Analysis: Discover fight between Ukraine T-64BV tank vs. Russia T-72B3 tank

Analysis: Fight Ukraine T-64BV tank vs. Russian T-72B3 tank. In the Russia and Ukraine conflict that started in February 2022, we could not see a lot of tank combat because most of the time these are destroyed by anti-tank weapons or artillery fire. Recently, a video was published on Social Networks showing a Ukrainian T-64BV tank destroying by direct fire a T-72B3 from the Russian army.
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Analysis of Ukraine T-64BV tank vs. Russia T-72B3 tank.

To date, we haven't seen many videos showing battles between Russian and Ukrainian tanks, in fact, most of the Russian tanks were destroyed by small combat units using anti-tank guided weapons or self-propelled grenades.

In the Russian - Ukraine War 2022, the main battle tanks are mainly used as fire support for the infantrymen or to conduct urban operations. The traditional military doctrine says that tanks are supposed to be supported by dismounted infantry, artillery support, and air support. Tanks also need open space to be able to engage targets over long distances.

In the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian army understood the weakness of the tanks in the face of new anti-tank weapons able to penetrate current modern armor including ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor), and also of carrying out attacks from above. The turret roof is often less armored than other parts of a tank.

Another new threat for the tank is the drones, which are widely used by Russian and Ukrainian armed forces to drop small explosive charges or mortar shells over armored vehicles or tanks. All these new threats, force the main battle tanks to be less exposed and it then becomes only support for the infantry contrary to the combat doctrines of the past.

In this article, the Army Recognition editorial team explains the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian T-64BV tank versus the Russian T-72B3 tank.

Ukrainian army T-64BV MBT Main Battle Tank. (Picture source Wikimedia)

The T-64 is a main battle tank that was developed in Ukraine at the Kharkov Transport Machine. It was the first tank to have a three-man crew due to the integration of an automatic loading system for the main gun. The first T-64 entered into service with the Russian army in 1966.

The T-64 MBT has a similar layout to the T-72 but is armed with a 125 mm 2A26M2 smoothbore gun with a vertical ammunition stowage system, while the T-72 and T-80 are armed with a 125 mm 2A46 gun with horizontal ammunition feed system. The 2A26 is able to fire HEATFS, HE, and APFSDS rounds able to penetrate up to 440 mm of armor at a distance of 2,000 m. The main gun can also fire the

The T-64BV is an improved version of the T-64 which is fitted with a new hull and turret armor that incorporates Kontakt-1 ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) which covers the glacis plate, the forward part of the turret front, sides and roof, and hull sides extending to the five road wheels. The ERA armor consists of a layer of high explosives sandwiched between two metal plates, together this is forming a reactive element. When penetrated by a shaped charge jet or another projectile, the high explosives will detonate and propel the two metal plates in opposing directions and allows the ammunition not to penetrate inside the tank.

The T-64BV keeps the 2A26M2 smoothbore gun as the standard version of the T-64 but the tank is fitted with a new fire control system enabling the engagement of stationary and moving targets while the vehicle itself is stationary or moving. The cannon has a sighted range out to 4,000 m using the day sight and 800 m using the night sight. It can also fire AT-8 "Songster" anti-tank guided missiles at a maximum firing range of 4,000 m.

The suspension of the T-64 is unique and consists on each side of six small dual road wheels with the drive sprocket at the rear, idler at the front and four track-return rollers which support the inside of the double-pin track only. The first, second, fifth, and sixth road wheel stations are provided with a hydraulic shock absorber.

The T-64BV is motorized with a diesel liquid-cooled engine 5TDF developing 700 hp. at t 3,000 rpm coupled to a hydraulically assisted transmission with 7 forward and 1 reverse gear. It can run at a maximum road speed of 45 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 600 km.

Russian army T-72B3 MBT Main Battle Tank. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The T-72B3 is an improved version of the T-72B which is itself a modernized version of the Soviet-made T-72A. It keeps a design similar to the original T-72 tank and has a crew of three as the T-64BV. The main gun is coupled to a carousel automatic loader which is mounted on the turret floor and also on the rear wall of the turret. The projectile is loaded in the lower half of a carrier, while the cartridge and propellant are in the upper half.

The T-72B3 is armed with an updated 125mm 2A45M-5 smoothbore cannon which can fire modern APFSDS-T projectiles. The tank is equipped with a new stabilizer, updated fire control computer and Sosna-U stabilized panoramic day and thermal sight offering more accuracy for the main gun. The cannon has a maximum fire range of 5,000 m. It can also fire 9M119 Svir or 9M119M Refleks anti-tank guided missiles in the same manner as ordinary munitions with a maximum firing range of 5,000 during day and night.

The T-72B3 keeps the original design of the first version of the T-72 but it is fitted with Kontakt-5 ERA on the turret and glacis plate. The Kontakt-5 is the second generation of Russian-made ERA. It is the first type of ERA that is able to significantly decrease the penetration of armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds.

The T-72B3 is motorized with a V-84-1 diesel engine, developing 840 hp. coupled to a hydraulically assisted transmission with 7 forward and 1 reverse gears. It can run at a maximum road speed of 70 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 500 km. The torsion bar suspension of T-72B3 on each side consists of six road wheels with the idler at the front, a drive sprocket at the rear, and three return rollers supporting the inside of the track only. Shock absorbers are fitted at the first, second, and sixth road wheel stations.