According to a video published on the “UNITED24” YouTube account on February 3, 2023, the Ukrainian armed forces have deployed for combat operations in the Kharkiv region its local-made T-84U Oplot, one of the most modern main battle tanks in the world.
Citing information released in the video, several of T-84U Oplot tanks are currently deployed in the Kharkiv region to conduct combat operations against the Russian army and pro-Russian forces.
Citing information from Ukrainian soldiers, compared to other Soviet-made tanks, the T-84U can drive faster and reach a top road speed of 75 km/h and 50 km/h in all-terrain conditions. The tank is motorized with a powerful engine developing 1,200 hp coupled to a transmission with 7 forward gears and 4 reverse gears that allows it to move backward at a speed of up to 35 km/h. This thing is amazing for changing positions and moving back quickly. This makes it extremely hard for the enemy to hit the tank.
The T-84 is a Ukrainian-made main battle tank (MBT) developed by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau in the early 1990s. It is an upgrade of the Soviet-era T-80 MBT, incorporating advanced features such as a more powerful engine, better armor, and an improved fire control system. The T-84 was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999.
The T-84U is an improved version of the T-84, featuring an even more advanced fire control system and additional armor protection. The design of the tank is similar to the T-84 with the driver’s compartment at the front, the turret in the center, and the power pack at the rear. It has a crew of three including a driver, commander, and gunner.
The T-84U is armed with a 125 mm KBA-3, a Ukrainian version of the Russian 125 mm 2A46M-1, smoothbore gun fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor. The gun uses an automatic loading system with 28 rounds which can be of up to six different types including APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot), HE-FRAG (High-Explosive Fragmentation), HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank), laser-guided projectile and two natures of HE (High Explosive) with a timed fuse (delayed detonation).
The tank carries a total of 43 125mm ammunition. It is claimed that the 125 mm KBA-3 gun can fire 7 to 9 rds/min, two to three guided missiles, or four delayed detonation projectiles. The second armament includes one 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun mounted to the left of the main armament and the commander hatch is fitted with one 12.7 mm NSVT machine gun for use in the surface/air and surface/surface roles which can be laid and fired under complete armor protection.
The T-84U is protected by an improved Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) package Kontakt-5 which was the first type of ERA able to significantly decrease the penetration of armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds. The tank is also protected by the optical-electronic countermeasures complex “Shtora-1” designed to jam anti-tank laser and infrared systems of incoming missiles and anti-tank guided weapons. The system integrates laser warning sensors, an infrared jammer, and a smoke/aerosol screen laying system.
The T-84U Oplot is also equipped with new R-163-50K radio, a new-generation 1V528-2 ballistic computer, a new 1 KRNA land navigation system, a new auxiliary power unit, installation of a command and control system, and the option of being fitted with two types of track.
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