From Soviet Legacy to National Pride: The Journey of Ukraine’s T-84 Tank
The T-84, Ukraine’s domestically produced main battle tank, has a history as complex as the nation’s own journey from Soviet republic to independent state. This tank, a symbol of national pride and a testament to Ukraine’s industrial capabilities, has been the subject of fierce debate over its performance and effectiveness.
In the 1980s, the Soviet government set out to build a better version of the T-80 tank. The Kharkiv Morozov Design Bureau (KMDB), a tank factory located in Ukraine’s second-largest city, was tasked with the job. The result was the T-80UD, a faster, more efficient tank powered by a 1,000 horsepower 6TD engine. The tank was first publicly shown at the 1990 Moscow Victory Day Parade, just in time for the collapse of the Soviet Union a year later.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union left Ukraine with a significant number of these T-80UD tanks and the KMDB factory. The newly independent nation decided to continue producing and improving upon these tanks, despite the enormous costs and resources required. This decision was seen as a matter of national pride, ensuring that Ukraine was less dependent on foreign countries for military equipment.
The T-84, an improved version of the T-80UD, was produced in the spring of 1995. It featured a new and improved 1,500 horsepower engine, a stabilized cannon, and a sophisticated thermal targeting electronic system. However, none of these tanks were sent into combat during the 2014 conflict with Russia in the Donbass region. The annexation of Crimea in 2014 disrupted the production of the T-84 Oplot, as many of the key parts were manufactured there, forcing the Ministry of Defense to create a new supply chain.
The T-84’s performance came under scrutiny when Ukraine sent four of their T-84Us to participate in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge held in 2018. During the combat test, only one of the T-84 tanks managed to fire 16 shells out of the 40 that they brought with them. Problems with the weapon stabilizer caused the barrel to shake, making it unable to hit targets past one kilometer. The autoloader jammed, causing it to fail. Ukraine and the T-84 Oplot came in last place in the competition due to these issues.
Despite these setbacks, the T-84 has some standout features. It has a high power-to-weight ratio and moves faster in reverse compared to other tanks. The T-84 accommodates a crew of three soldiers and is equipped with a smooth 124 millimeter KBA-3 cannon, a 7.62 coaxial machine gun, and a massive 12.7 machine gun. The main cannon can fire a laser-guided missile at 5,000 meters, a little over three miles. The advanced fire control system and stabilization allow the gunner to fire the main cannon while on the move, an important feature that many old T-Series tanks cannot perform.
The T-84’s armor is reportedly 600 millimeters or one foot 11 inches thick and uses a combination of rubber, steel, and other alloys. The design philosophy behind this is that the rubber expands and contracts the metal plates, allowing them to bulge when struck, creating stress on the incoming munition. The T-84 is protected against the kind of catastrophic explosion that can occur when the ammunition gets hit, a common issue with the T-Series of Russian tanks.
The story of the T-84 is a unique one. Ukraine inherited a tank design and manufacturing operation when the Soviet Union fell. They could have closed it down and imported what they needed, but instead, they chose to innovate for themselves. Their performance in the 2018 Strong Europe challenge does cast doubt on whether the issues have been fixed since then, but the fact that they are back on the front line suggests that maybe they have. The T-84 may not be a game-changer in the grand scheme of things, but when you’re trying to scrape up every tank that you can, it’s better than nothing.
