Why Ukraine’s Advanced T-84 Tank Is Missing from the Battlefield

Key Points and Summary: Ukraine’s T-84 Oplot main battle tank, an evolution of the Soviet T-80, has advanced armor, reactive protection, and powerful diesel engines. Despite its sophisticated features—like a 125 mm cannon, active protection systems, and thermal imaging—it’s seen minimal combat in the current war.

-Only around five operational Oplot tanks exist, making their battlefield impact negligible.

-High production costs, economic constraints from war, and Western military aid, including superior tanks like Abrams and Leopard, limit Ukraine’s need for T-84s.

-Ultimately, the T-84 remains advanced but overshadowed by Western-supplied armor, relegating it to a symbolic role rather than a frontline presence.

Ukraine’s T-84 Tanks: Advanced Tech, But Absent in Combat

The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank (MBT) that has garnered attention for its advanced capabilities and potential role in modern warfare. Developed by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB), the T-84 is an evolution of the Soviet-era T-80, specifically the diesel engine version known as the T-80UD. However, those following the current war have noticed that the T-84s impact has been small, nearly inconsequential and its battlefield presence nearly non-existent. Why is that, and what is the future of the T-84 line? 

The T-84 was first built in 1994 and entered service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999. It was designed to address the shortcomings of the T-80, particularly its gas-turbine engine, which was not fuel-efficient.

The Oplot features a high-performance opposed-piston diesel engine, making it a fast and reliable tank. The T-84 Oplot, an advanced version, incorporates an armored ammunition compartment in a new turret bustle, enhancing its survivability on the battlefield.

What the T-84 Brings to the Table

The T-84 weighs approximately 46 tons, while the advanced Oplot-M variant weighs around 51 tons. The tank is 23 feet 3 inches long, 12 feet 5 inches wide, and 7 feet 3 inches high. It has a crew of three, consisting of the commander, gunner, and driver.

The T-84 is powered by a KMDB 6TD-2 6-cylinder diesel engine, producing 1,200 horsepower. The Oplot-M variant can be equipped with either the 6TD-2E engine (1,200 hp) or the more powerful 6TD-4 engine (1,500 hp).

The power-to-weight ratio is approximately 26 horsepower per ton for the standard Oplot and up to 30 horsepower per ton for the Oplot-M with the 6TD-4 engine. The tank has a fuel capacity of 340 US gallons, providing an operational range of about 540 kilometers (340 miles). The T-84 can reach a maximum speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) on roads and 45 km/h (28 mph) off-road.

The Oplot features modular composite armor and explosive reactive armor (ERA) for enhanced protection against various threats. The tank features a Varta optronic countermeasures system for deceiving incoming missiles and anti-tank guided weapons.

The system integrates laser warning sensors, infra-red jammer, and smoke or aerosol screen laying system similar to Russia’s Shtora-1 system. The Oplot-M variant includes the Zaslin active protection system (APS) that can intercept incoming projectiles, although this has never been shown in action. 

Building Upon Their Soviet Predecessors

 The primary weapon is a 125 mm smoothbore KBA-3 cannon, capable of firing a range of ammunition types, including armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds, high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds, and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).

The tank carries 43 rounds of ammunition. The T-84 is equipped with a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun, providing additional firepower against infantry and low-flying aircraft.

The Oplot-M is fitted with advanced fire control systems, including a laser rangefinder, ballistic computer, and thermal imaging sights (regular T-84s lack thermal sights). These systems enable accurate target acquisition and engagement in various conditions, day or night. The Oplot’s torsion bar suspension and hydraulic dampers provide excellent cross-country mobility, allowing it to traverse rough terrain with ease.

The tank’s high power-to-weight ratio ensures rapid acceleration and maneuverability on the battlefield. The T-84 features an automatic loader, which reduces the crew size to three and increases the rate of fire. This system allows the tank to maintain a high rate of fire while minimizing crew fatigue.

Where are Ukraine’s T-84 Tanks?

Despite its upgrades, the Oplot does not seem to have seen much combat in this current war. Aside from propaganda videos, the T-84 has not seen much action anywhere in Ukraine. The only real combat footage of the tank is a video from Russian circles showing a Lancet kamikaze drone damaging a tank.

 So, where has the T-84 been this entire time? Why aren’t there any more on the front?

Several factors contribute to this limited deployment. The T-84 is produced in limited numbers, with only a small fleet of about five tanks available to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The high cost and complexity of manufacturing the Oplot’s have constrained its production, making it difficult to field large numbers of these tanks.

With cruise missiles striking throughout the country, Ukraine’s economy has been under significant strain due to the prolonged conflict. Allocating resources to produce and maintain a large fleet of T-84 tanks is financially burdensome, leading to a reliance on older, more readily available tanks like the T-64 and T-72.

Additionally, Ukraine has received substantial military aid from Western allies, including advanced main battle tanks such as the M1A1 Abrams, Leopard 2, and Challenger 2. These tanks have supplemented Ukraine’s armored capabilities, reducing the immediate need to produce and deploy more T-84s.

Ukraine T-84 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The T-84, while advanced, requires specialized training for its crews and maintenance personnel. These western tanks are significantly more advanced, better protected, and more readily available than the T-84. Naturally, it makes sense that Ukraine would opt for foreign tanks rather than try build up its T-84 fleet.

Curtain Call for the T-84?

The Oplot is often vaunted as a miraculous super tank that builds upon and far surpasses its Soviet predecessors and Russian contemporaries. In reality, it is more or less the same in terms of capabilities as a heavily modernized T-80 but with a faster reverse speed.

T-84 Ukrainian tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The upgraded Oplot-M variant, while still offering very lethal capabilities, exists in too small a number to make any sort of meaningful difference on the battlefield. In an alternate universe the T-84 and Oplot-M could have been the backbones of a highly modernized Ukrainian tank fleet.

Instead, the remaining tanks will likely spend the rest of their days in Western Ukraine away from the front lines.

About the Author: Isaac Seitz 

Isaac Seitz, a 19FortyFive Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.