T-72M2 Moderna: Slovak Surprise

T-72s are a familiar face in War Thunder. However, the T-72M2 Moderna is a stark contrast to the rest of the series with a playstyle not found in any other vehicle in the game. With a suite of improved optics, an exclusive domestic APFSDS round, and a 30 mm autocannon to top it all off, the Moderna is a truly one-of-a-kind tank with an equally one-of-a-kind history behind it.

The T-72 Moderna was an event vehicle featured in the 2022 “Battle for Arachis” event as the ground vehicle reward. This vehicle is now only available on the Gaijin marketplace — where it costs a pretty penny. Before going over its unique and exhilarating gameplay, I explore its limited history, afterwards going into its playstyle. Enjoy!

History

First generation prototype: T-72M2E

The Slovak T-72M2 project predated the country of Slovakia itself, originating around 1990. The project began when several French firms brought T-72M1 tank modernization proposals to the Czechoslovakian government. The proposals focused on reusing the old license-built T-72M1 chassis as well as increasing the survivability and crew safety. After the dissolution of the Czechoslovak government in 1993, the Slovakians continued the project on their own with the designation T-72M2E (pictured above).

In 1993, the ZTS plant at Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia began cooperation with the Belgian optics firm SABCA to construct an upgraded T-72 with an improved fire control system. The first prototype of this cooperation was revealed at IDET Brno in 1994. The new design featured a T-72M1 hull with the original 2A46 125 mm smoothbore cannon, along with added Czech Dyna-72 second-generation ERA protection and two mounted 20 mm Oerlikon-Contraves KAA cannons on the turret sides. This was the first public appearance of the tank and the first commercial demonstration.

Second generation prototype: T-72M2 “Moderna”

After the exhibition at Brno and subsequent military tests, the dual 20 mm design was abandoned. When the cannons were fired in tandem it caused excessive stress resulting in extreme wear on the turret ring, which forced the military to reject the design. Nonetheless, the project moved forward.

As the project continued, some of the French fire control systems were also abandoned in favor of domestic counterparts by ZŤS Dubnica and EVPÚ Nová Dubnica. Additionally, the main 2A46 cannon was considered insufficient and was replaced by a locally modernized 2A46MS.

The turret-mounted autocannon was reconsidered as well, resulting in a single license-built Russian 2A42 30mm autocannon being used instead. They also upgraded the ERA to a Slovakian-made DYNAS ERA, added new 80 mm smoke grenade launchers, and installed a LIRD-3A laser warning system. The engine was swapped out for a Polish 850 hp S12U “Wola” turbocharged diesel (the same engine as the PT-91 Twardy), which is a modernization of the Soviet V-46-6. This new prototype earned the new designation: T-72M2 Moderna. The project continued under this name, and the prior T-72M2E name and design were abandoned.

The first production order

In 1998 Slovak Defense Minister Ján Sitek announced in early June that the Slovak government would go forward with ordering the preproduction of an additional five T-72M2 tanks from ZŤS-TEES a.s. Martin. Interestingly, Sitek himself worked at ZŤS Martin as a development engineer in 1980–1981, making the project subject to future scrutiny due to his ties with the company. In 2000, the prototype was shown again at the IDEE 2000 exhibition in Trenčín with high regards, but no export orders were received.

After completing military trials, the tank went into preproduction again for the series of 5. These five additional examples were never completed, and by August 2005 the single prototype was still all that existed. The single prototype was approved and “introduced” into “service” for the sole reason to be showcased at trade fairs. The “introduction” was more of a technicality, as the tank had never actually been part of Slovakia’s operational armed forces. Ultimately, the project was shelved for economic reasons. The surviving T-72M2 Moderna prototype is housed at the Military History Museum in Piešťany, Slovakia. It is the sole completed prototype of the modernization project.

Why did it fail?

The Moderna project was a promising and high-quality project. It could have been a great way for many countries to update their aging T-72 fleets; however, it obviously fell through, but why? The short answer boils down to economics and a lack of decision-making by the Slovak government. The Moderna simply wasn’t a top priority for the government, and the political landscape in Eastern Europe was rough in the 90s, so they couldn’t direct funds or attention to the project.

The Moderna was a sound project, with no technical errors or limitations and no real drawbacks to the design, apart from the original problem with the 20 mm on the first iteration. The manufacturer, ZTS, was not as watertight. Throughout the 90's, former communist governments and companies frequently struggled financially—ZTS was no different. With the split of Czechoslovakia and a lack of demand for new military technologies, ZTS had a hard time finding customers and thus was challenged to raise money. The Moderna was not the culprit of this poor financial situation either, ZTS was constantly shrinking and undergoing layoffs and by 1999 was circling the drain. ZTS couldn’t produce an order of five tanks of any caliber with the state of the company, much less five new designs.

ZTS wasn’t all to blame though, the Slovak government was also a source of the failure. The defense ministry was indecisive and finicky about the project, and the agreement they signed with ZTS lacked enforceability. The agreement was what is called a “zmluva o budúcej zmluve” (“contract about a future contract”), which is a Slovak legal instrument that commits parties to negotiate a real contract later rather than binding them to deliver anything now. Additionally, Sitek left his position just months after the agreement was signed. Without the program’s champion, ZTS had no real support to move forward.

After Sitek, the Slovak government, and especially the Defense Ministry, was focused on joining NATO and meeting the requirements that entailed, the futuristic prototype tank was put on the back burner. With ZTS floundering in the background, once the government was able to direct attention back to the Moderna project, ZTS was bankrupt and could not complete the order.

The Moderna had a lot of potential. Like many Eastern European and Russian projects of the time, it was limited and shuttered due to the financial and political turmoil of the 90s due to the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Without export buyers or stable support, ZTS fell apart, and the Moderna project went with it.

Gameplay

The T-72M2 “Moderna” we have in game is mostly faithful to the second-generation prototype. The Moderna features a new APFSDS round, a 30 mm 2A42 auto cannon, the 2A46MS 125 mm smoothbore cannon, and a full suite of domestic DYNAS ERA. The Moderna possesses a unique and high-action playstyle with its dual cannons and high firepower. The Moderna is an amazing tank for beginners and veterans alike. Let’s get started!

Survivability:

Since the Moderna is built of the chassis of the T-72M1, it shares many of its characteristics, one of which being its subpar survivability. Almost everything inside a T-72 explodes; the ammo, diesel fuel, and autoloader can all cause instant death when struck. To try to limit any explosive outcomes of an incoming shot, try to take 23 shells or less, as the autoloader holds 22 rounds and the barrel of takes one. 18 TAPNA and 5 3OF26 is a great mix for good survivability and ammo longevity.

Should you be fortunate that a shot does not hit one of the instant death traps mentioned earlier, the Moderna will be left unfazed and fully capable. Even hitting the Moderna’s cannon breech will still leave it with a fighting chance due to its 30 mm autocannon. As long as the turret ring remains operative, the Moderna is able to survive any scenario. To ensure your Moderna stays on the field, focus your autocannon fire on the enemy’s barrel to prevent further damage, then focus on frontal weak spots such as the Abrams’ turret neck or the Leopard’s driver’s port to hopefully land a lucky kill shot.

Thankfully, the Moderna also has a high-tech kit to prevent being hit in the first place. Equipped with the LIRD-3A Laser Warning System, you’ll be able to detect any laser signal coming your way, allowing you to know when tanks are range-finding you or when a helicopter has a missile coming your way. You also have a whopping 22 80mm smoke grenades, allowing you to break any laser contact instantly or lay down visual cover quickly. Unfortunately, however, you can only use smoke twice. Each pop uses 11 grenades, which is great for rapid cover but not for multiple uses. After using your grenades you’ll have to resort to ESS for visual cover, but beware: thermals can see right through this type of smoke.

Armament:

Armament is where the Moderna’s true strength lies. The T-72M2 Moderna is equipped with two cannons; a 30 mm 2A42 autocannon and the 2A46MS 125 mm smoothbore cannon. The 2A46MS 125mm comes with a stabilizer and the standard T-72 carousel autoloader, reloading a shell every 7 seconds. This reload rate isn’t fast enough to outdo any NATO tanks, but thankfully you have the 30 mm to have your back in the meantime. The Moderna is also the only vehicle in War Thunder to fire the exclusive domestic TAPNA round, which comes with a shocking 507 mm of flat pen at 500 metres, which is a common engagement distance around this tier. With this round the Moderna can pierce almost any armor it faces from the front and will rip through sides as well. Another standout round of the Moderna is 3OF26, a high-explosive round with 42 mm of overpressure pen and a whopping 5.2 kg of TNT equivalent. Use this round when enemies are behind cover and only their roof is visible, as it can easily knock out tanks with overpressure when shot at the roof.

In addition to the main cannon’s incredible performance, the Moderna also has access to a 30 mm 2A42 auto cannon, the same found on the BMPT and BMP-2. This autocannon does not have access to any special ammo belts or multiple reloads, so you’re stuck with the default selection of rounds and only 250 shots. The AP-T round comes with 64mm of flat pen and is great at quickly destroying barrels, tracks, light vehicles, and even the soft sides of MBTs. Another superb use case for this autocannon is for low-flying aircraft and helicopters. The high-caliber 30 mm ammunition will often one-shot aircraft, so just aim on their flight path and don’t stop firing. If ballistics isn’t your strong suit though, the Moderna thankfully has a laser rangefinder and autotracker to help you deal with distant or high-flying targets. If this offensive kit didn’t sound overpowered already, you’ll be pleased to learn that the Moderna has second-generation thermal optics for both the commander and gunner, offering high-quality visuals whether brawling up close with the 4.5x zoom or far out with the 11.7x zoom.

Armor:

The Moderna’s armor is a mixed bag, it can deflect pretty much all HEATFS rounds, but APFSDS rounds are a different story. Since the Moderna is based on the T-72M1, its composite armor profile is the same and therefore woefully outdated. Thankfully the Moderna gets an armor upgrade in the form of DYNAS second generation ERA. This ERA package protects against approximately 550 mm of chemical pen or 100 mm of kinetic pen. The DYNAS coverage helps make up for the shortcomings of the composite armor and allows the Moderna to be quite tanky, being one of the better protected tanks in its Battle Rating. Once the DYNAS is shot off, the Moderna is a much squishier foe, often being able to be penetrated by lower-quality rounds like DM13. Unlike most other T-series tanks with the mantlet weakspot, the Moderna has good ERA coverage there, and any shots to the unprotected portion will usually only damage the breach or FCS, which, as discussed earlier, isn’t a problem due to your 30 mm.

Mobility:

The mobility is a bit of a weak point of the Moderna. Despite the new, higher-powered engine, the Moderna follows the trend of other T-72s of being somewhat sluggish, especially in reverse. Due to the added weight of the new modifications, the Moderna’s hp/t of 19.1 comes out to roughly the same as its counterparts without the engine upgrades. Despite this, there is visible improvement with the mobility. Acceleration is noticeably better than other T-72s, being more akin to the T-80 series. The listed top speeds for the Moderna are 60 km/h forward or 4 km/h in reverse, but in practice your speed in battles will hang around about 40. The reverse is a huge caveat to your performance, as you cannot back out of situations quickly and often will find yourself stuck if you overextend. All things considered, the Moderna’s ability is quite good for a Russian-originated tank, not because it is superb itself, but more because of a lack of competition.

Tactics:

The Moderna is a uniquely powerful tank, and its skills will complement most playstyles you use, but as always, some are better than others. Like most T-72 variants, the Moderna is in a great position for sniping with its high pen TAPNA round and great optics. Even in uptiers the round and optics can perform quite well. Unlike other T-72s, the Moderna can do well with CQC and flanking as well, though. Just like other Russian tanks, the reverse can be quite the handicap in CQC, but due to the 30 mm, you can still perform well in this environment as long as your ERA stays up. On the flank the Moderna performs quite well due to its improved acceleration and 30 mm to take out the sides of MBTs or dispatch light tanks. The Moderna’s great smoke coverage also makes it easy to escape sticky situations in either of these environments and can be a great get-out-of-jail-free card when you overextend or find yourself in a pickle.

The smoke and poke method is especially powerful on the Moderna. When an enemy is hard peeking a corner and won’t let you though, use the Moderna’s plentiful smoke grenades to make a play. First, use the wide smoke cover to deny the enemy visibility of your sector. Then while the smoke is set, move into a position so that when the smoke clears you are in a different place from where they left you. After the grenades fizzle out to your opponent it will look like you’ll have teleported into the perfect firing position where you can quickly catch them off guard with a finishing shot. Make sure you know their location beforehand though, or you won’t have the advantage from the element of surprise anymore.

Another fun tactic the Moderna has access to is commander sight sniping. Because the commander’s optics have 360 degree of rotation along with thermals and zoom on-par with the gunners sight they are the perfect tool for long range shots. This tactic can be exceptionally obnoxious when paired with the 3OF26 high explosive round. Because the commander’s sight is mounted quite high up on the top of the tank, you can poke it up without the rest of the tank being visible. Then you can take advantage of the slower ballistics of the high explosive round and arc your shot into an opposing turret roof without ever exposing your turret. This technique is especially effective on the Abrams and Merkava series of tanks due to their sloped roofs. Unfortunately this tactic only works in engagements in excess of 1000 metres due to the poor gun depression of the Moderna limiting any hull down action, but it makes it all the more satisfying when one of those high-explosive lobs does hit its mark.

Getting these tactics right may take time, but as long as you play smart, the Moderna will make sure you have fun and terrorize any lobby you enter with a whole lot of smoke and 30 mm.

Sources:

• The Wikipedia article for the T-72M2
• Wikipedia article on ZTS
• Valka
• TankNutDave
• The Military Database
• Slovakian Ministry of Defense
• Any additional sources linked throughout this article