Despite world economic sanctions against Russia, Russian defense company Omsktransmash, which is part of Uralvagonzavod under Rostec State Corporation, supplied another batch of modernized T-80BVM Main Battle Tanks to the Russian Ministry of Defense as part of the State defense order for 2022, Army Recognition reported.
During their modernization, important work was carried out to improve the security of the tank crew.
The modernized tanks passed the necessary tests and soon will go to the military units of the Russian army, Omsktransmash wrote.
Defence Express noted that only seven tanks are visible on the official photo and assumes that this may be all that Uralvagonzavod was able to modernize this year, feeling the weight of sanctions.
Defence Express reports that the Sosna-U sight of the T-80BVM uses electronics from the French company Thales. The same sight is used in the T-72B3 tank. However, Army Recognition claims that the multi-channel gunner’s sight of the T-80BVM tank, an improved version of the T-80BV, is built without imported components.
The T-80BVM has a gas turbine engine giving it an advantage for operating at low temperatures, and improved armor protection consisting of Relikt explosive reactive armor kit.
Uralvagonzavod, dubbed “Putin’s favorite factory,” weathered the storm of Western sanctions against Russia in 2014 and kept producing cheap tanks that are now being used against Ukraine by implementing state orders and supplying equipment to Russia’s traditional arms clients. In 2018, an Austrian company managed to sell the factory equipment through a secret contract, testifying to the existence of schemes to bypass sanctions.
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