The T-72B3 is a Tier 8 special premium Main Battle Tank under Marat Shishkin's dealership.
History[ | ]
Class: Main Battle Tank
Developed: 2011 (ongoing)
Service: 2012+
Vehicles Built: cca 1400
Operators: Russia, Belarus, Syria
The newest major upgrade to the latest mass-produced T-72 variant is called T-72B3. The T-72B3 upgrade was developed by Uralvagonzavod as a cheaper alternative to the T-90A with the goal of improving the combat value of the T-72B to the T-90A level. By the time the program was signed in 2012, Russia still had around 4000 to 5000 of the 9000 T-72Bs produced available and all were supposed to be refurbished to the T-72B3 standard.
One of the biggest upgrades was the vehicle's firepower. The T-72B3 received a new gun, the 125mm 2A46M-5 smoothbore, which is the same weapon the T-90A has. The autoloader was modified to be able to fire longer APFSDS rounds. The Fire Control System also received a major upgrade in the form of the Belarusian Sosna-U gunner sights with thermal imager.
As for its protection, all such upgraded T-72Bs were fitted with the Kontakt-5 ERA. Apart from its base armor and the Kontakt-5 ERA, the T-72B3 can also be protected by the Arena-E APS, but the Russian tanks don’t have it installed. The 46 ton vehicle is powered by the 840hp V-84-1 V12 multi-fuel diesel, allowing it to go as fast as 65 km/h (although the usual combat speed varies between 35km/h and 45 km/h).
There are actually two variants of the T-72B3 called Model 2013 and Model 2016. The first one forms the vast majority of the T-72B3s produced. The second variant was built in Omsk and included a number of improvements, such as an improved gun variant (2A46M-5-01), improved engine (1130hp V-92S2F diesel), improved internal electronics, partial Relikt ERA kit (side hull plates) instead of the standard Kontakt-5 and an improved autoloader function.
Another improved variant called T-72B3M (sometimes incorrectly called T-72B4) also exists, featuring commander's panoramic sights, the upgraded engine from Model 2016 and a full set of Relikt armor. A prototype was trialed for the first time in 2011. The modernization process started in October 2012 and is currently ongoing with roughly 1400 vehicles modified to this day (approximately 1000 vehicles are of the 2013 model and 400 vehicles of the 2016 model) and the production is ongoing. Despite some effort, the T-72B3 hasn't been widely exported so far with 14 tanks sold to Belarus, a few to Syria and with Serbia interested in purchasing 30 vehicles in the future.
Vehicle Traits[ | ]
- Armored: This vehicle's armor can withstand a lot of punishment, allowing it to survive even serious firefights.
- Heavy Weapon: This vehicle carries one of the largest weapons around with significantly increased damage per shot.
- Trained Crew: This vehicle comes with a fully trained Level 5 crew.
Ammunition[ | ]
| Ammo Name |
Ammo Type |
XP Cost | Damage | Penetration | Velocity | Reload Time |
More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125mm 3VBM22 APFSDS | APFSDS | Stock | 630 | 750[note 1] mm | 1750 m/s | 7.70 s | ||
| ||||||||
| 125mm 3VOF36/3V21 HE | HE | Stock | 945[note 2] | 45 mm | 850 m/s | 7.70 s | ||
| ||||||||
| 125mm 3VBK25 HEAT-FS | HEAT | Stock | 788 | 900 mm | 915 m/s | 7.70 s | ||
| ||||||||
| 3UBK14 "Refleks" ATGM-TH | ATGM | Stock | 850[note 3] | 900 mm | 300 m/s | 7.70 s | ||
| ||||||||
| 7.62mm AP | AP | Stock | 8 | 18[note 4] mm | 855 m/s | 5.00 s | ||
| ||||||||
Upgrades[ | ]
Armor[ | ]
| XP Cost | Credit Cost | Hull Armor |
Hull Composition |
Turret Armor |
Turret Composition |
ERA Name | ERA Penetration Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | Stock | 1035 mm (vs AP) 1880 mm (vs HEAT) |
Composite | 865 mm (vs AP) 1105 mm (vs HEAT) |
Composite | Kontakt-5 ERA (Gen 2) | 25% (vs AP) 80% (vs HEAT) |
| This MBT's front is protected by composite armor. Composite armor consists of combined layers of steel and other material and offers excellent protection against HEAT shells and ATGMs. Its steel sides and rear are considerably more vulnerable. The second generation ERA kit offers excellent protection against standard HEAT rounds or warheads, and marginal protection against kinetic rounds. | |||||||
Weapon[ | ]
| Name | XP Cost | Credit Cost | Aim Time | Reload Time | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125mm 2A46M-5 Smoothbore Cannon | Stock | Stock | 1.70 s | 7.70 s | ||
Stats:
Ammo:
125mm 3VBM22 APFSDS 125mm 3VOF36/3V21 HE 125mm 3VBK25 HEAT-FS 3UBK14 "Refleks" ATGM-TH 7.62mm AP | ||||||
Engine[ | ]
| Name | XP Cost | Credit Cost | Max Speed | Reverse Speed | Forward Acceleration |
Hull Traverse | Fire Chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChTZ V-92S2F 1130 hp Diesel Engine | Stock | Stock | 60 km/h | 18 km/h | 5.99 s (0 to 32 km/h) 25.47 s (0 to Max Speed) |
38.00° | 6 % |
Parts[ | ]
| Name | XP Cost | Credit Cost | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spall Liner |
Stock | Stock | Hit points are increased by 400 | |
 3D17M Smoke Grenades |
Stock | Stock | Comes with 8 charges Takes 25s to recharge Duration: 10s |
|
 Kalina Fire Control System |
Stock | Stock | Aiming time reduced by 20% | |
 Improved Autoloader |
Stock | Stock | Rate of fire is increased by 7% | |
 Improved Gun Stabilizer |
Stock | Stock | Overall accuracy while moving is improved by 20% | |
Upgraded Fire Control System Sensors |
Stock | Stock | Reduces the accuracy penalties for firing and traversing the hull. | |
 Improved Gunner Optics |
Stock | Stock | Accuracy is improved by 10% | |
 Stock Tracks |
Stock | Stock | Mobility (Light Terrain): 88.1% Mobility (Heavy Terrain): 73.5% |