T-72B - Revision history

U96193963: /* Pros and cons */

2024-01-06T18:04:23Z

‎Pros and cons

U38088265: /* Armaments */ Updated

2023-12-14T20:27:12Z

‎Armaments: Updated

U74396666: New Description Project - USSR Priority: T-72B

2023-11-19T09:38:30Z

New Description Project - USSR Priority: T-72B

U38088265: /* Ammunition */ Converted to transclusion

2023-01-27T17:52:43Z

‎Ammunition: Converted to transclusion

U79942984: Wrote intro.

2022-05-25T01:33:19Z

Wrote intro.

U44629479: /* Media */ Added video

2022-03-31T19:55:26Z

‎Media: Added video

U44629479: Edits

2022-02-07T08:19:55Z

Edits

U111970762: /* Ammo racks */

2022-02-07T06:30:24Z

‎Ammo racks

U38088265: /* Pros and cons */

2021-12-05T18:32:31Z

‎Pros and cons

U44112450: Pro & Con change

2021-10-22T07:38:29Z

Pro & Con change

@@ Line 162: / Line 162: @@
 * Extremely prone to gun breech disabling, as in all post-war T-series
 * Very bad reverse speed (-4 km/h)
-* Lack of thermals at rank VI
+* Lack of thermals at rank VII
 * ERA provides insignificant protection against kinetic shells (~5 mm)
 * Side armour is so thin that can be penetrated basically at any angle, which will inevitably ammo-rack you

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 {{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
 <!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
-{{main|2A46M-1 (125 mm)}}
+{{main|2A46M (125 mm)}}
 The T-72B is armed with the same 125 mm cannon found in the [[T-80B]], with its 3BM42 "Mango" round proving competitive against other Rank VII offerings. As with previous Russian MBTs, the main gun is auto-loaded, so the loss of a crew member does not affect the loading times and the 7.1-second loading speed is competitive when compared to the 120 mm guns on the Leopard 2A5 and M1A2 Abrams. One notable perk of the auto-loader mechanism is that the gun will be reloaded even if the gunner is knocked out, if you're fighting a fire, or repairing. It does however also come with the drawbacks of a reload time that cannot be improved, the large ammo carousel concentric with the turret, and the chance of a single penetrating shot detonating the ammo racks. Another thing to note, since update 1.97 if the tank's battery runs out of power, the auto loader will not function and the cannon will need to be manually loaded, which is a much slower process.
@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 |-
-! colspan="5" | [[2A46M-1 (125 mm)|125 mm 2A46M-1]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
+! colspan="5" | [[2A46M (125 mm)|125 mm 2A46M]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || Reloading rate (seconds)
 |-
 ! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 ! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
-! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
+! Autoloader
 |-
 ! ''Arcade''
-| rowspan="2" | 45 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+13° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10
+| rowspan="2" | 45 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+13° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 7.10
 |-
 ! ''Realistic''
@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 ==== Ammunition ====
-{{:2A46M-1 (125 mm)/Ammunition|3BK18M, 3OF26, 3BM22, 9M119, 3BM42}}
+{{:2A46M (125 mm)/Ammunition|3BK18M, 3OF26, 3BM22, 9M119, 3BM42}}
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
@@ Line 111: / Line 111: @@
 ! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
 |-
-| Pintle || 300 (150) || 700 || -4°/+75° || ±180°
+| Pintle || 300 (60) || 700 || -4°/+75° || ±180°
 |-
 |}
@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 ! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
 |-
-| Coaxial || 2,000 (250) || 700 || N/A || N/A
+| Coaxial || 2,000 (250) || 700 || - || -
 |-
 |}
@@ Line 230: / Line 230: @@
 * [[wt:en/news/6614-development-t-72b-necessary-improvements-en|[Devblog] T-72B: Necessary Improvements]]
 {{USSR medium tanks}}
 [[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]].
+The '''T-72B''' is the third variant of the [[T-72 (Family)|T-72 main battle tank family]]. This features many improvements compared to its predecessors. A cutting-edge 125 mm 2A46M tank gun with a newly developed two-plane fully automatic stabilization system known as 2E42-2 has been installed. A significantly improved 1A40-1 fire control system, as well as the 1K13-49 gunner's sight for firing the 9M119 Svir anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) through the gun barrel, have also been added. To increase protection, 20 mm of appliqué armour was mounted on the front of the hull. The mobility upgrade package included a new V-84-1 engine with 840 horsepower. The smoke dischargers, which were previously mounted on the turret front as on the T-72A variant, were later grouped on the turret's left side to make room for the installation of explosive reactive armour (ERA).
-The T-72B is a significant upgrade to the previous [[T-72A]]. It has new and thicker arrays of composite armor with improved protection against kinetic rounds, allowing the UFP and turret to block many APFSDS rounds fired by contemporary tanks. Large amounts of Kontakt-1 ERA have been mounted as well, boosting its protection against chemical munitions and giving it a fearsome look. In terms of firepower, the T-72B surpasses the [[T-64B]] with access to the same top 3BM42 "Mango" APFSDS and a 9M119 "Svir" gun-launched ATGM superior to the T-64's 9M112 "Cobra". Other improvements include a more powerful engine and improved turret traverse speed. The T-72B continues to lag in mobility compared to NATO MBTs and lacks thermal sights for easy target acquisition, but it is a tough nut to crack and can dish out damage with its powerful gun.
+Introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]], the T-72B tank is powerful and competitive. The turret and hull provide excellent protection. However, it continues to lag behind its Western counterparts in mobility and lacks thermal imaging equipment for quick target acquisition. One of the most significant disadvantages is the slow reverse speed, which makes close-range engagements risky. Overall, this tank is effective in support, flanking, and sniping roles. It is critical to keep some distance from the main contested zones to fully utilize its strong frontal armour.
 == General info ==
@@ Line 201: / Line 201: @@
 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_t_72b Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
@@ Line 218: / Line 219: @@
 == See also ==
 ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 * ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 ==== Ammunition ====
-{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+{{:2A46M-1 (125 mm)/Ammunition|3BK18M, 3OF26, 3BM22, 9M119, 3BM42}}
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]].
 == General info ==

@@ Line 256: / Line 256: @@
 ;Videos
-{{Youtube-gallery|V3Gfl_N4JV8|'''The Shooting Range #192''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:32 discusses the T-72B.}}
+{{Youtube-gallery|LufGqZTfvoI|'''MBTs with Best Armor''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 04:42 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|V3Gfl_N4JV8|'''The Shooting Range #192''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:32 discusses the T-72B.}}
 == See also ==

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 The T-72B is an up-armoured and up-gunned version of the T-72A, although this still does not protect the "weak spots" that most Soviet tanks have (weak lower front plate, driver optics etc.). The T-72B has more armour on the upper plate of the hull, that provides around 500 mm to 900 mm of effective armour protection.
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
-!Armour!!Front (Slope angle)!!Sides!!Rear!!Roof
+! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 |-
-|Hull||60 mm (60°)||80 mm ''Top''
+| Hull || 60 mm (60°) || 80 mm ''Top'' <br> 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 40 mm || 20 - 30 mm
 |-
-|Turret||Variable thickness armour ''Turret front''
+| Turret || Variable thickness armour ''Turret front'' <br>  220-600 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 240 - 118 mm || 60 - 115 mm || 45 mm
 |-
-|Cupola||100 mm (variable angles)||100 mm||100 mm||40 mm
+| Cupola || 100 mm (variable angles) || 100 mm || 100 mm || 40 mm
 |}
 === Mobility ===
@@ Line 142: / Line 145: @@
 {{main|NSVT (12.7 mm)|PKT (7.62 mm)}}
-The T-72B has access to a coaxial PKT 7.62mm machine gun and a 12.7 mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun, which is mounted above the commander's hatch. The PKT is rarely useful in top tier matches, but the NSVT can be quite useful. The NSVT has 29 mm of penetration, allowing it to damage some light vehicles like IFVs and enemy SPAA. Additionally it is useful to engage enemy helicopters when they come close. Machine guns can also be used to try and shoot down enemy ATGMs, but this is unreliable. They can also be used to shoot the ground in front of the tank for a quick smoke screen of sorts, confusing the enemy and blocking their view for a clean shot.
+The T-72B has access to a coaxial PKT 7.62 mm machine gun and a 12.7 mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun, which is mounted above the commander's hatch. The PKT is rarely useful in top tier matches, but the NSVT can be quite useful. The NSVT has 29 mm of penetration, allowing it to damage some light vehicles like IFVs and enemy SPAA. Additionally it is useful to engage enemy helicopters when they come close. Machine guns can also be used to try and shoot down enemy ATGMs, but this is unreliable. They can also be used to shoot the ground in front of the tank for a quick smoke screen of sorts, confusing the enemy and blocking their view for a clean shot.
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
@@ Line 240: / Line 243: @@
 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_t_72b Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 ;Images
@@ Line 258: / Line 260: @@
 == See also ==
 ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 * ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
@@ Line 265: / Line 266: @@
 <!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 * ''topic on the official game forum;''
 * ''other literature.'' -->

@@ Line 191: / Line 191: @@
 * Excellent composite armour protection
-* Turret cheeks will chew up modern-day tank shells, invulnerable even to the mighty DM53.
+* Turret cheeks will chew up modern-day tank shells, invulnerable even to the mighty DM53
 * CONTACT-1 ERA coverage to front and sides, provides great protection against chemical shells (~400 mm)
 * Powerful main armament with autoloader, 3BM42 round, and laser rangefinder
 * Barrel launched ATGMs, without extra reload time
 * ESS and smoke grenades