In 2004, the Iranian military wanted to purchase 200 units of the T-80U tank. This information came as a surprise to Russian tank-building enterprises, since the main manufacturer of T-80U tanks was the Omsk Transport Engineering Plant, which had not been able to produce these tanks for a long time.
The issue of launching the production of T-80U at one of the plants in Nizhny Tagil was seriously considered. But the matter did not progress beyond the conversations. After all, just to start assembling a combat vehicle of a different design on an assembly line would take several years. As a result, the Iranians lost interest in this issue, and no more proposals were received from them.
By the way, there was a real chance to implement this deal. In those years, the T-80U tanks were massively decommissioned from the armament of the Kantemirov and Taman divisions. They have already exhausted their resource and they were transferred to tank repair plants for further disposal. True, only the hulls of the combat vehicles were disposed of, and the towers were neatly stored.
At that time, work began in Russia to modernize the previously released variants of the "eighties" - T-80BV. The projects involved the use of turrets from the decommissioned T-80U on old BV model hulls.
The plans were to finalize the fire control system, install a new improved model of the night vision sight, providing a high target recognition range using a third-generation electronic optical converter. The engine power was also supposed to increase from 1100 hp. up to 1250 HP In addition, it was planned to replace the old reactive armor of the first generation mounted type with an improved "reactive armor".
This version of the modernized tanks began to enter service in April 2005, but in extremely small numbers. And soon the entire gas turbine branch of the Russian tank building was generally recognized as not promising. It turned out as in the well-known proverb: neither to myself, nor to people. And there was a real chance to give the unnecessary "eighties" in "good hands".
After all, Belarus was able to “fuse” Yemen the T-80BV tanks that had become unnecessary for the army. Iran, on the other hand, would receive combat vehicles, even in some ways superior to those serial T-80Us that are currently in service with the Russian army.
