Fire, armor and maneuver were embodied in the most massive modern tank T-72 "Ural", which forms the basis of the ground forces of dozens of countries. Only at Uralvagonzavod, which is now part of the Rostec State Corporation, more than 20 thousand "seventy-twos" of various modifications were produced. In total, about 30 thousand such tanks have been produced in the world. 50 years ago, on August 7, 1973, the machine was adopted by the Soviet Army, but even today these tanks remain in service, and tank builders regularly carry out their modernization. About the history and advantages of the record-breaking tank − in our material.
The appearance of the T-72 is directly related to the development of another tank – the T-64. It all started in the 1950s, when Soviet tank builders were tasked with creating a fundamentally new tank that would replace the outdated T-54 and T-55. Such work was carried out in several design bureaus, including the Design Bureau of the Kharkiv Malyshev Plant. Here the T-64 tank, revolutionary for its time, was created, distinguished by high combat characteristics, with a forced 5TDF engine. As often happens in such cases, the new product had a large number of "childhood diseases", which it was not possible to cope with immediately. As Leonid Nikolaevich Kartsev writes in his memoirs, in those years – the chief designer of Uralvagonzavod, "the tank turned out to be very difficult in production, and military operation showed its low reliability."
T-72 Ural. Photo: UVZ
The Nizhny Tagil enterprise was offered to finalize the mobilization version of the T-64, which by that time had already prepared its own project of the main battle tank called "Object 167M", or T-62B, which had a new chassis, a high-power engine, a loading machine with a 115 and 125 mm cannon. Leonid Kartsev supervised this work. The resulting tank was called "Object 172", a Nizhny Tagil engine was installed on it, and the chassis remained from the T-64. The appearance of a new engine led to an increase in the mass of the tank by one and a half tons at once, and as a result, the chassis showed not the best results during tests.
After modernization, the "Object 172" received an updated chassis, which, along with logistics, automatic loading and other equipment, was also developed by Uralvagonzavod. Thus, we can talk about the appearance of a virtually new tank relative to the original version. Only the positively proven structural elements of the armored hull with combined and differentiated armor were preserved from the T-64A tank. The designers of Uralvagonzavod also managed to solve a problem that is fundamentally important for the production of the main battle tank of a large army – to make a cheaper and simpler machine in comparison with the T-64 in production, while maintaining combat qualities. After all the tests, on August 7, 1973, the new T-72 Ural tank was adopted by the Soviet Army, and a year later, in the 74th, Uralvagonzavod began its serial production.
T-72B. Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The tank turned out to weigh 41 tons, with 125-mm smoothbore cannon and a paired 7.62-mm machine gun. To combat helicopters and lightly armored vehicles, a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun was installed on it. The tank could also hit targets with armor-piercing, cumulative and high-explosive shells. The engine power was 780 hp. Such a tank could reach speeds on the highway up to 60-65 km / h. The automatic loader of the T-72 was of a cabine-free type and provided a rate of fire of 6-8 rounds per minute. In the lower front part of the hull, the designers provided equipment for self-digging: with its help, the tank could dig a shelter for itself in 25 minutes. Combined armor was used for protection, and since the 1980s, mounted dynamic protection has been used on modifications of the T-72 - on the frontal part of the hull, the turret and on the sides of the tank. Such a car was operated by a crew of three people.
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T-72B3. Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
As the practice of operation of the "seventy-two" has shown, this is one of the most reliable tanks of its time. Low landing, decent speed, strong protection and high armament distinguish the car favorably. When creating it, the designers of UVZ managed to maintain a balance between combat qualities, reliability and at the same time a low price. Another feature for which this tank is appreciated all over the world is its high modernization potential. So, in 1979, the updated T-72A was adopted and mastered in mass production, in 1984 - the powerful T–72B, already today the armored troops of our country are regularly replenished with even more modern T-72BA, T-72B3, T-72B3M and heavy flamethrower systems "Pinocchio" and the "Sun" on its platform. In addition, vehicles for military engineers have been developed on the basis of the tank: the MTU-72 bridge-laying machine, the BRAM-1 armored repair and evacuation vehicle and the IMR-2 barrier engineering vehicle.
MTU-72. Photo: UVZ
Anyone can see with their own eyes the work of the ageless "seventy-two", which turned 50 this year, and also admire the skill of Russian tankers. To do this, it is enough to visit the "Tank Biathlon" – an annual competition in the art of driving a tank and shooting accuracy from it, in which servicemen from dozens of countries take part. Traditionally, competitions are held at the Alabino training ground in the Moscow region as part of the International Army Games. In most cases, the teams use upgraded versions of the T-72, and the Russian tankers remain the constant winners in this competition.
