Through the Dust of Time: Obsolete T-72B Tanks Become Relevant Again

The clever "Hedgehog" protection significantly increased the survivability of 40-year-old vehicles

Footage has appeared online showing Soviet T-72B tanks that have had their survivability on the battlefield seriously enhanced thanks to new protection systems. A clever "Hedgehog" protection system in the form of loose steel cables is installed on the combat vehicles, which prevents strike drones from reaching the armor.

T-72B with "Hedgehog" type protection

Anti-cumulative structures were also placed on top of the Kontakt-1 reactive armor side containers.

Such improvements dramatically increase the ability to operate on the battlefield at a time when there are a large number of drones in the sky.

As a reminder, the T-72B is a Soviet main battle tank that was adopted in 1984 as a further development of the T-72A tank. The tank received an improved filler for the frontal part of the hull and a more resistant cast turret, which significantly increased its protection.

The combat vehicle is equipped with a 125-mm 2A46M smoothbore gun with an automatic loader. Another important innovation was the ability to launch anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) through the gun barrel.

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