Kharkiv Morozov T-55AGM

     Notes: Ukraine still uses a number of older tanks, but they are not stock tanks – most have been heavily upgraded and modified, often to the point that they no longer externally resemble their parent tanks.  Ukraine also makes a decent amount of money selling these upgrade kits to customers who already operate older former Soviet tanks.  One of these upgraded tanks is the T-55AGM, which is a heavily-updated T-54 or T-55, and the kit can also be applied to the Chinese Type 59.  The Ukrainians have made several upgrade kit sales to other countries (the exact customers are unknown), and the Ukrainians also use the T-55AGM.

The T-55AGM

     The upgrade kit starts with a mobility upgrade.  The powerpack is replaced with one that uses a 850-horsepower 5TDFM turbocharged diesel engine and matches it to an automatic transmission, with a T-bar steering device and a conventional gas and brake pedal.  (a 1000-horsepower 5TDFMA engine is an option.)  The new engine and transmission, in addition to providing extra forward speed, allows the T-55AGM to move in reverse five times faster than the original T-55 (which translates to a Combat Move of 8).  The suspension has also been upgraded to allow the climbing of higher obstacles and steeper slopes, both in forward and reverse.  The new suspension also has modern shock absorbers and torsion bars that give the T-55AGM a much smoother ride, decreasing crew fatigue.  The T-55AGM also uses a “semi-Christie” suspension that does have three return rollers, which further dampen vibrations, particularly when moving cross-country.  Tracks have also been widened.  This, in addition to the modified suspension, further improves cross-country performance.

     Firepower receives a great increase – the T-55AGM sports a 120mm NATO-compatible KBM-2 gun or a 125mm KBM-1 gun that is a modified version of the main gun found on modern Russian tanks.  (It should be noted that the KBM-2 is longer than standard NATO 120mm guns, at a length of L/50 vs. L/44 for a NATO-standard 120mm gun.)  These guns both use an autoloader that is specially-designed to fit into the small turret of the T-55AGM (which is, though larger than that of the T-55, is still on the small side).  They can use all modern ordnance of their caliber as well as 9K119M (AT-11 Sniper-B) ATGMs.  The guns are designed with a short-recoil system; the system takes up most of the recoil travel of comparable guns, but still rock the tank more than they would in a full-sized tank using the same gun. The autoloader has a capacity of 18 rounds.

     The coaxial machinegun and commander’s machinegun are the standard KT-7.62 and KT-12.7.  The commander’s machinegun is mounted in a cupola that allows the machinegun to be aimed and fired when buttoned up; it is in fact similar to that mounted on the T-64BM Bulat (see below).

     The fire control system of the T-55AGM is also similar in capabilities to that of the T-64BM.  It uses a gunner’s thermal imager and a thermal imager for the commander (the French MATIS thermal imager), a day/night sight for the commander and gunner incorporating a telescopic sight and an image intensifier, laser rangefinders for the commander and gunner, and a ballistic computer that is used by the commander and gunner simultaneously.  An additional laser designator is supplied for guidance of ATGMs. The laser rangefinders have a range of 9900 meters; by changing the laser’s frequency, they can be used as target designators for other weapons. The main gun is stabilized in both planes with an electro-hydraulic system.

     Armor protection for the T-55AGM is greatly improved over that of the T-55, with appliqué armor, stand-off armored panels, armored side skirts, and lugs for ERA on the turret front, turret side, glacis, and hull sides.  The standard ERA used is the Ukrainian Nozh 3^rd-generation system.  The paint used on the T-55AGM is designed to dampen the infrared signature of the tank (-3 for another person to spot the T-55AGM with IR devices or thermal imagers, or -2 with image intensifiers or low-light TV cameras; if the observer is over 500 meters from the T-55AGM, direct vision or telescopic sights incur a -2 penalty). The T-55AGM also has a laser warning system, as well as a device that sprays a 20-meter wide area with an aerosol screen that interferes with laser designators and laser rangefinders; this device has 20 spray loads.  On each side of the turret are six smoke grenade launchers, and the T-55AGM can also lay a thick smoke screen by injecting diesel fuel into its exhaust. The turret has a distinctive wedge shape in the T-55AGM, and the rear of the tank, where the engine compartment is located, also has a different shape than that of the T-55.

     The T-55AGM does not have an NBC overpressure system, but does have an NBC collective system.  Radiation shielding is comprehensive, and the exterior of the T-55AGM has devices to automatically check and gauge radiation, chemical agents, and (to an extent) bacteriological agents.  The T-55AGM has an automatic fire suppression system, as well as a manual system for each crew member.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These tanks do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*Hull floor armor is 7; Turret roof armor is 7Sp.

**The stabilization of the commander’s machinegun is +2/Fair.

Kharkiv Morozov T-62 Upgrades

     Notes: As they do with several former Soviet main battle tanks, the Ukrainians have designed some upgrade packages for the T-62.  These upgrade packages are designed for export, as the Ukrainian Army no longer uses the T-62.  These upgrade packages, like all of the recent Ukrainian upgrade packages, greatly enhance the capabilities of the T-62.  Regardless of the base version of the T-62, the results are basically the same for each upgrade.

The T-62AG

     The T-62AG is a less comprehensive package than the T-62AGM (below) for customers that cannot afford the T-62AGM upgrade. Like the T-62AGM, the T-62AG is designed for export, as the Ukrainians no longer use the T-62.  Despite being less comprehensive, the T-62AG upgrade still provides improvements in virtually every aspect of the tank, and also has some features the T-62AGM lacks.  Externally, a new armor package makes the T-62AG more angular, especially in the turret.  The interesting aspect about the T-62AG upgrade can be carried out in the field with minimal facilities; all that is needed is an upgrade kit, metal-cutting and welding equipment, and a crane with a capacity of 15 tons.  Six people with the requisite skills can accomplish this upgrade in 20 days.

     The separate engine and transmission and associated equipment of the T-62 are replaced by a 700-horsepower 5TDF multifuel engine, and an automatic transmission.  The driver steers with a T-bar, and use conventional gas and brake pedals.  New self-sealing flexible-bag-type fuel tanks are installed, which are contained in armored metal containers that have an explosion suppression system.  The crew and engine compartments likewise have an automatic fire suppression system, with each crewmember having a manual fire extinguishing handle to pull as a backup; three fire extinguishing bottle are also included.

     The armor of the T-62AG has been improved with the addition of appliqué armor and stand-off armor plates.  In addition, armored side skirts are added, and a number of additional protective measures are also added.  The appliqué and stand-off armor plates are designed to be easily remove and replaced by undamaged panels, or replaced by more up-to-date appliqué.  The rear hull deck is equipped with special screens that prevent items like burning Molotov cocktails from pouring flammable fuel into the engine compartment.

     As an option, the T-62AG can be protected by a version of the Varta system, which is a soft-kill active protection system.  This version of the Varta system consists of four laser warning systems (two precision sensors that can display the position of the emitting laser to the commander, and two coarse sensors that merely warn the crew that the T-62AG is being lased).  The coarse sensors are almost certain to warn the crew of being lased, but the precision sensors have a 12 in 20 chance of revealing the position of a laser designator.  The system then sprays an aerosol screen in the direction of the designator or rangefinder; this device has a total of 20 sprays available.  The detection arc, however, is only 45 degrees to either side and upwards of the bore axis of the main gun, as is the area the anti-laser aerosol can spray.   The system also has a pair of movable IR lights that emit coded pulses to decoy IR-guided missiles (on a roll of 12+ on a d20, the ATGM’s gunner has one level of difficulty greater to hit the T-62AG), and electro-optical jammers that do the same thing to wire-guided and radio-guided ATGMs.  These systems can also be set to automatically launch one smoke grenade to each side is a laser designator is detected.  The area of this detection and countermeasure ability, however, is only 20 degrees to either side of the bore axis of the main gun, and only 2 degrees upwards from the plane of the main gun.

     The T-62AG also includes lugs for Nozh 3^rd-generation ERA on the glacis, lower hull front, turret front, turret sides, and the forward third of the hull sides. (This helps keep weight down, and also protects the gunner, final drives, and part of the main gun ammunition storage.  On each side of the turret are eight smoke grenade launcher clusters, and the T-62AG can lay a thick, oily smoke screen by injecting fuel into its exhaust, provided the T-62AG is running on diesel fuel.  The T-62AG is equipped with an NBC overpressure system with a collective NBC backup, and the crew can use an external radiation sensor to measure radiation outside the tank.  The T-62AG also has a chemical poison gas sniffer; if poison gas or undue radiation is detected, both audio signals and lights alert the crew.  Note that while the chemical sensor can detect the presence of poison gas, it cannot tell the crew the type of gas present or its concentration.  As on later versions of the T-62, the radiation shielding of the T-62AG is comprehensive and effective.

     Of course, the biggest change in the T-62AG is the replacement of the T-62’s standard main gun with a KBA-101 120mm main gun or a KBM-1M main gun.  The primary differences between these guns and the KBM-2 120mm or KBM-1 125mm guns is that the KBA-101 and KBM-1M do not have autoloaders.  The main guns on the T-62AG can still fire the AT-11 ATGM.  These guns are paired with a fire control system that has a ballistic computer and laser rangefinder, plus a laser designator for the ATGMs.  The night vision, though not as comprehensive as that on the T-62AGM, is still an improvement over the T-62.  The commander, however, has only a pintle-mounted machinegun that cannot be aimed and fired from under armor.

The T-62AGM

     A modified form of the T-55AGM upgrade package can also be applied to the T-62.  Like the T-55AGM package, the T-62AGM package can be applied to virtually any subtype of T-62, and the end result is about the same, regardless of which T-62 subtype that Kharkiv Morozov started out with.  Essentially, the differences between the T-55AGM and the T-62AGM are the armor (the base armor of the T-62 is a bit heavier in some places than that of the base T-55) and the amount of ammunition carried (there is a bit more room for ammunition in the T-62).  Otherwise, the modifications are identical and/or produce the same result.  The T-62AGM also weighs a bit more than the T-55AGM, due to the different sizes of the hulls, turrets, and the armor modifications necessary. It should be noted that the T-62AGM is designed as an export package; the Ukrainians no longer use the T-62 in their forces.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This tank does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*Hull floor armor is 9; Turret roof armor is 9Sp.

Kharkiv Morozov T-64BM Bulat

     Notes: The T-64BM is a post-Cold War upgrade of the T-64B, which first appeared in 1999 and entered service with the Ukrainian Army in 2005.  (It should not be confused with the Russian-built version of the T-64, also designated the T-64BM.) The T-64BM upgrades almost every component of the T-64B, making all-around a far more accurate and protected tank that is viable on the modern battlefield, though not up to the capabilities of modern tanks like the Abrams, Challenger, or even the T-90.  The Ukrainians also hoped for export sales, but the large amount of upgrade kits for former Soviet designs (including several made by Ukraine herself) meant that the T-64BM has had no export sales, with the possible exception to some kits sold to Russia.

     The gun system of the T-64BM uses a locally-designed model of the 2A46M-1, called the KBA-3.  The coaxial machinegun is still the PKT.  The commander’s machinegun has been replaced by the NSVT.  The commander’s new cupola allows the commander to aim and fire the NSVT from under armor, and has its own sight that incorporates a ballistic computer and a coincidence rangefinder; it is also stabilized in the vertical axis.  The main gun’s fire control is fully modernized, possibly with Polish and French help.  It uses a laser rangefinder and modern ballistic computer, along with a new stabilization system that is electo-hydraulic and works in both planes.  The commander has auxiliary controls; he can tap into gunner’s sight or the fire controls in his cupola.  The gunner has an auxiliary coincidence rangefinder and another backup in the form of a simple telescopic sight. (The fire control system is essentially identical to that of the T-84.)  Night vision is likewise drastically increased – the gunner is equipped with a thermal imager, and the commander’s station can also have an optional thermal imager.  (I have included one below.) The main gun, in addition to conventional main gun rounds, can fire the 9K119 (AT-11 Sniper) ATGM.  The main gun is fed by an autoloader that can handle any round the T-64BM can fire, including the 9K119 ATGM; the autoloader holds 22 rounds.

     Power for the T-64BM in Ukrainian service is typically the 850-horsepower 5TDFM, which is a turbocharged version of the original Russian 5TDF engine.  A 1000-horsepower turbocharged 6TD-1 engine can also be installed, with little changes to the rest of the T-64TD’s drive train.  The suspension is fully automatic and far less tiring for the driver than that of the T-64B.  Despite the greater power, the T-64BMs engine gets better mileage than the T-64B.  The tracks have also seen some attention, as they have rubber track pads instead of being bare steel.

     The T-64’s armor is not only of more advanced metals, it is strengthened with appliqué armor.  The composite armor of the frontal arc is likewise more than advanced than the spaced armor of the T-64B.  The turret sides, turret front, hull front, and hull sides have lugs for Ukrainian-made Nozh 3^rd-Generation ERA.  The sides have armored side skirts added. The T-64B has an automatic fire detection and suppression system, and the fuel tanks are self-sealing and help protect against fuel explosions.  On each side of the turret are four smoke grenade launchers, and the T-64BM can make a smoke screen by injecting diesel fuel into its exhaust.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The T-64BM Bulat does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*The stabilization of the commander’s machinegun is +2/Fair.

Kharkiv Morozov T-72 Upgrades

     Notes: Some of the tank upgrade packages upon which the Ukrainians make the most money is for their T-72 upgrades.  In general, Kharkiv Morozov offers three T-72 upgrade packages: the T-72AG, the T-72MP, and the T-72-120.  In all cases, Kharkiv Morozov’s T-72 upgrades provide a full spectrum of upgrades to the T-72 involved, and regardless of the T-72 upgrade involved, produce about the same results.  Though the results are not up to modern tank designs (especially Western tanks), they can in some cases extend the viable life of a T-72 from 15-20 years.

The T-72AG

     The T-72 provides upgrades that strike a balance between increases in firepower, mobility and protection, and do so at a reasonable cost for most countries using the T-72.  Though the Ukrainians themselves do not employ the T-72AG, the Ukrainian Army is giving hard consideration to upgrading to the T-72AG standard for their T-72 tank force.

     The T-72AG upgrade replaces the original 2A46 main gun with the newer Ukrainian-made KBM-1M 125mm gun.  The KBM-1M provides a better match for the upgraded fire control equipment and fits better in the turret, using up less space.  The KBM-1M also has a shorter recoil stroke and the barrel of the gun can be replaced in the field using the standard tool kit provided with the T-72AG, without removing the rest of the gun from the T-72AG. The gun’s autoloader holds 28 rounds. The original sights and fire control equipment are replaced with a modern ballistic computer and laser rangefinder (the French-designed Savan-15 system), and the main gun is fully stabilized. The main gun can fire conventional rounds as well as the 9K119M (AT-11 Sniper-B) ATGM; the ATGM is laser-guided and has its own laser designator separate from the laser rangefinder.  The laser rangefinder has a range of 9900 meters, and the wavelength of the laser can be changed, allowing the commander to designate targets for other weapons with the primary laser rangefinder.  The gunner has up-to-date night vision sights; the commander’s night vision is not quite so comprehensive. (The gunner’s thermal imager is an option, but I have included it in the stats below.) The commander and the gunner each have integrated night/day sights, and the commander can tap into the gunner’s thermal imager without interfering with the gunner’s use of the device; the commander can also feed information about the targets he sees to the ballistic computer, giving the T-72AG a hunter/killer capability.

     The commander’s machinegun is housed in an integrated cupola system that allows the KT-12.7 to be aimed and fired from inside the turret using its own auxiliary sights and laser rangefinder, and is stabilized in the vertical plane.  The turret’s traverse mechanism, however, is limited to 75 ° left or right in of itself, though of course 360 °-rotation is possible with the help of the turret.  The commander’s machinegun can be elevated to -5 °/+70 °.  (It should be noted that the commander’s ballistic computer and laser rangefinder function only to an elevation of +20 degrees; beyond that, a conventional coincidence rangefinder is used.) The commander has override controls for the main gun and coaxial machinegun.

     The T-72AG employs more advanced composite armor on the glacis and turret front, as well as some appliqué on those surfaces.  The T-72AG upgrade also adds appliqué to most other surface of the tank, including the turret deck and hull floor, including armored track skirts and stand-off armor panels on the turret sides and rear.  ERA lugs are found on the glacis, lower hull front, hull sides, turret front, and turret sides.  The armor is modular and can be easily upgraded or repaired in the field; the ERA installation points are also modular, as they are attached to hardpoints built into the armor.  The standard ERA lugs take Nozh or Nozh-2 3^rd and 4^th-generation ERA or their Russian equivalents.  However, the customer may specify that lugs for other types of ERA be installed on their T-72AGs. The paint used on the T-72AG is designed to dampen the infrared signature of the tank (-3 for another person to spot the T-72AG with IR devices or thermal imagers, or -2 with image intensifiers or low-light TV cameras; if the observer is over 500 meters from the T-72AG, direct vision or telescopic sights incur a -2 penalty). The T-72AG also has a laser warning system, as well as a device that sprays a 20-meter wide area with an aerosol screen that interferes with laser designators and laser rangefinders; this device has 20 spray loads.  On each side of the turret are eight smoke grenade launchers, and the T-72AG can also lay a thick smoke screen by injecting diesel fuel into its exhaust.

     The T-72AG is also protected by comprehensive radiation shielding and an NBC overpressure system with a collective NBC system as a backup. This NBC system also includes radiation and chemical detection systems, and to an extent, allows for the detection of bacteriological agents.  The detectors give the crew audible alarms as well as lights to alert them to such hazards. The radiation detectors give an exact level of the radiation hazard; the chemical and bacterial defense alarms, however, merely alert the crew to the presence of chemical or biological agents, and do not tell the crew the concentration of agents or what the agents are. The T-72AG has automatic fire suppression systems in the crew compartments, the engine compartment, and the ammunition storage bins and the autoloader.

     Optionally, the T-72AG can be protected by the Varta system, which is a soft-kill active protection system.  The Varta system consists of four laser warning systems (two precision sensors that can display the position of the emitting laser to the commander, and two coarse sensors that merely warn the crew that the T-72AG is being lased).  The coarse sensors are almost certain to warn the crew of being lased, but the precision sensors have a 12 in 20 chance of revealing the position of a laser designator.  The Varta system also uses a pair of rotating IR lights that emit coded pulses to decoy IR-guided missiles (on a roll of 12+ on a d20, the ATGM’s gunner has one level of difficulty greater to hit the T-72AG), and electro-optical jammers that do the same thing to wire-guided and radio-guided ATGMs.  These systems can also be set to automatically launch one smoke grenade to each side is a laser designator is detected.

     Another option is a GPS navigation/mapping system.  This can use signals from GPS NAVSTAR, GLONASS, or both.  The system includes LCD panels for the driver and commander to display navigation information, and map coordinates and other information can be inputted via a keyboard.  (The keyboard is at the commander’s station only.)  The system can also share information with similarly-equipped vehicles and positions that are within 20 km.  A computer ties all this information together. Thus, you have a system which is just a step below that of the Battlefield Management Systems that are now found in the armies of several countries these days.

     The customer of a T-72AG upgrade may pick from one of two engines – the 6TD-1 1000-horsepower turbocharged multifuel engine and the 6TD-2, which is similar to the 6TD-1 but develops 1200 horsepower.  As one of the biggest problems with the T-72s standard engine is a drop in performance and reliability in hot and dry conditions, the 6TD-1 and 6TD-2 are designed to operate in such conditions without a performance drop; they can also handle cold weather easily.  The 6TD-1 and 6TD-2 can be fueled by diesel, gasoline, kerosene, or jet fuel – or a mix of any of those fuels.  The transmission is fully automatic, but can also be switched into manual or semiautomatic modes.  The powerpack is unitary and smaller than that of the original T-72, giving room for some of the new equipment, making the T-72AG lighter than it would have been otherwise, and providing room for larger fuel tanks.  The new fuel tanks are also self-sealing and provided with automatic explosion and fire suppression systems. The T-72AG and its subtypes are also equipped with an 8kW APU for silent watches.

     Note that below, I have lumped together the Varta system and GPS/BMS system upgrades; however, real-life customers would not be required to accept both upgrades.  It is not an official designation, but I have designated T-72AGs with those modifications as T-72AGMs.

The T-72-120

     The T-72 is basically a T-72AG with a 120mm KBA-2 gun mounted as the main gun in place of a 125mm gun.  This version is meant for the export market.  However, a number of changes were made to the T-72-120 to accommodate the 120mm gun.  The biggest changes is the feed system: the T-72-120 uses the same French-designed autoloader as used on the T-84 Yatagan (below), including having the large turret bustle that accommodates the autoloader and some extra ammunition. The autoloader holds 22 rounds, with five more in a bin in the turret bustle, and the bustle has blow-out panels similar to those of the M-1 Abrams.  Seven more rounds are in an armored bin to the right of the driver, and six to the left of the driver.  As with the Yatagan, the standard machineguns are the KT-7.62 and KT-12.7, but these can be substituted for weapons firing NATO ammunition.  Also as with the Yatagan, the T-72-120 can be paired with the Varta system and the navigation/BMS system.  I refer to this as the T-72-120M below, though that designation is not official.

     Now, just to provide an interesting wrinkle, Kharkiv Morozov is in the final stages of experimentation (with German help) a version of the T-72-120 with a 140mm main gun.  While they acknowledge they will have few if any customers for this tank, it’s possible that it will be ready as soon as 2011. It is not yet known whether they will develop an ATGM for this gun. My estimate of the autoloader’s capacity would be 20 rounds, with five more rounds in the bustle and seven rounds on either side of the driver.  I have called this (of course) the T-72-140 below, and it’s not an official designation.

The T-72MP

     In the late 1990s, the Kharkiv Morozov cooperated with PSP Bohemia of the Czech Republic and the French company of SAGEM (plus help from the Russians with their Shtora-1 system) to produce an upgraded version of the T-72, called the T-72MP.  This version of the T-72 was to be marketed primarily by PSP Bohemia, and was primarily meant as an export upgrade package. The T-72 was a comprehensive upgrade of the T-72, providing a great leap in the capabilities of the T-72.  While it was an excellent upgrade, a combination of political and economic factors conspired against Czech marketing of the T-72MP package, and it fell by the wayside.

     However, Kharkiv Morozov did not give up on the T-72MP; instead, they improved upon it, and are now marketing it again, with license-built and improved versions of the systems of the original upgrade package, and new ideas and wrinkles of their own.  Thus, the Kharkiv Morozov is not quite the same as the PSP Bohemia T-72MP, though they are close cousins; it is also related to the T-72AG. In general, the T-72MP is very much like the T-72AG, and much of the information about the T-72AG also applies to the T-72MP.  (Much of the design work on the T-72MP led to the T-72AG.) The T-72MP is therefore a combination of late-1990s technology and up-to-date technology.

     The armor package of the T-72MP is improved over even the earlier T-72MP design, though not as much as that of the T-72AG; it is also not modular.  The ERA mountings are of the same modular design as those on the T-72AG, but they are found only on the glacis, lower hull front, and turret front; the types of ERA packages are the same as those of the T-72AG.  Fire control is the same Savan-15 system as on the T-72AG, which is an improvement over that of the Czech T-72MP that is unfortunately not quantifiable in game terms except in the way it affects the general weight of the vehicle.  The seven-barrel smoke grenade clusters on either side of the turret of the original T-72MP have been replaced with newer eight-barrel clusters.

     The main gun of the T-72MP is the 125mm KBM-1 main gun; it is an earlier version of the KBM-1M, and differs primarily in small details that are not important to game play. If a customer desires, the original 2A46M main gun can be retained through the upgrade; the original PKT and NSVT machineguns can also be retained at customer request.  Regardless of whether the commander’s machinegun is a KT-12.7 or an NSVT, it is mounted in a commander’s cupola with the same capabilities as those on the T-72AG.  The optional Varta soft-kill APS can also be mounted, and the navigation/BMS system is also an option. (As with the T-72AG entry, I have lumped these two upgrades together, giving them the unofficial designation of T-72MPM.)

     The result of the T-72MP upgrades is a tank with basically the same capabilities as the T-72AG, but with less armor protection and a little less ammunition onboard.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The T-72MP is a rare vehicle in the Twilight 2000 timeline, and most of them are equipped with 2A46M main guns, PKT coaxials, and NSVT commander’s machineguns.  The Soviet Army decided to forgo the 1000-horsepower engine, and equip the T-72MP with exclusively the 1200-horsepower engine. The electronics are not French-designed, but have the same performance in game terms.  None of the other T-72 upgrades mentioned here, including the T-72MPM, are found in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*The stabilization of the commander’s machinegun is +2/Fair.

**Turret roof armor and hull floor armor are 10Sp.

Kharkiv Morozov T-80UD

     Notes: The Ukrainians have long thought the T-80 was an excellent tank, combining speed, firepower, and armor protection in a very fast-moving package. (The T-80 was Morozov’s idea, anyway.)  However, Kharkiv Morozov thought that while, in its time, the T-80’s gas turbine was a good idea – it gave the T-80 excellent speed and mobility – they also knew that the gas turbine gobbled up prodigious amounts of fuel. While the T-80s gas turbine was much better than earlier Russian gas turbines, it was still a little unreliable and maintenance-heavy.

     Therefore, when the Ukrainians were modernizing their T-80Us, the first thing they changed was the powerpack.  The engine was replaced with a 6TD-1 1000-horsepower turbocharged multifuel engine (and intended it to run primarily from diesel).  The new engine also has other advantages – it has much more reliability, both in general and especially in hot, dry, dusty conditions.  A new automatic transmission was installed to match the engine, and the driver’s controls are a simple steering T-bar and conventional gas and brake pedal.  The suspension is an improved version of that of the T-80U, giving the T-80UD a smoother ride both on the road and cross country.  Below the front hull is a hanging rubber mat that also helps keep down dust.  The fuel tanks are self-sealing and have automatic explosion and fire dampening and suppression systems, as does the engine compartment itself. The Ukrainians also added a small gas turbine APU with a power output of 8kW.

     Of course, the Ukrainians did not stop with a mobility upgrade.  The main gun was replaced with a 125mm KBA-3, which fires all 125mm rounds as well as the laser-guided 9K119M (AT-11 Sniper-B) ATGM.  The KBA requires less maintenance, and what maintenance is done is easier to accomplish.  The barrel of the KBA-3 can be changed without removing the entire gun, and the KBA-3 and its improved autoloader are more reliable than the 2A46M.  Earlier versions of the T-80UD, did in fact use the 2A46M gun.  The KBA-3s autoloader carries 28 rounds; six rounds are carried on each side of the driver in armored bins, and five more rounds are carried in an armored bin in the turret.  The fire control system is virtually identical to that of the T-64BM (though a bit more advanced than the T-64BM, this is not quantifiable in game terms).  As with other modern Ukrainian missile-firing tanks, the T-80UD has a separate laser designator for use with its ATGMs.  The autoloader carousel and the ammunition stowage bins have armored exteriors.

     The commander’s machinegun is housed in an integrated cupola system that allows the KT-12.7 to be aimed and fired from inside the turret using its own auxiliary sights and laser rangefinder, and is stabilized in the vertical plane.  The turret’s traverse mechanism, however, is limited to 75 ° left or right in of itself, though of course 360 °-rotation is possible with the help of the turret.  The commander’s machinegun can be elevated to -5 °/+70 °.  (It should be noted that the commander’s ballistic computer and laser rangefinder functions only to an elevation of +20 degrees; beyond that, a conventional coincidence rangefinder is used.) The commander has override controls for the main gun and coaxial machinegun.  The commander’s machinegun may also be an NSVT at customer request; likewise, the coaxial machinegun may be a PKT.

     Compared to other former Soviet-based designs, the interior of the T-80UD is almost roomy.  Inside the T-80UD’s fighting compartment are racks for AK-type weapons, pistols, and hand grenades for each crewmember, in addition to a signal flare pistol and several of three colors of flares.  The crew is able to fit part of the personal gear inside, or extra machinegun ammunition boxes or a couple of main gun rounds can be put inside.  In addition, the T-80UD has a decent-sized bustle rack and the turret and hull have several equipment boxes.

     Extra protection is provided by an upgrade to the frontal composite armor as well as appliqué armor, both in the form of standard add-on armor plates and stand-off armor plates.  Like most other armored vehicles, the T-80UD can lay a thick, oily smoke screen by injecting diesel fuel into its exhaust.  The T-80UD has a cluster of four smoke grenade launchers on either side of its turret. Under armor, above the engine compartment, is a layer of insulation that helps dampen the IR signature of the engine (-3 to hit with IR-guided weapons and -2 to detect the T-80UD with IR viewers or thermal imagers).  Lugs for ERA (usually the Ukrainian Nozh or Nozh-2, but customers may specify lugs for other types of ERA if desired) are found on the glacis, turret front, turret sides, and the forward third of the hull sides.

Pakistani T-80UDs

     In the early 1990s, Ukraine negotiated with Pakistan to fill Pakistan’s needs for newer main battle tanks; the Pakistanis chose the T-80UD, deciding to procure 320 of them.  These T-80UDs were to have all been delivered throughout 1997.  After the first 15 T-80UDs were delivered to Pakistan, the Ukrainians were suddenly forced to suspend shipments.

     The problem was the Russians.  Perhaps the biggest customer for Russian military equipment is the Indians, and the Indians weren’t happy that the Pakistanis were getting tanks with main guns and fire control equipment almost as good as that on their new T-90Ss.  At the time, the Ukrainians were fitting 2A46M main guns and Russian-built fire control equipment, as well as some other turret equipment that was Russian designed but built under license in Ukraine; the ERA that Ukraine was using at the time was also the Russian Kontakt series.  The Russians refused to sell the Ukrainians any more tank components, and rescinded the licenses they had issued.

      The Ukrainians, however, were already well on their way to having a defense industry independent of Russia, and the boycott merely gave Kharkiv Morozov extra impetus to bring those components to fruit even faster.  The Ukrainians kept the Pakistanis happy by delivering 20 more T-80UDs that had been drawn from an unfulfilled earlier export order, and between 1997 and 2002, the Ukrainians delivered 285 more T-80UDs. 

     Sort of.

     The original T-80UDs delivered to the Pakistanis were in fact standard T-80UDs.  The remaining T-80UDs, however, were not standard; the Ukrainians used the hulls and hull components of the T-80UD, but the turrets of these vehicles were actually the same as those installed on the T-84.  In addition, the ERA lugs were modular and could take both Kontakt-series and Nozh-series ERA, as well as Pakistani-designed ERA modules.  The Pakistanis also use PKTs and NSVTs on their T-80UDs of both types. It is rumored, but not confirmed, that some of the later shipments included the Varta system.  So the Pakistanis ended up with tanks which were almost the equal of the T-84, and could stand up on the battlefield to the Indians’ T-90Ss.  The Pakistanis were happy with this.  These are apparently also designated the T-80UD, but for differentiation purposes, I have given them the designation T-80UD/84 below.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The T-80UD was deemed unnecessary by the Russians, and was never developed in the Twilight 2000 timeline; likewise, the Pakistanis never used any T-80UDs either.

*The stabilization of the commander’s machinegun is +2/Fair.

**Early T-80UDs were fitted with the 125mm 2A46M gun and Russian fire control equipment.  For game purposes, this is not otherwise important.

***The turret deck armor is 10Sp.

Kharkiv Morozov T-84

     Notes: The T-84 is a heavily-upgraded T-80UD (the diesel-powered conventional-engined version of the T-80); the T-80 was in fact produced in Ukraine before the breakup of the Soviet Union, so the production facilities and plans were already in place to turn a decent tank into a much better tank.  The T-84 is also available as an upgrade kit for the T-80s operated by some other countries as well as a complete tank.  The T-84 improves virtually every aspect of the T-80UD, both with domestically-designed equipment and license-produced parts, primarily from France and Russia.  The high speed of the T-84 makes it one of the fastest main battle tanks in the world, and has earned the nickname of the “Flying Tank.”  The Ukrainians did not stop at the T-84; they have designed and built several variants of the T-84, including the T-84U, the T-84 Oplot, the T-84 Yatagan, and the T-84 Oplot-M.  Export customers include Bangladesh and Georgia (who use the T-84 Oplot); in addition, the Pakistanis employ some T-80UDs with the turret of the T-84. (Part of the impetus behind the development of the T-84 was to take advantage of Russia’s boycotts of licensing to for certain components of main battle tanks; instead of crippling the Ukrainian military industry, it forced the Ukrainians to become more independent.)

The T-84

     The T-84 uses a hull that is virtually identical to that of the T-80UD, though it is internally very different than the T-80UD.  The turret, on the other hand, is completely different, being a welded turret with advanced modular armor panels and a very different shape than that of the T-80UD.  The main gun of the T-84 is a slightly-modified 125mm KBA-3; the primary modifications are to utilize the bustle-mounted autoloader and ready ammunition. The main gun also has an improved bore evacuator. The coaxial machinegun is a KT-7.62 machinegun (a domestically-produced PKT), and the commander’s machinegun is a KT-12.7 (a domestically-produced NSVT).  The autoloader of the KBA-3 is a carousel-type magazine that holds 28 rounds; it can handle both conventional rounds and the 9K119M (AT-11 Sniper-B) laser-guided ATGM.  The fire control system is a hybrid Ukrainian/French-designed system and includes an LCD monitor for the commander and two for the gunner to monitor target information, input from the night vision equipment and sights, the condition of the tank, and target information.  The commander has override controls for the main gun and coaxial machinegun, primarily for when the commander sees a more-threatening target or to prevent friendly fire; when doing so, he has full access to the T-84’s fire control system.  The sighting system is advanced, allowing the T-84 to fire at an almost full gallop and even to track and fire at helicopters flying at low altitude; the T-84 can also engage some faster targets with its ATGM system.  The commander’s machinegun is housed in an integrated cupola system that allows the KT-12.7 to be aimed and fired from inside the turret using its own auxiliary sights, and is stabilized in the vertical plane.  The turret’s traverse mechanism, however, is limited to 75 ° left or right in of itself, though of course 360 °-rotation is possible with the help of the turret.  The commander’s machinegun can be elevated to -5 °/+70 °. On each side of the turret are a cluster of six smoke grenade launchers. The crew is also protected by very effective radiation shielding and an NBC overpressure system with a collective NBC backup.

     The gunner’s sights include a laser rangefinder and an LIO-V ballistic computer (again, of French design), and a separate laser designator for the AT-11 ATGM. The gunner has a backup coincidence rangefinder, as well as a telescopic 2.7-12x sight and an image intensifier that allows up to x30 magnification.  The ballistic computer displays the proper aiming information to the gunner on one of his LCD screens as well as in the sight reticule.  The ballistic computer also automatically blanks the sight for a split second when a main gun round is fired to prevent the blast from the gun from blinding the gunner or commander.  The gunner and commander have French-designed Buran-Catherine-E thermal imagers as well as other night vision devices. (Night vision magnification is limited to x5.8.)  The commander’s sights for his machinegun include an independent laser rangefinder.  The sight apertures for the commander and gunner go as far as including washers, similar in concept to window washers and wipers on cars.

     The all-welded turret of the T-84 incorporates more advanced composite and sandwich armor, as does the hull.  The hull has armored side skirts, and the glacis, turret front, turret sides, and hull sides have lugs for Nozh 3^rd-generation ERA.  The turret and hull also have some additional appliqué armor plates, as do the turret roof and hull floor.  Further protection is provided by the Varta system, which is a soft-kill active protection system.  The Varta system consists of four laser warning systems (two precision sensors that can display the position of the emitting laser to the commander, and two coarse sensors that merely warn the crew that the T-84 is being lased).  The coarse sensors are almost certain to warn the crew of being lased, but the precision sensors have a 12 in 20 chance of revealing the position of a laser designator.  The Varta system also uses a pair of rotating IR lights that emit coded pulses to decoy IR-guided missiles (on a roll of 12+ on a d20, the ATGM’s gunner has one level of difficulty greater to hit the T-84), and electro-optical jammers that do the same thing to wire-guided and radio-guided ATGMs.  These systems can also be set to automatically launch one smoke grenade to each side is a laser designator is detected.

     As said above, the T-84 is propelled with a diesel engine; it is a 6TD-2 1200-horsepower turbocharged multifuel engine.  This engine has a preheater for use in very cold weather, as well as special features that allow it to operate efficiently in desert conditions.  The engine has a provides a lot of power for the relatively light weight of the T-84 – but of course, that speed and maneuverability are bought with a very high fuel consumption (hence the APU for silent watches). The transmission is fully automatic and uses a steering T-bar with conventional gas and brake pedals.  The suspension is designed to give the crew a smooth ride to reduce crew fatigue.  The tracks normally use rubber track pads, but the customer may choose not to mount them without any ill effect.  The engine of the T-84 is smaller than the T-80’s engine, leaving room for a small gas turbine 8 kW APU to be mounted at the rear in the hull behind the engine.

     A new version of the T-84, the T-84U, was offered for sale starting in 2007, either as a complete tank or as an upgrade kit.  There are no known export customers, though the Ukrainian Army employs a few.  The T-84U is equipped with a 1500-horsepower engine (a modified version of the 6TD-2), more advanced ERA that is more conformal to the contours of the T-84’s turret (roughly the same design as Russia’s Kontakt-5 ERA), IR and radar suppression features (detection by such incurs a -4 penalty on a d20to the person attempting such detection), and a GPS receiver and mapping software for the enhanced computer (which is tied to the ballistic computer).  The T-84U also is equipped with a license-built model of the Arena hard-kill active protection system. The system uses a small, short-range radar system on the turret roof to detect incoming missiles and rockets (it doesn’t work fast enough to stop tank and autocannon rounds), and launches special rounds in the path of the missile that quickly break up into a cloud of tungsten pellets, destroying the missile before it can hit the tank.  The Arena has 16 of these rounds available, and they are 75% likely to destroy the incoming missile about 10 meters from the T-84U.  The Arena system protects the T-84U in a 180-degree dome around the tank. 

The T-84 Oplot

     The T-84 Oplot (sometimes called, incorrectly, the T-84-125 Oplot) is based on the T-84U, and follows that design with its features for the most part.  However, the Oplot has a “Western-style” turret, with a large bustle at the rear that carries the ammunition magazine for the main gun’s autoloader.  This bustle has blow-out panels similar in concept to those of the M-1 Abrams series.  The main gun remains the KBA-3, but the gun is slightly modified and the autoloader completely replaced to accept a feed from the turret bustle.  (The autoloader is also in the bustle.) The bustle-mounted system is better-protected, but does incur a small penalty in the number of rounds which can be carried by the Oplot (the autoloader still carries the same amount of rounds).  The bustle carries an additional five rounds which are not in the autoloader, while seven more are to the right of the driver.  Furthermore, the crew compartment is protected from an ammunition explosion by blast-proof doors, and the commander and gunner are in separate compartments in the turret that are separated by blast-proof bulkheads; the driver, however, is not separated from the gunner’s compartment, and generally uses the gunner’s hatch to enter and exit the Oplot.  The large bustle allows for the mounting of a large bustle rack at the rear and large equipment boxes on either side of the bustle.

     The Oplot uses the 1200-horsepower version of the 6TD-2 engine, but the driver’s compartment has been overhauled, with a suspended seat to help mitigate injury to the driver from mines.  The crew has an air conditioner in addition to the heater that is already present on the T-84U.  (It should be noted that the air conditioner is optional, but most Oplots are built with them.)  The gunner uses an advanced ALIS thermal imager in addition to his standard (for the T-84) fire control equipment; the commander’s thermal imager remains the Buran/Catherine-E.  The commander can access the gunner’s thermal imager, or use his less-advanced imager. The new laser rangefinder has a range of 9900 meters, though of course the crew of the T-84 can only dream of having that kind of range for their weapons.  However, this does allow the T-84 to designate targets for other weapons (including air-launched weapons) by adjusting the wavelength of the laser beam.

     The armor of the Oplot is multilayered, with many surfaces having ceramic/steel/aluminum sandwich-type armor, including such a layer under the composite layer of the front.  A lesser form of this armor is also found on the turret roof and hull floor.  The standard ERA is still the Kontakt-5-type ERA of the T-84U, but the lugs allow for the mounting of virtually any ERA in the former Soviet/Warsaw Pact inventory, as well as allowing for new forms of ERA in the future.  The hatches for the commander and gunner are much more armored, and have hydraulic assists to help the crew open and close the now-very heavy hatches.  Like the T-84U, the Oplot uses both the Varta and Shtora-1 active protection systems, and have the same thermal and radar signature suppression design features.

     Under the front of the hull is a self-entrenching device, allowing it to (depending on the terrain) to dig itself into a hull-down position in 15-40 minutes.  The front of the hull can mount various dozer blades, mine plows, and mine rollers. 

     A newer version of the Oplot, the T-84 Oplot-M (also called the T-84U Oplot), includes a GPS system of the T-84U which has been expanded into a full-featured system that allows the commander to keep track of friendly and enemy units, and add information discovered and transmit this to higher headquarters.  The Oplot-M can also receive battlefield information from other so-equipped units, and issue and receive orders as necessary.  The Oplot-M also has an IFF system. The interior and exterior of the Oplot-M are designed to be highly modular, allowing potential customers to customize the tank to their needs.  The Oplot-M has an actual ECM system as well as an IRCM system based on their aircraft counterparts; these degrade radar users’ attempts at detection by one level and users of IR-guided weapons by two levels.  The Oplot-M was one of the contenders in the competition for the new Turkish battle tank, but was not successful in that regard.  The ERA of the Oplot is the more advanced Nozh-2, which protects against both tandem HEAT warheads and provides some protection against AP-type and KE-type rounds.  Machinegun ammunition is somewhat increased over the T-84 and the Oplot.  The Oplot-M uses the 1200-horsepower turbocharged 6TD-2E, which gets better fuel mileage and emits a much less-obvious exhaust plume. The Oplot-M has a 10kW APU, versus the 8kW APU of the other models of the T-84.

The T-84 Yatagan

     The Yatagan (the name for a Turkish type of scimitar) was originally designed to participate in Turkey’s competition for a new main battle tank in the late-1990s and early-2000s.  That competition was eventually won by South Koreas new K-2 tank, but the Yatagan is still being offered on the export market.  The Yatagan has only produced one export sale (76 were bought by Bangladesh in 2008, and they intend to eventually have 300 for their army), but several Middle Eastern countries, a few former Warsaw Pact countries, and possibly Thailand are looking hard at the Yatagan. The Yatagan is based heavily on the Oplot, and most of the features of the Oplot (and by extension, the T-84U) apply to the Yatagan – and some features of the Oplot-M are also present in the Yatagan (primarily as options).  The Yatagan also has many features that, while Ukrainian-made, are designed to duplicate NATO-standard equipment; actual foreign-made equipment is also an option (most commonly, this will radios and fire control equipment).  As the Ukrainians have a very cooperative relationship with the France, much of the Ukrainian NATO-standard equipment was developed with help from France. The Yatagan is also commonly called the T-84-120 (which Kharkiv Morozov says is incorrect), and the KERN2-120 Yatagan (which is no longer correct – Kharkiv Morozov gave that designation to the versions they sent to Turkey for the competition, but no longer uses it).

     Externally, the most visible difference between the Yatagan and the Oplot is the shape of the turret bustle – necessary due to the different shape and the unitary combustible-case rounds for the main gun, and the different design of the autoloader.  The bustle gives the turret a distinctive shape, as the bustle angles upwards from the rest of the turret.  Of course, the biggest difference between the Oplot and the Yatagan is the armament – the Yatagan uses a main gun that, while Ukrainian designed, conforms to the standard NATO Rheinmetall-type 120mm gun.  This gun, the KBM-2, is an L/50 gun – longer than the standard NATO L/44 gun.  Unlike most NATO tanks, the Yatagan’s gun is fed by an autoloader (similar to that of the French Leclerc).  The autoloader, magazine, and most of the rest of the ammunition is contained in the turret bustle, which has blow-out panels similar to those of the M-1 Abrams in concept, and other crew protection measures as those of the Oplot.  The autoloader’s magazine holds 22 rounds, with five more rounds also being in the bustle and seven to the right of the driver.  The main gun has another interesting wrinkle – it can fire a variant of the 9K119M (AT-11 Sniper-B) laser-guided ATGM that differs only in the size of the adapter that allows it to be loaded into the main gun.  The standard coaxial machinegun is the KT-7.62, but a machinegun conforming to the 7.62mm NATO round may be substituted upon customer request; likewise, the standard commander’s machinegun is the KT-12.7, but a weapon firing the .50 BMG round may be substituted upon request. (It makes no difference in weight or price.)  Fire control systems are the same as those of the Oplot, though suitably modified for the different main gun.  Night vision equipment is likewise the same as the Oplot, though radios are normally replaced by those that are used by the requesting country.

     Armor protection and the active protection systems are essentially the same at that of the Oplot, though the size of the turret is longer and the width of the Yatagan is slightly greater than the Oplot.  The ERA lugs can be replaced with ones that conform to the ERA used by the requesting country.  The standard engine is the 6TD-2E 1200-horsepower engine, but a 1500-horsepower engine is an option.  The integrated GPS/IFF/Battlefield Management System of the Oplot-M can be installed in the Yatagan, as can the IRCM, ECM, and anti-radar shaping features. (Below, I have lumped all these upgrades together and called the upgraded tank the Yatagan-M, but I will stress that this is not an official designation. The actual array of possible modification combinations is a bit dizzying.)

     Twilight 2000 Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, the T-84 is present but very rare.  The T-84U is also present, but even rarer.  No other T-84 variant is available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*The stabilization of the commander’s machinegun is +2/Fair.

**Turret roof armor and hull floor armor are 10Sp.

***Turret roof armor is 10Sp; hull floor armor is 11Sp.