A satellite image has recently emerged on military online forums showing what appears to be Soviet-era T-72 main battle tanks at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds, one of the largest military installations in the world.
The military expert from Nowa Technika Wojskowa, Damian Ratka drew attention that the Ukrainian T-80U also stood in line with Soviet main battle tanks.
”Well look what I have found. At Yuma Proving Grounds, among many T-72’s stored there, I found one of the 4 purchased by the U.S. from Ukraine in 2004 T-80UD/T-84 tanks,” Ratka said on Twitter.
In 2003, the U.S. Government obtained four T-80UD main battle tanks from Ukraine. The four T-80UD tanks arrived at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center throughout December 2003 and January 2004.
The T-80UD is a Ukrainian variant of a T-80U main battle tank, fitted with a diesel engine in place of the high performance gas turbine. Also, this version of the tank is equipped with the Knife explosive reactive armour (ERA).
About 500 T-80UD tanks were built in the Malyshev plant in Kharkiv between 1987 and 1999. Pakistan, countering India’s adoption of the Russian T-90, bought almost 320 Ukrainian T-80UDs for its main armoured corps of the Pakistani Army.
Well look what I have found. At Yuma Proving Grounds, among many T-72’s stored there, I found one of the 4 purchased by US from Ukraine in 2004 T-80UD/T-84 tanks. pic.twitter.com/0qFsRfRA18
— Damian Ratka (@DRatka1) March 28, 2020
