MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. The National Interest (an American bimonthly international relations magazine) has rightfully recognized Russia’s T-72 tank as the best in the world, armored vehicle expert, retired Colonel Sergey Suvorov told TASS.
"The T-72 is recognized as the most mass-produced second-generation tank and is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. A huge number of these vehicles have been produced, and many earlier versions continue to be upgraded to the T-72B3M standard. It’s a good vehicle - I’ve personally operated it, and since I’ve also experienced foreign models such as the Leopard, Merkava, and Abrams, I can say that its high position in the rankings is fully justified," the expert noted.
Earlier, The National Interest published a ranking of the world’s best main battle tanks, placing the Russian-made T-72 first. The T-72 topped the ranking based on criteria including survivability and protection, range and ability to sustain combat without resupply, adaptability and potential for modernization, ease of production, versatility, as well as the combat vehicle's strategic impact and deterrent value.
The American M1 Abrams and the Israeli Merkava V tanks are the second and third in the ranking, respectively.
The T-72 tank entered service with the Soviet Army in the summer of 1973. The tank was developed by the Uralvagonzavod tank design bureau (now the Ural Transport Machine Building Design Bureau at the Rostec State Corporation’s Uralvagonzavod Group). T-72 tanks are in service with armies in almost 50 countries. Upgraded variants of the tank have been launched over the decades, including T-72A, T-72B, T-72BA, T-72B3, and the latest model, T-72B3M.