The Oplot main battle tank is the result of continued main battle tank development
by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau, which is Ukraine's
leading design authority for armoured fighting vehicles.
The overall layout of the Oplot main battle tank is conventional with the driver’s
compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the centre and power pack at the rear. The driver is seated in the centre
and has a single-piece hatch cover that lifts and swings to the right. In front of this are three forward-facing periscopes,
the centre one of which can be replaced by a night driving device. There is an escape hatch in the hull floor behind the
driver. The commander is seated on the right and the gunner on the left both provided with single-piece roof hatches.
The Oplot main battle tank is based on a T-80UD, but has a
number of advanced features which distinguish it from the T-80UD. These include the following:
new all-welded turret;
explosive reactive armour of new generation to give more protection against both chemical energy and kinetic energy attack over the frontal arc;
thermal imaging sight;
1,200 hp engine rather than a 1,000 hp engine the T-80UD is powered by;
digitisation
of the electronics packages associated with the fire-control system;
optronic countermeasures system;
auxiliary power unit;
muzzle reference system;
navigation system;
enlarged side skirts to give additional protection of the hull sides and running gear components against attacks by infantry armed with short range anti-tank missiles.
The latest version of the Oplot main battle tank offered for the export market also features an automated gear
shifting rather than a mechanical gear selector, new driver's steering controls (the driver now steers the vehicle with a
steering T-bar rather than tillers, thus reducing the load on the driver), an air conditioning system, projectile muzzle
velocity sensor, and other improvements.
The Oplot main battle tank uses locally produced components and subsystems, although systems of foreign origin
can be incorporated at the customer's request.
The Oplot main battle tank is a very efficient fighting machine intended to fulfil the mission of providing
mobile protected firepower in all types of terrain. The Oplot is very well protected, has good battlefield mobility as well
as good strategic mobility, and is able to undertake a wide range of battlefield missions on a 24 hour basis under all weather
conditions.
Steering T-bar at the Oplot MBT driver's station
Status
The Oplot main battle tank is now in service with Ukraine (in 2000 the Ukrainian Defence Ministry ordered 10 new Oplot
series main battle tanks).
Oplot MBTs during a parade in Kiev (August 2001)
Oplot Main Battle Tank Specifications
Parameter
Measurement unit
Value
Dimensions
- length (gun forward)
m
9.664
- length (hull)
m
7.705
- width (over tracks)
m
3.595
- width (with skirts)
m
3.775
- height (turret roof)
m
2.215
- height (including roof-mounted 12.7mm MG)
m
2.76
Ground clearance
m
0.515
Track width
m
0.58
Track
m
2.8
Length of track on ground
m
4.29
General characteristics
Crew
persons
3
Combat weight
t
48
Power-to-weight ratio
hp/t
26
Ground pressure
kg/cm2
0.93
Max road speed
km/h
65-70
Average cross-country
speed
km/h
45-50
Fuel capacity
l
1,200
Operating temperature
range
°C
-40 to +55
Cruising range:
- road
km
450
- cross-country
km
350
Obstacles
Fording
- without preparation
m
1.8
- with preparation
m
5
Gradient
%
63
Side slope
%
36
Vertical obstacle
m
1
Trench
m
2.85
Engine
Model 6TD-2 two-stroke, multi-fuel, liquid-cooled 6-cylinder diesel engine, fuel injected, developing 1,200 hp at 2,600 rpm
Power output
hp
1,200
at crankshaft rotation speed
rpm
2,600
Transmission
mechanical, epicycle train with 7 forward and 5 reverse gears
Suspension
torsion bar
Armament
- main
125mm smoothbore
KBA-3 gun
- coaxial
7.62mm KT-7.62 machine gun
- anti-aircraft
12.7mm KT-12.7 machine gun
Ammunition
- for main armament
rds
40 (28 in autoloader)
- for coaxial machine
gun
rds
1,250
- for anti-aircraft
machine gun
rds
450
Three-view general arrangement drawing of the Oplot MBT
