| T-80 | T-80B | T-80A | T-80BV | T-80U | T-80UM | T-80UK |
Available to Warsaw Pact forces, the T-80U was the fourth and final variant of the Soviet T-80 when it was first introduced in Wargame: European Escalation, which requires the T-80BV to unlock. In Wargame: AirLand Battle, it became a prototype and is only available to Armored deck types.
History[]
The T-80U is an all-round upgrade to the T-80B and one of the most advanced MBTs fielded by the Soviet Union. Unlike some other more economical models, the T-80U was, relatively speaking, a "spare no expense" project, which resulted in what was perhaps the most powerful MBT in the world for its time.
With a new turret and Kontakt-5 ERA that increased the tank's protection against HEAT and AP shells, it visually distances itself from its T-64 ancestors and boasts hefty protection against both chemical and kinetic rounds. The armor was made sturdier by introducing ceramic inlays. Some sources claim the kit increases the original vehicle's protection by 80 to 100 percent against HEAT shells and by approximately 20 percent against kinetic shells.
The T-80U was initiallypowered by a GTD-1000TF turbine, the power of which was increased from the original 1000hp to 1100hp. The vehicle received a new 1250hp GTD-1250 gas turbine engine in the late 1980s, leading the engine power been improved by about 14% and the resulting power-to-weight ratio matches contemporary NATO tanks like the Leopard 2A4 and M1IP.
The firepower has also kept up with the times because of its top 1A45 IrtyshFCS, 3BM46 APFSDS and 9M119 ATGM. Compared to the original T-80B, the T-80U was equipped with an improved gun, the 125mm 2A46M-1 smoothbore cannon. The combination of good armour, low profile, high mobility, and a punchy gun make the T-80U a versatile tank that doesn't leave very much to be desired. The post-penetration survivability and reverse speed could still be better, but Soviet tankers will be used to these flaws by now and the latter is still much better than on the T-64s and T-72s.
Work on improving the existing T-80 MBT begun as early as the mid-1970s with the design bureau in Leningrad. In 1983, the first prototypes were being built using a T-80B chassis, and after extensive testing and design tweaking, the new tank was considered ready for production. The resultant tank was accepted by the Soviet military under the designation T-80U. The first two dozen pre-series T-80Us were built in late 1983 with full production starting in 1985, as it entered the service of Soviet Armed Forces in that year.
The T-80U replaced the Leningrad production of the T-80B in December 1984., but in 1989, its production was moved to KBTM of Omsk. Work on upgrading the T-80 was carried out in Kharkov, but there, they constructed their own vehicle equipped with a diesel engine, which was designated "T-80UD". The latter would evolve into further developed Ukrainian derivatives of the T-80. Overall, around 700 T-80Us have been produced since 1985, but this vehicle has yet to be put into any actual combat situations.
Interestingly, South Korea purchased at least 37 T-80U tanks, as well as 2 T-80UK tanks and 63 BMP-3 IFVs from Russia under the "Brown Bear Project" (as Russia has to pay debts), while deliveries were made during 1996-2005. These foreign equipments were used by the Third Armored Brigade and the 102nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade of ROKA.
Overview[]
European Escalation[]
Arguably the most powerful tank of the Warsaw Pact (and indeed potentially the whole game), the T-80U is the only Pact unit with a good stabilizer and therefore the best stabilized one. It is sufficient enough for just two to be called in.
It has a speed of 75 km/h, which is by 5 km/h faster than any other Pact tank so can easily outrun retreating enemy ground units. Using the T-80U however, puts you in the danger of getting overwhelmed by enemy helicopters as the price of the tank is quite high.
AirLand Battle[]
The incarnation in WAB is extremely infamous among the community due to the extremities it possesses: A perfect 20 frontal armour and 20 AP gun, which makes it an extremely hard tank to kill, even with its counterparts such as M1A1/Leopard 2A4 especially when supported by other tanks because they are most likely to be outranged and annihilated by the T-80U's (As well as its supports') ATGM fire. Because of this, the T-80U symbolises a major armoured assault committed by the PACT, preferably with support from other units
One must remember however that only the frontal armour is strong. The side armour is only 8 points-the same as T-55 and the rear is a pitiful 3 points; a rear hit on a T-80U with a 100+ point tank will end its life very quickly-do not let any enemy tanks/infantry flank the T-80U!
Or alternatively, just use ATGM planes/helicopters on it, provided the enemy lacks AA. Any tank is an easy kill for an aircraft/helicopter.
Red Dragon[]
The incarnation in Red Dragon is basically very similar with the one in WAB, except that now it is no longer the ultimate tank on REDFOR tree, being succeeded with T-72BU/T-80UM. It retains the excellent main gun as well as the armour. It shares the same stats with command version T-80UK, but with more ammunition (used to be the same).
The T-80U cost 5 points less than M1A1(HC) (used to be the same). Apart from the Accuracy, Stabilizer and AP Power of the main gun, as well as poorer Side and Rear Armor, the T-80U is superior in all other aspects than M1A1(HC). However, since the T-80U is kind of a "Tier 2" tank while the Soviet Union had better options, it was usually not necessary to carry it on the unspecialized decks.
Weapons[]
European Escalation[]
| Weapons | 
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | ATGM | Main Gun | HMG |
| Name | Refleks | 2A46M | NSVT |
| Caliber | SALH | 125mm | 12.7mm |
| Ammo | x 3 | x 30 | x 300 |
| Range | Ground = N/A m Helicopters = N/A m  Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = N/A m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = N/A m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m
|
| Accuracy | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| AP Power | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| HE Power | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Rate of fire | 6 r/min | 10 r/min | 500 r/min |
AirLand Battle[]
| Weapons | 
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | ATGM | Main Gun | HMG |
| Name | Refleks | 2A46M | NSVT |
| Caliber | SALH [HEAT] [GUID] | 125mm [KE] [AoE] | 12.7mm |
| Ammo | x 3 | x 30 | x 300 |
| Range | Ground = 2800 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = 2275 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = 1050 m Helicopters = 875 m Airplanes = N/A m
|
| Accuracy | 10 | 8 | 3 |
| AP Power | 22 | 20 | N/A |
| HE Power | N/A | 4 | 0.75 |
| Suppression | 150 | 144 | 90 |
| Rate of fire | 10 r/min | 10 r/min | 500 r/min |
Red Dragon[]
| Weapons | 
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Main Gun | ATGM | MMG |
| Name | 2A46M | Refleks | NSVT |
| Caliber | 125mm [KE] [AoE] | SALH [HEAT] [GUID] | 12.7mm |
| Ammo | x 24 | x 4 | x 1000 |
| Range | Ground = 2275 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = 2800 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = 1050 m Helicopters = 875 m Airplanes = N/A m
|
| Accuracy | 60% | 50% | 15% |
| Stabilizer | 50% | 40% | 5% |
| AP Power | 20 | 22 | N/A |
| HE Power | 4 | N/A | .75 |
| Suppression | 144 | 150 | 90 |
| Rate of fire | 9 r/min | 6 s r/min | 652 r/min |
Gallery[]
See Also[]
- T-80 - Base unit
