Tankograd
Announcement! The author has a book coming out! To commemorate 10 years of the Tankograd blog, I have written a new original book on the T-72 under the Military History Group. The book will be available in hardcopy form worldwide through their usual distribution platforms (directly from Lulu press, Amazon)
This blog was created with the intention of clarifying common misconceptions and mistakes, as well as to discuss the qualities of Russian armoured fighting vehicles in minute detail. Each article is intended to be a comprehensive overview for each vehicle in technical terms and how they affect the performance of the vehicles in practice, i.e their combat capabilities. Each article begins with an introduction that consists of a brief but densely packed summary of the history of each fighting vehicle, but the contents of the articles are dedicated entirely to a technological review.
Articles are written by the site administrator with the assistance of his co-researcher. Some articles were contributed by guest writers. We try to make sure that the information used is absolutely reliable, but there will always be some mistakes hidden away somewhere in each article. To improve the quality of the articles, please do not hesitate to point them out.
Tankograd now has a Discord Server. Use this open invitation link to join the server and don't hesitate to share it around. The server is primarily meant to be a hub for Cold War enthusiasts who share the same esoteric interest in Soviet armoured fighting vehicles, but it is also used as a discussion room for Tankograd articles and for Tankograd announcements. You are encouraged to contact the authors in the Discord server and talk about the articles and suggest improvements or point out errors and inconsistencies. See you there!
Due to popular demand, Tankograd is now on Patreon! If you like this blog and wish to give financial support, head over to our Patreon page. As always, the articles will still be published freely on this blog, but Patrons will be able to enjoy a multitude of special benefits such as being able to read the final drafts of upcoming articles before they are published and vote on new articles. The quality and quantity of articles is always on the rise thanks to your support.
As part of the Tankograd tank education initiative, I am looking for native German speakers familiar with the technical language of tank engineering who are willing to make English captions for all of Dipl-Ing Rolf Hilmes' lectures uploaded on YouTube by the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster. A small commission of $5 per 10 minutes will be paid for each video fully captioned (rounded up). If you have the time, you could spend it by contributing to tank education and make a bit of cash while doing so. I am in contact with the press spokeswoman and deputy head of the Panzermuseum, Julia Engau, who has confirmed that they will accept YouTube closed caption file submissions and also check for errors, so rest assured that your work has a good chance of being integrated to the videos (if the translation quality is good).
I am also interested to expand to commissioning translations of other lectures given by other reputable experts in the subject aside from Herr Hilmes. If you know of good videos that are worth translating, and are willing to do it, please contact me via the email address given in the "Contacts" page.
Tankograd now has a Discord Server. Use this open invitation link to join the server and don't hesitate to share it around. The server is primarily meant to be a hub for Cold War enthusiasts who share the same esoteric interest in Soviet armoured fighting vehicles, but it is also used as a discussion room for Tankograd articles and for Tankograd announcements. You are encouraged to contact the authors in the Discord server and talk about the articles and suggest improvements or point out errors and inconsistencies. See you there!
Due to popular demand, Tankograd is now on Patreon! If you like this blog and wish to give financial support, head over to our Patreon page. As always, the articles will still be published freely on this blog, but Patrons will be able to enjoy a multitude of special benefits such as being able to read the final drafts of upcoming articles before they are published and vote on new articles. The quality and quantity of articles is always on the rise thanks to your support.
For those who do not want to use Patreon, or merely wish to send a one-time donation, Tankograd can be reached via PayPal. It is the preferred option since it has much more modest processing fees compared to Patreon. If your one-time or recurring donations in PayPal matches the corresponding tier in Patreon, then you are eligible to the corresponding Patron tier reward. A one-time donation will grant a one-time reward, like being able to see the draft for only one upcoming article, or being able to vote only once for a new article.
The Tankograd blog is not related to the German publishing company of the same name.
TOP ARTICLES
INDEX
- MT-LB
- Soviet ATGMs
- Soviet Towed Anti-Tank Guns
2S1 "Gvozdika"
- T-10
- PT-76
- Field Disassembly: BMP-1
- T-54
- BMP-2
- T-80
- T-10 (Guest article)
- BTR-152 (Guest article)
- T-62
- BMD-2
- T-72: Part 1
- T-72: Part 2
- BTR-80
- BMP-3
Share your thoughts on this in the comments section of the articles, or better yet, talk to the author and his co-researchers directly in our Discord server.
The Tankograd blog is not related to the German publishing company of the same name.
Love your posts and can't wait to hear about the SPRUT-SD and the undersung BRDM-2, have you thought of making a post on T-64? There's so little on that tank and I'd love to see a look into it the likes of your T-72 post!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all - Sorry for the late reply!
DeleteYes, my partner, Miguel Miranda, is currently working diligently on a Sprut-SD article, and the BRDM-2 article is also underway, though it is not on top of my priority list at the moment. Right now, I am concentrating on a series of short articles, dubbed "Field Disassembly". We will be "disassembling" the T-90A and BMP-1. We also have a T-54 article in the works, though not a T-64 article at the moment. There are so many similarities between the "T-tank Triad" (T-64, T-72, T-80) that I find it difficult to justify another new article for the T-64, especially since the technology of the T-64 is largely duplicated in the T-72 Ural.
Dear Sir:
DeleteThe T-64 was a real brakthrough but there are few details about its 5TDF diesel engine of opposed pistons quite similar al Leyland L-600 of the British Chieftain. I would like to know if you have information about this engine developed by Professor Charomsky.
I Praise the quality of your articles, specially concerned about optical equipment and weapon stabilization.
Best regards and congratulations again
Horacio A. Galacho - Rep. Argentina
I can't wait to hear about the BRDM-2 and the Sprut-SD. Love your posts.
ReplyDeleteEasily the best source of information on Soviet and Russian vehicles I've ever come across. Can't thank you enough for your effort!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while, any update on when your next article will be posted?
ReplyDeleteSorry about the atrocious delay, John. "T-54: Red Dawn" will be the next article, and it will be posted within the week. It is similar in length to the T-72 article.
DeleteNothing to apologize for, your articles are worth the wait!
ReplyDeleteJohn
Thank you!
DeleteWhat would you like to see next? I've got articles on the BTR-60, BTR-82A, PT-76, Sprut-SD and the BMP-1 on the way.
Hey man! Keep them coming, I've read all of them so far. Excellent stuff. I also have friend who read your articles, we all love them.
DeleteSochi
Personally, I'm a big fan of the BMP-1.
DeleteExcellent work. In your future articles could you also include comments on the qualitative differences between the so called 'monkey models' and the models used by the Russian/Soviet Army. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI think that I have devoted a few passing remarks on the topic periodically, but to make it clear here: "Monkey models" do not exist in the strictest sense. Export models were definitely downgraded, but there is no proof so far that mild steel was used for armour, that the sights were fitted haphazardly, or what have you. However, exported tanks were severely downgraded by not having the latest ammunition, and not having the latest model. Given the rapid pace of the advancement of arms technology during the Cold War, using stuff that is decades older than what your opponent has is a clear disadvantage. BUT, the "downgrade" was not so drastic. The biggest problem with foreign operators of Soviet equipment is that they often lack the finesse to operate them. Vietnam is an example of a reasonably competent wielder of Soviet steel, but their inability to control or at least influence the air traffic greatly contributed to the loss of many of their armoured assets. More of this will be expanded upon in the upcoming T-54 article, which should come out today.
DeleteUnderstood, many thanks.
ReplyDeleteDude the T-54 article was outstanding! Can't wait for the BMP-1 article since its such a classic vehicle and the father of modern IFVs.
ReplyDelete-Sochi
Great job on the T-54. Definitely an underrated tank! Do you plan on adding some text on a few sections that were not discussed in detail (such as the BDD armor)?
ReplyDeleteWell, the BDD armour on the T-54 is practically the same as in the T-62, and I've already covered it on the T-62 article. I've added a link in the BDD section of the T-54 article to that end.
DeleteWhat are the full frontal arc protection stats of a T-62 and T-55 with BDD amour? and what is the max they can stop? Thanks in advance!
Delete-sochi
Well, it depends. The Hungarians did a test with a decommissioned T-54 by putting some BDD armour on it, taken from a T-55. They shot at it with a Fagot missile from the side. It went through, and the cumulative jet was stopped by the gun breech. They don't tell us how deep it went into the breech, or where it was exactly that the missile hit, but we know that the side of the turret of a T-54 is 120mm thick on average, and that the Fagot can penetrate 400mm RHA. Therefore, the front of the turret should be able to stop the missile, because it's got an extra 80mm. BDD armour on itself has a very limited effectiveness. It should be able to stop anything hitting the front of the tank it's mounted to as long as what's hitting it has a shaped charge that does less than 400mm of penetration. In other words, it's good for LAW rockets (and its Soviet copies), older RPG-7 rockets, M47 Dragon missiles, and anything to that effect, but nothing more.
DeleteTankograd! Whats the next article going to be man?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure. I work on a few articles at a time, and the one that gets finished first depends on my own personal interest and reader requests. Right now, I'm working on articles for the BMP-1, PT-76, BRDM-1, BTR-82A, BTR-60 and T-64 (115mm gun). Which one do you want to see first?
DeleteI voted for BMP-1 ;)
DeleteDuly noted. I will be writing the article in the "Field Disassembly" format, where I cover all of the unique aspects of the vehicle in full detail as usual, but I gloss over the parts that are shared with a sister design. In the case of the BMP-1, I will only be examining the turret and some small layout differences between it and the BMP-2. The chassis, engine, transmission, steering system, fuel system, and so on, are all either identical or largely the same.
DeleteI was internet surfing and found that the Cubans still use thousands of T-55 and T-62 and have them in top of the line condition. Pretty cool video
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIvwnzGbwVc
Ah, of course. I would be immensely surprised if Cuba had the financial resources to replace their old tanks, even if they wanted to. Cuba used to have a significant international presence. I have no idea how powerful they used to be, but they starred in Red Dawn alongside the Russians as equals, not as subordinates. I always found it strange that they portrayed Cuba as a nation powerful enough to invade the U.S.A. Now they don't have much influence, so I cannot envision what they might use their tanks for if they decided to upgrade to new ones, so I suppose that it's for the best that they keep their old ones. Less upkeep and all.
DeleteCuito Cuanavale was the bloodiest battle in Africa since WW2 and the cubans waged the second part of that conflict putting the south africans in defense and later on retreat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjX-EtsL26Y
DeleteAm guessing now cuba is just to outdated and look at their gear is all old as hell. I think their newest tank is the T-72 and they only have a couple.
Yes, and that is exactly why I made the point that the T-54 cannot be considered a subpar tank. It performed very well in the right hands. The Cubans really knew their stuff, it seems.
DeleteBrother I love your articles are outstanding. What is the next article on?
ReplyDeleteThe BMP-1 got the most votes, so it'll be next. Stay tuned!
DeleteCan't wait.
DeleteBMP-1?!?!?!?!?
ReplyDeleteSoon.
DeleteWill there be a T-64 or T-90 article any time soon?
ReplyDeleteI really want to read about them(especially the T-90)
I had some interest in the original T-64 (with the 115mm cannon) initially, and I've got a draft for a T-90 article that is 20% complete at this point, but right now, I have absolutely 0 motivation to write any more articles for Tankograd. I'm afraid that you'll have to make do with the material that I've put out so far. Real life affairs are at the top of my priority list, and Tankograd is at the bottom.
DeleteThanks for all your work! ! Good luck with The real Life!
DeleteI have followed your blog since the very beginning. I love your works and I really want to get in touch with you! Can you perhaps give me your contact? I would like to collaborate with you! :)
ReplyDeleteMy email is at the bottom of the page. It's irondrapes@gmail.com. Please do contact me!
DeleteT90 please!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say that your blog is excellent. Pretty much the best source of info on Soviet / Russian armor on the web, bar none. Hope your real life issues are going well and one day you'll be posting again.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteAre you alive?
ReplyDeleteSometimes.
DeleteJust checking!
ReplyDeleteAll I can do is repeat what others have said. These articles are without compare, period. I'd love to see more when you have time. But in the meantime, best wishes.
ReplyDeleteI just recently came upon this site. I agree, excellent work! You cover all the aspects, including ammunition for said vehicles.
ReplyDeleteThank you also for quickly responding to the questions I posted recently.
Hopefully life treats you a little better these days. Do know that your contributions are appreciated by all us.
If you do decide to add to the page, my vote is for BRDM-2.
Thanks again!
Cheers!
Deletehello friend im the guy who asked about the T90A armor.
ReplyDeletei personally do not really think we can just yet say that the armor in the T90A is similar to the T72B because no info is there , apart from a brochure with an illustration that kinda looks like reflective sheet layout , but doesnt speak about the composition.
as for the other question , people sometimes say that the T90M for example has mediocre armor compared to the abrams M1A2 SEP , how true can this be ?
do we have RHAe values ?
and is the safe ammo placement on the abrams really that much of a giant advantage ?
thank you.
ps : out of curiosity , what is your favourite tank?
Yes, precisely. Nothing can be said about the composition right now, although the layout appears to be the same as the T-72B turret based on available evidence.
DeleteThere is not enough information about the T-90M or the M1A2 SEP, so I'm not going to give any comment here. Let's just put it this way: both are fully capable of fulfilling their roles.
Safe ammo placement in the Abrams is a significant advantage in asymmetric warfare. The ammo in any tank will be safe if its armour doesn't get penetrated, and practically all modern tanks can easily resist an RPG-7 from the front so all modern tanks are equally safe in that respect, but in Chechnya, the majority of hits sustained by Russian T-72 and T-80 tanks landed on the sides, rear, and some landed on the roof. Barring some lucky non-penetrations, separated ammo with blow-out panels will be infinitely safer than any other method of ammo stowage.
My favourite tank is the T-62.
alrighty so the so called ''nato tank technology superiority " isn't what it's cracked up to be given the lack of evidence .
Deletethanks for the answer.
T-62 , first tenk with smoothboi :-D.
one more thing : russians said that the armor is worth up to 1100 mm vs KE , and that the next tier of defence , the cabsule , is worth 900 mm , if you stack this with that , *AND* with the malkhit ERA , wouldnt that be way too much?
I didn't say anything close to that. I think that there are many examples of NATO tank technology having a lead over current Russian technology. The biggest shortcoming of Russian tanks right now is the lackluster thermal imaging equipment and the shortage of funds, forcing the current fleet of T-72B3s to rely on outdated Kontakt-5 instead of something more modern.
DeleteNobody said anything about 1100mm vs KE or 900mm vs KE. All these random numbers on the internet are basically meaningless.
The main problem with russian tanks is simple: Uralvagonzavod. Their megalomaniac leaders totally eliminated competition in the 80s, while fully knowing that this will greatly harm their country. In the '80s Harkov worked on revolutionary designs, like the Objekt-490A and Objekt-477/A/A2. These designs were far ahead of anything in the world. Both were almost ready for mass production, but UVZ with its huge political influence prevented it. So russia was stuck with totally obsolete T-72 tanks. Even the most modern T-72B3 is on the level of late '80s. T-90M is OK, but the design itself is outdated. Actually, same story with BMPT...
DeleteHi! I think there might be a bit of an issue with the hyperlink on the homepage for the BMD-2 article; the link there routes to an error page while the link to the same article in the drop-down menu to the side works fine. Idk if I'm missing something or if it's just a problem on my end but I thought that I'd mention it anyway.
ReplyDeleteYes, there was a mismatch in the hyperlink. I've fixed it now. Thanks for pointing it out.
DeleteI know you said you have too little time to continue this blog, but I still ask, is there any hope that we'll see a new article sometime in the future? The quality of the blog is so high that it would be a pity if you would abandon it for good.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I have a T-10 article that's almost ready to be published. I can't say when exactly it will be published though. I honestly have too little time to invest in this blog for regular uploads to be possible. It also makes it difficult to maintain interest in a single tank for me to decide to commit to writing about it. Still, this blog won't be abandoned outright. Maybe there will be one or two articles a year with frequent updates to older articles. That's the best that my schedule will accommodate.
DeleteThanks for quick answer! This is very good news! Yes, I fully understand RL takes priority. 1-2 articles a year is perfectly fine!
DeleteUnfortunately it looks like T-54 article is gone which is great loss as it was great.
ReplyDeleteOh no it has just been taken down temporarily for some updates. It will be back up in a few hours.
DeleteIt's still missing... or was it removed again?...
DeleteOnly as information, the article about 2S1 "Gvozdika" is not yet in the main index
ReplyDeleteregards,
Gaius
Hey, so will you guys ever make articles on WWII Soviet vehicles?
ReplyDeleteSorry, but the blog will only focus on postwar vehicles.
Deletewhat happened to the T-72 part 2???? missing!!!
ReplyDeleteAs stated in the index, it's currently being updated.
Delete
ReplyDeleteExcellent site. Thanks for sharing this knowledge.
Hi! Long time no new articles in this blog. My question is, can we expect something new in the future? The articles are excellent, the best, most accurate about post ww2 soviet AFVs, it would be great to see new posts here! Yes I know this was asked before, and I know research consumes lots of time, + RL is No1 priority, but still this blog is simply fantastic!
ReplyDeleteYes, two new articles will be published before the year's end.
DeleteIs one of those Sprut-SD?
ReplyDeleteSorry, but no Spruts of any kind.
Deleteheard you were helping on GHPC, good for you! love the blog
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello. All of these articles are great, a gold mine of information. A lot of documentation, research, reflection, it is a pleasure to read. Know that your blog is almost a reference for some communities. Waiting for new articles. I am thinking notably of BRDM-2, or BTR-60. I'm not waiting for a deadline, it will come when it comes, we all have an RL. Well done for all this work.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you find all this information? The CIA site offers some declassified technical documents, there are technical manuals online for certain soviet devices / materials / weapons. To my knowledge, I do not see equivalent russian sites offering this kind of service (who better than russian documents to know russian material). But in terms of documents from various tests, like Ballistics charts, penetrations, shielding measurements and others, some are not online and are probably available in specialized stores or government archives, I guess.
I just have a suggestion regarding the organization of the articles. Some are perfect with index and link that leads directly to the desired paragraphs (T-72, T-62 ...). But others are long and do not have an index (BMP-1, T-54/55 ...). I know it can take a lot of time and effort to rearrange all of this, so if it's not possible, it's okay we adapt.
Great job!
Yes, the plan is to add an index to all articles. It's tedious work though.
DeleteGreat site.
ReplyDeleteCan you please tell me if there is such content anywhere on the English-language sites.
I would love an article on the ukrainian 4TD. 5TD, and 6TD engines. and maybe one on LP-83,2A73-2A83, and other obscure tank guns that the russians were messing with.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what you write once the current conflict ends. We now seen plenty of videos of Soviet based gear being put to the test. And it seems the best killer of tanks is the good ole 152mm Krasnopol Round. 95% of all destroyed tanks in the current Russo-Ukrainian War died due to this round. Would like a thread on it along with Soviet based SPGs and how the West completely misread the base Soviet Doctrines and how Krasnopol would have upended all their assumptions on rapid armor counter-attacks.
ReplyDeleteAnd Krasnopol is a 1980s round that has only grown more deadly with drone assisted targeting.
I can't believe the level of detail you provide. Thanks so much for publishing this information. Do you happen to know if there is a similar sight covering artillery?
ReplyDeleteI also had a follow up question for your article on 2S1 Gvozdika. You noted that the D-16 was not adopted which would have offered a better seal between the breech and chamber. Do you happen to know if the 2A36 and 2A65 have this same limitation? I know both of them still use metal casings but was wondering if they did a better job of sealing to allow for the option of semi combustible propellant for the future.
Do you have any technical details on the D30 artillery gun. With regards to how it is deployed into the firing position.
ReplyDeletethis blog is gold mine
ReplyDeleteWe had the first T-90 vs Leopard 2 duel: T-90 the victor and it was practically point blank as well.
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/_Surovikin_/status/1692213559227298116
Can you please create new discord invite link as I would be interested in joining the discord but the invite link is expired
ReplyDeleteIs this blog dead? Would be a shame.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible the blog is hibernating or dead. Last post was just about two years ago. Sad.
ReplyDeleteHi, the blog is on hiatus. My attention has so far been entirely focused on a different project.
Delete