27 January 2020

First T-72AMTs delivered to Ukrainian Armed Forces

by Samuel Cranny-Evans

The Ukrainian Armed Forces has received the first 15 upgraded T-72AMT main battle tanks (MBTs), the Ukrainian Logistics Command announced on its Facebook page on 24 January.

The first T-72AMTs being transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. (Ukrainian Logistics Command)

The command said 10 additional T-72AMTs will be delivered by the end of January, with an additional six to follow in February, sufficient to equip a tank battalion.

The T-72AMT is based on a standard T-72, refurbished and upgraded by the Kyiv Armoured Plant, after which they are transferred by rail to the relevant military unit, the command added.

This is a continuation of the upgrade of T-64s and T-80s that began in 2017 by installing thermal sights and secure communications and returning them as part of the routine maintenance cycle.

The T-72AMT is a result of the more extensive upgrades that the Ukrainian industry has developed, and it includes additional Nozh (Knife) explosive reactive armour (ERA) fitted to the turret in an arrow-head pattern and further cassettes laid flat on the sides of the hull. Used by Ukrainian forces fighting in the Donbass region, Nozh is composed of multiple linear shaped charge arrays rather than a more conventional ERA configuration with explosive material sandwiched between two plates. The rear of the turret can also be fitted with bar armour.

An infographic from the Kyiv Armoured Plant shows that the vehicle is also fitted with the 1K13 dual channel sight, which enables the vehicle to fire a Kombat guided anti-tank missile with a range of 5 km and behind-ERA penetration of 750 mm, according to UkrOboronService.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces has received the first 15 upgraded T-72AMT main battle tanks (MBTs), the ...

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