In 1927, a group of designers assembled at the Kharkov steam locomotive plant was tasked with developing a maneuverable T-12 tank. Since this year, Kharkov Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering named after A. Morozov”(KMDB) and counts its history. Later, under the leadership of chief designers M. Koshkin and A. Morozov, such epoch-making machines for the entire world tank building as the T-34 and T-64 were created here.
In the USSR, the development and production of tanks were concentrated in Leningrad, Omsk, Nizhny Tagil and Kharkov. It was here that three "whales" were produced - three main Soviet tanks: T-64, T-72, T-80. The last Soviet tank developed by the KMDB and launched into mass production in accordance with the Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the USSR Council of Ministers of September 2, 1985, was the T-80UD "Beryoza" ("object 478B"). Instead of an expensive gas turbine, this machine was equipped with a compact two-stroke 6TD diesel engine of the same 1000-horsepower power and a new turret, already tested on the Object 476 tank, created on the basis of the T-64A, was installed. By and large, only its chassis remained unchanged.
The T-80UD was equipped with the most modern equipment at that time - an automated fire control system 1A45 Irtysh, a 9K119 Reflex guided weapon system, a TPN-4 Buran PA night infrared sight, and a 1G46 Irtysh laser rangefinder sight.
The tank began to enter the Taman motorized rifle and Kantemirovskaya tank divisions, even participated in military parades on Red Square, but at that time it was not officially adopted into service with the Soviet Army. The final decision on this issue took place only at the beginning of 1992, but it was already signed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
However, both the KMDB and the Kharkov plant named after. A. Malyshev found themselves in a very difficult situation: they had a ready-made tank with an already debugged serial production at their disposal, but there was no customer who would be able to pay for the production of new vehicles. Finally, a decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine appeared on the resumption of tank production, and the next government decree No. 181-3 of March 12, 1993, these enterprises were charged with the development of an improved T-84 tank (topic "Kern") with the production of its components, systems and assemblies for the most closed cycle in Ukraine. It should be noted that in the 1980s. supplies to Kharkov of components from other union republics reached 60% of the entire configuration of the tank. Hundreds of enterprises throughout the USSR were involved in the cooperation. So, for example, towers were made in Mariupol, guns - in the Urals, caterpillars - in Tikhvin near Leningrad, etc.
At the same time, the search for a potential foreign buyer of "eighties" began to bear fruit. Pakistan, for example, has shown a certain interest in purchasing a modern tank. Although this country created its own industrial base for the production of armored vehicles, the development and production of such vehicles were too tough for her.
According to the memoirs of G. Levchenko, director of the plant. A. Malysheva, in 1990 - 1994. the search for the output of manufactured products to the foreign market began even earlier, since during the period of Gorbachev's perestroika, the volume of tank production in Kharkov was increasingly reduced. They had to act already in the legal field of the Ukrainian state.
In August 1993, the Pakistani military got to know more about the "80" during the initial tests. A group of KMDB workers, led by General Designer M. Borisyuk and a representative from the Ministry of Defense, General A. Medvid, arrived in Pakistani Lahore, and then went to the Thar desert. The Pakistanis were especially interested in the possibility of operating the T-80UD in desert conditions, with their frequent dust storms and air temperatures reaching + 55 ° C.
had a chassis with metal rollers and internal depreciation of the T-64 type, the other - "object 478DU1" - with the traditional T-80UD chassis with rollers carrying powerful rubber tires. It was assumed that in conditions of severe dustiness of desert and mountainous terrain, intense abrasive wear of the rubber tires of the road wheels would occur, and then the T-64 type rollers, in which the rubber shock absorption is located inside, and the steel rim is in contact with the treadmill, would be preferable. In addition, such a running gear gave a gain in weight of almost 2 tons. The Pakistanis chose the usual "eighties" running gear as less noisy and better absorbing vibration. In the Thar desert, both tanks "ran" through the dunes for about 2 thousand km. The T-80UD tank entered the foreign market.
BTA-2 engine for the T-84 tank
Continuing to refine and improve the design of the T-80UD to ensure its export potential, KMDB simultaneously worked on the design of a new machine - the T-84. Realizing that any improvements almost inevitably entail an increase in mass, the design bureau, first of all, took measures aimed at preserving the mobility of the tank. However, this required equipping the T-84 with a new, more powerful engine than the 6TD. At the disposal of the Kharkiv residents was already a turbine 6TD-2 with a capacity of 1200 hp, developed under the leadership of the chief designer N. Ryazantsev at the Kharkov Engine Design Bureau (KHKBD). But the installation of such an engine in the hull of an "active" tank required significant improvements.
The 6TD-2 engine was a development of an earlier model - 6TD. By increasing the degree of supercharging to 4.4 (for 6TD - 3.35), its power increased by 200 hp. To provide the required amount of boost, a two-stage high efficiency axial centrifugal compressor has been specially developed.
However, as a result of forcing the engine, the temperature of the exhaust gases and the speed of rotation of the turbine increased, and this unit had to be redesigned. Together with the Kiev Institute of Welding. E. Paton developed a serial technology for automatic welding of blades from a new heat-resistant material.
In the light and compact 6TD-2, it was possible to achieve an extremely high indicator of liter power - 73.8 hp / l with a specific weight of only 0.98 kg / hp. In terms of these parameters, the "sophisticated" V-8X 1500 turbodiesel of the Uni Diesel company, which is installed on the French tank "Leclerc", surpasses the 6TD-2 engine only to the limit. But, strictly speaking, the V-8X 1500 is already a symbiosis of an internal combustion engine and a gas turbine. Its unique high-pressure supercharging system "Hyperbar" provides a boost level of 7.85. From one liter of the working volume of such a "hybrid", it was possible to reach 91 hp / l, with a specific engine weight of 0.91 kg / hp. True, this had to be paid for with a fairly high average specific fuel consumption (especially at idle speed), reaching 170 g / hp. For comparison, the more traditional diesel MT 883-1500 (MT 883 Ka-500) of the German company MTU, installed on the Leopard-2 tank, has much more modest performance - a liter capacity of 54.7 hp / l, with a specific weight of 1.2 kg / hp, and the liter capacity of the 1000-horsepower Russian engine V-92S2A of the T-90S tank is 25.7 hp / l, that is, three times less than that of the 6TD-2.
The first experimental 6TD-2 engines were manufactured in 1979.and passed lengthy tests both on the stands and on the tanks themselves. I must say that in order to improve the power plants in the KKBD, a special test complex 181H was created, which allows research to be carried out in conditions exactly corresponding to full-scale ones. Here, it was possible to run engines not only with charge air heating up to + 500C, but also in dusty conditions, in “high mountains” conditions with a degree of air discharge corresponding to an altitude of 3000 m, in refrigerating chambers with temperatures down to -50 ° C.
So, the 6TD-2 engine was almost 90% unified with the 6TD. Therefore, the installation of a more powerful diesel engine in the engine-transmission compartment of the T-84, due to the preservation of its dimensions and seats, did not cause any particular problems. True, the increased engine power required an increase in the efficiency of the cooling system. Then, in order to increase the flow of cooling air through the radiators, it was necessary to modify the ejection system by increasing the outlet diameter of the nozzle apparatus.
The measures taken made it possible to successfully cope with the increased heat release, as well as with many other problems that arose, and in 1992 the interdepartmental commission reviewed and approved the design documentation for testing the T-84 tank with the 6TD-2 engine.
In the same period, a prototype of a welded-rolled tank turret was manufactured and successfully tested. The wire rod project was developed by KMDB back in 1984 - 1986. within the framework of the theme "Unified fighting compartment". However, it never came to the launch of the tower in production, although it had a number of undoubted advantages - improved armor protection, increased survivability, was more technologically advanced and cheaper to manufacture. True, the management was in no hurry to replace cast structures with welded ones, given their well-established production.
However, after 1992 the situation for the plant. A. Malysheva has changed radically. If earlier they received cast turrets and some armored hull parts from the Mariupol Azovmash, now their production has been liquidated there. An attempt to buy cast towers in Russia also failed: the supplier demanded such an amount that negotiations were immediately terminated. As a result, the serial production of welded towers had to be set up in Kharkov, for which the “tower” shop was specially reconstructed at the plant. Now from "Azovmash" only armored hire was received, and the final assembly and processing of the towers were carried out on their own.
At the same time, work began on the creation of a Ukrainian version of a tank gun. Previously, almost all production of such weapons was concentrated in Perm at the Motovilikhinskiye Zavody amalgamation, from where they were delivered to Kharkov. In 1993, the State Scientific and Technical Center for Artillery and Small Arms (General Designer L. Bondarenko) at the Kiev Bolshevik plant began the design development of the 125th KBAZ smoothbore gun - the equivalent of the Russian 2A46M-1.
By 1996, a prototype was manufactured and preliminary tests were carried out. However, it was impossible to serially produce a tank gun in Kiev. The Bolshevik plant had no special equipment. Then the following scheme of mass production was adopted: gun steel was supplied by the Zaporozhye enterprise "Dneprospetsstal", the barrels - from JSC "SMNPO im. M. Frunze "(Sumy), the guns were assembled at the plant named after. Malyshev, the design support was provided by the KMDB.
Plant them. By that time, Frunze was already producing heavy pipes for oil and gas production and was almost completely equipped with the necessary equipment for the production of shafts. Versions of guns were also developed for their installation on the upgraded T-55 (KBAZK), T-72 (KBM1M) tanks.
In the spring of 1995, the experimental T-84 tank was first demonstrated by the KMDB with the assistance of Ukrspetsexport (State Company for the Export and Import of Military and Special Purpose Products and Services) at the IDEX-95 International Arms Exhibition in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This vehicle, which received the index "object 478DU2" (serial number 54118) from its "progenitor", the T-80UD tank, was distinguished by a welded-rolled turret, the installation of a complex of optical-electronic countermeasures (KOEP) TSHU-1 "Shtora-1", more powerful engine 6TD-2, etc.
The welded-rolled turret with an all-stamped roof, which the T-84 received, was made of high-quality electroslag-remelted armor steel, due to which it had increased strength and survivability. Its simpler form made it possible to more conveniently arrange multi-layer armor in it.
KOEP TSHU-1 "Shtora-1" significantly increased the tank's security. The complex provided a warning to the crew about laser irradiation - about the threat of the use of weapons guided by a laser beam. With its help, infrared interference was created, knocking down the ATGM control system, and aerosol curtains, scattering the laser beam of the enemy's sights and target designators. At the same time, the probability of hitting a tank was halved. The main armoring of the vehicle was supplemented by a complex of built-in dynamic protection "Contact 5".
The system for cleaning the air entering the engine has undergone revision, which has increased the reliability of the power plant. It included cassette air cleaners in addition to the cyclonic air cleaners already available on the T-80, in particular, preventing dust wear of the parts of the cylinder-piston group. This was an important circumstance for the actions of tanks in countries with a hot and desert climate.
Although, as a result of various innovations, the mass of the T-84 increased by 2 tons compared to the T-80UD and amounted to 48 tons, the tank, thanks to a more powerful engine, proved to be excellent in demonstration runs in Abu Dhabi, easily climbing the hillsides. overcoming ditches and making dizzying jumping from a springboard, not inferior in this to the recognized "flying tank" - the Russian T-80U with a gas turbine engine, which also participated in the demonstration of armored vehicles on the move. The upgraded T-84 made a serious impression on its participants at the exhibition in Abu Dhabi and largely determined the final choice of the Pakistani side.
In July - September 1995, tender tests of tanks were organized on the territory of Pakistan according to a special program: 3000 km of run in desert conditions, day and night firing at mobile and stationary targets on the move and from the spot. Two Kharkov "eighties" demonstrated undeniable superiority over the Chinese T-85, which the Norinko corporation proposed for the rearmament of the Pakistani army. The Chinese had to change the engine after 1000 km, which automatically put them out of the fight.
As a result, after the final 100-day negotiations on July 30, 1996, a contract worth 650 million dollars was signed for the supply of 320 T-80UD tanks to Pakistan. The terms of the contract also included the training of tankers, the supply of spare parts and maintenance in operation. Moreover, the Pakistanis also saved when buying a modern tank - the Ukrainian T-80UD cost them $ 2 million each, while for the American Abrams they would have to pay 4.8 million, and for the French Leclerc - 5.5 million..
The deliveries of tanks to Pakistan were calculated for three years, but the customer wanted to receive the first batch of 15 vehicles by March 23, 1997. The reason was simple - on this day the country celebrated a national holiday, which was to be accompanied by a grand military parade.
At the plant them. Malyshev, emergency work unfolded. To meet the deadline, the batch of tanks had to be ready by January 31st. I had to work seven days a week, both on New Year's Eve and on holidays. On February 20, 1997, the vehicles safely left Ukraine on a cargo ship that sailed from the Nikolaev port, and then marched in a parade in Islamabad, giving the Pakistani military an opportunity to play with their new steel muscles. But the benefits were obvious for Ukrainian producers as well. General Designer M. Borisyuk noted that the contract concluded with Pakistan "served as a powerful impetus for the improvement of the T-80UD, as well as intensified the development of all systems and assemblies for the first Ukrainian T-84" Kern "tank as a whole."
ON THE WAY TO "PLOT"
Further development of the design of the new T-84 units was carried out using a number of machines that received object numbers 478DU4, 478DU5, 478DU7, 478DU8. The projects "object 478DUZ" and "object 478DU6", despite the fact that they were documented reserved, but for various reasons did not receive development and were not implemented in metal.
The experienced "object 478DU4" received an improved gearbox adapted to a new, more powerful engine, in which, in addition to the usual seven forward gears, three gears back were provided (on the T-80UD - one back). This box has significantly expanded the range of speeds of movement of the tank. Now, on a good road, the T-84 easily reached a speed of not 60, but 73 km / h, while backward movement became possible at a speed of up to 32 km / h.
The experimental vehicle, which later received the index "object 478DU5", was equipped with a 4 kW air conditioner with an air flow rate of 250 m3 / h to ensure comfortable living conditions for the crew and normal operation of instruments - a very useful device for tanks operating in countries with hot climates. So, for example, according to the Indian magazine Political Events, on the Russian T-90S delivered to India, due to the lack of air conditioning for four years, about 80 thermal imagers were out of order and turned out to be unusable. On the 478DU5, the air conditioner was placed in a special box on the rear of the turret, and part of the ammunition was also moved to the compartment isolated from the fighting compartment.
At the "object 478DU5" the automatic transmission control system (SUAT) was also tested, which provided control of the engine operating modes and automated gear shifting in order to save fuel and reduce the load on the driver. He controlled the tank no longer with the levers traditional for Soviet vehicles, but with the help of a special steering wheel installed in front of him.
The system also provided an automated engine start mode, and digital indicators on the driver's dashboard clearly displayed information about the operating modes of the power plant.
In 1998, the T-84, together with the American M1A2 Abrams, the German Leopard 2A5, the Russian T-80U, the British Challenger 2E, and the French Leclerc, took part in pre-tender tests in Greece, which was going to renew its tank fleet.
According to the results of tests during the development work carried out at that time, numerous changes were made to the design of the T-84, which led to the creation of its improved modification, which became the first of the products with the 478DU9 index. This machine was demonstrated in 1999 in Abu Dhabi at the next IDEX-99 exhibition. By the way, the T-84 was the only tank at the exhibition that was shown on the move and once again showed its excellent driving characteristics.
In the design of "object 478DU9", even more attention was paid to improving security. So, to improve the protection of the frontal parts of the hull and turret from cumulative and shock-cumulative (such as "shock core") shells, instead of dynamic protection "Contact 5", a new KDZ "Knife" of Ukrainian design with increased characteristics was installed; at the same time, the effectiveness of protection has increased by 2, 5 times. (The beginning of work on this complex dates back to 1997, when problems arose with the supply of T-80UD tanks to Pakistan, equipped with "Contact 5"). The fact is that the patent holder - the Russian Research Institute of Steel, having received an international patent for this dynamic protection system shortly before, demanded from the plant named after Malyshev for its use, a payment of $ 55 million (almost 10% of the total contract value).
In the side projection, some improvement in security was achieved by increasing the area of the side screens and extending them almost to the hubs of the road wheels. This made it possible to reduce the "thermal signature" of the tank due to the shielding of thermal radiation from the hubs and rubber tires of the road wheels heating up during movement - sometimes up to + 200 ° C. In addition, the screens significantly reduced dust formation during the movement of the tank due to the optimal organization of air flows, which turned out to be especially important when operating tanks in desert and steppe terrain.
In modern conditions, when the tank is equipped with a wide variety of energy-intensive electrical equipment, the absence of an auxiliary source of electricity is regarded by the customer as a significant drawback. Therefore, an auxiliary diesel power unit EA-8A with a generator power of 8 kW was placed at the "object 478DU9", which provided energy to all tank systems when the engine was not running, and could also be used to start it. The mass of the entire unit was 300 kg, the time
continuous work - 24 hours. They placed it in the back of the right fenders, in a special armored box (previously there was a fuel tank).
The tank received a complex of radio navigation equipment 1KRNA, using data from the GPS NAVSTAR satellite system or the Russian GLONASS. With its help, the location of the tank is determined with an accuracy of up to 20 m. Provided for the possibility of transmitting data from radio navigation equipment to the new ballistic computer 1В528-2, which made it possible to significantly increase the accuracy of shooting. Conventional radio communication was provided by the R-163-50K station with a range of up to 50 km.
At the exhibition in Abu Dhabi, "Object 478DU9" also sported new "footwear" - tracks with asphalt shoes made of polymer material were installed on it. These tracks help to maintain the road surface and significantly increase the smoothness of the machine.
In February 2000, the main battle tank T-84 ("object 478DU9"), on the basis of the Cabinet of Ministers decree No. 237-5 dated 2000-08-02, was adopted by the Ukrainian army. He received the name "Stronghold".
Its serial production was planned to begin in 2000, but due to lack of funding, this did not happen. Nevertheless, in August of the same year, "Oplot" took part in a military parade, passing along Khreshchatyk at the head of a column of "sixty-fours".
In the next, jubilee for Ukraine 2001, funds for the production of T-84 were still found. Probably, one of the reasons for this was the desire to demonstrate the new tank during the military parade in Kiev on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of independence. At the plant them. Malyshev, ten "strongholds" were built (according to specification 478DU9). The total cost of the order was 78.8 million hryvnia, which at the then exchange rate corresponded to approximately 14.6 million dollars (1 million 460 thousand for one car). After the parade, the "strongholds" were returned to the plant - both for improvements and in anticipation of a full transfer of funds from the Ministry of Defense. By the end of the year, all vehicles were transferred to service with the 72nd Mechanized Division of the Southern Operational Command.
TANK "OPLOT"
Tank T-84 "Oplot" was created on the basis of the T-80UD tank. However, it differs from it in a number of improvements: a new welded-rolled turret; 6TD-2 engine with a capacity of 1200 liters. with. instead of 6TD with a capacity of 1000 hp; built-in reactive armor of a new generation, which provides increased security in the forward sector from both cumulative and armor-piercing projectiles; the presence of the "Warta" optical-electronic suppression system; armament of Ukrainian production (125-mm tank gun 2A46M1 - launcher of ATGM 125 KBAZ, machine guns KT-12, 7 and KT-7, 62). Thanks to a more powerful engine and improved transmission, the tank's speed increased (73 km / h forward and 32 km / h back), despite the increase in mass to 48 tons (instead of 46 tons). To ensure the operation of the equipment when the main engine is off, the tank was equipped with an auxiliary power unit.
The "Oplot" has a modern automated fire control complex with a digital ballistic computer and a thermal imaging day / night sight and an automatic loader (AZ), which ensure high combat effectiveness of weapons. The tank implements design solutions that reduce the effectiveness of detection and guidance by thermal radiation and provide protection against the effects of napalm-type fire mixtures. The remote-controlled anti-aircraft machine gun (ZPU) allows you to fire at air and ground targets from the fighting compartment of the tank.
The T-84 used: a system of collective protection (SCZ) against the effects of weapons of mass destruction, a high-speed system of fire-fighting equipment (PPO), equipment for self-entrenching, equipment for overcoming water obstacles along the bottom (OPVT). It is possible to use the KMT-6 track-and-track knife mine sweepers or the KMT-7 roller-knife trawl.
Design features of the T-84 tank, armament and protection means
The general layout of the tank is traditional. Functionally, its hull is divided into three compartments: in the bow there is a control compartment with a driver's workplace, in the middle part there is a fighting compartment with a rotating turret, and in the aft compartment there is an engine-transmission compartment (MTO). The fighting compartment houses the weapons, the main part of the ammunition load, the workplaces of the commander (right) and gunner (left) are located.
Due to the high density of the layout, the booked volume of the car is 11, 2 m3, which is achieved thanks to the compact MTO scheme with the 6TD-2 engine, which occupies a volume of only 3, 7 m3. As a result, the designers managed to get a tank with small dimensions and combat weight, but at the same time with powerful and effective weapons and reliable protection.
The welded T-84 hull is identical in design to the T-80UD hull. The bottom is stamped, the upper frontal part is multilayer, with built-in ERA of a new generation. The side screens of increased width provide additional protection for the sides of the hull and undercarriage assemblies from short-range anti-tank weapons used by the enemy infantry.
The driver's hatch is located in the center of the front part of the body, the cover of which, when opened, rises and turns to the right. At the bottom of the hull, special pillers are installed, designed to reduce the possibility of hitting the driver when detonating anti-tank mines under the bottom of the car. There is an amphibious hatch behind his seat.
The tower of the tank is welded-rolled, made using steel obtained by the method of electroslag remelting. It is protected from the front by multi-layer armor. The roof is made solid-stamped, which increased its rigidity, and also ensured manufacturability and stable quality in conditions of mass production.
The frontal part and the roof of the tower are covered with dynamic protection elements, which provide cover for the tower from the upper hemisphere from the impact of striking elements of the "shock core" type.
To increase the anti-radiation protection of the crew, the hull and turret have a lining made of a hydrogen-containing polymer with additives of lithium, boron and lead.
The armament of the tank is located in the turret. There are a 125-mm cannon, a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun, ammunition, an automatic loading system, a fire control system, additional observation devices and guidance drives, as well as a guided weapon system.
The turret traverse is electric, and the gun's vertical aiming is hydraulic. The tower rotates 180 ° in less than 5 seconds. (the rotation speed of the turret relative to the hull is up to 40 deg / s). In case of an emergency, manual drives for aiming the gun and turret are provided.
The main armament is a KBAZ 125-mm smoothbore cannon with a conveyor-type automatic loader.
It is equipped with a powder gas ejector, a thermal casing, and is stabilized in the vertical and horizontal planes. The barrel of the gun is quick-detachable and can be replaced in the field without dismantling the gun itself from the tank.
Ammunition - 40 rounds of separate loading (projectile and charge), of which 28 are placed in the automatic loader conveyor. The fire can be carried out by armor-piercing sub-caliber, cumulative, high-explosive fragmentation shells, as well as missiles guided by a laser beam.
Tank guided missiles "Kombat", developed by specialists from the Kiev Design Bureau "Luch", have a tandem warhead, which allows them to hit targets equipped with reactive armor and modern multilayer armor. The mass of the rocket is 30 kg.
To monitor road conditions, the driver-mechanic has three periscopic observation devices. For driving at night, instead of the central device, a TVN-5 active-passive night vision device or TVN-5M can be installed.
The fire control complex provides firing by the gunner and commander at stationary and moving targets from the spot and on the move with a high probability of being hit from the first shot.
The complex consists of a gunner's day sight 1G46M "Promin", a thermal imaging sight "Buran-Katrin-E", an aiming and observation complex of the commander PNK-5 "AGAT-CM", a ballistic computer LIO-V with input information sensors, an improved weapon stabilizer 2E42M, a sensor for measuring the initial velocity of a projectile, an anti-aircraft sight PZU-7, a control system for an anti-aircraft installation 1ETs29M.
The gunner's day sight 1G46M has a line of sight stabilized in two planes, a built-in laser rangefinder and a guided missile guidance channel. The sight's field of view is with a magnification ranging from 2, 7x to 12x. The range finder measures the range to the target at a distance of up to 10,000 m with an accuracy of ± 10 m. The measured range is displayed on a segment display in the lower part of the gunner's sight field of view along with a ready-to-fire signal and the type of ammunition.
The Buran-Katrin-E thermal imaging sight includes an optoelectronic gunner's device and a thermal imaging image monitor; this also includes the commander's control panel, with which he can take control and fire himself from a cannon or a machine gun paired with it. Such a sight allows both the gunner and the commander to detect targets and fire in all weather conditions, including poor visibility, as well as in the dark at long ranges and with high accuracy.
The sighting and observation complex of the PNK-5 commander consists of a combined day-night sight of the TKN-5 commander and a gun position sensor. TKN-5 has a line of sight stabilized in the vertical plane and three channels: a single day channel, a multiple day channel with a magnification factor of 7, 6x and a night one with a magnification factor of 5, 8x. In addition, the sight is equipped with a built-in laser rangefinder, which provides the commander with the ability to measure the range to the target independently of the gunner, as well as a lateral lead input device. Thanks to him, the commander of "Oplot" has the best capabilities to search for and independently defeat targets in comparison with the commanders of the T-80U, T-80UD, T-90 tanks.
The ballistic computer LIO-V calculates ballistic corrections, automatically taking into account data on the speed of the tank, the angular velocity of the target, the roll angle of the cannon trunnion axis, the transverse component of the wind speed, the distance to the target, and the heading angle. Additionally, manually entered: ambient air temperature, charge temperature, barrel bore wear, ambient pressure, etc. LIO-V also calculates the moment of detonation of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile over the target.
To automatically take into account the thermal bending of the gun barrel when calculating ballistic corrections, a system for determining it SUIT-1 was installed, which transmits the relevant information to the tank ballistic computer. Here, after each shot, the initial velocity of the projectile determined by another measurement sensor is entered.
The means of protection used on the T-84 are composite armor, built-in explosive reactive armor, a complex of optical-electronic countermeasures and a number of other devices.
Modern multi-layered tank armor is a "puff cake" consisting of armor plates and ceramic materials; it protects against most of the currently existing weapons.
Built-in reactive armor of the second generation of the "Knife" type is installed on the front of the hull and turret. It was developed jointly by several enterprises, including Research Center "Material processing by explosion" them. Paton and KMDB them. Morozov, and provides protection of the tank from armor-piercing sabot projectiles, cumulative weapons and shock-cumulative ammunition of the "shock core" type. The main difference between the Knife and the existing types of reactive armor is the impact on the attacking means of destruction with a flat cumulative jet, while the first generation reactive defense systems (Contact-1/5, Blazer) acted by throwing plates in the direction of the attacking ammunition.
Knife modules are distinguished by high reliability (guaranteed actuation, exclusion of detonation transmission to neighboring containers), safety during firing from small arms, absence of detonation from fragments and incendiary mixtures, ease of installation, and low cost. The level of tank protection provided by the "Knife" is more than twice as high as compared to the previously used 4C20 or 4C22 units.
On the sides of the tank hull, widened rubber screens with armor and built-in reactive armor in the front are installed, providing additional protection against hand-held anti-tank weapons.
The Varta complex of optical-electronic countermeasures installed on it also contributes to increasing the security level of Oplot. It includes a laser warning system that allows the tank's crew to respond in a timely manner to emerging threats. Its main element is four laser beam detection heads: two "precise" ones, installed in the front of the tower roof, and two "rough" ones, located in its aft part. They react to the beams of laser rangefinders, laser designators and high-precision ammunition with a laser guidance system.
"Varta" is similar to the complex TShU-1-7 "Shtora-1", developed in the late 1980s. However, given that modern laser rangefinders operate in the range of shorter wavelengths, the improved complex received optical elements based on zinc selenide.
The complex also contains illuminators for setting up infrared active jamming of anti-tank weapons. They give a false signal for the guidance system of an approaching guided missile, continuously generating coded impulse interference signals, which makes it possible to disrupt its precise guidance.
In addition, it also includes a system for setting up a smoke / aerosol curtain, designed to scatter the laser guidance beam. It consists of 12 smoke / aerosol grenade launchers mounted on the right and left sides of the turret and covered with fairing casings. The system works both as part of the complex and autonomously.
The tank can also install a smoke screen by injecting diesel fuel into the engine exhaust system using thermal smoke equipment.
Diesel engine 6TD-2 "Oplot" has a capacity of 1200 hp. The specific power is 26 hp / t, which provides the tank with high throttle response and good maneuverability. The engine is equipped with a preheating device for cold weather. To reduce the thermal signature, the roof of the engine compartment is equipped with special heat-insulating screens.
Although the 6TD-2 is a diesel engine, it can run on other types of fuel, including gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, or a mixture of these in any proportion.
The capacity of the internal fuel tanks is 700 liters. Another 440 liters of fuel are in the tanks located on the fenders. However, at the stern of the hull, two more barrels with an additional reserve can be mounted, which, if necessary, are discarded. Each of them has a capacity of 200 liters and is connected to a common fuel system. The cruising range for the main fuel is 400 km.
The air cleaning system consists of centrifugal pre-filters and an air cleaner cassette. It allows you to operate the tank in hot and dusty conditions. Filters, even in such an environment, should only be replaced after 1000 km of run.
EXIT ABROAD. TURKISH YATAGAN
The T-84 tank was actively promoted to foreign markets, because it was the armored theme that made Ukraine one of the ten largest world manufacturers of military equipment and weapons. However, the parallel tenders for the supply of tanks to Turkey, Greece and Malaysia, in which the T-84 tank participated, did not bring success.
Back in 1997, one of the experienced T-84s was tested in Turkey, which was exploring the possibility of updating its tank fleet, consisting mainly of outdated American M60s. In February 2000, the government of this country officially announced one of the largest tenders in the field of weapons for the creation of a modern tank. The tender was estimated at 4 - 4.5 billion dollars and initially assumed that the winning country would supply 250 main battle tanks and receive an order to organize their further production in Turkey - here they expected to create their own modern tank building industry.
Leading tank-building firms were invited to participate in the competition. As a result of careful selection, Germany, USA, Ukraine and France reached the final of the first stage.
Germany presented to Ankara a project for the assembly of a limited fleet of Leopard 2A6 vehicles. France also developed a plan for a "limited" factory for existing Lekperk tanks. The USA offered to assemble the M1A2 Abrams under the same conditions. Ukraine has gone further than its competitors, having developed a project specifically for Turkey for a plant to assemble an unlimited fleet of "purely Turkish" model of the T-84 tank, armed with a 120-mm gun. Since Turkey is a NATO member, one of the sine qua non of the competition was the compliance of the main armament of the tank with the standards of this military bloc. This requirement excluded from the bidders, for example, Russia.
Ukrainian machine, factory index "object 478H", which later received the name "Yatagan" (in various publications - KERN 2-120, T-84-120, T-84U; however, these names were not used in KMDB), was developed at the end of 1999 It was completely assembled from components made in Ukraine, although it was envisaged, at the request of the customer, to install systems and units of foreign manufacturers.
When developing the Yatagan tank, technical solutions were used that were tested during the modernization of the T-72-120 tank, which was first demonstrated at the IDEX-99 international arms exhibition. Since the 120-mm cannon (unlike the Russian 125-mm) uses unitary ammunition, a completely new automatic loader of the lured type was developed for the T-72-120, which was placed in the rear of the turret in a hinged aft recess.
The first model of the tank was armed with a Ukrainian-made 120-mm smoothbore gun KBM2, the design of which meets the requirements of NATO standards. Taking into account the tight terms of preparation for the tender, in the fall of 1999 KMDB entered into a contract through the Ukrspetsexport corporation with the Swiss company Swiss Ordnace Enterprice Corp. for the manufacture of 120-mm barrels for the KBM2 cannon.
The loading of the cannon of the Yatagan tank was carried out using an automatic loader, which provided a rate of fire of 8-10 rounds / min, and the modes of semi-automatic and manual loading were also provided.
The ammunition load was 40 rounds, 22 of which were placed directly in the automatic loader conveyor in a special compartment in the rear of the tower, separated from the fighting compartment by an armored partition.16 shots were in the auxiliary mechanized ammunition stowage located in the hull, two more in the fighting compartment. Ammunition of all types, developed in accordance with NATO standards (STANAG 4385 and STANAG 4110), APFSDS-T, HEAT-MR-T and others, as well as laser-guided missiles made in Ukraine, adapted to a caliber of 120 mm, could be used.
The Yatagan was equipped with a fire control complex for the T-84 Oplot tank, adapted to the new weapons.
According to experts, the technical characteristics of the four vehicles participating in the second stage of the competition were approximately equal. But according to the unofficial results of complex tests, which took place both at the testing grounds of Turkey and on the territory of competing countries, the Leopard and Yatagan took the first and second places.
The advantages of the Ukrainian tank could be attributed to the fact that it is about 10 tons lighter than its competitor, its hull is lower, that is, the tank is less vulnerable, without preparation it overcomes water obstacles up to 1, 8 m deep. In addition, the unique Kharkov engine was adapted to work in hot climates, so that it does not lose power at air temperatures up to + 55 ° С. It was also important that Ukraine set the lowest price for the Yatagan, and also turned out to be the only country ready to transfer the technology of tank production to Turkey.
However, in 2005, the protracted tank tender on the eve of the reduction of military programs by the Turkish military command was canceled. Preference was given to the modernization of 170 obsolete M60 tanks. The contract for $ 668 million was awarded to the Israeli company Israel Military Industries. The Turks also signed a contract for the supply to the country of 298 Leopard 2A4 tanks that were in service with the FRG army, which had to undergo a major overhaul at the factories of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall Landsysteme.
A similar situation developed earlier in the tank tender in Greece - as a result, this country also decided to purchase German Leopard tanks.
In 2000, the T-84 tank took part in an international tender held by Malaysia. The comparative tests involved the Polish RT-91M Twardy tank, which is an upgrade of the Soviet T-72M, the Russian T-90S and the Swedish CV90 120 light tank. In the spring of the same year, the Ukrainian T-84 was presented at the DSA-2000 arms exhibition in Kuala -Lumpur (Malaysia), which was a prerequisite for participation in the competition for the supply of tanks for the army of this country.
Tests in Malaysia took place from June 19 to August 21, and the military was mainly interested in the mobility and operational reliability of tanks in difficult local conditions. The vehicles had to go about 2,800 km in the jungle, over a mountainous landscape, through wetlands and water obstacles.
The results of the Malaysian competition were quite unexpected. Despite the fact that during the tests, the Polish RT-91M in most of the main indicators was significantly inferior to both the Russian T-90S and the Ukrainian T-84, nevertheless, in April 2002, the country's government announced its decision to purchase 48 PT-91MZ tanks and six WZT-4 armored vehicles in Poland. The total amount of the contract was $ 370 million. Russian experts say that one Polish tank cost Malaysia about $ 4 million, or 1.2 million more than the Russian T-90S and Ukrainian T-84 that participated in this tender.
On September 1, 2011, the management of Ukrspetsexport Group of Companies signed a contract with representatives of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Thailand
regarding the supply of a new batch of armored vehicles. According to the agreements reached, the Ukrainian side will manufacture and deliver to this country 49 units of the main battle tank (MBT) "Oplot". The total value of the contract is well over US $ 200 million. The order will be fulfilled by the enterprises that have become part of the Ukroboronprom Group of Companies.
TANK "OPLOT-M"
The improved tank "Oplot-M" ("object 478DU9-1 / 478DU10") was developed by the KMDB taking into account modern trends in the development of armored vehicles. First of all, they increased the security of the vehicle by installing a new system of built-in dynamic protection "Knife-2", capable of withstanding ATGMs with a tandem warhead, cumulative and armor-piercing shells. Its containers were placed on the front of the hull and on the turret, along the sides of the hull, providing additional protection from the sides of the tank.
The "Knife-2" complex has a modular design, so it can be easily replaced or modernized as the corresponding ERA technologies are improved.
The sighting system of the tank has also undergone changes. The commander of the vehicle received a new multi-channel panoramic sighting and observation complex PKN-6 with independent day and thermal imaging channels and a laser rangefinder. This greatly improved the ability to observe the terrain, especially at night and in low visibility conditions. The detection range of a tank-type target through the visual channel is now less than 5500 m, and through the thermal imaging channel in a wide field of view - 4000 m.
The use of PKN-6, in addition to detecting and recognizing ground and air targets and issuing target designation to the gunner, makes it possible for the tank commander to fire the cannon and coaxial machine gun himself in the mode of duplicated weapon control via the gunner's thermal imaging channel. This greatly expands the capabilities of the tank's fire control system. True, for the expanded capabilities of the fire control system, it was necessary to pay for the increased mass of the tank - the mass of the PKN-6 equipment set is 400 kg.
Installation of PKN-6 entailed changes in the appearance of the machine. Due to the fact that the rather large head of the PKN-6 all-round view was placed on the roof of the tower in front of the commander's hatch, the anti-aircraft machine gun mount had to be moved to a bracket in the rear of the tower.
In addition to PKN-6, the tank commander also received an information panel for the commander 1KPI-M, designed to display digital and graphic information entered on the screen or received via communication from the outside.
The Oplot-M tank was equipped with a more advanced 6TD-2E engine, which operates reliably without power loss at temperatures up to + 55 ° C. The letter “E” stands for “ecological”. Previously, they did not think much about the environmental friendliness of combat vehicles, but now the situation has changed. So, when participating in international tenders, such a parameter as exhaust toxicity is also taken into account. The power of the auxiliary power unit on the new tank has also been increased - 10 kW instead of 8 kW.
The Oplota-M integrated motion control system provides automatic gear shifting and smooth turning while the tank is in motion. Instead of levers, a steering wheel was installed, which greatly simplified the process of controlling the machine. The underwater driving equipment allowed the tank to overcome water obstacles up to 5 m deep. The car overcomes water obstacles up to 1.8 m deep without preparation.
The navigation support of the tank is based on the GLONASS and NAVSTAR systems with the determination of its own coordinates, the formation of commands with the coordinates of the destination, the collection of information about the location of subordinate tanks, the formation of routes (up to 10 routes) and the passage along a given path (the number of control points for each route - up to 50), the formation of telecode (text) messages over the radio channel, indication of information about the direction and the value of the angle of rotation to the destination for the driver.
Factory tests of the Op-Lot-M tank took place at the end of 2008, and by the beginning of April next year, state tests were successfully completed. Despite the increased weight, no problems were identified with the chassis of the combat vehicle, and the 1200 hp engine. worked effectively in all weather conditions, including high ambient temperatures. As the General Designer for the creation of armored vehicles and artillery systems, Hero of Ukraine, Lieutenant General M. Borysyuk noted, the Oplot-M tank "meets modern requirements and is quite competitive in comparison with world analogues." All basic components, assemblies, devices and elements of Oplot-M's weapons are an invention and end product of Ukrainian manufacturers, and several domestic technical know-how was embodied in its armor protection.
The order to adopt the Oplot-M tank was signed on May 28, 2009. It was planned that the Ukrainian armed forces would order 10 Oplot-M tanks in the same year, but due to the global financial crisis, these plans were not destined come true, although on February 23, 2010, the chief designer of the KMDB Y. Busyak confirmed the existence of a state order, saying: "I can officially announce the receipt of a state order for the manufacture of the first 10 Oplot-M combat vehicles, which will be sent to the military formations of the Ground Forces." …
The cost of one car is 3, 5 - 4 million dollars.
BREM-84
Together with the T-84 tank ("object 478DU7"), an armored repair and recovery vehicle BREM-84, developed on its basis, was delivered to Malaysia, the purpose of which is to evacuate damaged tanks, tow faulty equipment, as well as perform aggregate repairs directly in the field … The weight of the BREM-84 is 46 tons. In addition to a crane with a lifting capacity of 25 tons, which provides for the dismantling of an engine or a tank turret, it is equipped with a traction winch with a force of 25 tons and an auxiliary winch with a force of 900 kg. The vehicle has a cargo platform, a set of tools and accessories for repairing tanks, as well as bulldozer equipment.
