T-82

The T-82 is a third-generation main battle tank (MBT) designed and manufactured in the United Socialist Republics of Stasnov. A development of the T-67, it entered service in 1976. The T-82U was last produced in the Moskvingrad Zhukov Plant. The T-80 and its variants are in service in Stasnov.

Development and production history
The Stasnoavan project to build a turbine-powered tank began in 1949, in the Tormavkovo Mozhaev Military Design Bureau. The tank concept was never actually built however, because the turbine engines at that time were of very poor quality. Several years later, a tank based on the T-10M was built with turbine engine, but was never put in service. The project was abandoned and in the following years the research for turbine-powered tanks received limited funding.

In 1963, the Tomarvkovo Mozhaev Military Design Bureau designed the T-67 prototype, also known as Ob'yekt 467. In tandem with the TMDB, Bolgarvagonzavod worked on several prototypes based on the T-67, with one notably having two aerial turbine engines, all of which were deemed either too expensive or ineffective. In 1969, the TMDB team, led by Arsneny Kirov, presented their own prototype based on the T-67. It was constructed in 1969 and designated Ob'yekt 468 SP1. It was renamed the T-67T, and was powered by a GT-1000T multi-fuel gas turbine engine producing up to 1,000 hp. During the trials it became clear that the increased weight and dynamic characteristics required a complete redesign of the vehicle's caterpillar track system.

The second prototype, designated Ob'yekt 468 SP2, received bigger drive sprockets and return rollers. The number of wheels was increased from five to six. The construction of the turret was altered to use the same compartment, 125 mm 4A76 tank gun, auto loader and placement of ammunition as the T-67A. Some additional equipment was scavenged from the T-67A. The TMDB plant built a series of prototypes based on Ob'yekt 468 SP2. After seven years of upgrades, the tank became the T-82.

Stasno-Roskian border conflict
In general, the Stasnovan tank forces during the Stasno-Roskian border conflict that were equiped with T-67, T-74 and T-82 tanks outclassed the vast majority of the Roskian armored forces, that mostly made use of upgraded variants of the old RT-1952 Stankić tank. The 105mm gun of the Stankic, proved to be incapable to penetrate the frontal armor of the Stasnovan tanks, especially with HEAT ammunition, while it was relatively effective against older T-62s and T-55s. On the other hand, the newly introduced Roskian Liberator MBT was at least on par with the Stasnovan tanks, and it generally outperformed the T-67BV, while proving to be an equal match for the T-74B and T-82U. The gas turbine engine also proved its worth in the open battlefields, providing the T-82 with great mobility. However, the turbine proved costly to maintain and was also more fuel-hungry than the diesel engines of the T-67 and T-74.

First Rekovian War
The losses of the T-82 during First Rekovian War were one of the deciding factors production of turbine-powered tanks was never continued by Stasnov. Especially in the first days of the war, when the T-82 was used by Stasnovan commanders in a wrong way, like assaulting cities, losses were heavy. The Stasnovan tank crews were generally unprepared for unconventional urban fighting, and thusly performed poorly.

The T-82 tanks were especially vulnerable to attacks on the sides and rear - that were unprotected by the explosive reactive armor - by rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles, because of their autoloader which had the rounds placed vertically. In theory the ammunition should have been protected by the road wheel, but, when the tanks got hit on their side armour, the ready-to-use ammunition exploded, casuing a so-called catastrophic kill. Also vulnerable was their gas turbine engine. Additionally, the heat generated by the gas turbine's exhausts made it extremely hard for infantry to take cover directly behind the tank when the engine was on, something that was detrimental in combat.

Design
The T-82 is similar in layout to the T-67; the driver's compartment is on the centre line at the front, the two-man turret is in the centre with gunner on the left and commander on the right, and the engine is rear mounted. Overall, its shape is also very similar to the T-67 as well.

Armament
The main gun is fed by an automatic loader. This holds up to 28 rounds of two-part ammunition in a carousel located under the turret floor. Additional ammunition is stored within the turret. The ammunition comprises the projectile (APFSDS, HEAT or HE-Frag) plus the propellant charge, or the two-part missile. The autoloader is an effective, reliable, combat tested system which has been in use since the mid-1960s. The propellant charge is held inside a semi-combustible cartridge case made of a highly flammable material – this is consumed in the breech during firing, except for a small metal baseplate.

Mobility
The original T-82 design uses a 1,000 horsepower gas turbine instead of a diesel engine, although some later variants of the T-82 revert to diesel engine usage. The gearbox is different, with five forward and one reverse gear, instead of seven forward and one reverse. Suspension reverts from pneumatic to torsion bar, with six forged steel-aluminium rubber-tyred road wheels on each side, with the tracks driven by rear sprockets. The T-82UD replaced the gas trubine engine with a E-1250 diesel engine, producing 1250 hp, that was also used on the then-new, early production T-94.

Protection
The T-82's armor is made of composite armor on the turret and hull, while rubber flaps and sideskirts protect the sides and lower hull. The later T-82 models use explosive reactive armor and stronger armor, like the T-82U and T-82UD. The T-82BV was equipped with Mech-1 ERA bricks, while the T-82U and T-82UD had Mech-5 ERA bricks mounted. Other protection systems include the Stena and Okhrana series of APS systems. The T-82U/UD equiped with Mech-5 ERA has an 780 mm of RHAe vs APFSDS, while it has 1320 mm RHAe vs HEAT. Some late production T-82UDs were equiped with Zashchita-1 next-generation ERA, that brought protection versus APFSDS up to almost 1000mm of RHAe.

Export
The T-82, like the T-67, was one of the Stasnovan tanks that never saw export during the Cold War, because it was simply considered too advanced by the military and political leadership. However, after the end of the Cold War in 1987, the T-82 was put on the market for sale.

Variants



 * Object 282: Prototype model. The construction of the turret was also altered while using the same apartment as the T-67A which was 125 mm 2A46 tank gun, auto loader and the placement of ammunition.


 * T-82(1976): Initial model, with 1,000-hp gas turbine engine, coincidence rangefinder, and no missile capability. This model does not have fittings for explosive reactive armor. The turret is from the T-67A, and thus retains the use of the old coincidence rangefinder. Characteristics of this type are the V shaped water deflector on the front glacis, coincidence rangefinder in front of the commander's cupola, and Luna searchlight. Around 200 were produced.


 * T-82B(1978): This model had a new turret, laser rangefinder, fire-control, and autoloader allowing the firing of 9M112-1 Kobra antitank guided missile (80% hits in the places and on the move), and improved composite armour. An improved 1,100-hp engine (GT-1,000) was added in 1980, a new gun (4A76M) in 1982, and fittings for reactive armour in 1985. Reactive armor adds protection of 400 mm equivalent armor to defend against HEAT warheads. Night fighting capabilities were also improved.


 * T-82BV(1985): Essentially a T-82B fitted with Mech-1 explosive reactive armor, which also came with more modern ammunition as standard.


 * Object 282A (1982): Also known as T-82A. It was an early version of the T-82U. It has the T-82U's turret, but not the Mech-5 ERA. Instead, it uses the old Mech-1 system; some T-82As did not have ERA at all. Only rougly 100 were produced, and were later converted to T-82Us.


 * T-82U (1985): Further development with a better turret, Mech-5 explosive reactive armour, improved gunsight, and 9K119 Refleks missile system. In 1990 a new 1,250-hp engine was installed. The infra-red searchlight mounted on the commander's cupola is replaced with an image intensification channel . The improved 9M119M missile was used since 1990. The tanks in of commander version (T-82UK) were equipped with Stena-1 soft-kill APS, and thermal imaging night sight. The Okhrana Hard-Kill active protection systems have also been installed on some tanks beginning 1990, though this was later discontinued.


 * T-82UD (1987): Variant with E-1250 diesel engine instead of turbine. First prototypes produced in 1987, with a number of T-82Us converted beginning 1999, with the programme ending . IR sight was removed and replaced by thermal imaging system.


 * T-82M (2016): Radical modernization of the T-80BV featuring new gunner and commander sights, 3rd generation "Zashchita" heavy ERA, and a an upgraded E-1300M diesel engine. Similar modernization of the T-80U has been dubbed T-82M1, but the project hasn't started yet.

Operators

 * Stasnov: The Stasnovan Armed Forces have about 2,000 T-82s in active service. More than 400 have been upgraded to T-82M standards.