In December 2023, two months before the first reports of this type of vehicle being spotted on the battlefield Ukrainians destroyed an “ancient” tank for the first time near Novomykhailivka T-54B.
This was not the only loss of this vehicle in the nearby fighting. Later, a T-54B in a version like from “Mad Max” was also destroyed – covered with reactive armor and with a large cage above the turret.
It is 1st generation main battle tankthe prototype of which was created in 1946. Version B was produced from 1956compared to the first copies from 1946, it had a different turret, as well as gun stabilization and night vision sights. The vehicle is armed with 100 mm caliber gunwhose history dates back to late World War II. It was originally the primary armament of the Su-100 tank gun.
In addition to the T-54, its successor also joined the list of losses in greater numbers – T-62. The Ukrainians managed to destroy or seriously damage many T-62s that were equipped with additional cage armor. One of the destroyed vehicles was even a rare makeshift infantry carrier created from a T-62 with the turret removed and a sheet metal “body” added.
While the T-62 was quite a revolutionary piece of equipment in its time, it was the first second-generation main battle tank i the first tank equipped with a smoothbore gunwhich is currently the standard in the best armored designs (with the exception of the British Challenger II). In Russia, the T-62 were officially withdrawn in 2013but they returned due to huge Russian losses in Ukraine. Currently, even modernized versions are being created according to the 2022 designs. – with additional reactive armor, as well as various anti-cumulative cages and nets.
The Russian army still has a large number of armored vehicles, which are not completely outdated. This is visible, for example, in the losses at Novomykhailivka, where the Ukrainians managed to deprive the Russians of, among other things, tanks. T-72B3M and T-80BW.
The T-72 and T-80 are tanks that served in the Soviet army at the same time. In Russia, the T-72 is produced in Nizhny Tagil, and the T-80 in Omsk. While T-80 he was a wagon more modern and more technologically complicatedto T-72 was created as the next one Mass Tank to form the basis of Soviet armored forces. Interestingly, the T-80 was the world’s second tank equipped with a gas turbine – overtook the American Abrams by several years.
The T-72B3M variant is a highly modernized version of the T-72, which is equipped with Relict reactive armor. It significantly increases the vehicle’s protection compared to older types of this type of armor. The vehicle also has, among other things, a cannon capable of firing guided missiles and modern Sosna-U sight. The crew’s situational awareness has been improved with the addition of a rear camera.
T-80BW however, this modernized version of the T-80 from the 1980s. The vehicle is equipped with additional Kontakt-1 reactive armour, and its gun is capable of firing Cobra guided missiles.
In addition to the tanks, the Russians also lost, among other things, modern modernization of the old BMP-1That is BMP-1AM “Basurmanin”. Project from 2018 consists of assembly remote controlled tower armed with 30 mm automatic cannon i guided missiles Metis in place of a manned turret with a 100 mm gun and the very outdated Malyutka guided missile. The BMP-1AM also has new engineDespite stronger armament and the use of a remotely controlled turret, the BMP-1AM remains a vehicle with a very low level of protection by modern standards, which is why it is sometimes called a “coffin on tracks”.
Source: geekweek.interia.pl
