Russia’s T-80 Tank ‘Disintegrates’ in Ukraine

What You Need to Know: When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine resulted in significant tank losses, the Russian military turned to deploying older models such as the T-80 to bolster its forces.

– Introduced in the late 1970s, the T-80 has a gas turbine engine that provides exceptional speed, but suffers from high fuel consumption and reliability problems.

-Historically, the T-80 has underperformed in conflicts such as the Chechen Wars due to inadequate crew training and tactical deployment.

– In Ukraine, Russia could use the T-80 as mobile artillery or support units, especially since Ukraine faces ammunition shortages as it has in the past. While not perfect, the T-80 could have an impact on the battlefield if used effectively amidst current resource constraints.

Russia’s T-80 Tank: An Old Weapon Making a Difference in Ukraine?

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has unleashed the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II, and just as they did in the 20th century war, tanks have played a leading role on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine.

When you use tanks, you lose them, and Russia’s armored forces in particular have suffered serious attrition. Open-source defense blog Oryx estimates that Russia has lost more than 2,800 tanks as of summer. In one battle, Battle of VuhledarUkrainian commanders believe they have destroyed more than 130 Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers by May, with the number likely to be even higher.

As the war dragged on, the Russian military turned to older tank stocks to bolster its forces, one of which was the T-80.

History of the T-80 Main Battle Tank in Russia

The Soviet Union in the 1960s Produced The T-64 is a new heavy tank. Soviet designers were already working on using gas turbine engines to power a tank. This vision was combined with a design based on the T-64 to create the T-80.

The T-80 had a crew of three, one less than the normal number. Instead of a loader in the crew, an autoloader fed rounds into the 125mm smoothbore gun. Removing a crew position from the tank reduced its weight, disadvantage The probability of being much more dangerous. Several unlucky gunners lost their guns to the autoloader in the tight confines of the interior. Moreover, the autoloader moved the ammunition storage outside the turret, which greatly reduced the chances of survival in the event of a hit. Many videos from Ukraine show their turrets “exploding” as the ammunition cooks inside the tank.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the T-80 was that it was newly invented. gas turbine engineThe engine provided exceptional speed and maneuverability, and the Soviets boasted that the T-80 was the “English Channel tank”, a vehicle that could reach the Channel from Germany in five days in the event of war with NATO. In reality, however, it consumed too much fuel, even at idle, to be an effective spearhead vehicle. The finicky engine was far from reliable and succumbed to dust or dirt in the fuel.

Despite these problems and even cancel Scheduled by the defense minister in 1974, a new minister approved production in 1976, and T-80s began rolling off the production line at Omsktransmash a few years later. They have since been exported and upgraded, and many T-80 variants are still in service in countries around the world today.

Features and Capabilities for the T-80 Tank

Over the years the Soviet Union and later Russia raised There was an attempt to keep the T-80 relevant. Just a few years after entering production, in the early 1980s, the tank received a new engine. The first major upgrade occurred in 1985, when manufacturers began installing Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor, designed to detonate anti-tank missiles before they could reach the tank itself. Upgrades since then have primarily focused on the T-80’s optics, fire control, and weapon systems.

Operational History and Why It Matters

Although it was designed for a major conflict with the West, T-80 It first saw combat in Chechnya in 1994. During this war, the tank severely underperformed, suffering high casualties in both vehicles and crew. Most of the fighting took place in urban environments, where the T-80’s poor ability to train its gun at altitude hampered its capabilities. T-80s were often manned by inexperienced soldiers and lacked infantry support, often a death sentence for a tank.

Critics have called the tank inadequate, while supporters have cited poor handling as the cause of the losses. Many of these issues appear to still be present in how and where the T-80 is deployed in Ukraine.

How to Use in Ukraine?

In light of the difficulties encountered Russian tanks Given the potential shortcomings of the T-80s in Ukraine, how could the Russian military use them in Ukraine? The simplest solution would be to keep them as “mobile artillery” that can support infantry from a distance without being subjected to return fire.

Better training of crews or improving defensive systems could improve offensive performance, but this takes time and resources, both of which are currently scarce in Russia.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya CarlinHe is a National Security Writer for The National Interest, an analyst at the Center for Security Policy, and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. He has written for numerous publications, including The National Interest, the Jerusalem Post, and the Times of Israel. Follow him on Twitter: @MayaCarlinEmail the author: (email protected).