T-80

T-80
T-80
	T-80BVM, the latest variant of the T-80.
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1976–present
Used by	See Operators
Wars	August Coup; 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; First Chechen War; Yemeni Civil War; Russo-Ukrainian War Russian invasion of Ukraine; Wagner Group rebellion; ;
Production history
Designer	Nikolay Popov, LKZ (T-80) KMDB (T-80UD)
Designed	1967–1975
Manufacturer	LKZ and Omsk Transmash, Russia; Malyshev Factory, Ukraine
Unit cost	US$3 million
Produced	1975–2001 (T-80); 1987–present (T-80UD)
No. built	5,500+
Variants	Engineering & recovery, mobile bridge, mine-plough with KMT-6 plough-type system and KMT-7 roller-type system.
Specifications (T-80B / T-80U)
Mass	42.5 tons (T‑80B), 46 tons (T‑80U)
Length	Gun forward: 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in) T-80B, 9.654 m (31 ft 8.1 in) T-80U; Hull: 7.4 m (24 ft 3 in) T-80B, 7 m (23 ft 0 in) T-80U;
Width	3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) T-80B; 3.603 m (11 ft 9.9 in) T-80U
Height	2.202 m (7 ft 2.7 in) T-80B, T‑80U
Crew	3
Armour	T-80B – Hull 440–450 mm vs APFSDS 500–575 mm vs HEAT, Turret 500 mm vs APFSDS 650 mm vs HEAT; T-80U – Hull & turret with Kontakt-5 780 mm vs APFSDS 1,320 mm vs HEAT;
Main; armament	Smoothbore 125 mm 2A46-2 gun, 36 rounds and 4 9M112 Kobra ATGMs (T-80B); 2A46M-1 with 45 rounds and 6 9M119 Refleks ATGMs (T-80U)
Secondary; armament	7.62 mm PKT coax MG, 12.7 mm NSVT or DShK or PKT antiaircraft MG
Engine	SG-1000 gas turbine T-80B, GTD-1250 turbine T-80U, or one of 3 diesel T‑80UD; 1,000 hp T-80B, 1,250 hp T‑80U
Power/weight	23.5 hp (17.6 kW) / tonne T-80B; 27.2 hp (20.3 kW) / tonne T-80U
Transmission	Manual, 5 forward gears, 1 reverse T-80B, 4 forward, 1 reverse T-80U
Suspension	Torsion bar
Ground clearance	0.38 m (1.2 ft) T-80B, 0.446 m (1.46 ft) T-80U
Fuel capacity	1,100 litres (240 imp gal) (internal); 740 litres (160 imp gal) (external)
Operational; range	335 km (208 mi) (road, without external tanks); 415 km (258 mi) (road, with external tanks)
Maximum speed	70 km/h (43 mph) (T-80U); 48 km/h (30 mph) (cross country)

The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72 and changing the engine to a gas turbine. When it entered service in 1976, it was the first production tank to be powered solely by turbine.

The chief designer of the T-80 was Soviet engineer Nikolay Popov. The T-80U was last produced in 2001 in a factory in Omsk, Russia. In 2023, the CEO of Uralvagonzavod announced that production would restart.

The Ukrainian T-80UD diesel engine variant continued to be produced in Ukraine. The T‑80 and its variants are in service in Belarus, Cyprus, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Ukraine further developed the T‑80UD as the T‑84.