![]() The first of these modifications, dubbed "Object 172", was completed in the summer of 1968, and the second was completed in September of that same year. Thus the life of the T-72 began, but f or the next few years, all prototypes of Kartsev's new tanks would either be modifications of these six T-64A tanks or modified copies thereof. It was agreed that six T-64A tanks were to be sent to UVZ to be given the modifications specified by Kartsev, but the minister also dictated that the suspension and chassis were to be untouched. On 5 January, 1968, Zverev officially gave the order to begin the "modernization" of the T-64A by the Uralvagonzavod factory. ![]() He only agreed on changing the engine on the next day after a private meeting with the head of the Military Industrial Commission I.V Okunev. The minister was impressed by the autoloader and was enthusiastic on the idea of putting it in the T-64, but rejected Kartsev's proposal to also replace the 5TDF engine on the T-64A with a supercharged derivative of the V-2 engine (from the T-34) developed in Chelyabinsk. The designer E.E Krivosheya and researcher L.F Terlikov who were loitering around the tank quickly joined the two inside, started it up and activated the autoloader. After an invitation to enter and examine a modified T-62 with a 125mm gun (a special development in response to Kharkov's failure to begin mass production of the T-64 on schedule) by UKBTM design bureau chief Leonid Kartsev, the minister requested a demonstration. The Minister of Defence Industry S.A Zverev came to the experimental workshop of the Uralvagonzavod factory on October 26, 1967, the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. This was the end of the road for the Object 167M, but it was destined to leave its mark on Soviet tank history, as we shall see later on. In February 26, 1964, the scientific-technical council GKOT examined the Object 167M project and rejected it. The tank did not enter mass production because the Object 432 had already been ordered to enter production as the T-64 by a resolution from the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Object 167M had numerous drawbacks of its own. The Object 167M featured the now-famous AZ autoloader, composite armour for the upper glacis and turret, a 125mm D-81T cannon, a V-26 engine which developed 700 HP, a reinforced transmission to deal with the increased power, hydraulically powered gear shifting systems, the new "Liveni" two-plane stabilizer system, and a new suspension composed of six roadwheels with three return rollers. It is a precursor to the T-72, but is better described as a T-62 taken to the extreme. In fact, the original T-72 outpaced the T-64A in some technical areas due to the implementation of certain technologies. The more expensive pricing of the T-72 does not change the fact that it was a less sophisticated product compared to the later models of the T-64 such as the T-64B, although it was not originally intended to be such by the chief designer of the UKBTM design bureau, Leonid Kartsev. With that said, some Internet sleuths found this chart of procurement prices showing that the T-72A (1979) was significantly more expensive than the T-64A. The T-72 was also widely exported during the Cold War, and as such, the T-72 could be rightfully considered the backbone of the Soviet Army and that of many other nations together with the T-55 and the T-62. The main factor that relegates the T-72 to this category during its service career in the Soviet Army was its role as the primary tank model for motorized infantry units and other mainline Army units whereas the T-64 and T-80 series tended to be supplied to Guards units. But how did it come about? The 2010 book " T-72 Ural armor versus NATO" by noted military historian Mikhail Baryatinsky details the history of the development of the tank, and is the source for many of the diagrams and pictures shared below.įirstly, it should be clear that the T-72 is indeed a "mobilization model" of a sort with slightly inferior performance compared to the later models of the T-64 series. Of that total, 5,264 T-72A tanks were delivered to the Soviet Army. ![]() In total, 20,267 T-72 tanks were produced in Soviet Russia, making it the second most numerous tank ever produced in both the USSR and the world, outstripping the T-62 for that title by a slim margin. The Chelyabinsk Tractor Factory also took part in the manufacture of the T-72 tank, producing 1,894 units themselves between 19. From 1973 to 1990, a total of 18,373 T-72 tanks and T-72 derivatives were manufactured at the UVZ factory floor and another 1,600 tanks were manufactured from 1991 to 1996.
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