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Main battle tank

Russia

Uralvagonzavod

T-80U

The definitive late-Soviet gas-turbine-powered main battle tank, offering rapid acceleration and cold-weather reliability at the cost of high fuel consumption. Reactivated T-80U/BV variants have been pulled from storage for use against Ukraine alongside the newer T-80BVM.

In service since 1985 · 6 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km/h

335

km range

25.9

hp/t

125

mm gun

46,000

Several performance figures for Russia-origin systems are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification. Treat these specs as directional, not tested values.

Pricing: No public unit cost

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Russian state channel

Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.

Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)

Fielded & proven

Established · 6 operators

In service since 1985. Status: active · ~4,500 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the T-80U can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

3BM42 Mango APFSDS 3OF26 HE-FRAG 9M119 Refleks gun-launched ATGM

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 70 km/h

Stronger than 74% of main battle tanks
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 335 km

Bottom 3% of main battle tanks
Power-to-weight Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.: 25.9 hp/t

Stronger than 86% of main battle tanks
Muzzle velocity Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration.: 1,700 m/s

Stronger than 64% of main battle tanks

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 125 mm 2A46M-1 smoothbore (autoloaded)
Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.: 12.7 mm NSVT + 7.62 mm PKT machine guns
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better, ammunition commonality matters.: 125 mm
Ammunition Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.: 38

Stronger than 13% of main battle tanks

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.: Composite armor with Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor
Reactive armor Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.: Yes
Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.: Kontakt-5 ERA, smoke grenade launchers
NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.: Yes

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 9.9 m
Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.: 3.6 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 2.2 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 46,000 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 3

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: GTD-1250 gas turbine
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.: 1,250 hp

Stronger than 61% of main battle tanks
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Gas turbine

Munition

Round type, penetration, velocity and projectile data.

Caliber Bore diameter the round is fired from.: 125 mm

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 4,500

Stronger than 88% of main battle tanks
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 6

Stronger than 83% of main battle tanks

Specifications compiled from public Uralvagonzavod and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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