Ukraine’s Allies Providing Tanks: Czech Firm CSG Defense Upgrades Soviet T-72Ms

Ukraine’s allies have found one of perhaps the easiest ways to provide tanks to Kiev’s military: paying Czech firm CSG Defense to take old Soviet T-72Ms, replace some of their engines and electronics, add jet armor and – after renaming the machines T-72EA, to send them back to the battlefield in the country, noted the American magazine Forbes.

Last month, Denmark pledged to provide Ukraine with at least 15 T-72EAs as part of an aid package that also includes BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, engineering vehicles, drones and ammunition. As a result of this commitment, Kiev’s promised T-72EA fleet will reach 105 machines. Earlier this year, the United States and the Netherlands invested in the purchase of 90 of these modernized tanks, the editorial office recalls.

The 47-ton three-seater T-72EA is not the best tank in Ukraine’s arsenal, but it is far from the worst out there. In addition, it has an important advantage: it is available at a time when Ukraine is experiencing an acute shortage of tanks – both to compensate for combat losses and to equip new mechanized brigades that are ready for combat.

Across Europe, hundreds of old T-72Ms are stored in warehouses in former Warsaw Pact countries. Each of these is a potential candidate to upgrade to EA standard.

The T-72EA “solves a number of key issues with the original T-72, particularly in the areas of firepower, mobility and protection,” CSG Defense explained.

During the upgrade, the old 780-horsepower diesel engine was replaced with an 840-horsepower one, a new radio and a modern thermal imaging device were installed, and dynamic protection layers were added.

Of course, even with the letter EA, it is still a T-72 with its fundamental flaws. First, the ammunition is located under the turret. It is enough to be hit by an armor-piercing projectile, and the secondary explosion will tear off the turret and kill the entire crew. However, given the limitations of the T-72’s basic design, its EA variant is one of the best. The Russian T-72B3 and Polish PT-91 have better optics and fire control systems, though probably not by much. It is not for nothing that the Ukrainians have so far lost only a few T-72EAs from the 90s, which arrived before the new batch promised by Denmark.

For Ukraine, the T-72 and its variants from the Czech Republic and Poland help offset losses in the meager batch of 71 Leopard 2s received from NATO allies. The Ukrainians have already lost at least 11 of them and expect to receive 14 more next year. Ukraine’s arsenal of modern Western-style tanks is complemented by 14 British Challenger 2s and 21 American M-1 Abrams. Even if the 200 lightly protected Leopard 1s that Ukraine will receive are added to these, the total fleet of Western tanks will eventually amount to 350 units, which is exactly how many tanks Kiev’s military loses annually.

“While the US may eventually offer more M-1s, there is no indication that Germany or any other country will be willing to share its Leopards.” If the conflict continues into 2025, Kiev will likely have to buy tanks from somewhere else. And that “somewhere else” could be the Czech Republic,” the publication concludes.

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2023-10-31 11:06:00
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