Ukroboronprom signs a contract for $ 85.6 million for the upgrading program of Pakistan T-80UD MBTs

T-80UD

The Ukrainian UkrOboronProm has been signed an $85.6 million contract to upgrade the fleet of T-80UD main battle tanks of the Pakistan Armed Forces, according to a UOP statement released on 22 February, during the IDEX-2021 show held in Abu Dhabi.

“We also discussed with Pakistan new orders for the supply of 6TD1 and 6TD2 engines” said Yuri Gusev, CEO of Ukroboronprom.

The T-80UD MBT was demonstrated and subjected to trials in Pakistan in 1993 and 1995 to meet this country's requirement for a new MBT. In August 1996, Pakistan placed an order with the Ukraine for the supply of 320 T-80UD MBTs with the first batch of 15 vehicles being delivered in March 1997 and with the second batch of 35 following in mid-1997. These are from the stock of 52 T-80UD tanks which were built several years ago but not delivered. The T-80UD production line started again in the Ukraine to enable the remainder of the Pakistani MBT order to be met. In mid-1997, it was not clear as to whether the Ukraine was in a position to build all the subsystems of the T-80UD.

As of late 1997 the well-publicized sale of 320 Ukrainian T-80UD MBTs to Pakistan appeared to be dead in the water. A total of only 35 T-80UDs had been delivered to Pakistan in two separate batches in March and May 1997. These 35 tanks were reportedly drawn from Ukrainian Army stocks and had capabilities below the level agreed to by the two countries. The Russian government had been publicly against this sale from the very beginning, and has repeatedly refused to supply Ukraine with critical components needed to build the T-80UDs. While the more modern Ukrainian T-84 MBT is "80% Ukrainian-made," the T-80UD is a largely Russian product. Pakistan had been assured by Ukraine that the contract for the T-80UDs would be honored in spite of pressure and lack of support from Russia.

The final deliveries took place in late 1999. The vehicles of the final batches incorporated many features of the T-84, including an all-welded turret and other improvements. By early 2002 Pakistan had taken delivery of 320 Ukraine-manufactured T-80UD main battle tanks.

The T-80UD MBT armament includes a 125mm gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The main armament comprises a 125mm KBA3 smoothbore gun fed by a carousel-type automatic loader and fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor (bore evacuator). The main gun has a quick-replacement barrel which can be changed under field conditions without the need to remove the gun from the tank.

The number of rounds that T-80UD could carry is 45 two-piece rounds (projectile and charge), of which 28 rounds are placed in the automatic loader, with the remainder being stored at the driver's station and in the fighting compartment. Types of ammunition that can be fired by the gun include APFSDS (armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot), HEAT (high explosive anti-tank), HE-FRAG (high explosive fragmentation) rounds and laser beam-riding guided missiles.

The specific feature of the tank is that it is fitted with a guided missile system to enable the main gun to fire a laser guided missile with a maximum range of 5,000 m.