T-80 Standard Tank Book Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | February 2009 | Title | T-80 Standard Tank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Steven J. Zaloga | Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
| Published | 2009 | ISBN | 978-1-84603-244-8 |
| Format | 48 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $17.95 |
Review
Noted armor expert and author Steven Zaloga has published this new monograph on the Soviet's last main battle tank - the T-80. There has been a number of publications that have attempted to accurately describe the features and geneology of this formidable tank, but with mixed results. The author has taken on the challenge and pulled together a concise history and lineage of the T-80 series in Soviet and post-Soviet development.
One of the most notable features of the T-80 was its use of the gas turbine engine, following the developments of the M1 Abrams. The turbine powered T-80 delivered impressive performance, but it wasn't long before production turned back to the diesel engine.
The author describes the heritage of the design from the T-64 tank, retaining its tube-fired guided missile concept, and building on advances in electronics, defensive systems, and weapons. This development evolved through the early hybrid T-80, the production T-80B, the reactive armored T-80BV, the T-80U, T-84, and the prototype Black Eagle.
The coverage of this title consists of:
- Origins
- The T-80B
- Super-Tough, the T-80U
- T-80 at the Crossroads: The Soviet Collapse
- Active Protection
- Ukrainian T-84
- T-80 Follow-on Tanks
This book is a must-have for the historian and armor modeler to clearly understand the development and details of these various contemporary Soviet, Russian, and Ukrainian battle tanks.
This title is recommended!
My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!