There will be a new T-80: production of the GTD-1500 “jet engine” will begin in Kaluga

December 14 2023 35

In September 2023, it was announced that the production of T-80 “jet” tanks would be resumed in Russia. This message caused a mixed reaction, since there was uncertainty about the gas turbine power plant for the armored vehicle, as well as eternal doubts about whether such a variety was needed in the tank forces.

Back to battle?

That there will be a new T-80, General Director of the Uralvagonzavod concern Alexander Potapov said on air on the Zvezda TV channel:

Such a task is worth it, at least the military has set it for us. And we are now actively interacting, working, and exploring these issues with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, because this requires, accordingly, new capacities.

Naturally, some distrustful Russians have suspicions that, under the guise of new tanks, the T-80s already produced under the USSR will simply be removed from storage, modernized, and in this form sent to the Northern Military District zone or wherever they are ordered. Actually, this is exactly how the reserve in the form of 3000 “jet” tanks is used. However, the latest news give reason to expect the best.

The fundamental difference between the T-80, like the American Abrams, and all other tanks produced in the world is the use of a gas turbine power plant instead of the usual diesel one. This technical solution has its pros and cons. The most obvious disadvantages include high fuel consumption and the difficulty of repairing the tank in the field. The advantages of the T-80 are also well known: it starts up quickly even in severe Arctic frosts, has excellent dynamics and maneuverability, for which it is nicknamed a “jet” or “flying tank.” In addition to this, it has low noise in the front projection when approaching.

What this armored vehicle with a gas turbine power plant is capable of can be seen in the videos.

In air defense conditions, when maneuverability and the ability to quickly change position are extremely important, the T-80 turned out to be very appropriate. As you know, the famous tank “Alyosha” belonged to this type and did not disappoint.

Flame Engine

The fact that in Russia a decision has been made not only to modernize the T-80s that have already been discontinued, but to put new ones on the assembly line can be judged by the information message from PJSC CADVI. This Kaluga enterprise produces engines for civil and special purposes, and it was the one that produced gas turbine engines GTD-1000T, GTD-1000TF and GTD-1250 for tanks of the T-80 family during the USSR.

So, the regional publication “Kaluga Provincial News” back in September of this year told on the start of preparation of PJSC for the production of engines for the T-80:

Today, the state has set the task of creating an even more powerful gas turbine engine (1500 horsepower instead of the current 1250). Work in this direction has already begun. The plant's staff has been increased and many young people have appeared. In addition, as part of the state defense order, there is an active production of gas turbine electric units for various air defense systems of the Russian army. The achievements of the defense industry are implemented in the product line of civilian power plants. On the territory of the plant, work is being completed to create its own autonomous energy center, which will be a good help in providing the enterprise with energy resources and a demonstration site for the advantages of KADVI power plants.

The news is simply excellent, and the information about the 1500 hp gas turbine unit attracts special attention. With.

The gas turbine engine GTD-1500, or “product 39”, was developed back in the USSR and was tested, and successfully, in the “roaring nineties”, when for obvious reasons it did not go into production. Compared to the GTD-1250, the compression ratio in it is increased by 5:6%, and the air consumption is increased by 6:8%. It is estimated that in the future the engine power can be increased to 1800 hp. With. without radically changing its design.

Kaluga residents promise to put the GTD-1500 on the assembly line by 2025, and this is simply wonderful. Our country will then receive a full cycle of production of “jet” tanks, ideal for operation in the extreme conditions of the Arctic, and also as a means of rapid deep breakthrough. Who knows, perhaps with a new, more powerful engine, the modernized Black Eagle with its 152 mm gun will get a second chance. Time will show.

Information

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mark1

-12

14 December 2023 11: 26

Well, why create entities? The engine is good, it can be installed on both the T-90MS and the T-14 (since its diesel is so criticized), but why revive the production of the same eggs only in profile and blue? Well, except for someone's personal benefit.
1. prior
  
  -1
  
  14 December 2023 11: 45
  
  Each project has its own stakeholders and lobbyists.
  The T-80 is no exception here.
  Whoever makes the best presentation and “interest” wins. In this case, on a tank.
  1. mark1
    
    -2
    
    14 December 2023 11: 55
    
    Quote: prior
    Each project has its own stakeholders and lobbyists
    
    So yes, every business has both interested parties and lobbyists, the main thing is that the business turns out to be good, but is a different type of business of essentially the same thing good?
2. insider
  
  +2
  
  14 December 2023 11: 57
  
  Don't write comments, it's not yours. To begin with, installing a gas turbine engine requires a change in logistics, which leads to a change in the production cycle of the T-90 and others like it. Moreover, tanks with gas turbine engines for their tasks. Carrying a train with tanks of fuel behind them is like “Reviving production”? When has competition been harmful? A simple example of MiG - Sukhoi - Yakovlev - Tupolev. Industries must compete and innovate, and the best will emerge on the battlefield. IMHO
  1. mark1
    
    0
    
    14 December 2023 12: 08
    
    Quote: insider
    Don't write comments, it's not yours
    
    The transmission (and MTO) will change in any case due to an increase in power and changes in engine dimensions.
    And due to the fact that the production and technological lines of the T-80 in Omsktransmash are pretty much destroyed, it doesn’t care about producing the T-90SMGTD or T-80.
    So
    
    Quote: insider
    Don't write comments, it's not yours. IMHO
  2. vik669
    
    -3
    
    14 December 2023 13: 59
    
    Don’t write comments, this is not yours - a simple example of MiG - Sukhoi - Yakovlev - Tupolev. IMHO
    1. mark1
      
      +1
      
      14 December 2023 19: 05
      
      An example is quite stupid in the style of EG-go-go, no country in the world has such a diverse tank fleet (probably they are all stupid there, they don’t see their happiness)
      and yes -
      
      Quote: vik669
      Don't write comments, it's not yours
  3. Fizik13
    
    0
    
    15 December 2023 09: 29
    
    Quote: insider
    ...GTB...
    
    We all know what a gas turbine engine is - a gas turbine engine.
    But what is GTB?
3. Scharnhorst
  
  +2
  
  14 December 2023 11: 59
  
  I would venture to suggest that the program is more designed for export. After the reputation of Western armored vehicles has been “lowered” to the Northern Military District, consumers will wipe and throw away the rose-colored glasses of advertising propaganda. And a good engine (if it is really good) can be used in many places during modernizations and new developments.
  1. whitebeard
    
    +4
    
    14 December 2023 19: 20
    
    Export is export, but Arctic stability, as well as much better maneuverability, including reverse speed (which is very important in a real battle) is very necessary for our army, at least for guards assault units and even elite branches of the military - Marines and Airborne Forces
4. Orange bigg
  
  +3
  
  14 December 2023 12: 10
  
  Quote: mark1
  Well, why create entities? The engine is good, it can be installed on both the T-90MS and the T-14 (since its diesel is so criticized), but why revive the production of the same eggs only in profile and blue? Well, except for someone's personal benefit.
  
  The diesel engine for the T-14 has already been redesigned, eliminating all the shortcomings, but the diesel engine has no advantage over a gas turbine tank diesel engine of the same power of 1500 hp. in mobility. It was based on the experience of the SVO and the demonstrated qualities of the T-80BVM with GTD-1250 in mobility over the same T-90M that the Russian Defense Ministry set the task of preparing the production of a new modification of the T-80 with reinforced armor and propulsion GTD-1500. GTD-1500 was successfully tested on training ground during the Soviet Union on the Black Eagle tank being developed. So news is a plus. In addition, the GTD-1500 engine has a powerful filter against dust and dirt, so the GTD-1500 is not afraid of dust, unlike the gas turbine engine on the Abrams, which requires constant care and maintenance.
  The video below shows filters from the GTD-1500. The GTD-1500 can digest 100 kg of dust every 100 hours. They talk about this in the video starting from the 8th minute.
  1. Orange bigg
    
    +2
    
    14 December 2023 12: 36
    
    A gas turbine tank engine, not a gas turbine tank diesel engine. I typed something wrong. I had one thing in my mind, but I typed another.
5. whitebeard
  
  +1
  
  14 December 2023 19: 16
  
  And most likely, the new T-80 will, in fact, be the T-90, but with a gas turbine engine. Well, about the Armata - an interesting idea, it’s possible that it will end up with him if the X-pattern is not brought to fruition in the coming years
6. AndretzAndrey
  
  0
  
  14 December 2023 20: 33
  
  Yeah, without modifying the transmission to accommodate the load, the rest.... It’s so simple - I stuck the engine into the T-90 (by remaking the engine compartment) and there it was - happiness. By God, like children.
  Correcting all the weak points and taking modern developments in the T-80 is easier than what you propose. Do you understand the difference?
7. anclevalico
  
  0
  
  18 December 2023 14: 57
  
  And this is the only possibility. It’s simply not enough to create something new. Everything was ruined and they failed. Even this may not work. It’s easy to scratch your tongue, especially when there is no demand for failure.
1_2

+3

14 December 2023 11: 59

Such an engine is more likely to be needed by a poorly protected self-propelled gun (to quickly get out of position), and not by a tank. and the tank needs a KAZ Arena or Afganit, but so far it is unheard of that they are installed on the latest T-90ms
1. Orange bigg
  
  +1
  
  14 December 2023 12: 15
  
  Quote: 1_2
  Such an engine is more likely to be needed by a poorly protected self-propelled gun (to quickly get out of position), and not by a tank. and the tank needs a KAZ Arena or Afganit, but so far it is unheard of that they are installed on the latest T-90ms
  
  About GTD-1500.
  
  “We tested a tank with a GTD-1500 outside the city on the Volkhonskoye Highway. To avoid problems with the traffic police, these works were carried out very early in the morning. So, the tank already reached speeds of up to 95 km/h. The car was very obedient and easy to drive", - said Efremov.
  
  This car had very great potential, but due to the crisis, the 1500-horsepower power unit could not be introduced into mass production. According to Efremov, they wanted to equip the Nizhny Tagil tank Object 187, which was created in the early 90s, with this powerful turbine. The designers even installed the GTD-1500 on one of the prototypes.
  
  https://topwar.ru/64887-gazoturbinnye-dvigateli-razgonyali-rossiyskie-tanki-do-100-km-ch.html
  1. JD1979
    
    -8
    
    14 December 2023 13: 48
    
    Yes Yes...
    our tanks are the fastest... on the training grounds
    our planes are the most maneuverable... at air shows
    our trains are the busiest, and further on the list)))
    And how does it come to reality...)))
    For some reason, not a single tank in any video from real battles rushed around, but crawled slowly. Why did it happen? Not a single plane or helicopter put on a circus show, but turned 180 as quickly as possible and hit the slippers)
    Somehow it seems to me that the GTD-1500 is the last thing on the list, which is important for a Russian tank, and the T-80 itself, in general, is not really needed. The fact that it starts at any temperature is its only advantage in certain conditions. And then there are the disadvantages and questions: in what ways is it better than the T-90? In armor? IN BIUS? In the sighting system? In BC AZ sizes? In range? Which gun will he go with: M-1 or M-4? What about the "hole" in the armor around the barrel? DUM like the T-90?
    To fence a garden for the sake of one engine? Or it may still increase the production of the most modern tank at the moment and objectively the best, except (censored) backward speed. Which we would like to work on intensively, and not create unnecessary entities and headaches with supplies.
2. whitebeard
  
  0
  
  14 December 2023 19: 24
  
  But one does not interfere with the other, KAZ is also not an impenetrable panacea, but an additional one. complex protection factor
maiman61

+6

14 December 2023 12: 02

I am absolutely sure that in the dashing nineties, the Americans put a lot of money and effort into depriving us of the T-80 tank! They even slammed the Omsk plant, which produced the T-80! Someone got a really good deal on their paw back in the day! T-80 compared to T-72 is like Mercedes against Zaporozhets!
Vladimir Tuzakov

+2

14 December 2023 12: 36

The ordered MO products are justified by the requirements for performance characteristics, which means that the GTD-1500 has prospects, and it’s not for nothing that the Abrams are also on the GTD. Increased fuel consumption, compared with improved performance, is a completely justified cost. In addition, modern improvements to the produced T-80 (M) are needed, for example: to separate the front space of the fur and water with a separate armor partition, which will give the effect of increased survivability for crew members, etc.. The SVO has identified many requests for improving the MBT, and to fully implement , - previous developments quickly become outdated.
1. Vladimir1155
  
  +1
  
  15 December 2023 09: 30
  
  Quote: Vladimir Tuzakov
  separate the front space fur water with a separate armor partition
  
  this will complicate the exchange of information among the crew, increase the weight of the tank and complicate evacuation by the lower hatch, but will not give any effect, no partition will save you from an explosion of ammunition and will not save you in a leopard either, it is for stupid people to think that they will be saved, there is an uninhabited tower on the armature, so such a technical solution no longer exists and it is not a fact that it was justified in combat
  1. Vladimir Tuzakov
    
    -1
    
    15 December 2023 12: 46
    
    this will complicate the exchange of information among the crew, increase the weight of the tank and complicate evacuation through the lower hatch
    
    Information on the headset, and the partition does not affect. Increasing weight at the expense of safety has always been a necessary direction. What will increase safety, you don’t understand, with a cumulative jet of water in the fur area, the rest of the crew is protected from barotrauma and other influences, as well as vice versa. Leaving the tank through the hatch of the “heroes” is an extremely rare case, because leaving the tank must be done quickly for many reasons. According to the armor of the Armata capsule, the Leopards proved the survivability of the crew after ammunition explosions, which echoes the armor partition of the front part of the MBT..
Akuzenka

+1

14 December 2023 15: 20

Who knows, perhaps with a new, more powerful engine, the modernized Black Eagle with its 152 mm gun will get a second chance. Time will show.

What, time hasn’t shown yet? Was 25 years not enough? Strange. In my opinion, the deadlines, as usual, will be shifted to the right, and budget money will already be seized according to the usual schemes. This story repeats itself again and again with each new “new” product needed.
opportunist

-5

14 December 2023 18: 36

I say we'd better bring back the smaller, more maneuverable T34 and make 50 of them, give every Wagner soldier a T000.
boriz

+3

14 December 2023 19: 07

The most obvious disadvantages include high fuel consumption and the difficulty of repairing the tank in the field.

Just in the conditions of the SVO, fuel consumption means little. The tank travels nearby; daily movements are several tens of kilometers.
But its fantastic throttle response is of great importance. The tactic of use is to fire several shots at targets scouted by the UAV and quickly rush from the old position to the new one before a response arrives.
And the power can be made up to 2000 hp. which I wrote about back on September 11th.
https://topcor.ru/39139-pochemu-resheno-vozobnovit-proizvodstvo-reaktivnogo-tanka-t-80.html#comment-id-367105
vlad127490

0

14 December 2023 21: 44

Arithmetic. How many pieces does the Russian Federation have left? T-80? Let's take the figure of 2000 pcs. Everyone knows that iron breaks. Capitalize engine tank for a long time and why, you can quickly install a new one. If you use 1000 T-80 tanks in the Northern Military District, you already need 1000 engines. About new tanks, that's a different story.
1. Vladimir1155
  
  0
  
  15 December 2023 09: 24
  
  Do you think that GTD 1000d and GTD 1500 have the same dimensions? is not a fact
  1. vlad127490
    
    +2
    
    15 December 2023 14: 05
    
    I agree with your argument, but you have to be a cretin to make a new move. it was impossible to replace the old GTD1000. The T-80 was made over 10000 units, the modernization of the T-80 with a new engine is considered a new tank, a lot of good things can be done on this platform, consider that you have 5000 units. ready-made platforms.
    1. Vladimir1155
      
      0
      
      15 December 2023 21: 47
      
      It’s probably advisable to continue producing the 1000 d gas turbine engine for modernizing old tanks, and make the 1500 gas turbine engine for new ones
  2. boriz
    
    0
    
    15 December 2023 19: 14
    
    https://kadvi.ru/product_category/gas_enginee/
    Here is a quote:
    
    Scientific and technical solutions used in the development of the GTD-1250 created a great modernization potential for the product and provide opportunities for successful implementation:
    GTE with hydrostatic transmission (GOP);
    On-board information and control system (BIUS);
    Forced mode with increased power up to 1400 hp;
    A single aggregated power plant (gas turbine engine, gas turbine engine and transmission in one unit) with a capacity of 1800 - 2000 hp;
    The use of the GTD-1250 in engineering vehicles, not only as a propulsion engine, but also to provide drive for attached equipment.
    
    In 1969 They installed a 100 hp engine in 1980. - 1100 hp, in 1990 - 1250 hp And time goes by.
    Engines on cars have also changed a lot during this time. They became more powerful and smaller. No one is surprised by this.
    If there had been a request from the Moscow Region, they would have supplied 1400, 1800, and 2000 long ago...
    The GTD 1250 in the gas powered version is being tested at BelAZ, on the BELAZ-75588 mining dump truck.
cheburator

0

14 December 2023 22: 31

We are Russians! God is with us! Victory will be ours!
Flight

0

15 December 2023 16: 45

Back to the Future
anclevalico

+1

18 December 2023 14: 54

The legend is fresh, but still hard to believe. Not with this management team.
AC130 Gunship

0

25 December 2023 02: 05

One tank is needed. Modern. Developments from 30-40 years ago are not needed. And there should be unification for on-site repairs. And now we have: 80, 90 and Armata riding in parades