US examines modernized Ukrainian T-72 tank

U.S. military intelligence studies Ukraine’s capabilities and technological development by testing a modernized Ukrainian T-72 tank.

The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service of the U.S. Department of Defense posted the photo of the equipment.

During the Northern Strike military exercises, Marines and reservists of the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion studied and tested the T-72 tank at the Camp Grayling training ground.

The photo captures one of the experimental modernizations of the Soviet T-72A tank developed by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau in Ukraine after it gained independence.

The tank was deeply modernized, with significant improvements in mobility, armor protection, and firepower.

The standard 780-horsepower V-46 series engine was replaced with a Kharkiv two-stroke opposed engine. Presumably, the 6TD-1 with a capacity of 1000 hp, which was often installed by designers during numerous modernizations of Soviet vehicles.

The infrared searchlight was also removed, which indicates that the old sights of the gunner and commander of the vehicle were replaced with analogues with passive infrared or thermal imaging channels.

The upgrade package is visually enhanced by a new Knife integrated dynamic protection kit, significantly increasing the vehicle’s protection against cumulative and even kinetic armor-piercing shells.

More information about this system can be found in the article “Reactive armor of armored vehicles: experience in use in the Russian-Ukrainian war”

According to the description, the vehicle resembles the Ukrainian T-72AG, but has certain differences. In particular, instead of a closed machine gun, it has an original open turret.

It is not confirmed under what circumstances this vehicle ended up in the United States. Presumably, like the T-84 and BM Oplot, the U.S. Army purchased it for intelligence purposes to study foreign technologies and the potential of Ukrainian armored vehicles.

US technical intelligence

Soldiers of the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion conducted operations with the Ukrainian vehicle. This battalion specializes in information gathering and technical intelligence, studying and using foreign weapons systems, and analyzing potential adversaries’ military technologies.

As part of its activities, the 203rd Battalion receives captured or acquired foreign weapons systems and tests them, providing assessment and analysis.

The unit can perform tasks both domestically and in the field abroad. In particular, the battalion took part in the war in Iraq, where a famous photo was taken of its fighters capturing a buried Iraqi MiG-25 fighter jet.

Militarnyi previously reported that Ukraine started restoring mothballed T-72 Ural tanks during the war and developed a “mobilization” modernization kit for them.