An improved version of the Soviet T-72M1 tank was presented in Poland. The T-72M1R modification, shown at the international defense exhibition MSPO-2021, received new fire control, communication, and surveillance systems. This is reported by the Army Recognition portal.
The tanks upgraded at the ZM Bumar-Labedy plant received an improved B-46-6 engine with a digital launch system. The driver’s seat was equipped with a new PNK-72 observation device, and the standard commander’s observation device gave way to the POD-72 model. In turn, a third-generation KLW-1 Asteria thermal imaging camera was integrated into the gunner’s sight. The T-72M1R also received new digital internal and external communication systems.
The modernization of the tanks is carried out within the framework of a contract signed between the Inspectorate of Support of the Polish Armed Forces and the consortium of the Polish state Defense industrial group Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S. A. (PGZ) in 2019. The agreement implies the modernization of 230 T-72M and T-72M1 tanks. These modifications were produced in Poland under a Soviet license until 1993.
