Even before the serial production of the T-62 tanks began, the chief designer of the Ural Carriage Works L.N. Kartsev suggested improving the model by installing a new engine on it, a more powerful, and more promising chassis. That is how the T-72 tank appeared. The characteristics of the vehicle marked him as a large armored car.
A bit of history
In the summer of 1961, the first two copies of the tank were built, and they were tested in accelerated mode - first at the factory, then at the training ground. The object was modernized, but, despite all its advantages, the plant did not receive official permission to manufacture a new tank. Year after year, certain changes were made to the model:
- At first, the crew of the T-72 tank was thought out, which consisted of three people - the commander, gunner and driver.
- The tank was equipped with a gun with an automatic loader and armor protection based on the scheme of the research institute of steel.
- The chassis of the model was planned to weigh no more than 40 tons.
But these changes were not accepted, only two side gearboxes were left.
Tank layout features
T-72 - a tank, characterized by a classic design, when the power compartment is located aft. The control is concentrated in the bow of the vehicle, there is also a fuel tank, a tank rack, a dashboard of the control devices of the driver, electrical equipment.
The control compartment consists of a mechanic's seat, which controls the T-72 tank. There is a hatch above the driver's seat. A device is installed in the mine plate of the armor plate, which makes it possible to monitor the situation. The driver is sitting while driving, which is provided by a well-thought-out design of the seat itself in the tank bottom.
Combat compartment
The fighting compartment in the tank was left a place in the middle of the hull and tower, which is separated from the power compartment by a special partition. The well-thought-out design ensures convenient movement of crew members from squad to squad. Convenience and ergonomics are the main differences that the T-72 tank boasts. His characteristic as a fighting ship is also impressive:
- The tank is equipped with a smooth-bore cannon in the 125 mm turret, an automatic loader and fire control devices.
- The commander’s place is equipped to the right of the gun, and the gunner sits on the left.
- On the right side of the cannon there is a PKT machine gun, and above it on special mounts the base tube of the rangefinder scope is held.
- The commander’s workplace is attractively equipped: it consists of an electric machine gun stop, a vertical guidance tank, a radio station, and a special apparatus through which an airborne landing socket, cardan drive of the command tower is connected from the outside.
- The commander’s tower is covered with a plate with a plate torsion bar.
- The commander’s turret is equipped with two TNP-160 surveillance devices and a TKN-3 commander’s device.
The fighting compartment is also equipped with devices and mechanisms that provide ease of operation of the tank.
Power Department
The aft has a power compartment. The engine of the T-72 tank is located on the port side, and between it and the baffle for the motor there is a cooling system, oil filter, expansion tank valve. An air purifier is installed on the right side. The hull has a feed sheet where the cooling system is located. Also, the power compartment is equipped with additional and main oil tanks, which contribute to engine lubrication. The power compartment is closed by a lid. The fuel consumption of the T-72 tank per 100 km is as follows:
- when driving on the ground - 260-450 l;
- on a paved road - 240 l.
Housing Features
One of the most popular Soviet tanks is the T-72 tank. Its characterization as a combat one would be incomplete if you did not describe the features of the corps. The case of this model is a rigid box, which is welded from armor plates. Here are the bow, sides, feed, bottom, ventilation and motor partitions, as well as the roof of the power compartment.
The frontal sheet is a multilayer combined 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 bars. Their purpose is to increase the internal volume of the hull and install a tower on them. Brackets are welded around the entire perimeter of the sides, onto which the guide wheels are mounted.
T-72 - a popular tank of the USSR, which inspired respect around the world. The feed of its hull is a stern armor plate. As a protection, a fan partition is installed. It is a spiral casing equipped with removable front and side sheets. There is a cooling system fan in the casing, and the main purpose of the partition is to organize the air flow. The sides of the tank are supplemented by side screens having a thickness of 3 mm and made of aluminum alloy. To maintain the state of the tank while driving in difficult terrain, the screens can be put in the stowed position - to press them to the side dust shields. When the T-72 tank is in battle, dust shields can be deployed forward at an angle of 60 degrees.
How is the tower arranged?
To create it, a shaped casting of armored steel was used, the roof is welded on top of it, as well as the heads that protect the base pipe of the rangefinder sight. The tower is characterized by a monolithic design, the wall thickness of which varies. The front part is equipped with an embrasure, where the gun is installed, the side surfaces with arc cheeks, which play an important role for armoring the walls of the case.
To the right of the gun, there is an embrasure where the coaxial machine gun is located. To the left of the gun there is a bracket where the night sight illuminator is attached in combination with a tube through which an electric drive is connected to the gun. The left half of the roof has a base hatch where the gunner is located. The tower is rotated by a hydraulic and manual mechanism. All this distinguishes the T-72 tank, the characteristic of which allows us to draw a conclusion about the combat qualities of an armored car.
Armament of the tank
The tank’s tower is equipped with a D-81TM smooth-bore gun, another machine gun is paired with it, and they are stabilized in two guidance planes. The barrel of the gun is a pipe that connects to the casing, sleeve, breech and blow mechanism. It, in turn, consists of six nozzles. The shutter of the gun differs in a semi-automatic mode of operation. The firing range of the T-72 tank is as follows:
- when firing armor-piercing subcaliber and cumulative shells, the range is 4000 m;
- when using high-explosive fragmentation shells, its value reaches 5000 m;
- when shooting at night, it is 800 m;
- if the shells are fired at a lateral level using high-explosive shells, the firing range can reach 9400 m.
It should be noted that with automatic loading, the gun is characterized by a combat rate of up to 8 rounds per minute, with manual loading - 1-2 rounds per minute.
The firing range of the T-72 tank is provided by a monocular stereoscopic rangefinder sight, equipped with additional independent stabilization of the field of view. With the help of the sight, the target range is measured in the range of 1000-4000 m with an accuracy of 3-5 percent. If shooting at night, a special night sight with an illuminator based on an IR filter is used.
The commander’s tower is equipped with an anti-aircraft installation, which allows you to shoot at air and ground targets. In the case of the T-72 TTX of the tank, the following: for long-range aerial targets, firing is conducted at a distance of up to 1500 m, for ground targets - up to 2000 m. The anti-aircraft installation of the tank consists of:
- from the machine gun NSV 12.7 mm;
- cradles with a recoil device;
- anti-aircraft sight;
- a handle that allows you to direct the gun horizontally and vertically;
- shop for shells;
- balancing mechanism.
Main shells
One of the most powerful combat armored vehicles of Russia of all time is the T-72. The armament of the tank assumes the presence of the following shells:
- automatic machine AKMS 7.62 mm;
- signal pistol;
- 10 hand grenades.
The tank has a two-plane electro-hydraulic weapon stabilizer, which is combined with a rangefinder optical sight. The main tasks of this complex are as follows:
- Automatically hold the gun and machine gun in a certain position when the tank moves.
- Aim the stabilized gun and machine gun, smoothly adjusting the speed of guidance.
- Point an unstabilized gun in a horizontal plane.
- Create target designation from the tank commander to the gunner.
- Emergencyly turn the tower from the driver.
With the help of the stabilizer, angular velocities are provided, on the basis of which the gun is vertically guided in automatic mode. The tank’s ammunition includes 39 rounds for a cannon, 2,000 rounds for a PKT machine gun, 300 rounds for a machine gun, 12 rounds for a signal pistol and 300 rounds for an anti-aircraft machine gun.
Charging Features
The T-72 tank has an electromechanical complex that automatically charges the gun. It consists of a rotating conveyor, a cartridge lifting mechanism, a pallet removal mechanism, a rammer, an electric machine gun stop, a storage device and a control panel.
The USSR battle tank is equipped with a rotating conveyor, which is mounted on the machine’s body and includes a frame, an electromechanical drive, flooring, a mechanism for closing the dispensing window with sashes, a stopper and a manual drive. The frame accommodates 22 cassettes; it is itself a solid welded structure. The cassette is a welded two pipes and is needed to accommodate different types of shots.
Features of the power plant
The device of the T-72 tank suggests the presence of a modified power plant. It is a 780 hp diesel engine, which is complemented by a liquid cooling system and a centrifugal driven supercharger. The mass of the engine is 980 kg, it is installed in the power compartment. A multi-fuel engine can run on diesel of various 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 purification of 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 99.8 percent of the cleaned air enters 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 serves its systems before starting.
The T-72 tank is equipped with a mechanical transmission with hydraulic control, which includes a guitar and two gearboxes. A guitar is a gear reducer that transfers torque to gearboxes.
Chassis and equipment
The combat weight of the T-72 tank is 44.5 tons, while the undercarriage is six double-gum rubberized road wheels and three single-track rollers, a rear-wheel drive wheel, a steering wheel with a crank mechanism. The tank has an individual torsion bar suspension, which is strengthened by hydraulic shock absorbers and six road wheels. Caterpillars have small links with 97 tracks in them.
Of the additional devices on the tank, one can note a radio station and an intercom designed for four subscribers. The radio station operates as a transceiver and telephone, providing a communication range of up to 20 km. The radio station operates at 1261 operating frequencies, while the signal is received and transmitted 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 vehicle from weapons of mass destruction. The systems are able to protect the tank and its internal equipment from the shock wave, radiation from a nuclear explosion, ensuring the safety of the crew when exposed to toxic substances or biological weapons.
Shockwave protection is carried out with well-designed armor, as well as high-quality sealing. Special reliable material is used inside the tank, while the fighting compartment and the control compartment 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 toxic substances outside it.
The fire protection system consists of three two-liter cylinders that are filled with an extinguishing agent, as well as three pipelines that connect the cylinders and compartments, and nine temperature sensors. The special multi-action system provides reliable smoke protection. She runs on diesel.
Of the additional equipment of the T-72 tanks, one can note a 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, over the years of production, the tank was presented in eight main modifications: T-72, T-72M, T-72M1, T-72S and their varieties. In addition, it was actively sold abroad to countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria. As of 2007, these armored vehicles were in service with a number of countries - Azerbaijan, Algeria, Vietnam, Libya, Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan and many others. The T-72 tank was actively used in many countries as the basis of a large number of engineering, special and combat vehicles.
The T-72 is an Ural tank that has long been considered one of the most powerful and reliable not only in the USSR, but also in the world. Upgraded versions are still being produced in many countries, while control systems and power equipment are constantly being improved.