Military Watch, citing sources from Russian state media agencies, said that the production of gas turbine engines for the T-80 main battle tank has been restarted by the Russian Ministry of Defense at the engineering factory. Kaluzhsky Engine – commonly known as Kaluga.
The GTD-1250 multi-fuel gas turbine engine is being produced on a large scale. This is the most advanced engine in the GTD-1000 series, designed to power the latest T-80 variant, the T-80BVM.
The GTD-1250 engine can run on many types of fuel from diesel, kerosene, gasoline and many different mixtures, this is a highly appreciated ability because in combat conditions there will not be a suitable fuel source available. suitable for supplying tanks.
The news coincided with a visit by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to the Omsktransmash Tank Plant, which produced T-80 tanks until the mid-1990s and is now responsible for refurbishing and modernize this car.
GTD-1250 engine.
This facility has begun re-equipping hundreds of T-80s from storage since the outbreak of a full-scale conflict between Russian and Ukrainian forces in February 2022. At the time the conflict broke out, the Russian Army favored using the T-72 and T-90 because these tanks were much cheaper to operate than the T-80.
Due to the high cost of gas turbine engines, this type of engine is only used on Russian T-80 tanks and American M1 Abrams tanks, while other tanks such as T-72 and T-90 Using diesel engines is significantly cheaper both in terms of production and maintenance.
This was the main factor that led the Russian Ministry of Defense to favor these two tank classes over the T-80 in the post-Cold War years and was part of a broader effort to significantly reduce budget spending.
However, the reality of operating the T-80 on the Ukrainian battlefield has caused the Russian Ministry of Defense to review previous assessments, especially regarding the cost-effectiveness of this tank compared to other existing tanks. of Russia.
Russian state media announced in September 2023 that work had begun at the Omsktransmash plant to restart T-80 production after a nearly three-decade hiatus. Omsktransmash’s re-production of the T-80 will help the Uralvagonzavod tank factory have more conditions to increase production of T-90M and T-14 Armata.
Some military experts also speculate that there will likely be a new T-80 variant with strong improvements developed, such as an unmanned turret and an armored cockpit similar to those on other military vehicles. T-14 Armata prototype.
T-80BVM tank.
Reports from the front lines have proven the high performance of the T-80 and the Russian army has continued to staff the latest version of the T-80BVM for front-line units in Ukraine.
A Russian military commander who fought directly with units using Ukrainian Leopard tanks, emphasized the excellent maneuverability of the T-80 compared to the Leopard when interviewed by local media: “The Leopards are sinking in the mud, they keep getting stuck in the mud. We could see from the drone how they were pulled out of the mud. Our car has a gas turbine engine, it is not afraid of mud, it can overcome muddy terrain easily. This is the difference that allows our tanks to operate in all weather, support infantry and overcome enemy trenches with ease.”
In addition to the advantage of mobility, the T-80BVM’s gas turbine engine is also highly appreciated for its ability to quickly start in extremely cold conditions, this is the main reason for Russia to continue to operate smoothly. small numbers of this class of tanks since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The T-80 can operate effectively in the Arctic region, while tanks using diesel engines often take more than half an hour to start at temperatures below minus 20 degrees Celsius.
