Inside Shoigu's tour, revealing the strengths and strains of Russia’s tank production

Russian television reported Sergei Shoigu's visit to the Omsktransmash tank factory in Omsk. This facility produces T-80BVM tanks, but the recording also sheds light on the state of the Russian defense industry. Here's an exploration of the production of one of Russia's premier tanks.

A report from Sergei Shoigu's second visit to Russian defense industry factories was aired on Russian television. As of March 2024, he had visited a factory producing aerial bombs from the FAB family, and now, his tour included the Omsktransmash facilities that manufacture T-80BVM tanks.

Footage showcased rows of new T-80BVM tanks. However, significant attention was drawn to the half-dismantled, rusty hulls of tanks on the right side. Experts observed that these weren’t even T-80BW models, which previously served as a production base, but the older T-80B models.

T-80BVM tanks have been in production in Russia since 2017, emerging from the thorough modification of older models. Until recently, T-80BW tanks from 1985 served as the foundation, but after extensive deployment to the front in 2022, stocks apparently depleted and now include T-80B models dating back to 1978.

These groundbreaking vehicles utilized a gas turbine for propulsion, providing immediate maximum torque, unlike a diesel engine requiring revving. This feature earned the T-80 the nickname "flying tank" within the Russian military.

However, the available machines are often in much worse technical condition, needing substantial work to reach a serviceable standard. This is crucial, as Russia has yet to restart total tank production from the ground up, meaning the exhaustion of existing hulls from stockpiles could lead to the collapse of the Russian armored industry.

Refurbishing T-80BVM tanks includes replacing or upgrading components from worn-out ones to new ones, such as introducing an electric turret rotation system. The modernization notably enhances the fire control system by adding a thermal imaging sight. Other updates include adapting the autoload system to accommodate longer APFSDS projectiles and adding heavy dual-layer Relikt reactive armor for protection against tandem-charge cumulative projectiles.

Since 2023, the factory has also incorporated "caps" designed to offer protection from bomblets or PG-7VL grenades launched from drones such as “Baba Yaga” or similar, alongside jammers aimed at safeguarding against FPV-type drones. However, these measures are not failproof, as adversaries sometimes manage to modify the control signals of the drones, rendering them immune to these defenses.