Why does the T 72B3 have a deeper cut out in the Glacis plate around the drivers periscope than the T 72B or even T 90? Has the Base armour (W/O ERA) been thickened? Seems odd for them to change manufacturing for no reason yet I can find nothing that gives a reason for the change.
I don’t know details on the T-72 but “Tank-o-grad” seems to know a great deal.
The soviet armour blog-t-72-soviet-progeny might have something about that. It’s a very long article with a table of contents and links broken into two parts. It does mention this early in the article. Part 2 starts with protection, probably a good starting point on the question at hand.
*Object 184 (T-72B) 1985
Second serious upgrade of the T-72. The new tank featured completely revised hull and turret armour, a new autoloader, a guided missile firing capability, a new cannon, a new engine, new sighting systems, and more.
Object 184-1 (T-72B1) 1985
Simplified T-72B variant without the missile firing capability and with the original Ural autoloader. This aspect of the T-72B1 is examined later on in the article, in the section on the autoloader.
The T-72B itself was subject to a modernization project, initiated by the decree No. 741-208 of the USSR Council of Ministers on the 19th of June 1986. The “Improved T-72B” project, under the Object 188 index, entered service in 1992 as the T-90.
Again, it must be stressed that this is only a very basic list of variants. It is unwise to generalize with regards to the T-72, as the model designation sometimes does not reveal the full story."
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Yeah read that, but it is unclear, one one hand it states that the number and thickness of the steel plates changed on the B then shows photos of the plate in both the B and B3 where the latter has clearly more! I will have to work from photos cheers.
I don’t know modern tanks very well, but here’s what I managed to find in Runet in article about the T-90 tank: “In the area of the upper frontal part of the hull near the driver’s viewing device, the thickness of the armor is reduced (to be able to display the driver’s observation device). "
And, as I understand it, on the T-72B3 and T-90 tanks, the driver’s observation devices differ from those on the T-72B tank.
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If I am reading it correctly (or better said if Google is translating it correctly) then it states that the volume of the glacis armour was increased, which would be inline with the Tankograd site and the layers. It would make sense to lower it around the periscope hence the different layout between the T 72B and the B3, I don’t know if the T 90 is the same, as I have never seen a picture without the surrounding Nadboi? Cladding completely obscuring the area. Cheers
Notice that reinforcement bar running between the headlights, there is relief cut that corresponds to that same area in front of the periscope. I’m thinking both the reduction in armor and the cut is for forward vision at extreme deflection for a view immediately in front of the tank for the driver. Think binoculars and how the field of vision reads the further out you look. Could be wrong but looking at those two items this would be my guess.
I understand what you are saying but the relief cut on the splash guard is present on all T 72 fitted with the K5 glacis ERA. The bigger cut out around the drivers periscope of the B3, which I presume is to aid forward and down vision. I was hoping that someone could say “xx mm added” but it’s not that simple, as per the Tankograd website the armour plates inside the glacis were changed making the glacis have more volume, which I presume increased how far the glacis stand out hence the cutout. The problem I have, is the T 72B3 model i have doesn’t have this feature (they cheated by adding the cladding around that area) so to correct it I’m going to have to add thin plastic card to the glacis based on what looks right.