Ukrainian forces bolster the Kursk front with Polish PT‑91 Twardy tanks
Ukrainians continue operations in the Kursk region, which lies within Russia, rotating additional battalions. Some of these are equipped with PT-91 Twardy tanks, whose designers never imagined they would participate in a new Battle of Kursk. Here’s what the Polish machines can do.
The Ukrainians are trying to strengthen their presence in the Kursk region in case of a Russian counterattack and push forward. Among the more interesting equipment cases after the German Marders are the Polish PT-91 Twardy tanks.
PT-91 Twardy tanks — the pinnacle of T-72M1 evolution in Polish
The PT-91 Twardy tank was developed in the 1990s as part of a modernisation programme for the T-72M1 tank, which aimed to surpass the Russian modernisation of the T-72B tanks. It is worth noting that these tanks featured better base armour compared to export versions.
The main point of Polish modernisation was the development of reactive armour, which would cover the tank's base armour as tightly as possible and is characterised by very high effectiveness and low weight. This work resulted from the ERAWA armour, which evolved into the ERAWA-2.
It provides 95% protection against the most common single-warhead cumulative shells widely used on FPV drones, for example. Interestingly, unlike the Soviet Kontakt-1, the Polish shield also provides partial protection against double-warhead cumulative shells or kinetic penetrators. Furthermore, the Polish blocks are tiny (15 cm), making it possible to cover the tank tightly and lighter than competing solutions.
Other PT-91 Twardy tank changes included using a stronger S-12U engine with 850 horsepower, a better DRAWA fire control system with a thermal imaging sight, and the Obra self-defence system that warns the crew of laser beam illumination. The latter also automatically activates smoke grenades, making it difficult for an operator like Kornet to hit the tank.
The only remaining relatively unchanged were the 125 mm calibre cannon and the very dangerous autoloader for the crew. However, the reinforced armour meant that the PT-91 Twardy tanks could survive several hits from anti-tank guided missiles, enabling the crew to evacuate safely.
