Ukrainian drone destroys upgraded Russian T-80BVM tank with homemade ammunition
Today we wrote about how a Ukrainian drone dropped an F-1 grenade into the hatch of a T-72B tank. The same fate awaited a modern T-80BVM tank.
Here's What We Know
The tank was destroyed in the Donetsk region. The fighting vehicle was damaged and was awaiting evacuation for repair. However, a Ukrainian drone dropped an improvised ordnance, which caused the ammunition to detonate.
#Ukraine: Near Vuhledar, #Donetsk Oblast a damaged Russian T-80BVM tank was finished off by an improvised munition dropped from a Ukrainian drone right through an opened hatch- resulting in the catastrophic detonation of the ammo onboard. pic.twitter.com/fYLnyfTjcV
- ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 22, 2023
The T-80BVM is a new Russian-made tank. It is an upgrade of the T-80BV. Development of the fighting vehicle began in 2017 and production began in 2019 and is still ongoing.
The tank is 7 metres long (9.56 metres with cannon), 3.84 metres wide and 2.22 metres high. The upgrade brought the GTD-1000T engine with 1,250 horsepower, which allows speeds of up to 80 km/h. It has a cruising range of 500 km.
The tank is fitted with the Relikt dynamic protection. The T-80BVM is also fitted with the new 'Sosna-U' sighting system used on the T-72B3.
According to Oryx analysts, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have captured or destroyed 77 T-80BVM tanks. In addition, the Ukrainian Defence Forces have managed to eliminate at least one tank of the 2022 model.
Source: @UAWeapons
