T-72M1 (Germany)

This page is about the medium tank T-72M1 (Germany). For other versions, see T-72 (Family).

◊T-72M1

M48 Super

Leopard 2K

◊T-72M1

M48 Super

Leopard 2K

Germany

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.3	9.3	9.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:220 000

Purchase:620 000

Show in game

Description

The ◊KPz T-72M1 was the last Warsaw Pact tanks delivered to East Germany as their new spearhead during the 1980s in case for the Cold War turned into a full-scale world war. The variants in NVA were rather complicated but all of these T-72s were either from Soviet Union (T-72 and T-72A) or from Warsaw Pact countries with licensed production variants (T-72M and T-72M1); the current model in-game represents the export/licensed T-72M1 with mostly identical performance to Soviet's T-72A Mod. 1983 (upgraded T-72A with additional plates on UFP which is a researchable upgrade to the T-72A in-game) after domestic upgrades in East Germany. These tanks didn't see an outbreak of war and were then transferred to Heer for evaluation or for sale.

Introduced in Update "Sky Guardians" and currently sitting at the end of the German "Heavy tank" line, players from Soviet Union tech tree will soon get used to the tank thanks to its very similar, if not identical performances; the armor upgrade for T-72A now comes free with T-72M1 in NVA service. While it might not have the agility of NATO MBTs or PLAGF MBTs with better gun handling, T-72M1 will still proves its worthy when lower-tier enemies face it with earlier APFSDS or even APDS- they will have a hard time fighting back.

General info

Survivability and armour

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Self-entrenching equipment

Creation of ramparts and trenches in soft ground

Armourfront / side / back

Hull110 / 80 / 40

Turret125 / 102 / 65

Crew3 people

Visibility75 %

The T-72M1 is basically a near identical copy of the T-72A found in the Soviet tech tree, therefore the armour layout is also almost identical. Some differences are the additional applique armour placed on the front glacis which was part of the mid-1980s upgrade. While not substantially thick, the sloping effect on top of the composite front glacis might be enough to prevent some shells from fully penetrating, especially those from lower tier; they will have extremely hard time going through the armor.

The hull and turret of the T-72M1 are strong enough to somewhat reliably bounce some shells and eat, although it still possesses the same weak spots that most other soviet tanks have (lower front plate, drivers optics, etc.).

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armor (turret)
• Rolled homogeneous armor (hull)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	210+16 mm	80 mm Top 20 mm Bottom	40 mm	20 mm
Turret	200-280 mm Turret front 150-400 mm Gun mantlet	130-240 mm	60-100 mm	45 mm
Cupola	100 mm	100 mm	100 mm	45 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB67 / 5 km/h

RB and SB60 / 5 km/h

Number of gears7 forward

1 back

Weight41.5 t

Engine power

AB1 488 hp

RB and SB780 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB35.9 hp/t

RB and SB18.8 hp/t

Due to the late introduction of T-72M1 in NVA service and being the A/M variants, T-72M1 were still powered by the well-known V-46-6 V12 turbocharged diesel engine for these series of T-72s. At up to 780 hp when upgraded with around 19 hp/t power-to-weight ratio, it is nowhere close to the fastest tank in-game, but this still gives considerably more maneuverability over M60 family or Chieftains; another note is the infamous 7F1R gear configuration planetary transmission for post-T-64 tanks where the rather high gear ratio gives T-72 its distinctively slow reverse speed, a lethal flaw that most Soviet/Warsaw-Pact or certain PLAGF tanks share.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	67	5	41.5	1,209	1,488	29.13	35.86
Realistic	60	5		690	780	16.63	18.8

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 146 → 6 256

RB4 106 → 6 195

SB5 326 → 8 036

Total cost of modifications185 300

305 000

Talisman cost2 700

Crew training175 000

Experts620 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces1 010 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

160 / 200 / 240 %

226 / 226 / 226 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 7 800 Cost: 12 000 300 Suspension Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 340 Brake System Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 340 Filters Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 370 Transmission Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 500 Engine Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 500	Improved Parts Research: 2 300 Cost: 12 000 300 Dozer Blade Research: 7 800 Cost: 12 000 300 Improved FPE Research: 2 600 Cost: 14 000 340 Crew Replenishment Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 370 Smoke grenade Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 370 ESS Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 500	Horizontal Drive Research: 7 800 Cost: 12 000 300 125mm_ussr_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 7 800 Cost: 12 000 300 Adjustment of Fire Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 340 125mm_ussr_3BM12_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 340 Elevation Mechanism Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 370 Laser rangefinder Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 370 Artillery Support Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 500 125mm_ussr_3BM15_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 500

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Main armament

125 mm 2A46 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Autoloader

Automatically feeds projectiles into the breech. The speed does not depend on the skills of the loader

Ammunition44 rounds

First-order22 rounds

Reload7.1 s

Vertical guidance-6° / 13°

T-72M1 shares the same gun as T-72A and this version of 2A46M was equipped with heat sleeves; due to the export limitations from Soviet Army, ammunitions for T-72A are also the only options for T-72M1 as well. The overall firepower is very sufficient at its tier thanks to its large-caliber at 125 mm (NATO tanks yet to upgrade their MBTs to 120 mm guns) and the penetration is more than enough to handle most enemies it might face at its tier. Do beware of the rather slow turret traverse speed and its fixed 7.1 second reload time- plan your shots very carefully since exposed T-72s are rather fragile to oncoming shells going for the weakspot.

125 mm 2A46M					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	44	-6°/+13°	±180°	Two-plane	19.0	26.4	32.0	35.4	37.6	7.10	7.10	7.10	7.10
Realistic					11.9	14.0	17.0	18.8	20.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
3OF26	HE	42	42	42	42	42	42
3BM22	APFSDS	425	420	415	405	393	380

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
3OF26	HE	850	23	0.3	0.1	5.24	79°	80°	81°
3BM22	APFSDS	1,760	4.83	-	-	-	76°	77°	80°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
44	40 (+4)	29 (+15)	23 (+21)	1 (+43)	No

Machine guns

12.7 mm NSVT machine gun

Ammunition300 rounds

Belt capacity60 rounds

Reload5.0 s

Fire rate700 shots/min

Vertical guidance-4° / 75°

7.62 mm PKT machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reload8.0 s

Fire rate700 shots/min

Like its Soviet/Warsaw-Pact counterparts, T-72M1 in NVA service also equipped with NSVT and PKT as its machine guns onboard; the NSVT is good for handling light vehicles or oncoming aircrafts that were within its vertical traverse limits, while PKT is only good for taking out exposed crews of enemy vehicles from lower tier.

12.7 mm NSVT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	300 (60)	700	-4°/+75°	±180°

7.62 mm PKT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2000 (250)	700	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The T-72 series are known to be an economical yet sufficient options for large-scale tank assaults; the T-72M1 in NVA service also shared these points with its Soviet counterparts where its protection and fire will shine over most enemies it might face, while players should also beware of some long-lasting flaws for this series of tanks.

T-72M1 is mostly identical to a T-72A Mod. 1983 in Soviet service with its smoke launchers and extra layer of applique armor on UFP which gives more protection to most tanks at its tier, the installation of later 2A46M 125 mm gun also ensures its combat capability against enemy targets at its tier where most tanks at its tier would likely be one-shot by its devastating ammunition. For players who came from Soviet tech tree, they will soon get their hands on T-72M1 thanks to its rather similar performance to T-72A; while for those who take it as an alternative to Bundeswehr MBTs, they would have to opt for a completely new tactic to maximize its efficiency against possible enemies. Instead of the fast and nimble mobility while having insufficient protection, T-72M1 can easily be the complete opposite- it does not have high top speed (at barely 59 km/h; similar to PLAGF tanks and at least 12 km/h slower than Leopard series), but it has the firepower to completely erase enemies from any distance thanks to its LRF and larger-caliber gun, the APFSDS with high muzzle velocity can safely ensure the shell lands on designated targets from afar; while the HEFS shell can sometimes bring surprise kill on enemy MBTs with overpressure damage, let alone light vehicles with minimal protection to explosive shells. Although it can stay afar for sniping, players will have to get used to its rather slow turret traverse speed and fixed magnification gunsight; adjust DPI and mouse sensitivity accordingly in case for sniping. In case of opting for a more aggressive approach, the protection and firepower also ensures its capability to breakthrough defense lines composed by lower-tier tanks; be sure to take cover as soon as possible for a large-scale counter-attack, the flexibility of T-72M1 is nowhere capable to rapid shots upon enemies; delaying their counter attacks and wait for support instead.

A common issue that haunts T-72 series is the gun traverse speed as mentioned; chances are enemies will take the flanks to hit T-72 from the sides instead- the most fatal destruction it could ever face as this also means the cramped AZ-172 autoloader is completely exposed to enemy shells, a precise hit on is very likely trigger "jack-in-the-box" effect and send the turret sky high, flying up to hundreds of meters away from the hull! Therefore, never ever show the sides to enemies and plan your assaults beforehand, point the tank directly on the enemies for the greatest odds to survive; the well-known driver visor and LFP weakspot sill haunts T-72M1 but chances are enemy shells land on well-protected area with applique armor, be sure not to give the chance to let enemies take good aim on these spots.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Better protection and small profile against enemy tanks
• Large-caliber main cannon with devastating firepower
• Better mobility to M60 or Chieftain (in terms of speed) series
• Commander HMG for taking out light targets/aircrafts
• Equipped with HEFS for overpressure damages against well-covered targets
• Autoloader for constant reload rate and available even during critical scenario (i.e fire onboard, knocked-out crew)

Cons:

• Rather cramped interior with high odds of destruction/fatal damages in case of a penetration
• Infamous AZ-172 autoloader with very high chance of detonation when being hit directly
• Shares identical weakspots (i.e LFP, driver's visors) to T-72 series
• Slow turret traverse speed, lethal to sudden attacks or flankers
• Mediocre top speed compare to Leopards or AMX-30s
• Fixed 8x optical channel with less flexibility to variable magnification optics
• Lacks commander override for the gun- a hit to gunner very likely means death sentence

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the T-72M1 (Germany) from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• T-72 (Family)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.