In this regard, the BVP-2 infantry fighting vehicles (Czech-built BMP-2s) armed with 30-millimeter autocannons on the train are useful too. Though the predominance and lethality of artillery supported by drone spotters has prematurely led some observers to proclaim the tank obsolete, Ukrainian forces skillfully used tanks in September and October to reclaim lost territory. Presently, Kyiv needs more armored vehicles to recapture territory seized by Russia, particularly in the open terrain around Kherson and Zaporizhzhya, as well as increasingly exposed Russian positions in northeastern Ukraine. In that case, hopefully the M4’s upgraded capabilities would make up for added logistical headaches. However, the sui generis Czech T-72M4s would be trickier to integrate because of their broadly different Western systems-in this regard, comparable only to the T-72-based PT-91 Twardy tanks Poland has also begun donating to Ukraine. That means Ukraine’s military can integrate T-72s much more easily into its training, maintenance and logistics systems than Leopard 1s it has never used before. Berlin views direct export of Leopard 1 and 2 tanks to Ukraine as too provocative, and thus arranges ring swaps in which East European NATO allies give away their old Soviet tanks, which are then replaced by Germany.Īn upside to this arrangement is that since 2014 Ukraine has brought hundreds of T-72s into service, an inventory which has expanded with the documented capture of nearly 300 Russian T-72s between February and October 2022, and over 200 T-72M1s received from Poland. Were these M4s to be donated, it would indicate Prague is willing to further hollow out its tank inventory as part of a ringtausche (“ring swap”) for additional Leopard 2s. Reportedly a lack of spare parts for the TURMS-T fire control system is the chief culprit. This has forced the 73 rd to train using its 20 more primitive T-72M1s, while the Army seeks to procure more parts. That means the at least seven M4CZs seen in Poland may be the only ones in operational condition. Unfortunately, the gold-plated T-72s have mostly fallen into disrepair, with reportedly only one-third operationally available by late 2021 while others await refurbishing. This is used to move damaged vehicle for. A VT-72M4 armored recovery vehicle with crane extended.
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