The tank battalion of the 201st Russian military base in Tajikistan has been re-equipped with modern T-72B3M. On Monday, the press service of the Central Military District reported that 30 combat vehicles with improved characteristics entered the fleet of the compound. It is said that this will increase the combat capabilities of tankers due to the improved maneuverability of the tank and the special armor protection of its crew.
Recall that the T-72 is the main battle tank of the Ground Forces. Based on it, several improved combat vehicles have been created over the past decades. Including those used by Russian and foreign participants of the popular "Tank Biathlon".
In the T-72B3M variant, this machine was first demonstrated in 2018 in the Moscow region at the international military-technical forum "Army". According to the Uralvagonzavod Corporation, where the combat vehicle was created and produced, the tank is equipped with a new diesel engine with a capacity of 1130 horsepower, a complex of built-in passive and active protection, as well as an Aqueduct communication system and a multi-channel Sosna-U sight with a thermal imager. The T-72B3M has additional protection for the tower, side projections and bottom.
The tank's combat compartment has also been upgraded. There is a 125-mm gun with improved ballistics and a resource of shots, a digital ballistic calculator and a panoramic sight of the commander of the combat vehicle. All this allows the crew to detect and destroy targets faster day and night.
As for the Russian 201st military base as a whole, according to the commander of the Central Military District, Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, three motorized rifle battalions of the compound have been completely re-equipped with modern military equipment - BMP-2M and BTR-82A. "Anti-aircraft units have received new and all-weather systems "Willow". Also, the base received anti-tank guided missile systems "Kornet", sniper rifles ASVK-M "Cord", AK-12 submachine guns, rocket infantry flamethrowers of increased range and power, and equipment of logistics and technical support services," the commander said.
On Monday, the press service of the Baltic Fleet reported that in 2021, a new motorized rifle division based in the Kaliningrad region also received more than 40 upgraded T-72B3M tanks. "This made it possible to increase the capabilities of the units when performing tasks for their intended purpose," Baltflote also noted. They clarified that the new motorized rifle division became part of the Baltic Fleet Army Corps. And they created this compound in response to the build-up of NATO forces at the Russian borders.
Yuri Gavrilov
