Omsktransmash produced 30 000 tanks in 80 years from T-34 to T-80BVM.

MOSCOW, September 12. /TASS-DEFENSE/. Omsktransmash enterprise produced close to 30,000 various tanks in the past 80 years, acting CEO of the plant Vasily Kovalev said.
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T-80BVM is a unique Russian tank design powered by a gas turbine engine, being modernized at the Omsk plant. (Picture source: Vitaly Kuzmin)

“The armor production in the Omsk region is 80 years old. It began in the Great Patriotic War. The enterprise had to produce T-50 tanks at the time but later switched to the famous T-34, which became a symbol of World War 2. The first three tanks were produced on July 5, 1942. The plant in Omsk produced a total of 7,000 T-34s”, he said.

In 1958, the enterprise began to produce T-55 tanks. In 20 years, it made 12,870 tanks and many of them were exported to 86 countries. In 1976, Omsktransmash began to produce T-80 tanks and T-80B, T-80BV, T-80U, T-80UK modifications. Since 2019 the Russian army has been receiving the latest-80BVM modification with a gas turbine engine.

T-80BVM is armed with a 125 mm gun. It is powered by an upgraded gas turbine engine with a capacity of 1,250 HP. The tank is equipped with a multichannel sight, a monitoring device, and a stabilizer of weapons. The armor is reinforced with anti-cumulative bar screens and modular reactive armor. In 2021, Commander of the Eastern Military District Colonel General Alexander Chaiko said T-80BVM operation confirmed its reliability and failure-proof features in harsh climatic conditions.

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The T-80BVM tank is an improved version of the T-80BV tank, developed by Omsktransmash. It is a unique Russian tank design powered by a gas turbine engine, being modernized at the Omsk plant. They have served in various parts of the country for several years. Omsktransmash is the only manufacturer of this T-80 modification. It has increased firepower, protection and maneuverability: new multi-channel gunner's sight was built without imported components. The tank has been supplied to the Russian Armed Forces since 2019.

The tanks passed quality control testing, including checking all systems and mechanisms and assessing the compliance of tanks with the declared technical characteristics. This year, the tank also passed its first tests for the hot season, which included passing a major water barrier. An artificial reservoir was built at the Omsktransmash test site solely for this purpose. In addition, the tank’s reliability was tested at a distance of 5,000 km.

“Fulfillment of the state defense order is the first priority for our enterprise. T-80BVM have proven themselves excellently in recent years; they have an undeniable advantage when operating at low temperatures. This year we have proved that they are also combat-ready in the opposite season”, said the Director General of Omsktransmash, Igor Lobov.

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