T-72 tank: characteristics and photos. T-72 "Ural" - the main battle tank of the USSR

Even before the mass production of T-62 tanks began, the chief designer of the Ural Carriage Plant, L. N. Kartsev, was asked to improve the model by installing a new engine on it, a more powerful and more promising chassis. This is how the T-72 tank appeared. The vehicle's characteristic marked it as a large armored vehicle.

A bit of history

In the summer of 1961, the first two tanks were built, and they were tested in an accelerated mode - first at the factory, then at the landfill. The facility was modernized, but despite all its advantages, the plant did not receive an official permit for the production of a new tank. Year after year in the model were made certain changes:

1. First, the crew of the T-72 tank was thought out, which consisted of three people - a commander, a gunner and a driver-mechanic.
2. The tank was equipped with a gun with automatic loading and armored protection based on the scheme of the Research Institute of Steel.
3. The chassis of the model was planned to weigh no more than 40 tons.

But these changes were not accepted, only two side gear boxes were left.

Features of the tank layout

The T-72 is a tank with a classic design when the power section is located at the stern. The control is concentrated in the bow of the vehicle, here is located the fuel tank, the storage tank, the control panel of the driver's mechanic, the electric equipment.

The control department consists of a mechanic seat, which manages the T-72 tank. There is a hatch above the driver's seat. A device is installed in the shaft of the armored sheet, which makes it possible to monitor the situation. The driver-mechanic sits, which is ensured by the thoughtful design of the seat itself in the bottom of the tank.

Combat department

The fighting compartment in the tank left a place in the middle of the hull and tower, which is separated from the power section by a special partition. Sophisticated design ensures convenient movement of crew members from offices to offices. Convenience and ergonomics are the main differences that the T-72 tank can boast of. The characterization of it as a combat ship is also impressive:

1. The tank is equipped with a smoothbore gun in the tower 125 mm, automatic charging and fire control devices.
2. To the right of the cannon there is a commander's place, and a gunner sits on the left.
3. On the gun on the right side there is a PKT machine gun, and above it on the special mounts the basic tube of the sight-range finder holds.
4. The commander's workplace is attractive with equipment: it consists of an electric machine gun stop, a vertical guidance tank, a radio station, a special apparatus through which the outside is connected to the landing rope, the cardan drive of the command tower.
5. The commander's tower is covered with a lid with a plate-shaped torsion bar.
6. The commander's turret is equipped with two observation instruments TNP-160 and a commander's device TKN-3.

The combat compartment is also equipped with instruments and mechanisms that ensure the ease of operation of the tank.

Power Department

The stern part has a power compartment. The engine of the tank T-72 is located on the left side, and between it and the partition for the engine is a cooling system, oil filter, expansion tank valve. On the right side there is an air purifier. The body has a stern sheet where the cooling system is located. Also, the power section is equipped with an additional and main oil tank, which helps lubricate the engine. The power section is closed with a lid. The fuel consumption of the T-72 tank per 100 km is as follows:

• When driving on the ground - 260-450 liters;
• On the road with a hard surface - 240 liters.

Body features

One of the most popular Soviet tanks is the T-72 tank. The characterization of it as a combat one would be incomplete if one does not describe the features of the hull. The case of this model is a rigid box that is welded from armor plates. Here are located the bow, sides, feed, bottom, ventilation and motor partitions, and also the power section roof.

The front sheet is a multi-layered composite barrier made of steel and fiberglass, the thickness of which provides a wear-resistant coating. The sides of the hull are reinforced with vertical armor plates, in the middle part they are supplemented with protective slats. Their purpose is to increase the internal volume of the case and install a tower on them. On the entire perimeter of the sides welded brackets, on which the steering wheels are attached.

T-72 - a popular tank of the USSR, which inspired respect to the whole world. The stern of his body is a stern armor plate. As a protection is installed a fan partition. It is a spiral casing, equipped with removable front and side sheets. In the casing there is a cooling fan, and the main purpose of the partition is to organize the flow of air. The sides of the tank are supplemented with side shields having a thickness of 3 mm and made of an aluminum alloy. To maintain the state of the tank during movement on difficult terrain, screens can be put in a stowed position - to press them against the side dust shields. When the T-72 tank is in combat, the dust shields can be deployed forward at an angle of 60 degrees.

How is the tower built?

To create it, shaped casting from armored steel was used, the roof was welded on top of it, and also the heads, which protect the base tube of the sight-range finder. The tower is distinguished by its monolithic construction, the wall thickness of which varies. The front part is equipped with an embrasure where a gun is installed, the side surfaces with arcuate cheeks, which play an important role in the armoring of the shell walls.

On the right of the gun, there is an embrasure, where a twin machine gun is located. To the left of the cannon there is a bracket, where a night sight illuminator is attached in combination with a tube through which an electric drive is fed to the gun. The left half of the roof has a hatch bottom, where the gunner is located. The tower rotates hydraulically and manually. All this distinguishes the tank T-72, the characteristic of which allows us to conclude about the fighting qualities of the armored car.

Armament of the tank

The tower of the tank is equipped with a smooth-bore gun D-81TM, with it another machine gun is paired, and they are stabilized in two guidance planes. The barrel of the gun is a pipe that connects to the casing, clutch, breech and blowing mechanism. It, in turn, consists of six nozzles. Shutter gun differs semi-automatic mode of operation. The range of the T-72 tank is as follows:

• When firing armor-piercing subcaliber and cumulative projectiles, the range is 4000 m;
• When using high-explosive shells, its value reaches 5000 m;
• When shooting at night it is equal to 800 m;
• If the shells are fired laterally using high-explosive fragmentation shells, the range of fire can reach 9400 m.

It should be noted that with automatic charging the gun is characterized by a combat rate of fire up to 8 rounds per minute, with manual charging - 1-2 rounds per minute.

The firing range of the T-72 tank is provided by a monocular stereoscopic sight-range finder equipped with an additional independent stabilization of the field of view. With the help of the sight, the target range in the range of 1000-4000 m is measured with an accuracy of 3-5 percent. If shooting is conducted at night, a special night sight with an IR-filter illuminator is used.

The command tower is equipped with an anti-aircraft installation, which allows shooting for air and ground targets. In the case of the T-72, the TTX of the tank is as follows: for long-range air targets, firing is carried out at a distance of up to 1500 m, on ground targets - up to 2000 m. The tank's antiaircraft system consists of:

• From the machine gun НСВ 12,7 mm;
• Cradles with a wheel chock;
• Anti-aircraft sights;
• The handle, which allows the gun to be guided horizontally and vertically;
• Shop for shells;
• Balancing mechanism.

Basic projectiles

One of the powerful combat armored vehicles of Russia of all times is the T-72. Armament of the tank assumes the presence of the following shells:

• Automatic vehicle АКМС 7,62 mm;
• A signal pistol;
• 10 hand grenades.

The tank has a two-plane electro-hydraulic stabilizer arms, which is combined with an optical sight-range finder. The main tasks of this complex are as follows:

1. Automatically hold the cannon and the machine gun in a certain position while the tank is moving.
2. To aim a stabilized gun and machine gun, smoothly adjusting the speed of guidance.
3. To guide an unstabilized gun in the horizontal plane.
4. Create target designation from the tank commander to the gunner.
5. It is dangerous to turn the turret from the driver-mechanic.

With the help of the stabilizer, angular velocities are provided, on the basis of which the gun is guided vertically in an automatic mode. With the composition of the ammunition kit of the tank - 39 shots to the gun, 2000 cartridges to the PKT machine gun, 300 cartridges to the machine gun, 12 cartridges for the signal pistol and 300 cartridges for the anti-aircraft machine gun.

Features of charging

The tank T-72 has an electromechanical complex, which automatically charges the gun. It consists of a rotating conveyor, a mechanism for lifting cassettes, a mechanism for removing pallets, a dispatcher, an electric machine gun stop, a storage device, and a control panel.

The USSR combat tank is equipped with a rotating conveyor, which is mounted on the body of the machine and includes a frame, an electromechanical drive, a deck, a closing mechanism for the dispensing window with doors, a stopper and a manual drive. In the frame there are 22 cassettes, it itself is an integral welded structure. The cassette is a welded two pipes and is needed to place a shot of different types.

Power unit features

The design of the T-72 tank implies the presence of a modified power plant. It is a diesel engine with a capacity of 780 hp, which is supplemented by a liquid cooling system and a drive centrifugal supercharger. The engine weighs 980 kg, it is installed in the power section. The multi-fuel motor can work on a diesel engine of different brands, gasoline and kerosene. But the main type of fuel is diesel. The engine power system of the tank consists of 4 internal and 5 external fuel tanks.

To ensure the cleaning of the air that enters the engine cylinders, the tank is additionally equipped with a two-stage air purifier, which removes dust from the dust collector. The cleaning is carried out in several cycles, after which the air purged by 99.8 percent goes to the engine.

The design of the T-72 tank requires a lubrication and cooling system. The lubrication system is circulating and combined, and the cooling system is liquid and closed, it is supplemented by forced circulation. A special heating system warms up the engine and maintains its systems before starting.

The tank T-72 is equipped with a mechanical transmission with a hydraulic control, which includes a guitar and two gear boxes. A guitar is called a gear reducer, which transmits the torque to the gearboxes.

Chassis and equipment

The combat weight of the T-72 tank is 44.5 tons, while the undercarriage is six dual-track rubberized track rollers and three single-roller rollers, a rear-wheel drive wheel, a steering wheel with a crank mechanism. The tank has an individual torsion suspension, which is enhanced by hydraulic shock absorbers and six support rollers. Caterpillars have small links with the number of tracks in them 97.

Of the additional devices on the tank can be noted radio station and intercom, designed for four subscribers. The radio works as a transceiver and a telephone, providing a communication range of up to 20 km. The radio operates at 1261 operating frequencies, with the reception and transmission of the signal being conducted at a common frequency.

Protective systems

Despite the fact that the weight of the T-72 was impressive, it was equipped with additional systems that protected the armored car from weapons of mass destruction. Systems are able to protect the tank and its internal equipment from shock waves, radiation from a nuclear explosion, ensuring the safety of the crew when exposed to poisonous substances or biological weapons.

Protection from the shock wave is performed by well-thought-out armor, as well as high-quality sealing. Inside the tank, a special reliable material is used, while the combat compartment and control compartments are reliably sealed. The protection system acts as a light and sound alarm, controls the level of radiation and the excess pressure inside the tank and the presence of poisonous substances outside it.

The fire-fighting system consists of three 2-liter cans that are filled with an extinguishing agent, as well as three pipelines that connect the cylinders and compartments, and nine temperature sensors. A special reusable system serves as a reliable protection against smoke. It works on diesel fuel.

From the additional equipment of the T-72 tanks it is possible to note the system for underwater driving, which allows you to overcome water obstacles at a depth of 5 m and a width of up to 1000 m. This equipment also includes life jackets, gas masks designed for all crew members.

Modifications of the T-72 tank

In all, the tank was introduced in eight main modifications: T-72, T-72M, T-72M1, T-72S and their varieties. In addition, he actively sold abroad to countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, the GDR, Hungary and Bulgaria. As of 2007, these armored vehicles were in service with a number of countries - Azerbaijan, Algeria, Vietnam, Libya, Macedonia, Kirghizia and many others. The T-72 tank was actively used in many countries as the basis for a large number of engineering, special and combat vehicles.

The T-72 is a Ural tank, which for a long time was considered one of the most powerful and reliable not only in the USSR, but also in the world. Up-to-date versions are still produced in many countries, while the management systems and power equipment are constantly being improved.