T-80U - past and present

On November 27, 1984, a decree was issued by the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On the adoption of the T-80U tank by the Soviet Army" (the corresponding Ministry of Defense order No. 008 was issued on January 23, 1985).

The T-80U tank (an improved version of the T-80B) was adopted for service even before completing all its state trials and was put into production using the chief designer's documentation.

Two variants were adopted simultaneously: the T-80U with the "Refleks" missile weapon system and the "Irtysh" fire control system (Object 219AS), and the T-80U with the "Kobra" weapon system and the "Ob" fire control system (Object 219AS).

While there were no major issues with the turret and fighting compartment (developed by Kharkiv), the chassis (Leningrad's responsibility) was a complete failure – the tank lacked an engine. The VTD-1000FM engine project was a fiasco, and the simplified GTD-1250 had not yet been created. Vast sums of money were wasted on the non-existent VTD engine. The T-80U would only enter series production after the collapse of the USSR. I know of no other such example in history...

 

Development of T-80U-1 history (Object 219A)

Development and Specifications. The article details the development of the improved T-80U tank ("Object 219A") in the Soviet Union, focusing on its design and production challenges during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Initiated by a 1976 decree, the project aimed to enhance the T-80’s combat capabilities, including improved fire accuracy, engine power, and armor protection with ERA (reactive armor). The Kharkov Design Bureau and Kirov Plant faced significant hurdles, particularly with the VTDT-1000FM gas turbine engine, which remained underdeveloped. The article outlines the tank’s tactical-technical characteristics, such as a 125 mm cannon, "Kobra" guided missiles, and advanced fire control systems, while highlighting the extensive design documentation and production preparations at the Malyshev Factory. 

 

Factory Trials and Outcomes. This section covers the factory trials of four T-80U prototypes conducted in 1979, testing missile-cannon and cannon-only variants. The trials confirmed the tank’s enhanced firing accuracy and visibility but revealed issues with the "Agat-S" device, autoloader, and night vision systems. Delays in engine development and component deliveries, such as the "Sova" illuminators, complicated preparations for range trials. The article discusses the refinement of design documentation and the eventual shift to the 6TD engine, leading to serial production of the T-80U in 1985. It also notes the outdated specifications by 1983, high costs, and low reliability, comparing the T-80U to contemporary tanks like the Leopard-2 and XM1.

 

Unknown T-80U - https://btvt.info/7english/Unknown_T-80U.htm

 

A film by the Leningrad SKB "Transmash" (from 1991, JSC "Spetsmash") about the T-80U. It shows various experimental variants, including a T-80U with a 6TD engine. Footage of production at the Kirov Plant and live-fire testing of the explosive reactive armor (VDZ) is included. The T-80U was undoubtedly a good tank and by some metrics the best, but it appeared too late and never became a mass-produced vehicle. Another of its "achievements" was that work on the T-80U consumed all the resources from developing a tank with a new layout. The result was essentially the same T-64A with new add-ons.

 

In his diaries, Morozov absolutely accurately predicted the sad future of Soviet tank building due to the creation of T-64A clones in the form of the T-72 and T-80, calling it "the beginning of the end of tank building (https://t.me/btvt2019/3944)."

Development work on the improved T-80U tank began in 1976 and progressed very poorly. The tank lacked an engine. In 1980, an order was issued by the Minister of Defense Industry, Finogenov, "on the manufacture of improved T-80U tanks in 1981." The plan was to build 10 tanks, with 6 vehicles to be fully assembled in Kharkiv. The chassis was the responsibility of Leningrad, and the turret was Kharkiv's responsibility.
Prior to this, in 1978 and 1980, 6 T-80U tanks had been manufactured.
This endeavor ended in failure – the new VTD-type gas turbine engine GTD-1000F, which did not exist in 1980 and 1981, would never materialize. (https://t.me/btvt2019/17035) Serial production of the T-80U with the GTD would be delayed until the very collapse of the USSR in 1991.
It is difficult to find a greater fiasco and failure in the history of tank building – a factory was built to produce a non-existent engine, and hundreds of millions worth of imported equipment was purchased. (https://t.me/btvt2019/9218) Instead of creating a truly advanced tank, two plants were busy creating a clone of the T-64A concept. Everything achieved with the T-80U and T-80UD could have been attained by modernizing the T-64A(B). (https://t.me/btvt2019/8683)

From the archives:

Following the failure of the new VTD-1000T gas turbine engine project, which had a target specific fuel consumption of 180-200 g/hp/h, a less ambitious variant was developed - the GTD-1250. The new GTD-1250 engine was created through a radical modernization of the base GTD-1000T; the air cleaner, radiators, and fans were also upgraded. The volume of the engine monoblock remained virtually unchanged, while the power of the powerplant increased by 25%, and the dust filtration coefficient was reduced to 1.5%.

 

However, this engine was only created in the late 1980s. 

There was no alternative to creating a T-64A clone. The Object 225, which in theory could have become a "different" T-80, was not only far from perfect in its layout but also required many years of development. For instance, the transmission for the 225 was being developed at the Venediktov Design Bureau (UKBTM), and the running gear was tested in Omsk because everyone in Leningrad was occupied with refining the GTD. There was essentially no one to handle the development of the fighting compartment.

Object 225

And in the end, the result would have been "very expensive" and not superior to what could have been achieved by modernizing the T-64A. For the shortcomings of Object 225, see: https://t.me/btvt2019/8918. Popov admits that "the 225 turned out poorly, a new one needs to be built," while Morozov points out that the performance characteristics assigned to the vehicle need to be revised. The tactical and technical requirements themselves (https://t.me/btvt2019/13624) should be examined in more detail later.  

From the history of T-80U variants and developments of the Leningrad Design Bureau. An optional crewed variant of the T-80U with a remotely controlled weapon station is also shown.

 

As of today, the T-80U - Object 219AM2, is the last tank of the once all-powerful Leningrad "Spetsmash" Design Bureau, which was highly favored by the authorities during the USSR era. It is a modernization of the T-80BV with the installation of the "Arena" active protection system, "Relikt" explosive reactive armor, an auxiliary power unit (SEMZ), and all relevant improvements for the fire control system and engine-transmission compartment available at that time. A quite respectable modernization from 2007-2009.

This modernization was not put into series production; instead, the rather primitive T-80BVM was adopted.

In 2019, Spetsmash ceased to exist as a tank design bureau, transferring the original design documentation for its tanks to Omsk.
The once mighty design bureau, backed by half of the Politburo and capable of perpetrating absurdities on a scale hard to comprehend, quietly died without attracting attention.
The decision of the Russian Ministry of Defense's Department for State Defense Order Fulfillment and JSC "Uralvagonzavod" dated June 28, 2019, No. 3/6/171-2019, regarding the transfer from JSC "Spetsmash" to JSC "Omsktransmash" of the original Ministry of Defense documentation for products 219, 219R, 219RV, 219AS, 291, 294, 295, 208T and their modifications, made OKBT the second active tank design bureau in Russia.

But is this the end of the gas turbine tank's history in Russia? – for now, this topic is shrouded in fog. Essentially, there is no alternative: the X-shaped engine mutant failed spectacularly, the Tutaev diesel engine project was killed under Shoigu, and the modernization potential of the V-2 engine has been exhausted.
Therefore, I am quite confident that the T-80 has no alternative in Russia.

1990s T-80U promo video -