Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The American magazine The National Interest has compiled a ranking of battle tanks, with the Russian T-72 taking first place. This Soviet-designed tank outperformed modern Western models, including the American M1 Abrams and the Israeli Merkava V.
The magazine's experts evaluated the tanks based on seven criteria: survivability, range, adaptability, ease of production, versatility, reliability, and deterrence. The authors believe the 1973 T-72 meets all of these criteria. They noted that even with the widespread use of new weapons, especially drones, the T-72 maintains its combat effectiveness.
The tank, according to the magazine, is cheap and easy to produce and operate and has been in service in many countries for decades.
" In 2025, the winner won't be the one with the thickest armor or the most powerful gun, but the one who can survive drone swarms, precision-guided munitions, and massive casualties. It's battlefield survivability, not 'the most advanced technology,' that will come to the fore," the article states.
The American M1 Abrams placed second. The Israeli Merkava V came in third. The French Leclerc XL came in fourth, and the South Korean K2 Black Panther came in fifth. The Chinese T-99 and the Russian T-14 Armata followed. The Japanese Type 10 and the British Challenger 2 rounded out the top ten.
The T-72 Ural is a Soviet main battle tank developed by the Uralvagonzavod design bureau from 1967 to 1972 as a "mobilization variant" of the T-64A. The tank's design is classic, seating three people: a driver, a gunner, and a commander. It is armed with a 125-mm cannon and two machine guns (7.62 mm and 12.7 mm). Its engine produces 780 hp, has a top speed of 60 km/h, and a cruising range of 500 km.
In March, a Russian tank commander highlighted the advantages of the T-72B3 tank over its foreign counterparts. According to the Russian serviceman, foreign armored vehicles, unlike Russian ones, often have complex electronic systems that are difficult to maintain and repair in the field.
On February 8, Bekkhan Ozdoyev, Industrial Director of the Armaments Cluster at the Rostec State Corporation and a member of the Bureau of the Union of Mechanical Engineers, stated that Russia will not run out of tanks. He noted that the presence of new and modernized military equipment in the SVO zone is steadily increasing. These include the T-90M Proryv, T-72B3M, and T-80BVM. Ozdoyev explained that the combat capabilities and survivability of modern equipment have significantly increased.