T-80U tank with a gas turbine engine: type of fuel and specifications

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

It just so happens that almost all MBTs (main battle tanks) in the world have a diesel engine. There are only two exceptions: T-80U and Abrams. What considerations were guided by Soviet specialists when creating the famous "eighties", and what are the prospects for this car at the present time?

How did it all start?

For the first time, the domestic T-80U saw the light of day in 1976, and in 1980 the Americans made their Abrams. Until now, only Russia and the United States are armed with tanks with a gas turbine power plant. Ukraine is not taken into account, because only the T-80UD, the diesel version of the famous "eighties", is in service there.

And it all started in 1932, when a design bureau was organized in the USSR, which belonged to the Kirov Plant. It was in its bowels that the idea of creating a fundamentally new tank equipped with a gas turbine power plant was born. It was this decision that determined what type of fuel for the T-80U tank would be used in the future: conventional diesel or kerosene.

The famous designer Zh. Ya. Kotin, who worked on the layout of formidable ISs, at one time thought about creating even more powerful and better armed vehicles. Why did he turn his attention togas turbine engine? The fact is that he planned to create a tank weighing in the range of 55-60 tons, for the normal mobility of which a motor with a capacity of at least 1000 hp was required. With. In those years, such diesel engines could only be dreamed of. That is why the idea of introducing aviation and shipbuilding technologies (that is, gas turbine engines) into tank building appeared.

Already in 1955, work began, two promising samples were created. But then it turned out that the engineers of the Kirov plant, who had previously created only engines for ships, did not fully understand the technological task. The work was curtailed, and then completely stopped, since N. S. Khrushchev completely "ruined" all the development of heavy tanks. So at that time, the T-80U tank, whose engine is unique in its own way, was not destined to appear.

However, indiscriminately accusing Nikita Sergeevich in this case is not worth it: in parallel with him, promising diesel engines were demonstrated, against which the frankly raw gas turbine engine looked very unpromising. But what can I say, if this engine managed to “register” on serial tanks only by the 80s of the last century, and even today many military men have not the most rosy attitude towards such power plants. It should be noted that there are quite objective reasons for this.

Continuation of work

Everything changed after the creation of the world's first MBT, which was the T-64. Soon, the designers realized that an even more advanced tank could be made on its basis … But the difficulty lay in the strict requirements put forward by the country's leadership: it mustbe maximally unified with existing machines, not exceed their dimensions, but at the same time be able to be used as a means for a “rush to the English Channel”.

And then everyone again remembered the gas turbine engine, since the native power plant of the T-64 did not meet the requirements of the time even then. It was then that Ustinov decided to create the T-80U. The main fuel and engine of the new tank were supposed to contribute to its maximum high speed characteristics.

Difficulties encountered

The huge problem was that the new power plant with air purifiers had to somehow fit into the standard T-64A MTO. Moreover, the commission demanded a block system: in other words, it was necessary to make the engine so that during a major overhaul it would be possible to remove it entirely and replace it with a new one. Without spending, of course, a lot of time on it. And if everything was relatively simple with a relatively compact gas turbine engine, then the air cleaning system gave the engineers a lot of headaches.

But this system is extremely important even for a diesel tank, not to mention its gas turbine counterpart on the T-80U. Whatever fuel is used, the turbine blades will instantly stick to slag and fall apart if the air entering the combustion chamber is not properly cleaned of impurities.

It should be remembered that all engine designers strive to ensure that the air entering the cylinders or the working chamber of the turbine is 100% free of dust. And it is not difficult to understand them, since the dust literally devours the insides of the motor. Byin fact, it acts like fine sandpaper.

Prototypes

In 1963, the notorious Morozov created a prototype T-64T, on which a gas turbine engine with a very modest power of 700 hp was installed. With. Already in 1964, designers from Tagil, who worked under the direction of L. N. Kartsev, created a much more promising engine that could already produce 800 “horses”.

But the designers, both in Kharkov and Nizhny Tagil, faced a whole range of complex technical problems, due to which the first domestic tanks with gas turbine engines could appear only in the 80s. In the end, only the T-80U received a really good engine. The type of fuel used to power it also set this engine apart from earlier prototypes, as the tank could use all types of conventional diesel fuel.

It was not by chance that we described the dust aspects above, since it was the problem of high-quality air purification that became the most difficult. The engineers had a lot of experience in developing turbines for helicopters … but the engines of the helicopters worked in a constant mode, and the issue of dust pollution of the air at the height of their work did not arise at all. In general, the work was continued (oddly enough) only at the suggestion of Khrushchev, who was raving about rocket tanks.

The most "viable" was the project "Dragon". For him, an increased power engine was vital.

Experimental objects

In general, there was nothing surprising in this, since for such machines an increasedmobility, compactness and lowered silhouette. In 1966, the designers decided to go the other way and presented to the public an experimental project, the heart of which was two GTD-350s at once, giving out, as you can easily understand, 700 hp. With. The power plant was created in NPO them. V. Ya. Klimov, where by that time there were enough experienced specialists involved in the development of turbines for aircraft and ships. It was they who, by and large, created the T-80U, the engine of which was a truly unique development for its time.

But it soon became clear that even one gas turbine engine is a complicated and rather capricious thing, and even their twins have absolutely no advantages over the usual monoblock circuit at all. And therefore, by 1968, an official decree was issued by the government and the USSR Ministry of Defense on the resumption of work on a single version. By the mid-70s, a tank was ready, which later became known to the whole world under the designation T-80U.

Key Features

The layout (as in the case of the T-64 and T-72) is classic, with a rear MTO, the crew is three people. Unlike previous models, here the driver was given three triplexes at once, which significantly improved visibility. Even such an incredible luxury for domestic tanks as heating the workplace was provided here.

Fortunately, there was plenty of heat from the red-hot turbine. So the T-80U with a gas turbine engine is quite justifiably a favorite of tankers, since the working conditions of the crew in it are farmore comfortable when compared to the T-64/72.

The body is made by welding, the tower is cast, the angle of the sheets is 68 degrees. As in the T-64, combined armor was used here, made up of armor steel and ceramics. Thanks to rational tilt angles and thickness, the T-80U tank provides increased chances of crew survival in the most difficult combat conditions.

There is also a developed system for protecting the crew from weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear ones. The layout of the combat compartment is almost completely similar to that of the T-64B.

Machine room specifications

Designers still had to place the gas turbine engine in the MTO longitudinally, which automatically resulted in a slight increase in the dimensions of the machine compared to the T-64. The gas turbine engine was made in the form of a monoblock weighing 1050 kg. Its feature was the presence of a special gearbox that allows you to remove the maximum possible from the motor, as well as two gearboxes at once.

Four tanks in the MTO were used for power at once, the total volume of which is 1140 liters. It should be noted that the T-80U with a gas turbine engine, the fuel for which is stored in such volumes, is a rather "gluttonous" tank, which consumes 1.5-2 times more fuel than the T-72. And therefore the sizes of the tanks are appropriate.

GTE-1000T was created using a three-shaft scheme, has one turbine and two independent compressor units. The pride of engineers is an adjustable nozzle assembly, which allows you to smoothly control the speed of the turbine and significantly increases its operational life of the T-80U. What fuel is recommended to use in this case to extend the durability of the power unit? The developers themselves say that high-quality aviation kerosene is the most optimal for this purpose.

Since there is simply no power connection between the compressors and the turbine, the tank can confidently move on soils even with very poor bearing capacity, and the engine will not stall even when the vehicle stops abruptly. And what does the T-80U "eat"? The fuel for his engine may be different…

Turbine plant

The main advantage of the domestic gas turbine engine is its fuel omnivorousness. It can run on aviation fuel, any type of diesel fuel, low-octane gasoline designed for cars. But! T-80U, the fuel for which should only have a tolerable fluidity, is still very sensitive to "unlicensed" fuel. Refueling with non-recommended fuels is possible only in combat conditions, as it entails a significant reduction in the life of the engine and turbine blades.

The motor is started by spinning up the compressors, for which two autonomous electric motors are responsible. The acoustic visibility of the T-80U tank is significantly lower than its diesel counterparts, both due to the characteristics of the turbine itself and due to a specially located exhaust system. In addition, the vehicle is unique in that both hydraulic brakes and the engine itself are used during braking, due to which a heavy tank stops almost instantly.

Like thiscarried out? The fact is that when you press the brake pedal once, the turbine blades begin to rotate in the opposite direction. This process gives a huge load on the material of the blades and the entire turbine, and therefore it is controlled by electronics. Because of this, if you need to brake hard, you should immediately fully depress the gas pedal. At the same time, hydraulic brakes are immediately activated.

As for the other qualities of the tank, it has a relatively small fuel "appetite". The designers did not manage to achieve this immediately. To reduce the amount of fuel consumed, engineers had to create an automatic turbine speed control system (SAUR). It includes temperature sensors and regulators, as well as switches that are physically connected to the fuel supply system.

Thanks to the ACS, the wear of the blades was reduced by at least 10%, and with proper work of the brake pedal and gear shifting, the driver can reduce fuel consumption by 5-7%. By the way, what is the main type of fuel for this tank? Under ideal conditions, the T-80U should be fueled with aviation kerosene, but high-quality diesel fuel will also do.

Air purification systems

A cyclone air purifier was used to remove 97% of dust and other foreign matter from the intake air. By the way, for Abrams (due to normal two-stage cleaning), this figure is close to 100%. It is for this reason that fuel for the T-80U tank is a sore subject, since it is consumedsignificantly more when compared to the tank with its American competitor.

The remaining 3% of dust settles on the turbine blades in the form of caked slag. To remove it, the designers provided an automatic vibration cleaning program. It should be noted that special equipment for underwater driving can be connected to the air intakes. It allows you to cross rivers up to five meters deep.

Transmission of the tank is standard - mechanical, planetary type. Includes two boxes, two gearboxes, two hydraulic drives. There are four speeds forward and one reverse. The track rollers are rubberized. The tracks also have an internal rubber track. Because of this, the T-80U tank has a very expensive chassis.

Tension is carried out by worm-type mechanisms. The suspension is combined, it includes both torsion bars and hydraulic shock absorbers on three rollers.

Weapon characteristics

The main weapon is a 2A46M-1 cannon with a caliber of 125 mm. Exactly the same guns were installed on the T-64/72 tanks, as well as on the notorious Sprut self-propelled anti-tank gun.

Armament (as on the T-64) was fully stabilized in two planes. Experienced tankers say that the range of a direct shot at a visually observed target can reach 2100 m. Standard ammunition: high-explosive fragmentation, sub-caliber and cumulative shells. And the automatic loader can simultaneously hold up to 28 shots, and several more can be located in the fighting compartment.

Auxiliarythe armament was a 12.7 mm Utes machine gun, but the Ukrainians have long been putting any similar weapons, focusing on the requirements of the customer. A huge disadvantage of the machine gun mount is the fact that only the tank commander can shoot from it, and for this he in any case has to leave the armored space of the vehicle. Since the initial ballistics of the 12.7 mm bullet is very similar to that of the projectile, the most important purpose of the machine gun is also to zero the gun without spending the main ammunition.

Ammo rack

Mechanized ammo rack was placed by designers around the entire perimeter of the habitable volume of the tank. Since a large part of the entire MTO of the T-80 tank is occupied by fuel tanks, the designers, in order to preserve the volume, were forced to place only the shells themselves horizontally, while the propellant charges stand vertically in the drum. This is a very noticeable difference between the "eighties" and the T-64/72 tanks, in which shells with expelling charges are located horizontally, at the level of the rollers.

The principle of operation of the main gun and loader

When an appropriate command is received, the drum starts to rotate, simultaneously bringing the selected type of projectile to the loading plane. After that, the mechanism is stopped, the projectile and expelling charge are sent into the gun with the help of a rammer fixed at one point. After the shot, the cartridge case is automatically captured by a special mechanism and placed in the empty cell of the drum.

"Carousel" loading provides a rate of fire of not less than six to eight rounds per minute. If the machineloading fails, you can load the gun manually, but the tankers themselves consider such a development of events unrealistic (too difficult, dreary and long). The tank uses a model TPD-2-49 sight, which is stabilized in the vertical plane regardless of the gun, allowing you to determine the distance and aim at the target at ranges of 1000-4000 m.

Some modifications

In 1978, the T-80U tank with a gas turbine engine was somewhat modernized. The main innovation was the appearance of the 9K112-1 "Cobra" missile system, which was fired with 9M112 missiles. The missile could hit an armored target at a distance of up to 4 kilometers, and the probability of this was from 0.8 to 1, depending on the characteristics of the terrain and the speed of the target.

Since the rocket completely repeats the dimensions of a standard 125-millimeter projectile, it can be located in any tray of the loading mechanism. This ammunition is “sharpened” exclusively against armored vehicles, the warhead is only cumulative. Like a conventional shot, structurally, the rocket consists of two parts, the combination of which occurs during the standard operation of the loading mechanism. It is aimed in semi-automatic mode: the gunner must firmly hold the capture frame on the attacked target for the first few seconds.

Guidance or optical, or directional radio signal. To maximize the probability of hitting the target, the gunner can choose one of three missile flight modes, focusing on the combat situation and the surrounding area. Howpractice has shown that this is useful when attacking armored vehicles protected by active countermeasure systems.