MOSCOW. Nov 7 (Interfax) - The 35th Combined Arms Army (headquartered in Belogorosk, Amur region) is being re-armed with an upgraded T-80 main battle tank, the T-80BVM, its commander Maj. Gen. Sergei Chebotaryov said.
"One of the main arrivals of military hardware in the current year is the modern, modernized tank from the T-80 family. The tank fully meets the requirements of highly maneuverable battle and the harsh Far Eastern climate. One combined arms formation, based in the Amur region, has already been re-armed with the new machine, and we tested them during tactical exercises," Chebotaryov said in an interview with the Russian Defense Ministry newspaper "Krasnaya Zvezda".
A formation in the Jewish Autonomous Region will commission the upgraded hardware on December 1, the commander said.
The army also has received Borisoglebsk-2 electronic warfare weapon systems, Chebotaryov said.
"This is a promising area of development. The system's stations can be used altogether and separately. It can be used both for radio reconnaissance and to counter UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], means of communication, radio-controlled roadside bombs," Chebotaryov said.
The T-80BVM is fitted with a multichannel gunner's sight, a 125mm turret, an improved gas turbine with a capacity of up to 1,250 horsepower, a gun stabilizer, and a tank operator's optical device. For protection from enemy fire, the tank has anti-cumulative lattice screens and an advanced modular dynamic protection system. Propulsion unit has been improved. The T-80BVM is adapted for operation in low temperatures.