LATEST Ancient Prototypes of Proxy Warfare: The Economic and Logistical Burden of Roman and Persian Proxy Networks among Arab Tribes and Caucasian Powers
SEARCH
DB ONLINE
EN ▾
T-72S
Photo: Fars News Agency · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
REC // INTEL FEED

T-72S

Tanks · Russia · 1987
ADD TO COMPARE

T-72S

T-72S
T-72S Photo: Fars News Agency · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
* Absolute score — assessed within category · no era adjustment
Firepower
62
Protection
48
Mobility
54
Technology
38
Reliability
72
Crew Survivability
12
Operational Range
65
Logistics
88
Historical Performance
58
Strategic Impact
82
Origin Russia
CategoryTanks
EraCold War
In service1987
Operators34 countries
Data Quality87%
MASS(Military Archive Scoring System)
54
Tanks MASS Rating
43/89
Cold War
146/563
All-Time
Tanks · 10 axes scored
Firepower
62
Protection
48
Mobility
54
Technology
38
Reliability
72
Crew Survivability
12
Operational Range
65
Logistics
88
Historical Performance
58
Strategic Impact
82
ⓘ Regardless of era, the same scoring system applies to all units in the tanks category.
01 / Overview
T-72S
Category
Country
Production
1987–
Unit Price (current)
$715.6K↗ 43% inflation · 2011→2025
Original Price
$500.0K (2011)
Operators
💰 PERFORMANCE / PRICE ASSESSMENT Methodology ↗
TANKS · COLD WAR
43
PERFORMANCE/PRICE
88
UNIT COST (2025 USD)
$715.6K
Original: $500.0K (2011)
Inflation: +%43
54
tanks category
ⓘ Performance/Price and MASS score are computed across all units in the tanks category, regardless of era.
02 / Specs & Design
◎General5MOD.5
  • Tank ClassificationMain Battle Tank (MBT)
  • GenerationCold War
  • Combat Weight44.5 t
  • Crew Size3
  • Service Entry Year1987
◈Firepower11MOD.11
▣Protection9MOD.9
◇Mobility9MOD.9
  • Engine Power840 hp
  • Power-to-Weight Ratio18.8 hp/t
  • Fuel TypeDiesel
  • Transmission TypeSemi-Automatic
  • Suspension TypeTorsion Bar
  • Max Road Speed60 km/h
  • Max Off-Road Speed45 km/h
  • Operational Range (Road)500 km
  • Fording Depth1.2 m
◆Dimensions5MOD.5
  • Length (Hull)6.86 m
  • Length (Overall, Gun Forward)9.73 m
  • Width3.59 m
  • Height2.23 m
  • Ground Clearance0.49 m
⬢Amphibious & Special4MOD.4
▲Production & Service4MOD.4
  • Total Production Units25,000
  • Years in Production25 year
  • Current Service StatusActive Service
  • Notable Variants Count1
03 / History
SERVICE LIFESPANStill in Service
  1. 1980First deployment: Iran–Iraq War
  2. 1987Production started
39
years in service
32
countries operating
ⓘ The producing country still actively operates it. 2 countries retired it.
04 / Variants
▚ WEAPON FAMILY
T-72 1973
T-72S 1987
// SIBLING VARIANTS
T-72B3 1973
T-72M 1980
M-84 1985
TR-125 1987
T-72BA 1999
05 / Operators
T-72SSALES1records
YearBuyerQuantityAmountPresent Value (2025)
—Myanmar300——
ⓘ "Present Value" is an estimated amount adjusted for inflation.
📖 TERMS ON THIS PAGE22terms
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 a combination of materials, including depleted uranium.
Computerised Advanced: a tank fire‑control system generation that uses digital computers to calculate ballistic solutions and integrate sensor data for enhanced targeting accuracy.
Type of internal combustion engine fuel, refined from crude oil.
A front-mounted armored plate on a tank, primarily used for clearing obstacles, creating cover, or breaching fortifications.
Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA): Modular armor system that detonates upon impact to disrupt incoming warheads, reducing penetration of shaped charges and kinetic energy projectiles.
High-Explosive Fragmentation: ammunition that explodes on impact, releasing fragments.
High-Explosive Anti-Tank: a type of projectile that uses a shaped charge to penetrate armor.
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.
A mine plough is a device attached to a tank to clear mines from its path.
Nuclear, Biological, Chemical protection for tank crews.
Enhanced low-light visibility through specialized optics or sensors.
A semi‑automatic transmission in a tank automatically shifts gears using hydraulic or mechanical mechanisms while the driver selects gear positions, reducing manual clutch operation.
Handheld or vehicle-mounted devices that release dense smoke to obscure vision, conceal movements, or screen friendly forces from enemy observation.
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 →