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T-72B3
Photo: Vitaly V. Kuzmin · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
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T-72B3

Tanks · Russia · 1973
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T-72B3

T-72B3
T-72B3 Photo: Vitaly V. Kuzmin · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
* Absolute score — assessed within category · no era adjustment
Firepower
68
Protection
52
Mobility
62
Technology
55
Reliability
78
Crew Survivability
15
Operational Range
72
Logistics
88
Historical Performance
58
Strategic Impact
65
Origin Russia
CategoryTanks
EraCold War
In service1973
Operators32 countries
Data Quality87%
MASS(Military Archive Scoring System)
59
Tanks MASS Rating
28/89
Cold War
112/563
All-Time
Tanks · 10 axes scored
Firepower
68
Protection
52
Mobility
62
Technology
55
Reliability
78
Crew Survivability
15
Operational Range
72
Logistics
88
Historical Performance
58
Strategic Impact
65
ⓘ Regardless of era, the same scoring system applies to all units in the tanks category.
01 / Overview
T-72B3
Category
Country
Production
1973–
Operators
💰 PERFORMANCE / PRICE ASSESSMENT Methodology ↗
TANKS · COLD WAR
28
PERFORMANCE/PRICE
88
UNIT COST (2025 USD)
—
59
tanks category
ⓘ Performance/Price and MASS score are computed across all units in the tanks category, regardless of era.
02 / Specs & Design
◎General4MOD.4
◈Firepower3MOD.3
▣Protection3MOD.3
◇Mobility8MOD.8
  • Engine Power1,130 hp
  • Power-to-Weight Ratio23.5 hp/t
  • Fuel TypeDiesel
  • Transmission TypeFully Automatic
  • Suspension TypeTorsion Bar
  • Max Road Speed70 km/h
  • Max Off-Road Speed45 km/h
  • Operational Range (Road)650 km
◆Dimensions4MOD.4
  • Length (Hull)6.8 m
  • Width3.5 m
  • Height2.23 m
  • Ground Clearance0.49 m
⬢Amphibious & Special1MOD.1
  • Snorkel / Deep Wading Depth5 m
▲Production & Service1MOD.1
  • Current Service StatusActive Service
03 / History
SERVICE LIFESPANStill in Service
  1. 1973Production started
  2. 2010Entered service
53
years in service
32
countries operating
ⓘ The producing country still actively operates it.
04 / Variants
▚ WEAPON FAMILY
T-72 1973
T-72B3 1973
// SIBLING VARIANTS
T-72M 1980
M-84 1985
T-72S 1987
TR-125 1987
T-72BA 1999
05 / Operators
📖 TERMS ON THIS PAGE17terms
Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot: a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition.
Anti-Tank Guided Missile: a missile designed to destroy tanks.
Automated loading system for tank guns, reducing crew workload.
A Battle Management System (BMS) is a command‑and‑control software suite that gathers, processes, and shares battlefield data to provide situational awareness and coordinate the actions of military units.
Armour made from multiple materials, such as metals and ceramics, to increase effectiveness.
Type of internal combustion engine fuel, refined from crude oil.
Fire control systems using digital data buses to link components, enabling sensor fusion and integration with battlefield networks.
Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA): Modular armor system that detonates upon impact to disrupt incoming warheads, reducing penetration of shaped charges and kinetic energy projectiles.
A fully automatic tank transmission shifts gears without driver intervention, using hydraulic or electronic controls to select appropriate gear ratios based on engine speed and vehicle load.
Optical device that uses laser pulses to measure the distance to a target with high precision.
A main battle tank is a heavily armored vehicle with a large caliber gun, used for front-line combat.
Nuclear, Biological, Chemical protection for tank crews.
Enhanced low-light visibility through specialized optics or sensors.
A smoothbore gun is a firearm with an unrifled barrel, allowing projectiles to travel without spin; it is commonly used in modern tank main guns for firing fin‑stabilized ammunition.
Thermal sights are infrared imaging devices mounted on a tank's gunner station that detect heat emitted by objects, enabling target identification and aiming in low‑visibility conditions.
A torsion bar is a steel rod that resists twisting and serves as a spring in tank suspensions, with one end fixed to the hull and the other connected to a lever arm moving the road wheel.
These terms are listed automatically because they appear on this page.full encyclopedia →
📚 Sources
📖 ENCYCLOPEDIA Browse the Tanks entry →