At the international exhibition of arms and defense technologies "IDEX-2011", held in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine presented its new tank "Oplot" with armor, which has no analogues in the world. According to the statements of Ukrainian military engineers "Oplot" is one of the most modern machines of its class.
Tank "Oplot" - a completely new combat tracked vehicle, created on the basis of new technologies, designed to destroy many types of targets (both ground and air). In 2009 he was adopted by the Ukrainian army. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine placed at the plant. Malyshev, an order for the production of the first 10 of these tanks.
In "Oplot" a number of advanced technical solutions have been implemented, which have significantly improved the fire, protective and running properties of the tank.
The main highlight of the tank is a sharp increase in its security due to the introduction of a new generation of dynamic protection system "Duplet" (joint development of the Kharkiv design bureau named after Malyshev and the center of critical technologies "Mirotek"), which has no analogues in the world. Such armor, according to the specialist, Ukrainian specialists are not afraid of various types of ammunition, which usually pose a threat to tanks. And before, ammunition with a tandem cumulative part, designed to defeat reactive armor in vehicles. Thus, according to this characteristic, "Oplot" today has the highest level of protection in the world among its counterparts.
In addition to reinforced armor, "Oplot" has an optical inspection complex for the tank's fire control system. According to Ukrainian specialists, foreign developers (Germans, for example) have long been using a panoramic sight, which provides reconnaissance of the situation around the vehicle and helps to find targets. The modern tank fire control system, which the Ukrainian tank is equipped with, provides almost one hundred percent defeat of external targets. If the target is visually found, its destruction is a matter of a few seconds. Experts believe that the tank's fire control system, which is implemented in "Oplot", is superior in its technical properties to foreign analogues, especially when it comes to shooting at aerial targets and operations in the city.
In addition, the sighting systems used new technologies for night observation - thermal imaging cameras. Unlike samples with one heat chamber, "Oplot" is equipped with two such devices. For example, a frigate-type combat ship has a maximum of three such systems.
Another component of the Ukrainian tank that deserves attention is the automatic loading system. According to the expert, there is no similar system either on the American or on the same German Leopard, it is on the French Leclerc. Its advantages are fully revealed when driving over very rough terrain, when the work of the loader (an additional fourth crew member on tanks without an automatic loader) is simply impossible.
Tank "Oplot" is competitive and deservedly enjoys increased attention from foreign customers who want to purchase it. The main task is to ensure the production of machines in the required quantity, high-quality fulfillment of existing and planned prospective contracts, notes the chief expert of Ukrspetsexport V. Bogomol. Although at one time the plant them. Malysheva produced 100 tanks a month, but now this figure is much less. In addition, it takes time and effort to prepare the production of a new sample.
Describing "Oplot", the general designer for the creation of armored vehicles and artillery systems of Ukraine Mikhail Borysyuk called the tank "a fundamentally new machine, created at the level of modern world analogues", and in terms of its main characteristics (combat power, mobility and protection) it is at the level of the best world models. The main feature of the tank, capable of performing combat missions in various climatic, meteorological and road conditions, is the presence of high-precision guided weapons, which allows firing a laser-guided Kombat missile from a cannon and hitting targets at distances of up to 6 km.
