Russia To Modernize 150 T-72 MBT With Engines, Sight Systems And Shells For $37 Million

Russia is likely to spend $37 million to modernize its 150 T-72 main battle tanks (MBT) and make it comparable with the advanced T-90.

Russia plans to invest up to 17 million rubles on each tank to replace machine tools, engines, new sighting systems and protection against armor-piercing shells and cumulative.

According to, Izvestia, a Russian news daily, the decision on a large-scale upgrade of armored park was made on the basis of the annual sports and technical games, ‘Tank biathlon 2015’, the experimental T-72B3 bypassed its chinese analogue of Type 96A during the event.

The upgraded tanks will be equipped with 2A46M5 125-mm smoothbore canon and a new Sosna-U sighting system paired with 1A40-4 fire-control system. A new ballistic computer will be added to increase accuracy. An independent panoramic sight along with a thermal imaging device will make the tank work in all weather conditions, Izvestia reported earlier this month.

The tanks will get new Relikt explosive reactive armor and will replace old Kontakt-5 system. The tank engines will be replaced with B-92S2F capacity of 1130 hp.

Deputy General Director of "Uralvagonzavod" Alex Zharich told "Izvestia", that the contract has already been agreed with the Ministry of Defense and will be signed before the end of March.

The first batch of 32 upgraded vehicles should arrive in the troops already in 2016.