T-72 ΜΒΤ modernisation and variants

AJ-47 wrote:I'm writing on upgrade of the T-72 and I'm not sure if what I'm wrtting is correct, the suject is T-72 "observation and fire control", I'll appriciate some help with this.

[b]Observation and fire control[/b]

One of the new main features of the T-72B3M is the PK- PAN which is an independent panoramic thermal sight that allows the commander to independently search for targets, and then slew the turret to engage the targets (hunter-killer ability). This sight is fully stabilized and mounted on the top centre of the turret between the two hatches. The sight contains a day channel, a laser range finder and image intensifier. The tank commander uses the panoramic sight to search for targets, once the target is found and selected, the gun is laid on the target automatically and the gunner completes all the aiming and firing process, during that time commander looks for the next target. This brings the observation and situational awareness capabilities of the T-72B3M to rough parity with Western vehicles.

The tank is also equipped with highly advanced fire control system based on the multichannel gunner's sight "Sosna-U". The sight has optical and thermal channel and provide an increased identification range of targets at night and also applying of digital ballistic computer with a set of weather sensors. The fire control system includes also automatic target tracker in the gunner's sight optical and thermal channel.

The tank has day/night and all weather combat capability, and also fitted with a digital radio system. So in terms of fire control system and all the electronics, the T-72B3M outperforms the T-90 tank used by the Russian Army.

magnumcromagnon wrote:

Mindstorm wrote:

Isos wrote:I already answer to that. The smoke screen is 50m away. A top attack missile controled by a man won't be affected.

I do not understand what should be the answer (except the supposed capability of the ATGM's operator to "guess" the position of the vehicle aiming at blind in the area behind the multispectral curtain)  

Isos you can easily see that the Штора system in the video is activated at minute 2:42 (when the tank just approach the curve) then aerosol barrier form in less than 3 seconds to a size more than sufficient to completely mask the position of the tank for more than 20 seconds.

You can easily understand that ,let put a Spike ATGM, even if manually guided would have a truly negligible chance -if any- to hit that T-90.

The ATGM operator at 10-12 seconds from impact (the unified battle management system after the initial transfer of the alarm to the units potentially target of the attack ,transfer the command for countermeasures employment at about within this time window for subsonic menaces) would see the soft kill system activate, at 5-6 seconds from impact it will find itself aiming literally at blind behind the exapndin curtain formed by one or two tanks.



This has been fully confirmed in the Syrian operation even with very low proficient tank crew alerted only through much more primitive radio comm-link alert.


Obviouly all this do not cancel the centrality of new generation hard-kill APS (and dynamic defenses) to defeat the perspective menaces to armoured units in the future battlefield and ,in facts, you probably have noticed that the new generation of armoured ground vehicles has been realized with hard and soft kill APS already integrated in theirs design from the beginning.

Theirs performances and key technical parameters leave far behind the foreign counterparts (mostly Israeli built) that western Armies are now attempting to integrate in theirs outdated MBTs and IFVs.

 

Apparently Arena-M was designed to defeat top attack munitions, with charges that correct the trajectory of the blast of shrapnel (post launch) with impulse correction thrusters built in to them (24:30)

GarryB wrote:

And my big question is can we replace the turret and the autoloader of the T-72 with the one on the T-90?

My understanding is that the width of the autoloader on the T-90 is wider than the hull of the T-72.

And can we replace the T-72 engine with the T-90M engine?

The fact that the T-90 hull is clearly wider suggests the engine might be wider too, but then if you solve that for one you solve it for both really...

Big_Gazza wrote:Shoigu spoke about the modernization of T-72 tanks

source

All T-72 tanks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are being upgraded to the T-72B3M modification

Does this really mean what it says?  All T-72 tanks in Russian would be a huge number I'd expect - something like 2000 in active service?  How about units held in reserve?

Hole wrote:This has already been debunked. The unit that prepared the missiles made a mistake. A costly one.