| The T-72 retains the low silhouette of the T-54/55/62 series of tanks. The suspension consists of six large, die-cast, rubber-coated road wheels with the
drive sprocket at the rear, idler at the front and three track-return rollers that support the inside of the track only. Shock absorbers are fitted at the first,
second and sixth road wheel stations. The track of the T-72 is of the single pin type with rubber. Over the top of the suspension, which slopes downward
towards the rear, is a rail on which panels of additional armor can be attached. There is an engine exhaust on the left side of the hull above the last road
wheel. The glacis is well sloped, transversely ribbed and has a deep V splash-board. Integrated fuel cells and stowage containers give a streamlined
appearance to the fenders.
The T-72 normally carries an unditching beam at the rear and there is also provision for carrying two 200 litre fuel drums at the rear to increase
operational range. The drums were (optionally) connected to the main fuel system by flexible pipes. The connection was at the rear external fuel tank. If
connected, the drums would have been emptied at first, followed by the external fuel tanks. These can be quickly jettisoned if required by the tactical
situation. The T-72 mounts a dozer blade under the nose of the tank, to clear obstacles and prepare fire positions. Like most other former Soviet tanks,
the T-72 can be fitted with mine-clearing equipment such as the KMT-5, KMT-6 and KMT-6 M2. The dozer blade can be brought into the operating position
in one or two minutes and enables the tank to prepare its own defilade position without calling on engineer support.
The T-72 is powered by a V-12 piston multi-fuel air-cooled engine that develops 840 hp. The engine will run on three different type of fuel: Diesel,
Benzene or Kerosene.
The low, rounded turret is centered on the hull. The commander's cupola is on the right side of the turret; the gunner's hatch is on the left side. The
125mm main gun has a four section removable thermal shield. It has two sections in front of, and two sections to the rear of the mid-tube bore evacuator.
A 7.62mm coaxial machine-gun is mounted to the right of the mantlet. The T-72 mounts an infra-red searchlight on the right side of the main armament
rather than the left as in the case of the earlier T-64. There are two light steel stowage boxes mounted on the turret, one at the rear and the other on the
right slightly behind the commander's position. A snorkel is carried on the left side of the turret to the rear for deep fording which takes about 20
minutes to prepare for use and the tank is ready for action within two minutes of leaving the water.
The turret has conventional cast armor with a maximum thickness of 280-mm, the nose is about 80-mm thick and the glacis is of a new laminate armor
200-mm thick, which when inclined gives between 500/600-mm of protection. Late production T-72s do however incorporate advanced armor protection in
their turrets. Main armament is a 125mm (2A46) smoothbore gun fitted with a light alloy thermal sleeve and a bore evacuator. The 125-mm gun is
stabilized in both planes. The gun fires three main types of separate loading ammunition, APFSDS, HEAT-FS, and HE-FRAG(FS). Using the gunner's
quadrant, the T-72 can fire HE-Frag rounds in the indirect mode out to 9400m. Of 39 rounds of ammunition carried, 12 are APFSDS-T, 21 HE-FRAG(FS) and
the remaining six HEAT-FS. The ammunition is of the separate loading type with a consumable cartridge case; all that remains of the latter after firing is
a stub. The additional rounds of ammunition are stowed in racks behind the turret basket and in indentations in the rear floor fuel cell and second forward
right cell near the driver. The carousel automatic loader is mounted on the turret floor and on the rear wall of the turret. The projectile is loaded in the
lower half of a carrier, the cartridge and propellant in the upper half. The carousel carries 24 ready use projectiles. A 7.62-mm PKT machine gun is
mounted coaxially to the right of the main armament and has 250 rounds of ready use ammunition. A 12.7-mm NSV machine gun is mounted on the
commander's cupola. The 12.7-mm machine gun can, however, only be used with the commander exposing the upper part of his body. Maximum range
in the ground-to-ground role is 2000 m; maximum range in the anti-aircraft role is 1500 m.
The T-72 is provided with an NBC system.
|
VARIANTS OF THE SERIES
|
Ajeya - Indian army T-72M1.
Ajeya Mk 2 - Upgraded Indian Army T-72M1.
Asad Babyl - T-72 variant built under licence by Iraq.
BLP-72 - Polish designed triple-section folding bridgelayer tested by DDR.
BMO-T - Specialist transport vehicle for RPO operators.
BMP-T - T-72 based mechanised infantry combat vehicle.
BMP-T [Variant 1] - Improved BMP-T.
BMR-3 - See Kort-B.
BMT-72 - T-72 based mechanised infantry combat vehicle.
BREM-1 - Armoured Recovery Vehicle.
BREM-1 [Variant 1] - Version with one-piece side bin.
BREM-1 [Variant 2] - Version with uncluttered dozer blade.
BTS-5B - Armoured Recovery Vehicle.
Degman - M84 variant.
Dolly Parton - See T-72B.
Gorilla - Experimental polish upgrade.
IMR-2 - Combat Engineer Vehicle
IMR-2MA - Combat Engineer Vehicle
Jaguar - Polish upgrade project
Klin-1 - Remote controlled IMR-2
Kobra - See M-95.
Kort-B - Convoy escort vehicle
Loara - Series of tracked armoured anti-aircraft weapons based on the T-72 chassis [PL]
M-84 - Series of Yugoslavian produced variants
M-95 - Croatian tank-hunter prototype armed with Fagot or Konkurs ATGM
M1981/3 - See T-72B.
M1984 - See T-72B [Variant 1].
M1986 - See T-72B [Variant 3].
M1988 - See T-72B [Variant 7].
M1990 - See T-72BM.
MID - Polish combat engineer vehicle.
MT-72 - Slovakian scissors-type bridgelayer
MTU-72 - Bridgelayer
PT-91 - Series of Polish main battle tanks based on the T-72
Robot-2 - Remote controlled T-72 variant
Saddam - T-72M1 standard tanks modified to suit Iraqi conditions.
Shilden - See T-72S1.
SJ-09 - Polish driver training vehicle.
T-72 - Initial production variant with searchlight on lhs of main armament.
T-72 [AU F1 Turret] - Fitted with french 155mm turret for trials in India
T-72 [Rebuild] - Modernised T-72.
T-72 [T6 Turret] - Fitted with Vickers 155mm turret
T-72-120 - Main Battle Tank
T-72A - Searchlight on rhs of main armament.
T-72AK - Generic term for command versions of the T-72A.
T-72AK1 - NATO designation for the company commanders version of the T-72A.
T-72AK2 - NATO designation for the battalion commanders version of the T-72A.
T-72AK3 - NATO designation for the regimental commanders version of the T-72A.
T-72AM - Modernised T-72A with optical rangefinder removed.
T-72AM Banan - Modernised T-72AM with T-84 engine and ERA.
T-72AG - Modernised version with T-80 type armour array.
T-72AV - T-72A modernised and fitted with ERA
T-72AV [Variant 1] - MOdernised T-72A with fittings to mount ERA.
T-72B - Fitted with thicker armour on the turret front.
T-72B [Variant 1] - Schnorkel moved to rear bin and extra turret bin fitted
T-72B [Variant 2] - 7+5 sgd on turret front
T-72B [Variant 3] - Boron mat on turret roof and drivers roof
T-72B [Variant 4] - RHS turret stowage moved back and MG ammo box reduced to one
T-72B [Variant 5] - Boron mat on the drivers roof is extended to cover the drivers hatch
T-72B [Variant 6] - ERA fittings and small gunners sight
T-72B1 - Introduced larger gunners sight.
T-72B1 [Variant 1] - Introduced fittings for ERA.
T-72B1 [Variant 2] - Fitted with ERA blocks.
T-72B1K - Command Tank
T-72B1V - Main Battle Tank with multiple ERA layers on turret
T-72BK - Command Tank
T-72BM - Fitted with larger angled ERA.
T-72BM [Variant 1] - Modified T-72BM.
T-72BM Rogatka - Modernised T-72B.
T-72BR - Main Battle Tank
T-72BV - Main Battle Tank
T-72cz - Czech main battle tank.
T-72G - T-72A in service with the NVA.
T-72GM - T-72M in service with the NVA.
T-72GM [Variant 1] - Modified for the mine clearing role.
T-72GM1 - T-72GM fitted with MBSGD.
T-72GM1 [Variant 1] - T-72G upgraded to T-72M standard.
T-72K - Generic term for command versions of the T-72.
T-72K1 - NATO designation for the company commanders version of the T-72.
T-72K2 - NATO designation for the battalion commanders version of the T-72.
T-72K3 - NATO designation for the regimental commanders version of the T-72.
T-72M - Fitted with increased thickness of frontal armour.
T-72M [RSA Upgrade] - South African modernised T-72M.
T-72M [Variant 1] - T-72M fitted with sgd cluster on LHS of turret.
T-72M1 - Early T-72 models fitted with 7+5 sgd.
T-72M1CZ - Standard Checkoslovakian production version identical to russian T-72M1.
T-72M1 [NT 2001] - Upgraded T-72B/BM.
T-72M1M - Export version of the T-72B/BM.
T-72M1-A - Slovakian development of the T-72M1 with improved sights, FCE and armour.
T-72M-1Z - Polish export version with South African Tiger FCS.
T-72M2 - See T-72B [Variant 3], T-72B [Variant 4].
T-72M2BG - Bulgarian upgraded T-72M1.
T-72M2M - See T-72B [Variant 6], T-72B [Variant 7].
T-72M2 Moderna - Main Battle Tank.
T-72M2 Moderna-2 - Improved Moderna.
T-72M2 Moderna-3 - Improved Moderna-2.
T-72M3 CZ - Czech upgrade involving mainly sights.
T-72M4 CZ - T-72M3 CZ fitted with armour upgrade.
T-72MK - Generic term for command versions of the T-72M.
T-72MK1 - NATO designation for the company commanders version of the T-72M.
T-72MK2 - NATO designation for the battalion commanders version of the T-72M.
T-72MK3 - NATO designation for the regimental commanders version of the T-72M.
T-72MP - Ukrainian upgrade in collabaration with french companies.
T-72MP [Variant 1] - Modofied version with different sensor array.
T-72PPM - Civilianised fire fighting vehicle.
T-72R1 - See T-72B1V.
T-72S - Simpler export version of the T-72B1 equipped with 155 ERA segments.
T-72S1 - Simpler export version of the T-72BV equipped with 155 ERA segments.
T-72TK - NVA armoured recovey vehicle variant.
T-72V - Early optical-rangefinder version of the T72 with ERA fittings.
T-73M2 - See T-72M2 Moderna-2.
Tank-ex - Prototype indian tank with Arjun turret and T-72 hull.
TOS-1 - 30-tube multi-barrel rocket launcher.
TOS-1 [Variant 1] - TOS-1 30-tube launcher fitted with protective covers.
TOS-1 [Variant 2] - Modified TOS-1 launcher fitted with 24 tubes & protective covers.
Twardy - Series of Polish main battle tanks based on the T-72 aka PT-91.
TZM-T - Transloader for TOS-1 vehicles.
Vilk - Polish upgrade project for T-72 tanks.
VT-72B - Slovak armoured recovery vehicle.
VT-72C - VT-72B produced for India.
VT-72M4 - Modernised VT-72.
WZT-3 - Polish armoured recovery vehicle.
Zuzanne - Self propelled 155mm gun.
Angola,
Finland,
Iraq,
Macedonia,
Poland,
Romania,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
Syria
|
|
GENERAL RECOGNITION POINTS
|
- Five large roadwheels.
- Floppy track.
- Sprocket rear, idler front.
- Large v-shape splash plate on glacis.
- Central drivers cab with single periscope.
|
|
WEBSITES
|
|
HELP IDENTIFY |
|
