Russians convert a tank into an ersatz APC

27 August, 2024 Russian T-72 tank with a massive protective superstructure in the form of a "barn", 2024 The Russian military converted a T-80 tank into an armored personnel carrier for assault operations in the field. A video of the armor was posted by the russia no context Telegram channel.

Due to the significant losses of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, as well as the powerful firepower of Ukrainian units on the battlefield, the Russians converted one of their tanks into an infantry vehicle. For this purpose, the invaders used one of their T-80BV tanks, which probably suffered significant damage and were incapacitated even before the "modernization." Using a field repair unit, the Russians dismantled the turret and the combat compartment from the chassis and adapted the vacated space for infantry.

The tank received a massive superstructure in the form of a "shed" to protect it from drones with grilles and a second layer of metal. Sandbags are scattered on the floor of the "squad compartment," which, according to the military, should protect infantry in the event of a mine explosion. However, even with this protection, Russian armored vehicles remain vulnerable to drones, artillery, and anti-tank weapons, which are actively used against them in numerous frontal assaults. In particular, the 46th Airmobile Brigade near Mariinka destroyed a group of such vehicles that were trying to break through the paratroopers' defense.

Ukrainian analog

Militarnyi previously reported that the Ukrainian military has also resorted to similar modernization of damaged tanks. A year ago, technicians re-equipped a damaged T-64BV tank for similar tasks. Compared to the Russian engineering product, the Ukrainian vehicle was of higher quality.

It received steel screens to cover infantry during landing and additional reactive armor. In addition, the remote weapon system with an NSVT 12.7mm machine gun was retained. The converted T-64 took part in the defense of Bakhmut, where it was used as an armored evacuation vehicle to extract damaged equipment and personnel.

Meanwhile, Russian engineers have updated the modernization kit for the T-72B3 main battle tanks, adding several innovations.