Summary and Key Points: The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank developed from the Soviet T-80UD, introduced in the late 1990s. With a crew of three, it features advanced composite armor, a 125 mm smoothbore gun, and the "Nozh" reactive armor system for enhanced protection.

-Despite its good maneuverability and combat effectiveness, Ukraine cannot mass-produce the T-84, especially after losing key steel foundries.

-Western tanks like the Leopard-2 and Abrams have been supplied instead, but Ukraine's familiarity and preference for the T-84 highlight its potential utility, which remains limited due to production constraints.

Ukraine’s T-84 is a Great Main Battle Tank. But There Aren’t Enough of Them

The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank developed from the old Soviet T-80UD. It was first introduced in the late 1990s. The T-80UD was itself a heavily upgraded version of the Soviet T-80 tank. 

The T-84 In Detail

The T-84’s low-profile turret and composite armor both improve protection for the tank against conventional threats. The T-84 also features an improved fire control system, allowing the gunner or commander to lay and fire the main armament while the tank moves in combat. 

The T-84 has a crew complement of three – a commander, gunner, and driver. This beast has a length of 9.7 meters (including the forward-facing gun), a width of 3.4 meters without removable side skirts, and a height of 2.8 meters. It has a combat weight of 46 tons and can reach a maximum speed of 43 miles per hour on the road and nearly 28 miles per hour off-road.

This tank is known for its good maneuverability and agility. T-84s have a power-to-weight ratio of 25 horsepower per ton. They can cross trenches up to 2.8 meters wide and vertical obstacles up to 0.8 meters high. 

Despite being older and not in mass production, Ukraine’s T-84 is an impressive tank. It is a steady favorite among Ukraine’s embattled military, even though Kyiv has been given access to a wide range of Western armor platforms. 

A T-84 has a maximum range of 310 miles when driving on roads and 236 miles when off-roading. The tank is equipped with a diesel-electric auxiliary power unit to supply power to onboard systems when the main engine is turned off.

The T-84 has a 125 mm smoothbore gun as its main armament that is capable of firing various types of ammunition, including armor-piercing, fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), and high-explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG) rounds. It also has a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun.

The T-84’s composite armor provides enhanced protection against conventional threats. Moreover, the T-84 has a “Nozh” reactive armor system, which gives additional protection against anti-tank guided missiles. 

T-84s have fought in various conflicts, especially the conflict for control over the Donbas region of Ukraine.  

The Context Matters

Unfortunately for Ukraine, it cannot mass-produce these tanks. This was true before Russia invaded in February 2022, and it has become even truer since the war erupted, especially after the loss of Ukraine’s steel foundries in Kharkiv. 

Oddly, NATO has not used its industrial bases to mass-produce the cheap, older T-84 for Ukraine. Instead, it forced systems like the German-built Leopard-2 or American Abrams on a desperate Kyiv.

Sadly, the Ukrainians have been unable to utilize these NATO-provided MBTs in any meaningful way. 

Ukraine’s T-84 is an old but highly reliable system. What’s more, it’s a system that Ukrainian tankers are intimately familiar with. The problem for Ukraine’s forces is that there simply aren’t enough of them to be of help. Ukraine’s industrial base has either been destroyed or captured by the Russians. Too bad. Because the T-84 might have helped Ukraine far more than Western tanks. 

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock. 

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