T-80U
T-80U: Main Battle Tank
Statistics
Main gun: 125mm 2A46M
Ammunition Stowage: 28 ready/17 stowed
Default Ammunition 'A': 9/6 3BM42 APFSDS-T, 3/2 3BK21B HEAT-T, 4/0 AT-11 'Refleks' ATGM, 12/9 OF-26 HEF-T
Coaxial machine gun: 7.62mm PK-T
Ammunition Stowage: 250 ready/1000 stowed
Default Ammunition: 250/1000 7.62mm RU
AAMG: 12.7mm NSVT
Ammunition Stowage: 150 ready/300 stowed
Default Ammunition: 150/300 12.7mm B-32
Grenade Dischargers: Grenades
Ammunition Stowage: 4 ready/2 stowed
Default Ammunition: 4/2 Smoke
Armour protection:
Frontal Turret Armour: 360mm-840mm vs KE, 560mm-1350mm vs HEAT
Frontal Hull Armour: 240mm-750mm vs KE, 360mm-1450mm vs HEAT
(SB documentation)
Combat Weight: 46.5 tonnes
Length: 7.0m (Hull)
Width: 3.6m
Height: 2.2m
Engine Power: 1250hp GTD-1250 gas-turbine
Top Speed: 70kph
General
Entering service in 1985, the T-80U m. 1984 is technically a further development of the T-80BV, but in reality is pretty much a new tank. The original T-64B turret design was discarded, with the old diamond-shape being replaced with a more box-like shape, Kontact-5 ERA replaced the less capable K1, and the front turret inserts were upgraded with a new material composition. The hull saw less changes, with the engine uprated to 1250hp over the old 1000hp version, and K5 elements added to the front portions. Armour protection levels are highly variable across the T-80U's frontal profile, and the vehicle retains many of the weakened zones common to other Russian tanks (see below), but it can defeat most practical attacks over a significant proportion of the frontal area.
The T-80U's 1A46 fire control system offers improved performance over previous systems, with better integration than the early T-64/T-72 variants, making the T-80U more dangerous than the T-72B with the same ammunition. Additionally, the T-80U can fire either the radio guided 9K112 Kobra (AT-8 Songster) [Ukrainian T-80UD] or laser guided 9M119 Refleks (AT-11 Sniper) [Russian T-80U and T-80UM] high performance ATGMs with a range capability of up to 5km, high penetration, and great lethality.
As only very recent upgrades to the T-90 and T-80UM fleets incorporate TIS systems, this option is not present in the T-80U provided within the simulation. Regardless, with appropriate ammunition the T-80U becomes a highly dangerous opponent, able to effectively fight at longer ranges than contemporary western MBTs, and providing a tough and small target.
Thermal Signature
ERA reactive armor
The T-80U is covered with K-5 Explosive reactive armor, which unlike its K1 predecessor, does not get reduced to shrapnel when the explosively sandwiched plates blow apart. Instead, the explosion is vented out through small thin blow off plates, with weakened attachments, located on the side of the bricks. The rest of the ERA bricks remains intact, and due to their thickness, also provides protection against Sabot rounds which they break apart in a similar fashion to the Leopard 2A5 front "wedge" turret amour. On the lower portion of the ERA bricks, the designers attached rubber flaps which serve to pre-detonate HEAT warheads, giving the T-80U a bit extra protection from regular HEAT warheads, and reducing the effectiveness of ERA-bypassing double-warhead designs. The same function goes to the rubber skirts on the rear portion of the hull.
The T-80U has the traditional weakened zones of Russian amour around the coax port and drivers hatch, due to the significant lack of composite amour behind the coax port, and also because an IR searchlight takes up the space where an additional ERA brick could be placed. Under the drivers hatch, there's a weak zone where the driver's periscopes are located, due to the short hull, forcing a large cut in the upper front hull plate.
