T-80 Standard Tank: The Soviet Army's Last Armored Champion (New Vanguard)

The Soviet T-80 Standard Tank was the last tank fielded before the Soviet collapse, and the most controversial. Like the US M1 Abrams tank, the T-80 used a turbine power plant rather than a conventional diesel. Although the design was blessed with some of the most sophisticated armament, fire controls, and multi-layer armor ever fielded on a Soviet tank, its power plant remained a source of considerable trouble through its career. It saw very little service in the Chechen War, though T-80 tanks were used in some of the regional conflicts in the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Although the collapse of the Soviet Union might seem the end of the story, the T-80 lived on in Ukraine where one of its tank plants was based. A diesel powered version of the T-80 was developed, the T-84, which was successfully exported, including a major sale to Pakistan to counterbalance the Indian Army's Russian T-90 tanks. Steven J Zaloga charts the little-known history of the T-80, covering the initial construction, through the development to the subsequent variants, the T-84 and Russia's enigmatic "Black Eagle Tank." Accompanying detailed cut-away artwork illustrates the unusual design features that made the T-80 so controversial. NEW VANGUARD 152, T-80 STANDARD TANK: THE SOVIET ARMY'S LAST ARMORED CHAMPION ......Page 1 About the Author and Illustrator ......Page 2 Title page ......Page 3 Copyright and Notes ......Page 4 Contents ......Page 5 ORIGINS......Page 6 New Medium Tank for the 1980s......Page 8 The Turbine Option......Page 9 Obiekt 219......Page 12 THE T-80B......Page 14 Reactive Armor: The T-80BV......Page 18 SUPER-TOUGH: THE T-80U......Page 21 Back To The Diesel: the Kharkov T-80UD......Page 27 T-80 AT THE CROSSROADS: THE SOVIET COLLAPSE......Page 30 ACTIVE PROTECTION......Page 37 THE UKRAINIAN T-84......Page 40 T-80 FOLLOW-ON TANKS......Page 45 Specialized T-80 Derivatives......Page 47 Further Reading ......Page 48 Glossary ......Page 49 Index ......Page 50 Related Titles ......Page 51 Back Cover ......Page 52 The history of the little-known yet controversial T-80 and its subsequent variants. The Soviet T-80 Standard Tank was the last tank fielded before the Soviet collapse, and the most controversial. Despite having the most sophisticated fire controls and multi-layer armor ever fielded on a Soviet tank, its turbine power plant (rather than a conventional diesel) remained a source of considerable trouble throughout its career. Steven J Zaloga charts the little-known history of the T-80, covering the initial construction, through the development to the subsequent variants, the T-84 and Russia's enigmatic “Black Eagle Tank.” Accompanying detailed cut-away artwork illustrates the unusual design features that made the T-80 so controversial. Sovjetunionen. Beskrivelse af den middeltunge kampvogn T-80 og varianter