Role of the T-80B In Modern Russia

[Jim Warford]

It's been paraded through Red Square, sent to various museums to become new displays, and even sent to the scrap yard...what role(s) is the T-80B actually playing in modern Russia?

 

Shot with C4040Z at 2007-07-22

[atst]

There aren't many T-80B anymore but T-80BV is together with T-72B the backbone of russian tank force. (an that for already 20 years).

T-80UD is mostly scrapped, T-80U andT-90 are available only in very small numbers.

 

Btw it's a BV on your photo, not B.

[iceHawk]

Well, from what I've heard it was the T-64 that was gtting scrapped mostly. As for the T-80B, Thy're slowly going to be retrofitted to the BM standard.

[Exel]

My Russian tank designations knowledge database is not the finest, so pardon me a noob question; Is the T-80BV actually newer than the T-80UD - and what are its upgrades?

[rsetiawan]

My Russian tank designations knowledge database is not the finest, so pardon me a noob question; Is the T-80BV actually newer than the T-80UD - and what are its upgrades?

t-80ud is certainly newer than t-80bv

the result Rusia scrapped it simply because it is made in Ukraine and not Rusia. Im not sure if the true reason is entirely nationalism or also technical.

[Davout]

t-80ud is certainly newer than t-80bv

the result Rusia scrapped it simply because it is made in Ukraine and not Rusia. Im not sure if the true reason is entirely nationalism or also technical.

 

Have we ever settled on the difference between the T80B and the T80BV turret armor????

 

T80B = corundum balls.....

T80BV= celluloid cells like the T80U????

 

Davout

[atst]

t-80ud is certainly newer than t-80bv

the result Rusia scrapped it simply because it is made in Ukraine and not Rusia. Im not sure if the true reason is entirely nationalism or also technical.

 

It was scrapped because they don't have spare parts for UDs. Both countries don't want to exchange tank components, Ukraine now produce own copies of russian 125mm gun and Russians fitted to T-90 an own copy of ukrainian RCAAMG-mount.

[atst]

Have we ever settled on the difference between the T80B and the T80BV turret armor????

 

T80B = corundum balls.....

T80BV= celluloid cells like the T80U????

 

Davout

 

T-80B = no ERA

 

T-80BV = T-80B + Kontakt-1 ERA + small upgrades (but still same turret armor).

 

T-80U/UD is the successor of B/BV with redesigned turret, Kontakt-5 ERA, much better 1A45 FCS, newer mod of 125mm gun and Refelx instead of Kobra ATGM..

Edited July 24, 2007 by atst

[Davout]

T-80B = no ERA

 

T-80BV = T-80B + Kontakt-1 ERA + small upgrades (but still same turret armor).

 

T-80U/UD is the successor of B/BV with redesigned turret, Kontakt-5 ERA, much better 1A45 FCS, newer mod of 125mm gun and Refelx instead of Kobra ATGM..

 

According to Harkonen the later T80 turret was standardized with the T80U turret.....

 

Is this not the case?

 

Davout

[geronimo]

It's been paraded through Red Square, sent to various museums to become new displays, and even sent to the scrap yard...what role(s) is the T-80B actually playing in modern Russia?

 

As Hark wrote earlier, Russian T-80B/BV's will be fitted with "Relikt" armour from 2007. In a later stage, a new engine, night sights and gun might also be fitted so it seems as if the Russian army intends to keep the T-80B running for some more years.

[Exel]

Is T-80 still in production, or has the production shifted to T-90? Are they planning to upgrade the T-80BV FCS to modern (UD+) standards?

[atst]

Omsktransmash went through insolvency process and has lost any tankbuilding capability. For cost reasons Russia decided to procur only T-90 already in the early 90s. Now after the failure of Black Eagle and destruction of Omsk and Kirov factories T-80-line will not enter production again. There is a plan to modernize T-80B/BV to T-80BM-level but nobody knows if they manage to gather enough money for it and T-72BM Rogatka upgrades. These programms are pretty urgent since russian tank force is effectively still on early 80s level.

[Jim Warford]

My two-cents (as I've mentioned before)...IMO, the T-80U and T-80UD have simply worn out. For political and parts availability reasons, the T-80UD's days in Russian service were already numbered...I think this was admitted publically to help hide the fact that the tanks have worn out - with no new replacements coming out of the factories. The only options available were to consolidate tank production at the most productive tank plant, produce as much as export sales and very small defense budget money would pay for, and to pull the best maintained tanks out of "mothballs" and re-issue them to the troops. Those tanks were the T-80B/T-80BVs. Add some fresh paint and they were ready to parade through Red Square. While there are reportedly plans to upgrade the T-80B/T-80BVs with new armor etc, only time will tell if there is enough support and money available for such a project.

[Exel]

Now after the failure of Black Eagle

 

What failure? Have I missed something?

[rsetiawan]

What failure? Have I missed something?

yesss...

BE have one critical failure : marketing!. No matter how good you manage a project if no one paid it still a failure.

[Leo1A5cool]

Every year the signs of the gradual reconstitution of Russia's military strength increase - more funds, increased rate of modernization, the introduction of new weapons, etc. I don't doubt that they'll modernize the T-80B and T-72B, though it might be slow.

 

On the most anecdotal yet most easily understood level, the photographs you see of Russian soldiers now are a lot more impressive than the motley collection of downtrodden conscripts equipped with an eclectic mix of Soviet-era hand-me-downs, mismatched uniforms, etc of less than a decade ago.

[Vasiliy Fofanov]

BE have one critical failure : marketing!. No matter how good you manage a project if no one paid it still a failure.

 

Marketing wasn't too bad. It's the sales department that didn't exactly perform well

[Djuice]

How do the Russian get spare parts for their T-80B's? Do they manufacture new parts or use parts from scraped/decommissioned T-80B's?

[Exel]

yesss...

BE have one critical failure : marketing!. No matter how good you manage a project if no one paid it still a failure.

 

I know that no one has bought it. But it is now scrapped even as a project, or is it still under development?

[atst]

I know that no one has bought it. But it is now scrapped even as a project, or is it still under development?

 

The development is finished. Theoretically the tank is ready for production but since no one ordered it and it's factory went bankrupt the project is effectively dead. The prototype is rusting somewhere at the Kubinka proving ground and will propably move to their museum.

[Leo1A5cool]

Speaking of the T-80BV, do they still load/use the Kobra (AT-8) ATGM? I would've thought the missiles may be too old.

Edited July 28, 2007 by Leo1A5cool

[atst]

Speaking of the T-80BV, do they still load/use the Kobra (AT-8) ATGM? I would've thought the missiles may be too old.

 

Most of stuff in russian inventory is too old, Kobra is not an exception. Even in Soviet times Kobra was used rarely in trainings since it was very expensive. I assume in cash-strapped russian military most T-80B crews never saw a Kobra. There are probably some old soviet stockpiles kept in reserve for a rlarge-scale war but most crews are anyway not trained to use it.

BTW T-80B1 and B1V are not equipped with Kobra-guidance module anyway.

[Vasiliy Fofanov]

Speaking of the T-80BV, do they still load/use the Kobra (AT-8) ATGM? I would've thought the missiles may be too old.

 

If memory serves they were still being produced in the 90s actually, in parallel to Reflekses. The mod plan of course does away with the old FCS entirely.

[Harkonnen]

If memory serves they were still being produced in the 90s actually, in parallel to Reflekses. The mod plan of course does away with the old FCS entirely.

 

away with the old FCS - it is incorrect.

[Vasiliy Fofanov]

away with the old FCS - it is incorrect.

 

What, they'll keep 1A33 and 2E26M?