“The task stands”
Russia probably wants to produce T-80 tanks again
September 11, 2023, 1:38 a.m
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Russia is said to have lost more than 2,000 tanks since the attack on Ukraine began. In order to ensure supplies, the T-80 should now roll off the assembly line again. At least that’s what the head of a defense company says.
According to media reports, Russia is considering resuming production of the T-80 tank model. “The task stands, at least the military gave it to us,” said the head of the Uralvagonzavod arms company, Alexander Potapov, in an interview with the army radio station “Zvezda”which aired on Sunday.
The station’s report said that the T-80 had particularly proven itself during the “special military operation”, as the war of aggression against Ukraine is called in Russia.
The T-80 was built in the Soviet Union from 1976, although in significantly smaller numbers than the T-72, which had already been developed before it but was still produced in parallel. A total of around 10,000 T-80s are said to have rolled off the assembly line before series production was largely discontinued in favor of the T-90 in the mid-1990s.
There are no details about the possible restart of production. According to Potapov, there are discussions with the Ministry of Industry about setting up new production facilities. In contrast to other sectors of the economy that are lying idle because of Western sanctions, the Russian defense industry is booming.
Russia has suffered heavy losses during its invasion of Ukraine, which has now lasted more than 18 months. According to the investigative group Oryx, the Russian army lost more than 2,000 tanks. Especially at the beginning of the attack on Ukraine, images and videos of tractors towing broken down Russian tanks became world famous. However, Ukraine also uses T-80 tanks.