Russia continues to upgrade its T-72 tank, it's safe to say, that updated cars will find their buyers abroad, writes an American political scientist, magazine columnist at the National Interest Charlie Gao.
Gao called the T-72B3 one of the deadliest versions of the T-72 family. At the same time, he noted the relatively low cost of the tank., which is cheaper, than T-90 or upgraded T-80.
In his opinion, demand for an improved machine will be high worldwide, especially in those countries, where classic T-72s are used. But so far, the T-72B3 is used only in the Russian and Belarusian armies.. Meanwhile, the export version of the T-72B1MS "White Eagle", which uses some technology T-72B3, could change the situation.
Both modernized vehicles are equipped with Sosna-U sights with a thermal imager and an advanced fire control system.. Besides, T-72B1MS equipped with a panoramic commander's sight PK PAN "Falcon Eye", giving "excellent awareness of what is happening on the battlefield". Similar sights were also installed on Russian T-90M tanks., author writes.
However, the T-72B1MS loses to the T-72B3 tank in terms of security - its dynamic protection is inferior to the Kontakt-5 and Relikt complexes, which are currently installed on modern Russian tanks, according to the material.
This feature is explained by the author, that currently potential buyers of the T-72B1MS are the countries of South and Central America. In the local jungle and mountainous areas, a quality sight is of great importance. At the same time, the armies of other countries in the region do not yet have advanced tanks or powerful anti-tank projectiles.. apparently, therefore, a lightweight protection option was chosen, which also increases the maneuverability of the machine and, what is not less important, reduces its cost.
