Ukraine is expected to unveil its upgraded T-84 main battle tanks (MBTs) during a 24 August parade as part of the 26th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
SE “Malyshev Plant”, part of Ukrainian defence concern UkrOboronProm, to upgrade six T-84 main battle tanks. This tank is a predecessor of the latest vehicles Oplot.
“T-84 is actually the same Oplot in its characteristics, at the same time, the cost of upgraded the T-84 tank is an order of magnitude lower than the production of the Oplot ” – said chief engineer at Kharkiv-based Malyshev Plant Oleksandr Sheiko.
The first T-84 prototype vehicle rolled out in 1994, and in the same year it was decided to build several more vehicles. They were subjected to extensive company and army trials. After successful completion of the extensive trials programme in the late 1990s the T-84 MBT entered service with the Ukrainian Army in 1999. On 24 August 2000, 10 T-84 MBTs took part in the parade dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
The main armament comprises a stabilized 125-mm KBA3 smoothbore gun fed by a carousel-type automatic loader and fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor (bore evacuator). The gun is stabilized in both elevation and traverse. The main gun has a quick-replacement barrel which can be changed under field conditions without the need to remove the gun from the tank.
The specific feature of the tank is that it is fitted with a guided missile system to enable the main gun to fire a laser guided missile and engage targets out to 5,000 m.
As of today, Malyshev Plant begins routine repair and modernization of the batch of tanks T-84 for Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The T-84 tank is a further development of the T-80UD tank by means of installing, among other things, multiple protection explosive reactive armor modules, these being supplemented by passive armor array, and a more advanced fire control system similar to that installed on the modern Ukrainian Oplot tanks.
