In honor of the 50th anniversary of the legendary T-80, young specialists from Uralvagonzavod painted the 'flying tank' in Khokhloma style. This was reported by the enterprise.
The work effectively combined the power of domestic machine building and Russia's rich cultural heritage. The T-80, nicknamed the 'flying tank' for its high speed and maneuverability, appeared in an unusual — festive and folk — guise.
What the T-80 is known for
The T-80 became the world's first serial tank with a gas turbine power plant — it was adopted into service on July 6, 1976. The gas turbine engine provided the machine with qualities that its diesel predecessors lacked: high specific power, responsiveness, and the ability to start instantly in any frost. While a diesel tank requires about 45 minutes to start at minus 30 degrees Celsius, the T-80 is ready to move in less than a minute.
It was for its speed and maneuverability that the tank received several nicknames. During the Cold War, in the West, it was called the 'Channel Tank' — according to NATO staff calculations, Soviet divisions on T-80s could reach the English Channel coast in two days. And it was dubbed 'flying' in 1993 at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi, when the T-80U made a spectacular jump from a ramp, landed softly, and maintained full combat capability. In total, more than 10 thousand units of various T-80 versions have been produced since 1976.
New modifications
The most modern version is the T-80BVM. It is produced by OmskTansMash (part of Uralvagonzavod). The modernization affected key characteristics: the machine received a multi-channel gunner's sight with a thermal imager and a laser missile guidance channel, and also became the first serial tank with new-generation reactive armor 'Relikt'. Fuel consumption while stationary with all systems operating was almost halved.
According to Rostec, the modernization of the T-80 continues, taking into account real combat experience: designers are enhancing all-aspect protection against drones and high-precision weapons, while maintaining the machine's speed and maneuverability.
Read more on the topic:
- T-80 Against Time: The Soviet Tank with an Aircraft Engine That Is Still Being Modernized
- "Tank Sneaks Up to Positions": Uralvagonzavod Reveals Advantages of Gas Turbine Engine for T-80BVM
- The "Flying" T-80 Tank to Receive the Latest Gas Turbine Engine with Increased Power
- The gas-turbine tank T-80BVM fell behind the T-72B3M in cross-country mobility