-80, like the previous ones Russian tanks, was associated with the minimum angles of vertical elevation and declination of the gun. It was impossible to shoot from the tank at the rebels, who fired from the upper floors of buildings or from basements.

In fairness, it must be said that the cause of large losses was the poor training of the crews, lack of training and disastrous tactics. Russia was in such a hurry to start fighting that the T-80BV tanks entered Grozny without filling the containers of dynamic protection with explosives, which made this protection useless. It was even said that some soldiers sold explosives in order to earn extra money on top of their meager pay.

By that time, the Russian army had completely forgotten the hard lessons of fighting in urban conditions during the Second World War. During cold war only special forces units and the Berlin garrison were trained to conduct such battles. Without expecting significant resistance, Russian troops entered Grozny, while the soldiers were in infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. Their commanders got lost on the streets because they didn't have the right cards.

Since Russian soldiers were reluctant to get out of their vehicles and clear buildings room by room, their Chechen adversaries, who knew the shortcomings of Russian armored vehicles from their service in the Soviet Army, were able to turn tanks and armored vehicles into crematoria.

It is easy for the Russian command to shift the blame for the Chechen catastrophe on flaws in the design of the T-80, hiding miscalculations in operational planning and shortcomings in tactics. But in the end, it was the lack of money that caused the cheaper T-72 to replace the T-80, becoming the main vehicle for Russian exports and for military operations after the Chechen war.

When broke up Soviet Union, Russia lost the plant in Kharkov that produced the T-80UD, which became the property of Ukraine. The plant in Omsk, where the T-80U was made, turned out to be bankrupt, while the Leningrad LKZ no longer produced the earlier T-80BV model.

It no longer made sense for Russia to keep three types of tanks in service: T-72 (A and B), T-80 (BV, U and UD) and T-90 (modernized version of T-72BU). The financial costs and the problems of supplying spare parts were too great. All these models had one 125-millimeter 2A46M gun and missiles of the same characteristics, launched through the gun barrel. But they all had different engines, fire control systems and chassis.

To put it simply, these tanks had the same capabilities but very different parts instead of having the same parts and different capabilities. Since the T-80U was much more expensive than the T-72B, it was only logical that financially troubled Russia chose the T-72.

However, Moscow continued to experiment with the T-80. Specialists installed an active defense system on it, which used a millimeter-wave radar to track incoming missiles and apply countermeasures. As a result, in 1997, the T-80UM-1 "Bars" appeared. However, it was not put into production, probably due to budgetary constraints.

Russia did not use T-80s in the second Chechen war in 1999-2000, and did not use them in the brief conflict with Georgia in 2008 (as far as we know). So far, T-80 tanks have not participated in the war in Ukraine.

The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.

From the beginning of the last century until the end of the 50s, armored vehicle designers proceeded from the division of tanks into heavy, medium and light. But over time to change light tanks came armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. And the production of heavy tanks, which suffered from insufficient maneuverability, was gradually discontinued.

general information

• classification - main battle tank;
• weight of the T-80 tank in tons - 42;
• layout scheme - classic;
• crew - 3 people;
• years of operation - since 1976;
• modifications - yes (for separate study);
• the number of issued - more than 10 thousand pieces.

this year in the USSR, the T-80 became the main combat vehicle

Medium tanks, having adopted their best features, became the main ones for the armored forces. Or main battle tanks (MBT according to foreign classification). In 1976, the T-80 became such a combat vehicle.

Historical digression

The 60s and 70s of the last century for the Soviet tank building were marked by two main areas of work. The struggle for the survivability of a combat vehicle and the creation of a more powerful engine that would provide both speed and maneuverability. Before achieving the result, several stages were passed:

• 1964- the decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU to create a new tank, the main characteristics of which should be - a cruising range of at least 450 km and engine power - 1000 hp. A diesel engine to achieve such power needed an increase in the cooling system and, accordingly, an increase in the dimensions of the tank;
• Early 60s- creation at the Kharkov plant of the T-64 tank (700 hp). Tank - generally unsuccessful, the engine was adopted Kirov plant in Leningrad;
• 1968-1974. - object 219 is being tested (later T-80);
• 1973- Start series production tank T-72 "Ural" (840 hp) at the Nizhny Tagil Uralvagonzavod;

• 1976 the world's first tank with a gas turbine engine T-80 (1000 hp) was adopted by the Soviet Army;
• 1978 there are modifications of the tank -T-80B and T-80BK;
• 1985 the system of remote protection against projectiles began to be serially used. In the same year, two more modifications were created - T-80 BV and T -80 UM-1.

The three medium tank models, developed almost simultaneously, met different fates. The production of the T-64, as not very successful, ceased. The T-72 tank (unofficial name - "commercial"), remaining in service in some units and formations of the SA, since 1976 began to be massively exported both to the Warsaw Pact countries and a number of others (to Finland, India, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yugoslavia). Licenses for the production of the Ural tank were sold to some countries.

Dozens, or even hundreds of parameters, characteristics that assess the technical and combat level of the tank can be divided into three groups. Namely: armor protection, firepower, maneuverability both on the march and on the battlefield. These are the main parameters of the performance characteristics of the T-80 tank, and the main concern of the creators of the machine.

Technical characteristics of the T-80 tank (TTX)

Armor protection

Firepower

Maneuverability

Design features

Engineers, technicians, designers of the T-80 tank were finally able to create the world's first successful gas turbine engine (GTE). After all, development began almost after the Great patriotic war.

The engine put into mass production has become more economical and omnivorous (it runs on any fuel from diesel to aviation kerosene). The air purification system from dust keeps up to 97% of dust particles. The absence of such a system was the main drawback of previous GTE models.

Along with the serial use of a gas turbine engine, the creators of the T-80 tank and its modifications made a huge contribution to the development and implementation of an unprecedented system of protection against various types of anti-tank weapons, which greatly improved the performance characteristics of the T-80 tank. First of all, this is a multi-layer ceramic-metal armor and dynamic protection.

Dynamic protection (DZ) is a type of additional protection for tanks and other armored vehicles. It is a metal container filled with a small amount of explosive and attached to the main armor. The principle of operation of such protection is in a directed explosion, which destroys the cumulative jet of an anti-tank missile or artillery shell.

Contact-1

dynamic protection which began to be installed in 1985 on the T-80 tank

The development of DZ began in the years of the Great Patriotic War. But the system was at the stage of final testing in the early 80s. In 1985, dynamic protection, called "Contact-1", began to be serially installed on different kinds military equipment, including the T-80 tank (modification T-80B).

The probability of hitting a tank equipped with new protection has decreased by almost 2 times. But only from a cumulative projectile. The appearance in 1986 of the second generation of dynamic protection "Contact-5" provided partial protection (1.2 times) of the tank from armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles. Elements of remote sensing of the first and second generation are interchangeable.

Modifications of the T-80 tank

During those years when the T-80 remained the main battle tank of the Soviet and Russian Armed Forces, its individual components and assemblies received more than a dozen amendments and innovations. The technical characteristics of the T-80 tank have improved significantly. Serious changes were also applied, which made it possible to talk about the creation of new modifications of the combat vehicle. Without going into the specifics of all models of the T-80 family, the dynamics of the development of the tank can be traced to three of them.

Modification
Fighting machine	T-80	T-80B	T-80UM-1 "Bars"
Plant manufacturer	Kirov Plant	Leningrad
Adopted	1976	1978	1997
Weight of the T-80 tank	42 t	42.5 t	47 t
Availability andprotection type
dynamic	Not	"Contact-1"	"Contact -5"
Active	Not	Not	"Arena"
COEP	Not	Not	"Curtain -1"
Armor	Cast and	knurled	combined
Armament
Gun/caliber	2А46-1/125 mm	2А46-1/125 mm	2А46М/125 mm
Firing range (m)		0…5000
Ammunition	38	40	45
Machine gun	1x12.7 mm	1x7.62 mm
Powerinstallation
engine's type		gas turbine
Engine power hp	1000	1100	1250
Max. highway speed	65	70	70
Fuel consumption (l/km)		3,7
Power reserve max. (km)	350

Unfortunately, it is impossible to reflect in the table all the performance characteristics of the T-80 tank and its design features, which were introduced into the next modifications of the combat vehicle. But it is necessary to dwell on the most important of them:

• model T-80 UK - commander's, with an additional radio station and navigation system;
• the T-80 UD model was equipped with a diesel engine and was intended for export;
• Since the end of the 70s, most modifications have been equipped with Cobra and Reflex guided weapon systems. Simply put, these are missiles that are launched from a standard gun. The targets are helicopters, tanks, pillboxes.

• a few years after the start of serial production of the T-80, gradually all models began to be equipped with automatic engine control systems. She chooses the most economical way of movement, helps to reduce fuel consumption;
• the last of the eighty modifications, the T-80UM-1 Bars, is equipped with a more advanced fire control system. It determines the range to the target, its speed, enters data on wind and temperature, and, taking into account the speed of the tank itself, gives aiming data. Specialists highly appreciate the performance characteristics of the T-80U;
• do not forget the developers of new models and the comfort of the crew. A successful air conditioning system has been created at Bars.

Separately, it is necessary to dwell on the results of work to further improve the protection system and ensure the survivability of the tank. We are talking about equipping the T-80UM-1 with the Arena active protection complex and the Shtora-1 KOEP .

Complex active protection"Arena" - a system of directed mini-explosions that destroy artillery shells and ATGMs on approach to the tank. It consists of an airborne radar that controls the space around the combat vehicle and 26 high-speed narrowly directed projectiles.

Armor is strong...

The main stages of improving the characteristics of the T-80 tank and creating its new modifications took place in a difficult period for the country, the army, and the military-industrial complex. The collapse of the USSR led to violations of economic and industrial ties.

Take, for example, the closely interconnected work of Kharkov and Leningrad tank builders. And the collapse of the Armed Forces and not the best use of armored vehicles in conflicts in the post-Soviet space. And the lack of funding for various design bureaus and research institutes. You can continue for a long time ... But, honor and praise to those who were able to save the main battle tank and even improve it.

May 9, 2015 at the Victory Parade was presented new tank T-14 "Armata". But that's another story.

The main battle tank T-80 is made according to the classic layout scheme. In front of the body, strictly along the longitudinal axis, there is a control compartment. The fighting compartment, where the main and auxiliary weapons are installed and the places of the commander (to the right of the gun) and the gunner (to the left of the gun), are equipped, is located in the middle part of the hull in a rotating turret. The aft part of the tank is occupied by the engine-transmission compartment, where a gas turbine engine with service systems and transmission units are installed, isolated from the first two compartments. Thanks to the use of compact components and assemblies, as well as their very dense layout, it was possible to ensure a low silhouette of the machine and optimal weight.

The issue of protecting the crew and internal equipment of the tank from being hit by anti-tank weapons and weapons of mass destruction has been seriously worked out.

The armor of the hull and turret is differentiated in thickness and composition in accordance with the probabilistic laws of shelling the vehicle in the directions and power of the anti-tank weapons used. Taking into account the same laws, the most rational angles of inclination are given to the armor parts. To increase resistance against cumulative ammunition, the frontal parts of the hull and turret are protected by composite armor, which includes, in addition to steel, non-metals.

A set of non-metallic elements contributes to the "break" of the cumulative jet and the loss of its energy. The sides of the hull are covered with anti-cumulative shields, which are solid (along the entire length of the side) screens made of reinforced rubber with armor plates (the front half of the length of the screen). Such an obstruction causes premature undermining cumulative ammunition and a significant loss of jet energy before reaching the main armor of the side of the tank.

To provide protection against high-precision weapons that hit the tank, as a rule, from the upper hemisphere to the engine compartment area (all of them are mainly with thermal homing heads), the exhaust manifold guide grille was made in a box shape. This made it possible to somewhat remove the exit point of hot gases from the aft armor plate and actually "deceive" the homing aids. In addition, the set of underwater tank driving equipment (OPVT) available on the machine was placed at the stern of the tower, thus covering a significant part of the MTO roof.

The inner walls of the fighting compartment and the control compartment were covered with a layer of lining from polymer material. It performs a double protective function. When kinetic and armor-piercing high-explosive anti-tank ammunition enters the tank, it prevents small armor fragments that form on the inner surface of the armor from scattering inside the hull. In addition, thanks to a specially selected chemical composition, this lining significantly reduces the effect of gamma radiation on the crew. For the same purposes, a special plate and an insert in the driver's seat (protecting it from radiation when overcoming contaminated terrain) serve the same purposes.

Protection against neutron weapons is also provided. As is known, these particles with zero charge are most effectively retained by hydrogen-containing materials. Therefore, the lining, which was mentioned above, is made of just such a material. The fuel tanks of the engine power system are located outside and inside the vehicle in such a way as to surround the crew with an almost continuous anti-neutron belt.

Also, for protection against weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical and bacteriological and for extinguishing fires arising in the vehicle, a special semi-automatic collective protection system (SKS) installed in the tank is intended. It includes: a radiation and chemical reconnaissance device (PRKhR), switching equipment ZETs-11 -2, a filter-ventilation unit (FVU), a sub-pressure meter, an engine stop mechanism (MOS), closable seals with actuators, and permanent hull and turret seals.

Front armor plate of the T-80 hull with driver's periscopes Periscopes and driver's hatch


Gunner's forward periscopes Side periscope gunner


Installation of gunner's sights Commander's cupola with a machine gun on the T-80 and T-80B


Aft part of the tower Aft turret and gunner's hatch


Side rubber screens with internal steel plates Side rubber screens with external steel plates


GTE exhaust guide grate Exhaust box hanger assembly


Hinge OPVTna T-80
Hinge OPVT on the T-80U (option)

The system operates in two modes: automatic and manual - by commands from the control panel (in exceptional cases, to extinguish fires by command from the PI-5 panel).

In the automatic (main) mode, when radioactive or chemical air contamination is detected outside the tank (using the PRHR device in the constant air monitoring mode), a command is sent from the sensors of the system to the actuators of the closing seals and the filter-ventilation unit is turned on, creating an excess pressure of purified air in the habitable compartments . At the same time, sound and light alarms are activated, notifying the crew of the nature of the contamination of the area. The efficiency and reliability of the system's operation have been proven during special tests with simulations of situations of air contamination that are close to realistically possible.

Air sampler, from PRHR kit
Air intake FVU

The fire-fighting equipment is connected to the CPS through the ZETs-11-2 switching equipment and can operate automatically or from the buttons on the consoles of the driver and commander. In automatic mode, the equipment is triggered by a signal from the temperature sensors of the ZETs-11-2 equipment. At the same time, the supercharger is turned off and the HVU valves are closed and the MOD is activated. As a result, air access to the MTO is stopped. Then the squib of one of the three cylinders with fire extinguishing composition is blown up and through the sprayer it is filled with the appropriate (place of fire) compartment of the tank. After extinguishing the fire, the HVU supercharger automatically turns on with the opening of the valves, which contributes to the rapid removal of combustion products and fire extinguishing composition from the habitable compartments of the tank. In this case, an electrical signal is removed from the MOD, which makes it possible to start the engine.

The listed design solutions serve to protect the crew and internal equipment of the tank in case of hit by various anti-tank weapons. In order to reduce the likelihood of their hitting, thermal smoke equipment was installed on the T-80. Thus, the camouflage properties of the vehicle were increased, which, combined with its low silhouette and high dynamic qualities, makes it much more difficult for the enemy to accurately aim.

Installation of anti-aircraft 12.7 mm machine gun NS VT on T-80 and T-80B Nest coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun remote control drive anti-aircraft machine gun on the T-80U
Drive and link collector of an anti-aircraft machine gun

WEAPON SYSTEM

As the main armament, they used the D-81 (2A46) 125 mm caliber smoothbore gun, which had proven itself on the T-64A, stabilized in two planes with an automatic loader. Range of a direct shot from it sub-caliber projectile (starting speed 1800 m / s) was 2100 m. A PKT tank machine gun of 7.62 mm caliber, also used on previous machines, is paired with a cannon. Anti-aircraft machine gun NSVT caliber 12.7 mm mounted on the turret commander's cupola. The TPD-2-49 optical stereoscopic rangefinder sight with independent stabilization of the vertical field of view allowed the gunner to quickly and with high accuracy determine the range to the target within 1000–4000 m. To determine shorter ranges, there was a rangefinder scale in the field of view of the sight. Measurement data was automatically entered into the sight (the aiming mark was raised or lowered). Also, corrections for the speed of the tank were automatically introduced (mechanism HELL) and the type of projectile used (ballistic mechanism). In one block with a sight, a weapon guidance control panel with buttons for determining the range and firing was made. The night sights of the T-80 commander and gunner were borrowed from the T-64A.

GTD-1000 with system units power plant, left view
GTD-1000, front view of the input device tank rack Two independent shafts with centrifugal compressors and their turbines
Flow part of GTD-1000, longitudinal section
Combustion chamber, compressor turbines and RSA GTD-1000

In general, the tower of the first samples of the T-80 tank was largely similar to that installed on the T-64A (including aiming and observation devices, as well as a fire control complex). The difference was only in the capacity of the mechanized ammo rack of the automatic loader. Here it was possible to place only 28 shots instead of 30 for the T-64.

POWER PLANT AND ITS SYSTEMS

The T-80 power plant consists of a GTD-1000T gas turbine engine (with a capacity of 736 kW (1000 hp)), with its servicing systems, and a set of special equipment. The engine is made according to a three-shaft scheme with two independent turbochargers and a free power turbine. In the car, it is located longitudinally (with the power turbine back) and is attached at three points. Unlike all previous tanks, the front engine attachment point of the T-80 is located not on the bottom, but on the upper armor plate of the hull. The other two supports are similar to the supports on the T-64A - in the yokes at the junction with the gearboxes.

The systems serving the engine (fuel, lubrication, air cleaning, air) are made in the same unit with it (with the exception of fuel and oil tanks and some pumps) and are structurally very different from those used in tanks with diesel engines. Thus, the fuel system of this tank, in addition to traditional functions (storage, transportation, fuel purification and its supply to the combustion chamber), also controls the engine start panel, protects it from operating at modes exceeding the limiting gas temperature and turbocharger and power turbine speeds, provides the operation of the hydraulic mechanism of the drive of the adjustable nozzle apparatus, periodically removes fuel from the engine flow path.

Reinforcement on the front of the MTO roof for engine mounting
Attachment of "boxes" OPVT on the T-80 Attachment of "boxes" OPVT on the T-80U (option)

In total, there are 13 tanks in the fuel system (in the outer and inner groups). There are 5 tanks on the right and left fenders (2 on the right and 3 on the left). Inside the vehicle, tanks are installed almost along the entire perimeter of the hull, encircling the fighting compartment. The front left and front right tanks and a tank rack are installed in the front part. Ammunition is placed in the rack tank (a variant of the so-called wet ammo rack). Further, clockwise, there are the middle right (in the fighting compartment), the right, aft and supply tanks (in the engine compartment) and the middle left (in the fighting compartment). Thus, the most efficient use

track roller
Object 172M
Object 167


Tank T-80 GTD-1000


Target shot Overcoming the water barrier wade


Main battle tank T-80


Track roller and balancer, view from under the bottom of the hull Support rollers and balancers travel stops


Drive wheel "asterisk"


Track links
"Restrictor" that prevents foreign objects from entering the gap between track and hull

almost the entire reserved volume of the tank (with the exception of the crew necessary for combat work) and a high degree of protection against damaging effects neutron weapons.

The engine control system also differs significantly from the systems of known diesel engines. It consists of a mechanical drive for fuel supply and a hydraulic servomotor of an adjustable nozzle apparatus (RSA). The fuel supply can be controlled by the pedal or the handle of the manual feed sector. However, the use of these drives is limited, as a rule, only to set a certain mode of fuel supply. The control of the acceleration and deceleration of the engine is carried out using the PCA. It is a rotary vanes in the flow part of the engine in front of the impeller of a free turbine. Due to the rotation of the PCA blades, the vehicle is braked by the engine, the speed of the free turbine (through a gearbox is connected to the transmission) is controlled during the movement of the tank, and the turbine rotor is not carried out at the time of gear shifting.

Due to the absence of a rigid connection between the transmission and the engine shaft (there is only a gas connection between the rotor of the free turbine and the second turbine), stopping the impeller of the free turbine (due to the high resistance to the movement of the tank) does not lead to engine stop.

Idler wheel "Head" of the track tensioner drive
Hinge on the tank devices for self-digging

One of the most important elements of the T-80 power plant is the air cleaning system. This is due to the fact that the gas turbine at maximum power consumes a lot of air (up to 4 kg / s), its flow rate is very high. Naturally, the engine is very sensitive to the presence of dust in the air entering it. Therefore, a high-efficiency air cleaning system is installed in the T-80 tank. A compromise solution is implemented in its design: a high efficiency of air purification from mechanical particles is achieved with a minimum inlet resistance. The system includes: air intake shutters for the roof of the engine compartment with a protective mesh, an air cleaner unit and oil coolers; fan blowing units; two fans for dust extraction and oil cooling; two air ducts for ejection of cooling air and dust; engine bulkhead hatch; air filters of the nozzle apparatus of the high-pressure turbine and pressurization of the support cavities. The air cleaner unit (single-stage inertial type) and radiators is installed transversely in the engine compartment and is attached to the front support of the monoblock. All fans are engine driven and mounted on the front drive box. The air cleaning system operates in two modes: movement on land and movement with OPVT. In the first case, air is taken from the atmosphere above the air cleaner louvers and, having passed through the cyclones, enters the engine flow path. When installing the OPVT, special casings, an air supply pipe and a gas exhaust pipe are attached to the inlet shutters. Instead of the cover of the air cleaner housing, a mesh is installed. In this mode, the air flow is taken through the air supply pipe and firstly enters under the left casing and, through the connecting pipe, under the right one, and then into the air cleaner unit, similarly to work when driving on land. In this case, the resistance at the air inlet increases slightly. To compensate for these losses, a charge is used from the cooling air and dust selection system, which enters the MTO (the exhaust air ducts are closed) and is taken back into the air cleaner and then into the engine flow path.

To ensure the normal functioning of the engine and its servicing systems in various operating conditions, special equipment is included in the T-80 power plant. It includes: dust blowing and vibration cleaning systems; a device for spraying fuel with compressed air and blowing nozzles, thermal smoke equipment.

The dust blowing system is designed to remove dust deposits from the interblade channels of the impellers of the engine compressors when operating in conditions of high dust content in the air. For this purpose, compressed air from air cylinders is used. The system operates in two modes - automatic and manual. A vibration cleaning system is used to clean the body and blades of the nozzle apparatus of the high-pressure compressor turbine from glassy deposits and loess dust melted in the combustion chamber.

The device for atomizing fuel and purging injectors is designed to improve the atomization of diesel fuel and direactive mixtures (ensuring multi-fuel and easier start-up) when starting the engine, as well as for purging injectors after it has stopped. Thermal smoke equipment provides the setting of camouflage smoke screens during combat operations. Since fuel from the engine power system is used as a smoke-generating substance, the equipment can act repeatedly.

Hanging a log for self-pulling Knots for hitching a mine trawl

During long-term tests on the entire set of road-dirt and climatic conditions, as well as during the period of military operation, on long marches and during exercises and tactical exercises, the high efficiency and reliability of the gas turbine power plant were proved, reserves for its further improvement were identified, which were implemented on subsequent T-80 models.

TRANSMISSION AND CHASSIS

The transmission of the T-80 tank is two-block mechanical, with a hydraulic servo control system. It consists of two onboard planetary gearboxes, structurally combined into one unit with onboard gearboxes. Gearboxes are similar to those on the T-64, but differ from them in the number of gears (4 instead of 7). This reduction was facilitated by the favorable torque characteristics of the engine, which significantly expanded the range of application of each gear. Thanks to this, it was possible, while maintaining acceptable dimensions of the boxes, to significantly strengthen their elements, which, in turn, contributed to an increase in the reliability and durability of the units. The rectilinear movement of the tank is ensured by the synchronous operation of both blocks, and the turn is carried out by turning on the box of the lagging side of the transmission, reduced by one gear level. Therefore, a turn with a minimum design radius equal to the track width of the tank is possible, like the T-64, only in 1st or reverse gear. However, depending on the position of the control lever, the following are provided: machine turns with a free radius (at the beginning of the lever travel), depending on road and ground conditions, since at this moment the gear is simply switched off in the lagging side box; smooth turns (with further movement of the lever) due to slipping of the engagement clutches and a smooth decrease in the turning radius from the value of the free one; turns with the estimated radius in gear (with the lever fully depressed).

There is no clutch mechanism in the traditional sense in the transmission of the T-80 tank. Its role is performed by the RSA mentioned above. When shifting gears, the PCA pedal is moved all the way. In this case, the blades of the nozzle apparatus are rotated by 70–80° from the position corresponding to the maximum traction power of the turbine, which actually leads to its stop (zero power position). Moreover, it is possible to move the selector lever only when the PCA pedal is depressed, since in the initial position it mechanically and electrically blocks the gearshift hydraulic servo drive. Thus, the guaranteed protection of the turbine rotor against runaway is ensured. By the way, the absence of such a mechanism in the GTD-ZT engine of object 167-T led to the destruction of the turbine blades during testing.

Rear tow hook Tow hook lock

Gearbox control drives of the same type as on the T-64. Their master elements are the gearshift lever, two steering control levers and the brake pedal located in the control compartment, while the actuating devices are hydraulic servo drives. The driver, acting on any setting control, applies the forces necessary to turn the small spool in the distribution mechanisms. This requires so little effort that it was necessary to install additional loaders on some controls (for example, in the steering drive).

To ensure shock-free and soft start gears in the hydraulic control system there is a special smoothness box. Due to its presence, the processes of relieving oil pressure in the clutch boosters of both boxes (when the gear is turned off) and its increase are automatically adjusted in time.

The machine is braked at the moment the pedal is pressed, which through a mechanical drive acts on the hydraulic booster control valve, the piston of the latter, moving under pressure, turns on the stopping brakes of the gearboxes. The parking brake (mountain) has a mechanical servo drive.

The caterpillar mover of the T-80 tank (as applied to one side) consists of a small-sized caterpillar with a rubber-metal hinge and a rubber-coated treadmill, six dual road wheels with external shock absorption in the form of rubber arrays, five rubber-coated support rollers, a drive wheel with removable rims and a guide wheel with tension mechanism.

As already noted, the increase in the dynamic characteristics of the tank due to the installation of a more powerful engine than that of the T-64 and T-72 led to the need to improve the chassis. However, its design, similar to the T-72, was too heavy, similar to the T-64 - simply could not withstand the loads. The designers found a compromise. The track rollers were made somewhat smaller in diameter than those of the T-72, and the caterpillar track (the inner surface of the tracks) was covered with rubber shoes.

The caterpillar of the machine is a small-linked lantern gear (the transmission of force from the drive wheel is carried out through brackets fixed at the ends of the fingers) consists of 80 tracks with a rubber-metal hinge. Each track consists of two stamped links, in the eyes of which two fingers are pressed, and on upper part vulcanized rubber pads. The tracks are interconnected in the middle part with ridges and shoes, which are bolted together. Staples (the so-called binoculars) are put on the fingers of adjacent tracks along the edges. Caterpillar tracks are symmetrical and can be put on from any side.

The drive wheel consists of a two-piece welded hub, two removable gear rims and a restrictive disk. The toothed rims have 12 teeth each, the working sections of the profiles of which are reinforced with wear-resistant surfacing. As the teeth wear, the drive wheels are swapped or replaced with gear rims. The track roller T-80 is dual-slope, with removable disks, made of aluminum alloy. The outer surface of the discs is vulcanized with a massive rubber tire. Support rollers are single-sided, also equipped with a rubber tyre.

The steering wheel of the machine consists of two cast discs welded together with windows for the exit of dirt and snow and stiffeners. In the bores of the axles of the guide wheels there is a gearbox and an electrospeedometer sensor (on the right) and a gearbox with a tachogenerator to ensure the operation of the IM mechanism (on the left). The track tensioning mechanism is single-worm with globoid gearing, directly perceives the forces acting on the idler wheel.

The suspension of the car is individual. Long, full-width torsion bars are used as elastic elements, providing a large dynamic travel of the road wheels. On the 1st, 2nd and 6th suspension units, powerful double-acting hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers are installed. Generally chassis T-80 satisfies the requirements of marching conditions and provides high maneuverability on weakly bearing and loose soils in combat conditions. The design of the tank turned out to be quite light ("openwork") and reliable, having a reserve for increasing the mass of the tank.

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT

The machine has several sets of special equipment designed to increase the autonomy of the machine in combat conditions. These include OPVT (it was discussed above), equipment for self-digging and equipment for self-extraction. The self-digging equipment is a blade with four struts and guides, which is installed on the lower front armor plate of the tank hull. With its help, the machine can independently, without the involvement of special engineering facilities, uncover a hiding place for yourself in a short time.

The self-extraction kit is even simpler. This is a log, two cables with loops and brackets with bolts and nuts. Using this simple set, the tank crew is able, without involving evacuation means, to ensure the independent exit of the vehicle in case of its one or two tracks getting stuck on the ground with poor grip.

In addition, the T-80 has special devices for installing the KMT-6 anti-mine trawl, with which you can make rut passages in minefields.

T-80UD on the streets of Moscow, August 1991 (photo by D. Grinyuk)