Who designed the T-80 tank and when was it accepted for production?
The Object 219-2 was accepted for production as the T-80 in August 1976. Nikolay Popov designed the tank from LKZ equipped with the GTD-1000T multi-fuel gas turbine engine.
Questions about T-80
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the maximum speed of the T-80 prototype Object 278 and how much fuel did it carry?
The turbine engine allowed the Object 278 to reach a maximum speed, however the text does not specify the exact number. The prototypes had only 1,950 liters of fuel on board which limited their range significantly.
When were the first T-80 tanks deployed to Germany and what war marked their first real combat experience?
The T-80B was deployed with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany in 1981. Neither the T-80B nor the T-80BV were used in the Soviet Afghan War but they were first used during the First Chechen War.
How many Russian T-80s have been confirmed destroyed or captured by July 2025 according to Oryx?
As of July 2025 at least 1,193 Russian T-80s of multiple variants have been visually confirmed as destroyed, damaged, abandoned, or captured. This total includes 690 T-80BV models and 144 T-80BVM models among other variants.
Why did South Korea purchase T-80Us under Project Brown Bear and how many did they acquire?
South Korea launched Project Brown Bear to collect a debt owed by Russia after lending $1.47 billion to the Soviet Union in 1991. The country purchased 33 T-80Us under Brown Bear I and two T-80Us under Brown Bear II in 2005.