Hey just a quick question, as the T-80 was the succesor the to the russian "Elite" tank T-64, while the T-90 is the successort to their "mass production" line of T-55/62/72, shouldnt the T-80 be the more superior one?
How exactly do those two differ?
Though you are correct in that the T-90 is essentially an upgraded T-72B, where you are wrong is to which tank is more superior.
To note, you are rather unspecific to which particular model of the T-80. I believe that to a certain extent, the latest models of the T-80U ( i.e T-80UM, T-80UD and T-80Us with Shtora) can more or less offer the same kind of performance, albeit being equipped with a hungry gas-turbine engine, except the T-80UD. Whereas, the T-90 is equipped with a diesel engine just like the T-80UD. The main guns are the same, and so are the munitions. ( though some have been reported to say that the T-90 is still stuck with the older T-72 autoloader, which is less reliable, slower and cannot load the more modern BM-42M long-rod penetrators. Experts, please clarify on this) It goes without saying that older T-80B models are inferior.
First thing is first;
The T-90 is basically an upgraded T-72B that incorporates features from the T-80U, namely being the 1G46 Main gun sight, Kontakt-5 ERA and some other features that I cannot recall for the time being. Simply put, the T-90 should be superior to some degree in comparison to both the T-72 and T-80 tanks altogether. However, I am not a certified armor expert, and my knowledge regarding Soviet tanks have become somewhat rusted. So, if I am wrong, please corret me.
