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T-72 MBT with Mine Clearing Plow |
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The Soviet T-72 was developed in parallel with the T-64 tank as the successor to the T-54/55/62 family. And while the T-64 was only issued to front-line Soviet units, the T-72 was used within the USSR and exported to Warsaw Pact countries, including former East Germany.
Unlike the earlier vehicles, the T-72 featured an autoloader, which allowed the crew to be reduced from four to three: commander, gunner, and driver. It was armed with a 125mm smoothbore gun that fired Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS), High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), and High-Explosive (HE) rounds; the vehicle had a combat load of 43 125mm rounds. The cartridges used semi-combustible cases that left only a stub of the cartridge after the round was fired. The autoloader could hold 22 ready rounds in a carousel under the turret floor. The gun was fitted with a bore evacuator and thermal sleeve, and the vehicle was fitted with infrared night vision equipment for the crew.
Secondary armament comprised a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun, plus a 12.7mm machine gun on a roof mount for air defense. It was also fitted with a full NBC protection system. The suspension comprised six large road wheels, a front idler, three track return rollers, and a rear sprocket driven by a 785hp diesel engine. The T-72 was introduced to the former East German Army in October 1981, with a total of 380 serving in the armored divisions. The vehicle on display is a T-72M1 with the KMT-6M2 mine clearing plow. When lowered, the KMT-6 digs metal teeth into the ground to scoop up the mines. The device also features an entrenching blade, and the vehicle can dig a protected firing position in roughly 20 to 60 minutes, depending on soil conditions.
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