T-72A

T-72A

T-62M-1

T-72B

T-72A

T-62M-1

T-72B

USSR

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.3	9.3	9.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:220 000

Purchase:620 000

This page is about the Soviet medium tank T-72A. For other versions, see T-72 (Family).

Description

The T-72A is a rank VI Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

The T-72A's hull armour is practically the same as the T-64A's; textolite middle sandwiched between two RHA plates. The difference is that the T-72As upper glacis is angled at one degree further back than that of the T-64A and the use of Quartz core instead of Hard Hardness Rolled Armor (HHR) in the turret. Like the T-64 and T-80 line, the T-72A has a carousel-type autoloader centred under the turret. This means that a penetrating hit to the centre of the tank has a high chance of leading to an ammunition detonation and subsequent launch of the turret. This is however slightly less likely to happen with the T-72As type of autoloader, where the charges are stored horizontally (as "=") in comparison to the T-64/-80 type, where the charge sits vertically and is easier to hit.

Spare ammunition not inside the 22 round carousel is however spread more randomly around the fighting compartment. Therefore, bringing only 23 rounds (for 1 in the gun and 22 in the carousel) limits the chance of the spare ammo detonating in the case of i.e. a turret hit. There are two diesel tank ammo racks within the tank - one to the right of the driver and one between the engine and fighting compartment (with some loose ammo above it). It doesn't take much to realize that like most Soviet MBTs, the T-72A is rather explosive if extra ammo is taken, so great care is needed when showing the hull. The driver should also be aware of having only 3 crew members; if one is knocked out they should be sure to return to an objective point as soon as possible to get a new one.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)		Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse	Stock	AoA	Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	67	5	40.2	0.8	1209	1,488	30.07	36.29
Realistic	60	5			690	780	17.16	19.02

Armaments

Main armament

125 mm 2A46M					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	44	-6°/+13°	±180°	Two-plane	19.0	26.3	32.0	35.4	37.6	7.10	7.10	7.10	7.10
Realistic					11.9	14.0	17.0	18.8	20.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
3BK12M	HEATFS	440	440	440	440	440	440
3OF26	HE	42	42	42	42	42	42
3BM9	APFSDS	321	317	303	285	268	249
3BM15	APFSDS	440	430	420	410	405	400
3BM22	APFSDS	425	420	415	405	393	380

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
3BK12M	HEATFS	905	19	0.05	0.1	2,530	65°	72°	77°
3OF26	HE	850	23	0	0.1	5,240	79°	80°	81°
3BM9	APFSDS	1,800	3.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	72°	76°	78°
3BM15	APFSDS	1,780	3.88	N/A	N/A	N/A	76°	77°	80°
3BM22	APFSDS	1,760	4.83	N/A	N/A	N/A	76°	77°	80°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
44	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Machine guns

12.7 mm NSVT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	300 (150)	700	-4°/+75°	±180°

7.62 mm PKT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,000 (250)	700	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The T-72A play-style is near identical to the T-64A (and with that, Soviet MBTs from here on). One of the key differences between the two vehicles is the T-72A's stronger armour. The quartz core composed turret will also bounce many shots and can even eat up some of the strongest ATGMs. In terms of armament, the T-72A boasts the very powerful and accurate 2A46M that Soviet high-rank tankers will quickly become familiar and fall in love with. Make sure to research the 3BM15 sabot rounds as soon as you can (after Parts and FPE of course), as the stock round has mediocre penetration for a sabot.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection		Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts		Horizontal Drive	3BM9
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	NVD	Adjustment of Fire	3BM15
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Smoke grenade	Elevation Mechanism	Laser rangefinder
IV	Transmission	Engine	ESS	T-72A (1983)	Artillery Support	3BM22

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Mounts the same powerful 125 mm 2A46 gun as on the T-64 and T-80 (though an earlier version)
• Low profile, small target compared to other countries' main battle tanks
• Early unlocked laser rangefinder makes sniping long distances easier
• Has both smoke grenade launchers and ESS
• Due to thick frontal armour and correct angling, able to deflect most rounds from counterpart tanks of other countries
• Very accurate gun due to the high muzzle velocity of the APFSDS rounds, very effective long-range sniper
• Autoloader continues working even if fighting a fire or replacing a crew member, ready to use upon the fire being extinguished or the gunner having been replaced

Cons:

• Ammo carousel means your first stage rounds all are centred below the turret; can be easily detonated through a hit to the hull
• Very slow reverse speed and traverse speed, a problem in situations where you cannot back away from an attacking enemy
• 3-man crew makes tank able to be knocked out easier; once one crewmember is knocked out, you have to be very careful not to get hit again
• Gun depression inadequate for most hull-down situations, e.g. sniping from a hill or down a valley
• Driver's port is still a weakness
• Poor top speed
• Inferior optics with only one 8x zoom level
• 1st APFSDS modification is inferior to most contemporary rounds and 3BM22 is a Rank IV modification
• Its 2A46 125 mm gun is an early type; the stock ammunition is lacklustre and it cannot fire ATGMs like the T-64B, T-80B, and T-80U
• Glacis armour is not reliable until the addon armour plate is unlocked (a tier IV modification)

History

Development of the T-72 began shortly after the production of the T-64 highlighted several problems which negatively impacted production rates. Among these problems was an unreliable engine, which couldn’t be produced at the high rates needed for a smooth production of the T-64 to take place.

In response, the Uralvagonzavod plant began working on a modified version of the T-64, which would use a more reliable and readily available engine, in order to provide the army with a tank fit for mass-production. Apart from this, changes were also made to the armor layout, in order to simplify production and decrease costs. This work resulted in the creation of the Object 172.

Development of the Object 172 continued, and after some trials, the vehicle entered service with the Soviet Army in August 1973, receiving its official designation T-72. Shortly afterwards, the vehicle was permitted for mass production, following the issuing of an official decree in 1974.

The T-72 was also heavily exported to and produced by nations of the Warsaw Pact as well as other countries worldwide, although these vehicles received certain downgrades compared to native Soviet models. Despite this, the T-72 quickly became one of the most widely used tanks in the world, participating in more conflicts than a single devblog could ever cover.

Since production began in 1974, over 20,000 T-72 tanks were built across several modifications in the Soviet Union/Russia alone, with production of more modern variants still ongoing today, even in other countries as well.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the T-72A from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #88 - Pages of History section at 05:01 discusses the T-72.

The Shooting Range #132 - Metal Beasts section at 00:35 discusses the T-72A.

M1 Abrams vs T-72A vs T-80B - War Thunder Official Channel

High-explosive power discusses the T-72A at 1:50 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

• T-72B - A later modification of the T-72
• XM-803, MBT/KPz-70 - American and German main battle tanks at a similar BR.
• M48 Super - An equivalent German MBT.
• M60A3 TTS - An American MBT at a similar BR.
• AMX-32 - An equivalent French MBT.
• Chieftain Mk 10, Challenger Mk.2/3, Vickers Mk.7 - British MBTs with a similar BR.

External links

• [Devblog] T-72A: The Globetrotter