MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. Units of the 1st armored army stationed in the Western Military District have received a new batch of modernized T-72B3 tanks, the district’s press office reported on Monday.
- Russia to continue arming Crimean, Arctic groupings with modern weaponry
- Russia’s strategic nuclear forces to be 90% armed with modern weaponry by late 2020
- Motorised infantry brigade in Russia's Siberia receives 15 modernized tanks
- Russia’s Airborne Force to get advanced anti-tank missile systems
- Armata tank field trials proceed on schedule
"A new batch of modernized T-72B3 tanks has arrived for troops of the Western Military District. Some twenty armored vehicles that have received state-of-the-art technologies and undergone control tests will enter service with a motor rifle formation of the 1st tank army," the press office said.
The upgraded T-72B3 tanks are equipped with a more powerful 1,130 horsepower engine and have an advanced weapons suite. They also feature a new sight system with a digital display and a rearview TV camera.
The tank’s armor has been reinforced with side skirts with Relikt explosive reactive armor (ERA) tiles, add-on slat armor, and new ERA modules in the soft shell.
"At present, one of the armored army’s formations is complete with new combat vehicles, which has allowed doubling its firepower," the district’s press office said.