T 80 USSR. When did the first tanks appear in the USSR?
Developer: GKB under the direction of N.A. Astrov
Year of commencement of work: 1942
Year of production of the first prototype: December 1942
Immediately after the adoption of the GAZ-70 tank into service, and the establishment of its mass production under the designation T-70, alarming reports began to arrive from combat units. Despite the enhanced armor protection and armament compared to the T-40 and T-60, the new tank was still equipped with a single turret. This had an extremely negative impact on the work of the crew, since during the battle the commander of the vehicle was forced to simultaneously give orders to the driver, fire the cannon, supply ammunition himself, and load it himself.
The solution to this problem began in the spring of 1942, but then the new double turret developed by design bureau engineers under the leadership of Astrov was not accepted for installation on production T-70s due to numerous identified shortcomings. In particular, Special attention was given to the cramped fighting compartment, as well as the increased weight of the tank, which negatively affected the chassis and transmission. Tests of the serial T-70, loaded to a weight of 11 tons, fully confirmed the calculations made - the tank's suspension torsion bars burst, tracks broke, and transmission components and assemblies failed. However, since the end of 1942, an improved modification of the T-70M entered mass production, on which most of shortcomings have been eliminated. In addition to the single tower...
A new turret, which was installed on a prototype tank under the symbol “080”. Unlike the previous project, it had a strongly beveled frontal plate, which was done specifically to achieve maximum firing angles in the vertical plane. This was required not only by the current front-line situation, where light tank units were used to storm city blocks, but also by individual commanders. For example, this was demanded by the commander of the Kalinin Front, Lieutenant General Konev, who wanted light tanks to be able to defend themselves from enemy air attacks.
The improvements were carried out as quickly as possible, but the innovations were not easy to achieve. For more convenient placement of a gun with the possibility of anti-aircraft firing and two crew members, it was necessary to widen the diameter of the shoulder strap and make an armored barbette ring with a thickness of 40-45 mm under the inclined edges of the turret. Due to the wider turret shoulder strap, it became impossible to dismantle the engine without first removing the turret - the armor ring began to overlap the removable over-engine armor plate.
The chassis was left the same, with five road wheels on board equipped with an individual torsion bar suspension, three support rollers, a front drive wheel and a rear guide wheel. The tank used a standard small-link caterpillar from the T-70, consisting of 80 tracks with a width of 300 mm.
The electrical wiring in the T-80 tank was single-wire, the second wire being the armored hull of the vehicle. The sources of electricity (operating voltage 12 V) were a GT-500S generator with a relay-regulator RRK-GT-500S with a power of 500 W and two series-connected batteries of the 3-STE-112 brand with a total capacity of 112 A/h.
The power plant has changed - instead of the GAZ-203 engine, a forced GAZ-203F was installed, which was a pair of two GAZ-80 engines with a power of 85 hp. every. The tank was equipped with a mechanical transmission, which consisted of a double-disc semi-centrifugal dry friction main clutch, a 4-speed 5-speed gearbox, a driveshaft, a main bevel gear, two multi-disc dry friction final clutches, band brakes with ferrodo linings and two simple single-row final drives .
The armament of the “080” remained the same (45-mm 20K cannon with a barrel length of 46 calibers and a 7.62-mm DT machine gun), except that the coaxial machine-gun-cannon mount received increased firing angles in the vertical plane, which ranged from -8 ° up to +65°. The gun's ammunition load was increased to 94 shells (according to other sources, up to 100). Despite its apparent obsolescence, the semi-automatic 20K cannon turned out to be very successful and was produced almost throughout the war. It was small in size and suitable for installation on any light tank produced after 1941. The only big drawback of this gun was the flaw in the semi-automatic mechanism - when firing a fragmentation shell, the recoil of the barrel was somewhat less and the mechanism did not work, so the tank commander had to manually remove the spent cartridge case from the chamber, which reduced the rate of fire from 15 to 7-10 rounds per minute. The practical firing range of the 20K was 3600 meters, the maximum - 6000 meters. The ballistic characteristics were also quite good. When firing armor-piercing shells (BR-240 or B-240) from a distance of 1000 meters, a 35-mm armor plate installed at an angle of 90° and a 28-mm armor plate installed at an angle of 60° were penetrated. After the BR-240P sub-caliber projectile was adopted, these figures increased to 72 and 59 mm, respectively. Furthermore at best conditions, when firing was carried out from a distance of 100 meters or less, the sub-caliber projectile pierced a 96-mm vertically mounted armor plate. Thus, the 20K gun in close-range combat was a very strong opponent for all enemy medium and light tanks. the crew was also equipped with one PPSh submachine gun with 3 discs (213 rounds) and 12 hand grenades F-1. In some cases, a pistol for firing signal flares was added to this weaponry.
The tank was equipped with two types of sights: TMF-1 for shooting at ground targets and collimator K-8T for shooting at air targets and the upper floors of buildings.
The radio equipment consisted of a 12RT radio station and an internal intercom TPU for 3 subscribers.
The hull of the tank, as well as the armor scheme, did not undergo significant changes, except that the thickness of the side armor plates was increased to 25 mm.
Testing of the new tank ended in December 1942 and was only partially successful. In terms of basic indicators, the “080” did not differ from the serial T-70, differing only in improved sectors of fire in the vertical plane and a less loaded engine. It was problematic to “squeeze” more out of the tank’s design, so at the beginning of 1943 it was decided to adopt the “080” under the designation T-80.
Production of the new vehicle was launched at plant No. 40 in Mytishchi, where from February to October 1943 it was possible to assemble from 75 to 85 units.
A number of foreign sources contain a figure of 120 tanks, but most likely this number included modified T-70Ms of the latest series. Further production of the T-80 was stopped due to the greater front demand for SU-76M self-propelled guns and the refusal of further development light tanks type.
Little is known about the combat use of T-80 tanks. As soon as these vehicles began to enter service, from November 1943 the organizational structure was revised towards their exclusion from the composition of tank brigades (unified states No. 010/500 - 010/506), and on March 4, 1944 General Staff The Red Army issued directive No. Org/3/2305 on the exclusion of the T-70 from the tank regiments. In other words, the command of the Red Army, taking into account the experience of using light tanks, was going to completely abandon them, replacing the T-70 and T-80 with armored vehicles.
However, in 1944, several tanks of this type became available to several tank units (self-made artillery regiments) operating in Western Ukraine and Hungary and were used as reconnaissance units, while the rest of the T-80 remained in the second line. There is also information about the receipt of two T-80 tanks for replenishment by the 5th Guards Tank Brigade on February 15, 1945, which arrived from repair. After the end of the war, the remaining tanks were transferred to training units and were soon scrapped.
Sources:
Svirin M.N. "Stalin's steel fist. History of the Soviet tank. 1943-1955". Eksmo, 2007
"The Complete Encyclopedia of World Tanks 1915-2000." Compiled by G.L. Kholyavsky. Harvest.Minsk\AST.Moscow. 1998
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL DATA OF A LIGHT TANK
T-80 model 1943
| COMBAT WEIGHT | 11600 kg |
| CREW, people | 3 |
| DIMENSIONS | |
| Length, mm | 4285 |
| Width, mm | 2420 |
| Height, mm | 2170 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 350 |
| WEAPONS | one 45 mm 20K cannon and one 7.62 mm DT machine gun |
| AMMUNITION | 94-100 rounds and 1008 rounds for DT |
| AIMING DEVICES | optical sight TMF-1 and K-8T |
| RESERVATION | body forehead – 35 mm (top sheet) body forehead – 45 mm (bottom sheet) hull side – 25 mm feed - 25 mm (top sheet) feed - 15 mm (bottom sheet) tower – 35 mm tower roof - 10-15 mm body roof - 15 mm |
| ENGINE | twin unit GAZ-203F, carburetor, 12-cylinder, total power 170 hp. |
| TRANSMISSION | mechanical type: gearbox, main and final drives, final clutches with brakes |
| CHASSIS | (on one side) 5 track rollers, 3 support rollers, front drive wheel, fine track made of steel tracks |
| SPEED | 42 km/h on the highway 20-25 km/h on a country road |
| HIGHWAY RANGE | 320 km (on highway) 250 km (on a country road) |
| OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME | |
| Elevation angle, degrees. | 34° |
| Wall height, m | 0,70 |
| Fording depth, m | 1,00 |
| Ditch width, m | 1,70 |
| MEANS OF COMMUNICATION | radio station 12RT with whip antenna |
The Soviet main battle tank T-80 has very little in common with the light tank under the same designation, developed in 1942 at the Gorky Automobile Plant design bureau and produced only in small quantities. The modern T-80 became the world's first production tank with a single gas turbine power plant. Its appearance was four years ahead of a similar one in terms of engine American tank"Abrams", but for quite a long time the T-80 was much faster and more maneuverable than all its Western competitors, while at the same time being ahead of them both in striking power and in terms of security.
History of creation
The main prerequisite for the creation of the Soviet T-80 tank is considered to be the decision made back in 1967 to develop a gas turbine engine for the T-64 tank. Such a power plant was supposed to develop a power of 1000 Horse power, have a standard guaranteed service life of 500 hours and provide acceptable fuel consumption for a tank cruising range of at least 450 kilometers. The main reason for this decision was the unreliability of the tank diesel engine used for the T-64.
The first developments on the use of a gas turbine engine as power plant tanks in the Soviet Union were carried out back in the late 1940s. The famous tank designer Zh.Ya proved himself to be an active supporter of the gas turbine engine. Kotin, but work under his leadership at the Leningrad Special Tank Design Bureau of the Kirov Plant (later KB-3, Spetsmash OJSC) for a long time showed the imperfection of such engines, although they were embodied in the creation of the first prototype of a tank with a gas turbine engine - “Object 278”.
In addition, the very designs of the heavy class tanks for which they were developed did not find support at that time from the top Soviet leadership, primarily from N.S. Khrushchev, especially inclined to rely on rocket weapons. In this regard, in the 1960s, the developers of KB-3 in the field of creating a tank gas turbine engine established cooperation with the designers of the Leningrad Klimov Aircraft Engine Plant, who created the promising GTD-350T engine based on a helicopter engine. An experimental missile tank (Object 288) developed on its basis helped solve a number of issues of adapting aircraft gas turbine engines to ground vehicles, but was used in a paired scheme, which very soon showed its further futility.
In general, it was the developments obtained from Object 288 that served as the basis for the creation of a fairly effective gas turbine version of the new tank based on the T-64A. By this time, the successful GTD-1000T engine with the required power of 1000 hp had been developed at the Klimov Plant. With this KB-3 engine, already in 1970, the first prototype of a main battle tank called “Object 219” was built in metal.
The main task of the tank builders was to adapt the increased energy capabilities of the new type of engine to the tank design, which ultimately led to significant modifications to the chassis. After a number of design improvements, experimental KB-3 tanks from the Kirov plant successfully passed tests, including in the conditions of military operation of individual tank units in the Volga and Turkestan military districts.
These tests confirmed a significant increase in combat readiness with low temperatures of the Object 219 compared to tanks equipped with traditional diesel engines. At the same time, problems with high fuel consumption and the need for reliable protection of the gas turbine unit from dust persisted and were quite successfully resolved only in subsequent years.
Main goals and tasks
The use of gas turbine engines in tanks made it possible to significantly increase their combat and operational characteristics, including the average speed of movement and the tank’s power supply. Since the gas turbine engine, unlike the diesel engine, did not require warming up before starting, its use should have significantly increased the combat readiness of the tank in winter conditions, reducing the time it takes to prepare it for release.
The developers managed to largely solve the problem of protecting a gas turbine installation from dust by creating air-purifying devices that captured 97% of dust particles. Thanks to this, the T-80 tank was able to be effectively used in a wide variety of geographical areas and weather conditions. climatic conditions.
The real experience of combat use of the T-80 turned out to be very far from the once planned rapid attack on the fastest Soviet tanks. Western Europe to the English Channel. After the not particularly long and massive participation of these tanks, which were quite expensive to produce and operate, in a number of local conflicts, most of them were put into long-term mothballing, with the exception of arming a few “ceremonial” units with them.
Design Features
The main tank T-80 had a classic layout. The use of GPD made it possible to significantly improve the technical characteristics of the new tank, which noticeably increased speed and maneuverability. An important positive feature of vehicles with gas turbine engines was their multi-fuel capability: gasoline, aviation kerosene, diesel and other types of fuel could be used to refuel the T-80. Internal organization The design of the tank and the working conditions for the crew were carefully thought out and significantly raised the level of Soviet tank building in this regard.
There is a complex of protection against weapons of mass destruction (“anti-neutron” lining, sealing and air purification system).
Development plant
The Kirov plant in Leningrad is considered the development plant of the T-80, since the prototypes developed in the design bureau at this plant became the basis for the production model. At the same time, work on a tank with a gas turbine power plant was actively carried out at the Kharkov Transport Engineering Plant (KZTM). The developments of this enterprise were largely aimed at modifying the T-64 tank, but from the mid-1970s they refocused on certain aspects of improving the design of the T-80. Later, after the collapse of the USSR, this was expressed in an independent “Ukrainian” branch of the development of the T-80 tank.
Adopted
The basic model of the T-80 was adopted by the USSR Ministry of Defense on July 6, 1976 as the main battle tank. Subsequently, this tank and its modifications were established as the main armament of the armies of the former Soviet Union republics (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan).
Modifications based on the T-80U produced in Russia were not exported so significantly: in two batches of 41 vehicles each for the Greek part of Cyprus and about 80 vehicles (to pay off the Soviet foreign debt) for South Korea. Own versions of the T-80, produced by Ukraine, entered service with the armies of Angola (50 vehicles) and Pakistan (320 vehicles).
Specifications
Among the main technical characteristics The T-80 tank indicates one of its most significant parameters: the maximum speed on the highway, reaching 70 km/h. Travel speed on a dry dirt road is from 40 to 45 km/h, speed reverse- up to 11 km/h.
T-80 tanks of all modifications are capable of crossing fords up to 1.2 meters deep on the move. With some preparation, this figure can be increased to 1.8 meters, and with the installation and use of a portable air supply device, the depth of water obstacles to be overcome reaches 5 meters, and their length - up to 1 kilometer.
Dimensions and weight
| Options | Characteristics for main modifications | |||
| T-80 | T-80B | T-80U | T-80UD | |
| Combat weight | 42 t | 42.5 t | 46 t | 46 t |
| Length with gun forward | 9656 mm | 9651 mm | 9556 mm | 9664 mm |
| Case length | 6780 mm | 6982 mm | 7012 mm | 7020 mm |
| Width | 3525 | 3582 mm | 3603 mm | 3755 mm |
| Tower roof height | 2300 mm | 2219 mm | 2215 mm | 2215 mm |
| Clearance | 451 mm | 451 mm | 451 mm | 529 mm |
Booking type
The T-80 tank combined Various types reservations. The body of the vehicle is welded, its main frontal part has an inclination angle of 68 degrees, and the turret is cast. The frontal parts of the hull and turret are equipped with multi-layer combined armor, combining steel and ceramics. The remaining parts of the hull are made of monolithic steel armor, made with large transitions in thickness and angles of inclination.
Starting with the T-80U tank, built-in dynamic protection is installed on the frontal part of the hull and the front hemisphere of the turret. On the T-80U(M), in addition to the dynamic armor of the T-80U type, three additional blocks are installed on the sides of the turret. On T-80U-M1 tanks, the complex of built-in dynamic protection for the turret has been changed.
Powerplant and transmission
The characteristics of the gas turbine propulsion system during subsequent upgrades increased in power from the original 1000 hp. first up to 1100 hp, and in BV versions - up to 1250 hp.
The engine-transmission unit in the rear of the tank hull is located longitudinally, which required a slight increase in the length of the vehicle compared to the T-64. The engine is made in a single unit with a built-in reduction bevel-helical gearbox, which increases its total weight up to 1050 kg. But such a design made it possible to kinematically connect two onboard planetary gearboxes to the power plant. Three planetary gears and five friction control devices in each side box provide four forward and one reverse gears. In addition, the monoblock design made it possible to reduce the engine replacement time to an average of 5 hours (for the T-72 the same figure was 24 hours).
Fuel reserve and consumption
The total fuel reserve in the reserved volume of the T-80 is 1110 liters. External tanks can accommodate another 700 liters, and additional barrels with 400 liters of fuel can be installed. The estimated fuel consumption per 100 km could differ significantly depending on the chosen driving pace and ranged from 450 to 790 liters for a dry dirt road and 430-500 liters for a highway.
Taking these indicators into account, the maximum range on the main fuel tanks was 335 km, and with additional tanks it increased to 410 km. The estimated range of 562 km for the T-80U tank refers to its movement on the highway.
Suspension type
The tank's suspension is an individual torsion bar, with off-axis torsion shafts and hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers on the first, second and sixth rollers. The track rollers have rubber tires and aluminum alloy discs. Caterpillars - with rubber running tracks and rubber-metal hinges.
Armament
The main armament of all versions of the T-80 tank is a 125 mm smoothbore gun. The auxiliary weapons are a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun coaxial with the gun and a 12.7-mm NSVT Utes anti-aircraft machine gun.
A gun
The 125-mm cannon of the D-81 type (2A46M-1) had a separate-case automatic loading with the ability to select the type of shells. The gun is stabilized in two planes. The gun was subsequently adapted to fire anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). The T-80 tank gun is unified with the armament of other types of main tanks of the USSR (T-64, T-72).
As a personal self-defense weapon for the crew, the tank was equipped with an AKMS assault rifle with 300 rounds of ammunition, 10 F-1 hand grenades, and a signal pistol with 12 charges.
Firing range
The direct firing range of a tank gun is 2100 meters. Application anti-tank missiles"Cobra" and "Reflex" increased maximum range firing up to 4 and 5 km, respectively, and also increased the likelihood of guaranteed defeat of the enemy.
Ammunition
The T-80 ammunition consisted of 40 shells; in later modifications of the tank it began to consist of 38 or 45 rounds, both sub-caliber and cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation. Machine gun ammunition includes 1250-1500 rounds for PKT and 300 (sometimes 450) rounds for Utes.
Crew
The crew of a standard T-80 tank consists of 3 people: a driver, a gunner, and a tank commander.
Modifications
| Name | Start year of release | Key Features |
| T-80B | 1978 | KUV "Cobra", 2A46-2 cannon, 902A "Cloud" smoke grenade launch system. The tower's armor has been strengthened. |
| T-80BV | 1985 | Serial version of the T-80B with mounted dynamic protection "Contact". |
| T-80U | 1985 | KUV "Reflex", weapon control complex "Irtysh", (including combined night sight TPN-4), cannon 2A46M-1, smoke grenade launch system 902B "Tucha". Combined armor with built-in dynamic protection. |
| T-80UD "Birch" | 1987 | Diesel engine 6TD (1000 hp), anti-aircraft machine gun installation with remote control, mounted dynamic protection has been replaced by built-in since 1988. By 1995, all T-80UDs of the Russian Army were taken out of service, their production continued in Ukraine. |
| T-80U-M1 "Bars" | 1992 | KUV "Reflex-M" (ATGM "Invar"), thermal imager "Agava-2", radio-absorbing coating, radio station R-163-50U. |
| T-80BVM | 2018 | Multi-channel sight "Sosna-U", 125-mm cannon 2A46M-4, modified GTD-1250 engine, driver observation device TVN-5, radio station R-168-25U-2 "Aqueduct". Active protection complex "Arena-M". |
T-80U-M1 "Bars"
The main work on the in-depth modernization of the T-80U was done by specialists from the Omsk Production Association “Transport Engineering Plant” and its completion occurred in the period after the collapse of the USSR. Nevertheless, fighting machine received the most advanced fire control system at that time. Combat capabilities The T-80U-M1 has been expanded due to the use of a thermal imaging sight, which makes it possible to fire the new Invar ATGM both during the day and at night.
The T-80 "Bars" was a tank that was the most protected at that time in the world from modern anti-tank weapons, and it did not weigh much more than its predecessors (47 tons). This was achieved by using:
- combined multilayer protection of the upper frontal part of the hull and combined filler in the turret;
- complex of built-in dynamic protection (EDP) of the hull and turret, as well as armored bulwarks with EDP elements;
- system for installing curtains of the Shtora-1 optical-electronic countermeasures complex.
Initially, the T-80U-M1 was supposed to be equipped with the Arena active protection complex, but work on this was exclusively effective system in the early 1990s they were curtailed and resumed only after significant losses of Russian army tanks during the first campaign in Chechnya. The first T-80s with the Arena complex, which detects and hitting targets, flying at speeds up to 700 m/s, were demonstrated in 1997. But due to financial considerations, the T-80U-M1 “Bars” was never put into service.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like all main Soviet battle tanks (including the modernized T-64 and T-72), the T-80 is armed with a powerful cannon that effectively hits any modern tanks NATO, it is inconspicuous on any terrain, capable of marching over long distances and transported by all types of transport. The special advantages of the T-80 are associated with the presence of a gas turbine engine, which provides greater power output, speed and impressive dynamic characteristics.
Among the most important shortcomings The T-80 is called, first of all, its high production cost: in relation to the T-64A, it increased by 3.5 times. In addition, high speed performance of gas turbine engines is achieved by significantly increased fuel consumption. A serious drawback of the T-80 is the weak security of its aiming systems.
Use in combat conditions
The T-80B, T-80BV and T-80U tanks took part in the first Chechen war, where they suffered quite serious losses, amounting to . 16 cars. Moreover, almost all of these losses were associated not with shortcomings in the tank’s design, but with its insufficiently competent tactical use and poor crew training. There are known cases when the increased fuel consumption of the T-80 came as a surprise to tank crews, immobilizing the equipment right on the march.
The tanks thrown into the assault on Grozny met well-organized resistance from the militants. The rear of any tank in an urban environment becomes extremely vulnerable to sudden attack by anti-tank weapons, and the frontal armor of the T-80 often had to experience concentrated point-blank fire from a dozen or more RPGs simultaneously.
Subsequently, instead of the massive use of armored vehicles, small armored groups consisting of T-80 or T-72 tanks and two or three infantry fighting vehicles were widely used. IN settlements such armored groups no longer entered, destroying enemy defenses from a safe distance. In addition, tanks were involved in escorting convoys, leading the tank with a mine trawl attached.
Russia after the first Chechen war did not carry out a serious modernization of the T-80 and did not use these tanks either in the second Chechen campaign or during the short conflict with Georgia in 2008. Ukraine did not use the T-80 during active clashes in the conflict zone around Donbass, but then widely demonstrated these tanks in the area where the warring parties were demarcated.
Currently, the place where the T-80 is being used quite actively is Yemen. Belarus supplied 66 tanks to this country in 2011-2012. By that time, Belarusian T-80BV tanks had been modernized and equipped with dynamic protection. During the escalation of the internal conflict in this country, T-80s fell into the hands of both warring parties, and a significant part of them have now been lost.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them
| T-80 | |
|---|---|
| Light tank T-80 in the Armored Museum in Kubinka |
|
| T-80 | |
| Combat weight, t | 11,6 |
| Crew, people | 3 |
| Story | |
| Number of issued, pcs. | 70 |
| Dimensions | |
| Case length, mm | 4285 |
| Width, mm | 2420 |
| Booking | |
| Armor type | heterogeneous rolled high hardness |
| Body forehead (top), mm/deg. | 35/60° |
| Body forehead (bottom), mm/deg. | 45/−30° and 15/−81° |
| Hull side, mm/deg. | 25/0° |
| Hull stern (top), mm/deg. | 15/76° |
| Hull rear (bottom), mm/deg. | 25/−44° |
| Bottom, mm | 10 |
| Housing roof, mm | 15 |
| Gun mask, mm/deg. | 35 |
| Tower side, mm/deg. | 35/5° |
| Tower roof, mm | 10 and 15 |
| Armament | |
| Caliber and brand of gun | 45mm 20-K |
| Barrel length, calibers | 46 |
| Gun ammunition | 94-100 |
| Angles VN, degrees. | −8…+65° |
| Angles GN, degrees. | 360° |
| Sights | TMF-1, K-8T |
| Machine guns | 1 × 7.62 mm DT |
| Mobility | |
| engine's type | twin in-line 4‑stroke 6‑cylinder carburetor |
| Engine model | GAZ-203F (M-80) |
| Engine power, l. With. | 2×85 |
| Highway speed, km/h | 42 |
| Speed over rough terrain, km/h | 20-25 |
| Highway range, km | 320 |
| Cruising range over rough terrain, km | 250 |
| Specific power, l. s./t | 14,6 |
| Suspension type | torsion bar individual |
| Specific ground pressure, kg/cm² | 0,84 |
| Climbability, degrees. | 34 |
| Wall to be overcome, m | 0,7 |
| Ditch to be overcome, m | 1,7 |
| Fordability, m | 1,0 |
| T-80 on Wikimedia Commons | |
The T-80 became the last domestically developed wartime light tank.
History of creation
From the very first moment the T-70 light tank was adopted by the Red Army, Soviet military experts pointed out its main weakness - its single-seat turret. But the design of the tank still had reserves that could be used to eliminate this shortcoming. The GAZ tank design bureau, headed by N.A. Astrov, promised this to the military even when the GAZ-70 prototype was shown and got into work almost immediately after the serial production of the T-70 was established. During the late spring, summer and early autumn of 1942, it was determined that installing a two-man turret would greatly increase the load on the tank's engine, transmission and chassis. Tests of the T-70 tank, loaded to 11 tons, fully confirmed these fears - during the tests, suspension torsion bars burst, tracks broke, and transmission components and assemblies failed. Therefore, the main work was carried out to strengthen these structural elements; it successfully ended with the adoption of the T-70M modification into service by the Red Army. Also, by the fall, a two-man turret for the T-70 tank was manufactured and successfully tested, but two obstacles stood in the way of mass production.
The first of these was the insufficient power of the GAZ-203 twin propulsion system. It was planned to increase it by boosting it to 170 hp. With. in total due to an increase in the cylinder filling ratio and an increase in the compression ratio. The second obstacle arose from the requirement to provide large elevation angles for the gun to hit targets on the upper floors of buildings in urban battles. This could also make it possible to increase the fire countermeasures of enemy aircraft. In particular, the commander of the Kalinin Front, Lieutenant General I.S. Konev, insisted on this. The already developed two-man turret for the T-70 did not satisfy this requirement and was redesigned to allow firing from a gun at a high elevation angle. Second prototype with new tower received the factory designation 080 or 0-80. For more convenient placement of a gun with the possibility of anti-aircraft firing and two crew members, it was necessary to widen the diameter of the shoulder strap and make an armored barbette ring with a thickness of 40-45 mm under the inclined edges of the turret. Due to the wider turret shoulder strap, it became impossible to dismantle the engine without first removing the turret - the armor ring began to overlap the removable over-engine armor plate.
Production
Serial release The T-80 was launched in Mytishchi at Plant No. 40 in February 1943. Production volumes were small; about 80 vehicles were produced before production ended in October 1943. The total number of T-80s produced remains unclear. According to documents of the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army, a total of 70 “eighties” were built. However, reports from the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry contain slightly different figures. According to this department, 81 T-80 tanks were produced in 1943, and 85 throughout the war. However, this number may include prototypes, development and pre-production vehicles. Also, some authors include experimental vehicles built by GAZ in the total number of T-80s produced. According to plant number 40, only 66 tanks were produced in 1943, and 11 of them were delivered twice. Hence the confusion. In total, together with four prototypes of the GAZ plant, 70 cars were built.
The cessation of production of the T-80 was to a certain extent due to several reasons: to a lesser extent - the unreliable operation of the forced M-80 propulsion system (in the sources its designations also differ - the indices M-80 or GAZ-203F are mentioned); to a greater extent, the reasons were the insufficient firepower and armor protection of the “eighty” as of 1943 (see section “”) and the extreme need of the Red Army for the SU-76M self-propelled artillery mounts. By the end of 1943 - beginning of 1944, the upgraded propulsion system was brought to an acceptable level of reliability, but there was no question of resuming production of the T-80.
Due to the unreliable operation of the propulsion system, weak weapons in 1943 and the great need of the Red Army for self-propelled units The SU-76M T-80 was discontinued. On the basis of the T-80, an experimental tank with a high-power 45-mm VT-43 tank gun was built at the beginning of 1943, but it was not adopted by the Red Army. However, according to other sources, the curtailment of the production of these tanks was simply caused by the destruction of the production facilities of the Gorky Automobile Plant as a result of a series of unpunished bombings by the Luftwaffe in 1942.
Description of design
Armored hull and turret
The armored body of the tank was welded from rolled heterogeneous (surface hardening was used) armor plates with a thickness of 10, 15, 25, 35 and 45 mm. Armor protection is differentiated, bulletproof. The front and rear armor plates had rational angles of inclination, and the sides were vertical. The side of the T-80 was made of two armor plates connected by welding. To strengthen the weld, a vertical stiffening beam was installed inside the hull, riveted to the front and rear side parts. A number of hull armor plates (over-engine and over-radiator plates) were removable for ease of maintenance and replacement of various components and assemblies of the tank. Workplace The driver was located in the front part of the armored hull of the tank with some offset to the left from the central longitudinal plane of the vehicle. The hatch for boarding and disembarking the driver was located on the frontal armor plate and was equipped with a balancing mechanism to facilitate opening. The presence of the driver's hatch weakened the resistance of the upper frontal part to projectile hits. The bottom of the T-80 was welded from three armor plates 10 mm thick, and to ensure rigidity, transverse box-shaped beams were welded to it, in which the torsion bars of the suspension units were located. An emergency hatch was made in the front part of the bottom under the driver's seat. The hull also had a number of air inlets, hatches, hatches and technological openings for ventilation of the habitable spaces of the tank, draining fuel and oil, and access to the necks of the fuel tanks and other components and assemblies of the vehicle. A number of these holes were protected by armored covers, flaps and casings.
Armament
The main armament of the T-80 was a rifled semi-automatic 45-mm tank gun mod. 1938 (20-Km or 20Km) The gun was mounted on axles in the plane of longitudinal symmetry of the turret. The 20-K gun had a 46-caliber barrel, the height of the firing line was 1630 mm, the direct fire range reached 3.6 km, the maximum possible was 6 km. The gun was paired with a 7.62 mm DT machine gun, which could easily be removed from the twin mount and used outside the tank. The twin installation had a range of elevation angles from −8° to +65° and horizontal circular fire. The rotating mechanism of the gear-type turret, with a manual drive, was located to the left of the tank commander, and the lifting mechanism of the gun (screw type, also with a manual drive) was located on the right. The machine gun's release was mechanical; the gun was equipped with an electric trigger.
The DT coaxial machine gun had 1,008 rounds of ammunition (16 discs), and the crew was also equipped with one PPSh submachine gun with 3 discs (213 rounds) and 12 F-1 hand grenades. In a number of cases, a pistol was added to this weaponry for firing signal flares.
Engine
The T-80 was equipped with a GAZ-203F power unit (later designated M-80) from twin four-stroke in-line six-cylinder carburetor liquid-cooled GAZ-80 engines. As a result, the maximum total power of the GAZ-203F unit reached 170 hp. With. (125 kW) at 3400 rpm. Both engines were equipped with K-43 type carburetors. The engine crankshafts were connected by a coupling with elastic bushings. To avoid longitudinal vibrations of the entire unit, the flywheel housing of the front GAZ-80 was connected by a rod to the right side of the tank. Each “half” of the GAZ-203F had its own ignition, lubrication and fuel supply systems. In the cooling system of the power unit, the water pump was common, but the water-oil radiator was two sections, each section was responsible for servicing its own GAZ-80. The GAZ-203F installation was equipped with an oil-inertia type air cleaner.
Like its predecessor T-70, the T-80 was equipped with an engine pre-heater for operation in winter conditions. A cylindrical boiler was installed between the side of the tank and the engine, in which heating was carried out due to thermosiphon circulation of antifreeze. The boiler was heated with an external gasoline blowtorch. The heater boiler and water-oil radiator were an integral part of the cooling system of the entire power unit of the tank.
The engine was started by two parallel-connected ST-06 starters (power 2 hp or 1.5 kW). The tank could also be started by hand or towed by another tank.
Transmission
The T-80 tank was equipped with a mechanical transmission, which included:
- double-disc semi-centrifugal main clutch of dry friction “steel on ferodo”;
- four-speed gearbox (4 forward gears and 1 reverse), parts from the ZIS-5 truck were used;
- cardan shaft;
- bevel final drive;
- two multi-disc onboard clutches with dry friction “steel on steel” and band brakes with ferodo linings;
- two simple single-row final drives.
All transmission control drives are mechanical; the driver controlled the rotation and braking of the tank with two levers on both sides of his workplace.
Chassis
The chassis of the T-80 tank was almost completely inherited from its predecessor, the T-70M. The vehicle's suspension is individual torsion bar without shock absorbers for each of 5 single-pitch solid stamped road wheels of small diameter (550 mm) with rubber bands on each side. Opposite the suspension units closest to the stern, travel limiters of the suspension balancers with rubber buffers were welded to the armored hull to soften the blows; for the first and third suspension units from the front of the vehicle, the role of limiters was played by support rollers. The lantern gear drive wheels with removable gear rims were located in front, and idlers unified with support rollers and a caterpillar tension mechanism were located in the rear. The upper branch of the caterpillar was supported by three small support rollers on each side. Fenders were riveted to the tank hull to prevent the track from jamming when the tank moved with a significant list on one of the sides. The caterpillar is small-linked and consists of 80 tracks; the width of the double-ridge track is 300 mm.
Electrical equipment
The electrical wiring in the T-80 tank was single-wire, the second wire being the armored hull of the vehicle. The sources of electricity (operating voltage 12 V) were a GT-500S generator with a relay-regulator RRK-GT-500S with a power of 500 W and two series-connected 3-STE-112 batteries with a total capacity of 112 Ah. Electricity consumers included:
Sights and observation devices
The twin installation of the 20-K cannon and DT machine gun was equipped with a TMF-1 sight for firing at ground targets and a K-8T collimator sight for firing at air targets and the upper floors of buildings. The driver's, gunner's, and commander's positions on the T-80 also each had one periscope viewing device for monitoring the environment outside the tank. However, for a vehicle with a commander's cupola, visibility could have been even better - the lack of viewing devices still affected it.
Means of communication
On T-80 tanks, a 12RT radio station and an internal intercom TPU for 3 subscribers were installed in the turret.
The 12RT radio station was a set of transmitter, receiver and umformers (single-armature motor-generators) for their power supply, connected to the on-board electrical network with a voltage of 12 V. From a technical point of view, it was a duplex tube shortwave radio station with a transmitter output power of 20 W, operating for transmission in frequency range from 4 to 5.625 MHz (wavelengths from 53.3 to 75 m, respectively), and for reception - from 3.75 to 6 MHz (wavelengths from 50 to 80 m). The different ranges of the transmitter and receiver were explained by the fact that the 4-5.625 MHz range was intended for two-way “tank-to-tank” communication, and the extended range of the receiver was used for one-way “headquarters-to-tank” communication. When parked, the communication range in telephone (voice, amplitude modulation of the carrier) mode in the absence of interference reached 15-25 km; while moving, it decreased slightly. A greater communication range could be obtained in telegraph mode, when information was transmitted by a telegraph key using Morse code or another discrete coding system.
The TPU tank intercom made it possible to negotiate between members of the tank crew even in a very noisy environment and connect a headset (headsets and laryngophones) to a radio station for external communication.
Modifications
Serial
The T-80 light tank was officially produced in the only serial modification without any significant design changes during production. Serial combat and special vehicles (self-propelled artillery, ZSU, armored personnel carriers, armored personnel carriers, tractors, etc.) based on the T-80 light tank were also not produced.
Experienced
The lack of armament (primarily the low armor penetration of the 20-K cannon by the standards of the end of 1942) of the T-80 tank actively stimulated work on its re-equipment with a more powerful artillery system. As a solution to the problem, it was proposed to use a 45-mm long-barreled gun VT-42 joint development plant No. 40 and OKB No. 172 with the ballistics of a 45-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1942 (M-42) . This gun has already been successfully tested in the T-70 tank, however, due to the planned transition to the production of the T-80, it was not installed in the serial "seventies". However, the VT-42 did not have the ability to fire at high elevation angles required by the T-80, so its design had to be significantly redesigned. At the beginning of 1943, this work was completed, and a version of the 45-mm long-barreled gun VT-43 was successfully tested in the T-80 tank. Except for the higher initial speed projectile (950 m/s) and a larger maximum elevation angle (+78°), all other characteristics of the tank remained unchanged. The gun was adopted for arming T-80 tanks, but due to the cessation of their production, all work on it was completed.
Organizational and staffing structure
The T-80 light tank was intended to replace the T-70 light tank in the army and was to be used as part of separate tank brigades, tank regiments and armored battalions. However, due to the objective weakness of the T-70, from November 1943 the organizational structure was revised towards their exclusion from the tank brigades (united states No. 010/500 - 010/506), and from March 4, 1944, the General Staff of the Red Army released Directive No. Org/3/2305 on the exclusion of the T-70 from tank regiments. T-80s began to arrive at the front during the course of this reorganization, so it is not yet possible to establish exactly their place and number in the organizational structure. The surviving T-70s and new T-80s were transferred to reconnaissance armored battalions (they included a company of light tanks numbering 7 vehicles, the rest were BA-64 armored vehicles) and, for use as command vehicles, in units self-propelled artillery, armed with self-propelled guns SU-76, which had the same type of chassis components and assemblies as the T-70M and T-80.
Combat use
As of 2007, no details of the combat use of T-80 light tanks have yet been found in archives and memoirs. The literature sometimes mentions complaints from the troops about the overload and insufficient reliability of the tank's power plant, but this may be a consequence of reports on military tests of the vehicle produced in mid-1943, where these shortcomings were actually noted. From front-line reports we know about the use of several T-80s in self-propelled artillery regiments in 1944. There is also information about the receipt by the 5th Guards Tank Brigade of two T-80 tanks from repair on February 15, 1945. In addition, on September 7, 1943 in Tula in the 230th tank regiment 27 T-80s were shipped (of which 20 were radio-equipped). Another 27 vehicles were shipped there for the 54th Regiment of the 12th Guards. cd. Nothing is known about the use of the T-80 in the armies of other states besides the USSR.
Project evaluation
The Eighty, created in extreme wartime conditions, was the last in a series of Soviet mass-produced light tanks of the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. According to the pre-war views of the Soviet leadership, light tanks were supposed to make up a significant portion of the material part of the tank forces of the Red Army, have a low production cost compared to medium and heavy vehicles, and also, in the event of a large-scale war, be produced in large quantities at non-specialized enterprises. The pre-war T-50 was supposed to be such a light tank. However, for a number of reasons (evacuation of the manufacturer, shortage of diesel engines, etc.), the production of the T-50 amounted to about 70 tanks. In addition, for plant No. 37, whose mobilization task was to master the production of the T-50, the task turned out to be impossible. However, a tank with characteristics close to the T-50 was objectively needed by the Red Army. The design bureau of plant No. 37 (later GAZ), headed by N. A. Astrov, starting from the T-40 small amphibious tank, which was well established in production, and consistently improving the idea of a light tank with the widespread use of cheap automobile units, managed to create such a tank by the end of 1942. the car that the T-80 was. The previous stages in this intense work were the T-60 and T-70 light tanks. However, the lighter-weight “eighty” was not a full-fledged substitute for the T-50, being inferior to the latter in a number of indicators: power density, visibility, armor protection (especially onboard), power reserve. On the other hand, the manufacturability and low cost of the “eighty” compared to others Soviet tanks(the legacy of the predecessor T-70) made it possible to fulfill the wishes of the top management about the potential possibility of mass production of such tanks at non-specialized enterprises; the ergonomics of the vehicle (a significant weakness of the “seventy”) could already be considered acceptable. However, for reasons not directly related to the design of the tank, this potential opportunity was not realized in practice.
An important circumstance that influenced the fate of both the T-80 and domestic light tanks in general was the changed situation at the front. The appearance of T-34s in large numbers on the battlefield required the Germans to qualitatively strengthen their anti-tank artillery. During 1942, the Wehrmacht received a large number of 50 mm and 75 mm anti-tank guns, tanks and self-propelled guns armed with long-barreled 75 mm guns. If the frontal armor of the T-80 could at least somehow help against 50-mm shells in some cases, then the 75-mm long-barreled guns had no problems hitting the T-80 at any distances and battle angles (given thicknesses of homogeneous hull sheets for 50 -mm armor-piercing projectile: bottom sheet - 60 mm, ram sheet - 52 mm, top sheet - 67 mm). The latter's side armor did not save even the outdated 37-mm Pak 35/36 cannon from normal fire, although, compared to the T-70M, thickening the side armor to 25 mm improved its projectile resistance at oblique firing angles. As a result, when breaking through the defense prepared in anti-tank terms, T-80 units were doomed to high losses. The power of 45-mm shells was clearly insufficient to combat both enemy anti-tank guns and German armored vehicles ( frontal armor even the medium modernized PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV could only be penetrated by a sub-caliber projectile from extremely short distances). Therefore, the attack on enemy armored forces by T-80 units had to be carried out primarily from ambushes, firing from short distances at the side and stern. This required high skill and skill from Soviet tank crews. The Battle of Kursk clearly demonstrated the validity of these theses in relation to the T-70; The T-80 in this regard was practically equivalent to the Seventy, which was one of the reasons for the cessation of production of light tanks in the USSR.
Main battle tank (MBT) is a term given to a combat vehicle capable of combining high maneuverability, security and firepower. An example of a Soviet MBT is heavy tank T-80, which has been in service for 42 years.
This is the first car where the designers used a gas turbine unit as an engine, which was ahead of its time. According to the Western Military District, he is now in the army Russian Federation There are about 4,000 pieces of equipment. In total, more than 10,000 vehicles of various modifications were produced, including 6,000 T-80U tanks.
How the legendary car was created
In fact, the roots of the creation of the T-80 go back to the distant 1942-1948 years of the last century. It was then that designer Alexander Starosenko designed the first tank with a gas turbine engine instead of a standard diesel engine. Unfortunately, the project was not published, but it was not forgotten either. Seven years later, in 1955, designers Chistyakov and Ogloblin at the Leningrad Kirov plant designed and produced “Object 278”, with a GTD-1 engine.
Its power amounted to a thousand horsepower. This machine, which had a mass of 53.6 tons, developed a speed that was no joke for its weight - as much as 57.3 km/h. But again, failure - the slightly earlier versions with a diesel engine of the Object were rejected by Khrushchev, and the tank again went into obscurity, this time for three years.
In 1963, along with the new T-64 medium tank, a gas turbine version was designed, codenamed T-64T.
The design continued to be modified until 1976. As a result, little remained of the “sixty-four”. In addition to the engine, it was redone chassis, the shape of the hull, even the tower. The designers left only the gun, automatic loader and ammunition.
And in the summer of 1976, an order was received from the USSR Army for a completely new main battle tank called the T-80. The technology turned out to be successful and suitable for deep modification, which continued until the end of the nineties. This is how the thorny and difficult path of our “eighty” began.
Design features and changes
Although the T-80 was, in fact, a converted “sixty-four”, there were plenty of changes in its design, and they affected not only the engine. The layout was left the same - classic, the crew consists of three people. But the driver-mechanic acquired three viewing devices at once, although previously he had only one.
Unlike its predecessors, the designers added the ability to heat its place warm air from the turbine compressor.
The T-80's hull was still welded. It was also decided not to change the angle of inclination of its frontal part - it remained equal to 68°. Crew protection is differentiated; the frontal parts of the vehicle hull consist of multi-layer combined armor. Materials: steel and ceramics. The rest of the armor is steel, with a variety of angles and thicknesses. The sides are covered with special protective screens made of reinforced rubber, this decision made it possible to improve protection against cumulative projectiles.
Inside the equipment there is a polymer lining that performs several functions. When armor is penetrated by kinetic projectiles, the lining reduces the scattering of fragments inside the vehicle, thereby increasing the protection of the crew. The second function is to reduce exposure to gamma radiation. To prevent exposure to radiation in radioactive areas, the designers installed a special plate under the driver’s seat. The weight of the tank varies depending on modifications - from 42 to 46 tons.
The T-80's turret was originally cast, with a thickness of 450 mm at its thickest point. In 1985, it was replaced with a more modern, welded one with fewer vulnerable areas. After modernization, it is possible to attach dynamic protection “Kontakt-1/2” and “Cactus”. The designers placed the tank's underwater driving equipment at the rear of the turret, thus covering the MTO compartment and providing it with additional protection.
T-80 armament
The tank has a 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46-1, later 2A46-2 / 2A46M-1, capable of firing guided missiles of the Cobra, Invar, and Reflex-M types. The direct fire range is 4000 meters, missiles fly up to 5000 meters. The ammunition load includes sub-caliber, high-explosive fragmentation and, of course, cumulative projectiles, with a separate cartridge charge. The total number varies depending on the modifications of the tank (38-45 charges).
The designers also transferred the loading mechanism from the T-64A.
The carousel of the T-80 mechanized combat stowage holds 28 rounds, the average rate of fire is 6-9 rounds. On production samples, the gun received a thermal casing. The tank is equipped with a twin, caliber 7.62 mm. On the commander's turret there is a 12.7 mm Utes anti-aircraft weapon with a firing range of 1,500 meters against air targets and 2,000 meters against ground targets.
The table shows the performance characteristics of various T-80 tanks
| Type | T-80 | T-80B | T-80U | T-80UD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design plant | Kirov Heavy Tank Manufacturing Plant | Kharkov Heavy Tank Manufacturing Plant | ||
| The tank entered service with the troops | 1976 | 1978 | 1986 | 1987 |
| Weight of equipment | 42 | 42,5 | 46 | 46 |
| Main Dimensions | ||||
| Length, (mm) | 6781 | 6983 | 7013 | 7021 |
| Width, (mm) | 3526 | 3583 | 3604 | 3756 |
| Height, (mm) | 2300 | 2220 | 2216 | 2216 |
| Ground clearance, (mm) | 450 | 527 | ||
| Availability and type of dynamic protection of the machine | ||||
| Dynamic armor | No | "Contact-1" | "Contact-5" | "Cactus" |
| Active protection | No | "Curtain" | ||
| Armor | Cast, welded, combined | |||
| T-80 armament | ||||
| Main weapon | 2A46 | 2A46-2 2A46M-1 | 2A46M-1 2A46M-4 | 2A46-1 |
| Firing range, m | 0-4000 | |||
| Tank ammunition | 40 | 38 | 45 | 45 |
| T-80 crew | 3 | |||
| Engine | ||||
| Type | Gas turbine (GTE) | Diesel | ||
| Power, hp | 1000 | 1110 | 1200 | 1000 |
| Maximum speed on asphalt | 70 | 60 | ||
| Speed on country roads | 40-50 | |||
| Engine power | 23,8 | 25,7 | 21,73 | 21,6 |
| Fuel capacity, l | 1845 | |||
| Fuel consumption l/km | 3,65 | |||
| Suspension | Torsion bar | |||
Engine and transmission
The main difference between the T-80 and its predecessors and contemporaries is the gas turbine engine. The designers had to increase the length of the body due to its longitudinal location. The engine weight is 1050 kilograms, and the maximum speed is about 26 thousand revolutions per minute. There are four fuel tanks in the engine compartment total capacity 1140 liters. The main advantage of a gas turbine engine is its versatility.
The engine runs successfully on a variety of aviation fuels (TS-1/2), as well as diesel fuel and low-octane gasoline. Thanks to the rear-facing turbine exhaust, the tank's noise signature was noticeably reduced, which had a positive effect on overall camouflage.
To facilitate the start-up of the gas turbine engine on the T-80, the designers installed an automatic engine operation control system (SAUR). This made it possible to increase its wear resistance by 10 times. The engine starts within -40° to +40° Celsius. Operational readiness is 3 minutes, engine oil consumption is minimal.
The transmission was heavily redesigned compared to the T-64.
The increased weight and power forced the designers to replace the drive and guide wheels, support and support rollers. The new tracks have rubberized tracks. Some experts consider telescopic shock absorbers to be the bane of a tank, but replacing them is not difficult even in the field. Thanks to these changes, the T-80 chassis is considered the best in its class.
Comparison with the MBT of a potential enemy
By rights, the main competitor of the T-80 is the American main one. This is quite logical, because the vehicles entered service with their countries at approximately the same time. American competitor is younger domestic tank only for 4 years.
Interesting fact Another thing is that both cars are equipped with gas turbine engines. At the same time, the dimensions of the T-80 are smaller than those of the M1A1. This makes him less noticeable on the battlefield. Although, given the capabilities of modern high-precision weapons, this is a rather controversial advantage, for which the designers had to sacrifice the engine heat exchanger.
According to the stated data, the degree of air purification of the M1A1 engine is one hundred percent, while that of the T-80 is 1.5% less. But for some reason the Abrams is more difficult to operate in desert conditions. The American engine stalls due to a clogged filter. The domestic analogue feels great in any weather and climatic conditions.
The M1A1 weighs 60 tons, has a cruising range of 395-430 kilometers with a maximum speed of 70 km/h. Our T-80 boasts 46 tons of live weight and 355 kilometers of power reserve. This can be explained by the lower fuel consumption of the Abrams. This can be corrected by installing additional tanks on the T-80 hull; unfortunately, this does not allow increasing the ceiling speed of 60 km/h.
The American's armament is slightly different from its Soviet competitor.
The M1A1 is equipped with a 120 mm smoothbore gun, with 40 rounds of ammunition (versus our 45 for the T-80U). It is possible to fire sub-caliber and cumulative projectiles guided by missiles. The gun is loaded manually, so the number of tankers is four. Abrams has a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun installed on the turret, and two more 7.62 mm are paired with the main gun.
The most important issue is the price. The cost of the M1A1 Abrams is approximately $6 million. The T-80 costs the treasury about two million, which is cheaper.
You can argue endlessly about whose main battle tank is better. Everyone has pros and cons, the most important thing is that they occur only at tank competitions, checkered sheets and virtual space.
Oddly enough, the equipment created to protect the borders of the Soviet homeland did not take part in their defense. Not a single copy of the T-80 took part in battles for the USSR. First combat use occurred on the territory of the Russian Federation in the fall of 1993.
It was the “eighties” who fired at the White House building in Moscow.
And then there was Chechnya. From 1995 to 1996, T-80 tanks took part in battles against the Republic of Ichkeria. I would like to note that the technology was used inadequately, sometimes not for its intended purpose.
Poor crew training, lack of dynamic protection, and the use of vehicles in urban and mountainous conditions led to losses. The command made conclusions and the T-80 was no longer used in the second Chechen campaign.
It should be said that after the collapse of the USSR, most of the tanks remained on the territory of Ukraine, along with the Kharkov plant, where this equipment was produced.
Victories in the virtual space
Gamers associate the T-80 tank with the confrontation between the USSR and the USA. In most games where these superpowers clash, the main armored force of the Soviet country is this vehicle. New “Free to play” games, such as “Armored Warfare” also promise this copy at the end of the leveling thread Soviet technology. It is popular among military strategy developers.
The T-80 became the final chord of Soviet designers who worked on creating the technology for 10 years.
In 2015, the government of the Russian Federation decided to replace this model of equipment with. The reason for the replacement is the futility of modernizing the tank.
Instead, the troops will also receive newest tanks"Armata". This cannot be said that this is the end of the T-80, because the replacement will occur gradually, and the equipment will serve its homeland for a long time. Especially in the cold regions of Russia, where the gas turbine engine is a good ace in the hole. Still, for a tank, 42 years is the prime of life, and not the completion date life path.
Video
Legend.
The choice for this model fell under the influence of all the previous ones. They were all large and very large machines. I was mentally tired of working on dinosaurs and became interested in something small. And as it usually happens to me - extremely small) I have Mouse as an example maximum sizes, I wanted something in the opposite direction - a sample of the minimum size. But not a wedge, which of course come in smaller sizes, but what a tank, even a light one. At first I remembered the popular German E-10, E-25, but I love variety and I didn’t want to make a third German car out of five models. Plus, another preference of mine is tanks from the late stages of World War II. I studied history, alternatives different countries. And the Soviet T-80 caught my eye. I really liked it, it’s an unusual, nice tank, asymmetrical layout, small size and weight. At that time there were no fewer of his full-fledged tanks; there were, plus or minus, the same.There is no historical connection. I imagine the legend that he was part of the 8th self-propelled artillery brigade. They were the ones who used the sign in the form of a bird in the circle that I made. And apparently the tank was a command tank, since even by the end of the war, Soviet armored vehicles very rarely had walkie-talkies, especially on such “bugs”. And here she is.
Usually I always strive to give the model uniqueness, through various additions in moderation and within the framework of logic. This time it's a cable, a ramp and an antenna.
I also always prefer to paint camouflage; I like that it is more complex than a single-color fill and is more effective in general. Yes, kamo was rarely used in the Red Army. But the one I used is a real circuit from those times. I was fooling around for a long time to authentically mix 4BO, 6K and 7K paints. There is a lot of debate about their authenticity, but I can say that 4BO I found a recipe that is completely identical to 4BO from Akan. There was even less information on 6K and 7K, but I also think that I achieved something very close to the combined average result between different sources.
Materials used.
1. Set T-80 Miniart 351172. Photo-etched Voyager PE 35516 for T-70m
3. Metal tracks MasterClub MTL-35036 for T-70m
4. External parts for Su-76m Kit Zip 35010
5. Rollers and sprockets for T-70m Kit Zip 35009
6. Turned barrel and machine gun 20K 45mm Aber 35L-055
7. Headlights of Soviet technology Elf 3502
8. Cable with thimbles for T-34/76 and Su-122 Eureka XXL ER-3528
9. Antenna of the Soviet BTT WW2 Aber R-33
10. Rivets 1.0 MC435017 MasterClub
11. Bolts 0.6 Mc435043 MasterClub
12. Bolts 0.7 Mc435044 MasterClub
13. Bolts 0.9 Mc435036 MasterClub
14. Copper wire, scraps of etched boards, plastic and other available materials.
What was done additionally?
Let me clarify that not only the set itself does not count, but also the photo-etching.1. Cut off and replaced all hex bolts, including those on the transmission cover.
2. Cut and replaced the rivet at the junction of the side sheets.
3. Drilled out the hole for the torsion shafts and glued adequate hex bolts there.
4. I made a corner mount for the winter engine warm-up lamp.
5. Changed the shape of the suspension travel limiters to the correct one.
6. Narrowed the joint of the side sheets with putty.
7. Use putty to narrow all the joints on the top sheet.
10. Replaced the mechanical drive hatch with the correct one. I made it workable and laid a seam around the perimeter.
11. Replaced transmission covers.
12. Replaced the road wheels with the correct ones.
13. Replaced the drive sprockets with the correct ones.
14. I laid vertical seams on the stern and imitated a gas cutting mark on the vertical section of the stern sheet.
15. I laid a horizontal seam at the junction of the VLD and NLD and imitated the mark of a gas cutting machine on the cut of the NLD.
16. I laid the missing seams of the VLD and side sheets.
17. Replaced all types of handrails and handles (3 types) on the body with wire of different diameters. I simulated weld marks at the place where they were attached.
18. At the side ventilation casing, I corrected the internal bulkheads, making two instead of three.
19. I cut a hole at the bottom of the side ventilation casing and inserted a grille.
20. I laid the missing seams on the front and rear edges of the side ventilation casing and added two missing bolts each.
21. I made loops for folding the side ventilation casing.
22. Moved the fastening of the manual winding handle from the side to the fenders.
23. Replaced the headlight from the kit with Elf, laid the wiring to the headlight and signal.
24. The turret ledge on the left was completely converted to the right one. I made a seam.
25. I made two slots on each of the slats to secure them with wings when folded.
26. Made the slats working.
1. Made the tower working, rotating, but not falling off.
2. Replaced the barrel of the cannon and machine gun with turned ones.
3. I laid seams on the sides of the gun mantlet and around the entrance of the gun into the mantlet.
4. I replaced the antenna input glass, since it came from the kit underfilled. I put a seam around it
6. Replaced all types of handrails and handles (3 types) and loops (2 types) with wire of different diameters. I simulated weld marks at the place where they were attached.
7. Made working hatches on the tower, that’s all.
Construction.
Construction began in February and finished in mid-November. But I think it took a little more than six months of active time.Something new for me: for the first time I made a roll myself and for the first time I used separate bolts and rivets.
What can I say about the construction site itself and the recruitment. On latest photos from the gallery you can see for yourself that there is no living space left on the model in its original form. I think that the number of alterations and replaced parts significantly exceeds the number of untouched parts from the box as they are. The set is both very low quality in everything and not a copy in particulars. Only a god of modeling can assemble the tracks out of the box, the antenna input is underfilled, some parts need to be marked and glued along a ruler, there are a lot of “washed out” small parts, all the torsion bars are crooked, which means all the wheels are difficult to align, the plastic itself is soft and brittle. There are no numbers on the sprues. There are also a lot of errors in the hardware. In general, everything is in the style of old firewood from the 90s and earlier. But! The general geometry and dimensions are correct and with serious effort and desire (this is the main thing) you can bring the model to an excellent look. I would like to believe that this is exactly what happened to me.
