Ukraine sells military secrets about tanks to the US

So what did the Pentagon buy Oplot for? What secrets did Ukraine sell to the US? Details - in Sputnik's document.

Tanks have too many problems

The Ukrainian Oplot tank, weighing about 51 tons, is an improved version of the Soviet T-80UD (a diesel-powered version of the T-80). The latest version, the T-84BM, has modern fire control and optoelectronic countermeasures systems, infrared night vision devices, day/night vision devices, and Duplet explosive reactive armor designed to provide better protection against armor-piercing rounds and against tandem warheads.

The tank has a new on-board computer and communications system. The tank is equipped with a 6DT-2E two-stroke diesel engine with a capacity of 1,200 horsepower. The main weapon is a 125 mm smoothbore gun KBA-3 made in Ukraine. According to experts, in terms of total combat power, the T-84BM is almost equivalent to the Russian T-90A tank.

T-84U "Oplot" tank.

Since 2008, the Ukrainian army has received only three Oplot tanks. Kiev has supplied 49 tanks to Thailand, although the contract has been delayed. But buyers are particularly angry about the poor quality: the tanks' paint peels off quickly, and many rust spots are visible.

It turns out they were using components and subassemblies that had been sitting in storage for decades or even removed from other tanks out in the open. So the new Oplots were actually still equipped with TD-1000T engines, the same engines that powered the T-80s in the mid-1970s. While these engines were considered groundbreaking when they were first introduced, they were already outdated decades later. (They began development in the Soviet Union in 1968.)

The tank is believed to be an old model in Ukraine. Photo: It