Russia wants to resume production of T-80 tanks

Russia may begin producing T-80 tanks again, said Alexander Potapov, general director of the Uralvagonzavod concern (Rostec). In recent years, existing weapons have been modernized and repaired; now, according to him, they plan to manufacture the vehicles from scratch.

Potapov on the air of “Military Acceptance” on the Zvezda TV channel explained such plans ensure the effectiveness of using the T-80 during a military special operation.

“This is the task, at least the military has set it for us. And we are now actively interacting, working, and exploring these issues with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, because this requires, accordingly, new capacities,” he said.

In August, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov, during which he instructed to increase the production of the latest weapons. In the same month, the Ministry of Defense at the Army 2023 forum signed and awarded government contracts to defense industry enterprises worth more than 400 billion rubles.

In the spring, Vedomosti, citing a source close to the Ministry of Defense wrotethat in 2023 in Russia it is planned to produce several hundred new tanks of the T-90M and T-14 types, and tanks of the T-72 and T-80 types taken from military equipment storage bases are being modernized. In addition, a number of older T-62 tanks will be modernized.