Russia’s T-80 Tanks are Getting ‘Blown to Pieces’ in Ukraine

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Key Points: The Russian T-80 tank faces significant challenges in Ukraine, proving vulnerable to drones, anti-tank missiles, and outdated battlefield tactics.

-Despite numerous upgrades since its introduction in 1976, including improved armor, advanced fire control systems, and modern weaponry, the T-80 struggles in modern combat.

-Russian tactics, such as lacking effective infantry support and surprise in mechanized warfare, exacerbate these issues.

-Inexperienced crews further hinder the tank’s effectiveness.

-While the T-80 offers decent speed and range, it is not equipped to handle evolving threats or Ukraine’s advanced anti-tank measures. Unless Russia adapts, T-80 losses will continue to mount.

Russian T-80 Tanks Struggling in Ukraine:

You would think a Russian T-80 tank would get the best of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

After all, the Bradley is lightly armored and not considered a “light tank.” It is armed with a 25mm Bushmaster cannon, not precisely a huge gun that could send a high-explosive anti-tank or sabot round to take out Russian armor.

But the Bradley is performing well against the T-80 using its TOW missiles on board to give Vladimir Putin’s forces a nightmare.

So, what is so wrong with this tank? As it turns out, quite a bit.

What’s the Problem?

Earlier this year, Ukraine’s elite 47th Mechanized Brigade utilized a Bradley to destroy a Russian T-80 with a TOW missile, showing that once again, Russian armor, specifically the T-80 tank, is not up to the challenge in Ukraine.

Hundreds of these have been eliminated—either destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The cause is a combination of armor weakness, operator error, substandard tactics and techniques, and the T-80s’ simply outdated design for the modern battlefield.

Drones and Anti-tank Missiles Gouge the T-80

The use of drones has limited all tanks’ efficacy in Ukraine. There are no surprise armored attacks these days. Both sides receive alerts from unmanned systems that tanks are on the move. That’s when the anti-tank missiles begin flying, and kamikaze drones attack the turrets where armor is weak.

The Russian army has devised laughingly strange after-market modifications to the tanks’ armor to ward off Ukrainian loitering drones and anti-tank munitions, but these have still been ineffective.

Let’s look at this tank to see if there is any hope that the Russians can turn things around and establish armored attacks to reclaim territory in the Donbas region.

T-80 Problems in Chechnya that Foreshadow Difficulties in Ukraine

This tank is an outgrowth of the T-64. Made at the Kirov Plant, the Russians in their usual over-confidence, thought that this was the tank that would dominate the battlefield during the Cold War. It was the first Soviet tank with a gas turbine engine. Initial production was in 1976. 

T-80 variants were used in battle during the First Chechen War, and the results were disappointing. The T-80 was not designed for urban warfare. Since the Russians were trying to root out Chechen insurgents who were hiding in basements and on rooftops in Grozny, anti-tank missiles and RPGs confounded the T-80.

The T-80 variants had no reactive armor or counter-fire sensors to warn the crews about incoming projectiles.

Many Upgrades and Variants Should Have Solved These Maladies

However, Russia did not give up on the T-80 base model. Designers and engineers at the Kirov Plant went to work to incorporate lessons learned from the Chechen wars to improve the T-80. There are at least 12 variants with numerous upgrades. T-80 improvements included new fire control systems and K ceramic composite armor.

Other tanks had the Kobra radio-guided anti-tank weapon system or the Shtora-1 countermeasures apparatus. Later variants sported a new 125mm gun with autoloader and a Drozd-1 defensive aids suite.

Weapons Should Have Made the T-80 Stronger

Most of these tanks now have the 125 mm above 2A46 smoothbore gun with autoloader. There is a co-axial machine gun and an anti-aircraft machine gun. The latest T-80s are equipped with the Kobra anti-tank guided missile.

Not Bad on Speed and Range

The T-80’s modern gas turbine engine allows it to reach speeds of more than 40 miles per hour on roads. With extra fuel drums, the range is 273 miles.

Principles of Mechanized Warfare: Russia Gets an ‘F’ Grade

Why are these tanks fat targets for Ukrainian troops?

One challenge is inexperienced crew members. Russia has lost thousands of trained crewmen due to the multitude of tanks of all models being destroyed. Putin and his generals are forced to send green soldiers into combat.

These tanks are also simply victims of evolving weapons and techniques of modern warfare, which have some wondering if the tank is obsolete. That may be true, but the real problem is that Russia is failing on principles of mechanized warfare such as speed, security, surprise, and initiative.

Russia gets a passing grade for mass, meaning it knows how to increase the number of tanks and armored personnel carriers to overwhelm defenders. It excels at these Soviet-era tactics.

However, their armored attacks do not achieve speed and security. Russian dismounted fighters—inexperienced—have not created a level of protection during combined arms attacks. The infantry should be able to clear out enemy soldiers equipped with anti-tank missiles and keep the level of incoming projectiles targeting tanks down. This is not happening. Drones have eliminated the surprise element from Russian attacks.

This is a recipe for disaster. These tanks have weaknesses, and Russia is failing to maintain and execute the principles of mechanized warfare. Until this is fixed, the Russians will continue to lose T-80 tanks and have difficulty acquiring and holding new territory.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues.