Image source: Photo: "Courage 2004"
In 2009, the Kharkiv Armored Repair Plant demonstrated its version of the upgraded T-72B1 tank. The car, which received the designation T-72E, was externally distinguished by a tower, which surprised with radically enhanced armament.
So, in addition to the 125-mm gun and the paired 7.62-mm machine gun in two remote-controlled combat modules, as well as the 12.7-mm NSVT "Utes", there was a paired 23-mm aviation automatic gun GSH-23L.
It was assumed that the tank would serve primarily to provide fire support to active infantry units.
It looked, of course, all menacing, but, in fact, it was just a mock-up and nothing really worked on the tank.
Image source: Photo: "Courage 2004"
Moreover, the designers did not fully imagine who and how would control all this set of guns and machine guns. The proposals were only on paper and in order to implement them, electronic equipment would be needed, which is not produced in Ukraine either then or now.
Therefore, after several shows that did not arouse the interest of either the Nezalezhnaya military department or foreign customers, the T-72E was hidden away from sight in one of the tank settling tanks and now they are trying not to remember about it.
Interestingly, according to some reports, one of its designers, N. Stepanov, later took a direct part in the development of the infamous "Azov", which was claimed as the Ukrainian version of the tank support combat vehicle, now considered a complete failure.
