Russia has T-80 tanks in active service, however, they are kept away from most frontline units, usually assigned only to high arc working units. Perhaps one of the more neglected tanks that continue to be modernized is the T-80 variant. The T-80 main combat tank is another development of the T-64, which had many significant flaws. It was a more capable alternative to the T-72. The most notable feature of the T-80 compared to the T-72 is its ability to fire anti-tank guided missiles (T-80B and later variants) in the same manner as the gas turbine engine and the general round. The problem is that the T-80 mounts the MZ system and cannot be converted using the AZ system. Until 1984/1985, the MZ was still competitive with the AZ, but only because the AZ system could not launch a missile chamber. However, the mayoral components of these 3 tanks were not interchangeable. It was a difficult task for the Soviet Army to fully support these 3 different types of tanks. Russia currently operates a total of 4,500 T-80 main battle tanks. Since then, the T-80’s MZ autoloader has done nothing but damage compared to the AZ system. It is easy to damage, makes the tank more compact, accumulates the smoke, and increases the risk of gunpowder damage. It also introduces a significant fire hazard. The AZ had all the reasons to design in the first place.
The main reason is the geographical location of Russia. Although the T-72s and T-90s perform well in most climates, in the north where temperatures can be very low, the T-80 turbine engine is a very advanced machine. Designed to use T-80 GTD series turbine engines, while T-72 uses V-46, V-84, or V-92 series diesel engines. The V-46 and its successors were originally the ultra-modern versions of the older T-34 engine, which was modernized to make the T-54 series stronger with exceptional success. In this case the T-72A and Bs which received similar punishments were slightly more likely to survive a flanking strike because their autoloaders stored the propellant in a horizontal position under the rim of their road wheel. GTD series engines are reliable enough nowadays, but range and fuel efficiency are extremely low, a common problem for a gas turbine.
Beyond that, there are cases where most of the upgrades are being done to help the T-72 meet the needs of the T-80. The only place the T-80 doesn’t need to be upgraded as seriously as the T-72 (the original phrase “as seriously”) is Commander Optics.
The Soviet army forgot the hard lessons of the urban warfare of World War II. During the Cold War, only the Spetsnaz Commando and the Berlin Garrison were trained for serious city warfare. Hoping for little resistance, Russian forces entered Grozny with infantry inside their BMP and BTR transport. Their commanders were lost because they did not have accurate maps. One thing that keeps the T-80 running is that turbines start more easily at -30C. The V-92 is good up to about -20C, but below that, it starts to require preheating, which is not militarily convenient.
It was easy for the Russian High Command to blame the design of the T-80 for the Chechen disaster – as opposed to clumsy operational planning and strategic inadequacies. But in the end, it was the lack of money that led to the export of the cheap T-72 to Russia and the displacement of the T-80 as its preferred choice after the Chechen war. Although the V-46 series will happily take petrol or kerosene alongside diesel, the T-72 will do much better in cold weather operations than other diesel tanks.
