Ukraine state enterprise “Zhytomyr Armored Plant”, which is a part of Ukroboronprom, delivers another batch of upgraded T-84 Oplot-M main battle tank (MBT) ordered by Ukrspetsexport. The works were performed ahead of schedule under limited funding. The new tank will demonstrate its combat capabilities to potential customers, including foreign ones. For the first time, the new Oplot will be displayed during the military parade dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, which will take place on August 24 in Kyiv.
“Despite some biased statements in media, employees of the Malyshev Plant have once again proved that they are able to perform high-quality and timely contracts for domestic and Ukrainian customers: from separate parts and components to full-fledged modern combat vehicles. The new Oplot’s participation in the Independence Day parade is a great pride for our team, which worked dedicatedly to perform the task. We are proud of our employees, we love Ukraine and we are ready for new orders,” said Vasyl Krylas, General Director of Malyshev Plant.
The Oplot-M main battle tank is developed by Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The newest and most sophisticated version of the T-84 is an upgraded version of the “T-84 Oplot” mounting more advanced armor, new electronic countermeasure systems, and others. One visible feature is the new PNK-6 panoramic tank sight.The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank, a development of the Soviet T-80 main battle tank introduced in 1976. The T-84 was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999.
The Oplot MBT is armed with a KBA-3 125mm smoothbore gun, a KT-7.62 (PKT) coaxial machine gun and a KT-12.7 anti-aircraft machine gun. The main gun is fed by a loading system equipped with conveyor, automatic loader and control system. The main gun can also fire a laser guided missile against battle tanks, armoured vehicles and hovering helicopters within the range of 5,000m. The ammunition includes high explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG), armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding-sabot (APFSDS), high explosive anti tank (HEAT) and gun mount (GM) rounds.
