T-72 Ural

The T-72 Ural is a tier 4 Main Battle Tank originating from the Soviet Union, and is sold by Marat Shishkin. It can be unlocked from the T-62, and leads to the T-72A.

Features

 * Heavy armor: this vehicle's armor bounces more shots and takes more hits
 * High caliber: the high caliber weaponry deals an increased damage
 * Powerful HE Ammo : causes more damage than regular HE
 * Smoke Generators : generated a smoke screen around the vehicle

Player Recommendations
A heavy hitting powerhouse, the T-72 Ural is one of the first tanks to establish the heavy hitting reputation the T series is known for all the way up to tier 10. With a high DPM and good mobility, the T-72 is a strong brawler and hull down warrior when it can fight on open ground. But with a mediocre stock top speed and acceleration and poor gun depression, this vehicle is harder to play, compared to the T-64 mod. 1969.

Pros

 * High alpha
 * Excellent turret armor

Cons

 * Poor hull armor
 * Poor turret traverse
 * Poor gun depression
 * Mediocre top speed and acceleration

Upgrade Suggestions
Upgrading to the V-46-6 Diesel Engine will greatly improve the otherwise poor mobility of the T-72, so this should be researched as early as possible. Upgrading to the Rubber Side Skirts, while giving minimal protection against AP, offers significant protection versus HEAT rounds, so this should be researched fairly quickly. Armament upgrades, while useful, take a relatively long time to research, so these should be researched later after the less expensive upgrades have been attached.

Retrofit Suggestions

 * Advanced Muzzle Reference System
 * Augmented Optics
 * Improved Gun Breech
 * Improved Pioneer Tool Kit
 * Improved Spall Liner

Commander and Crew Skill Suggestions

 * Commander: Juan Carlos, to improve the aim speed and crew stats.
 * Driver: Spin to Win, Off-Road Driving
 * Gunner: Sharpshooter, Do the Twist

History
Class: Medium Tank Developed: 1967-1973 Service: 1973+ Vehicles Built: cca 5600-6200 (5677 for the Soviet Union, unclear if it includes export numbers) Operators: Soviet Union, Libya, Syria Of the three main Soviet MBTs simultaneously in service (T-64, T-72 and T-80), Uralvagonzavod&#39;s T-72 is by far the most recognizable one. In fact, much like its T-55 predecessor, it can be said that the T-72 became an icon of sorts, its sleek silhouette firmly connected to the Soviet Union. Whether it’s an image of a horde of these machines creeping through an East German forest or massive groups of them burning in the middle of an Iraqi desert, the T-72 is, without a doubt, one of the most widely recognized tanks in the world. Contrary to popular belief, the T-72 was not really developed as a cheaper option to the T-64A. If anything, the initial vehicles were in fact more expensive. There were two reasons it actually came to be: issues with the T-64 program and politics. The latter argument was actually more important as Kharkov (where the T-64 series was developed) and Nizhny Tagil (home of Uralvagonzavod) had a long history of rivalry and both design bureaus were led by remarkable, powerful men (A.A.Morozov and L.N.Kartsev). Its development history is quite convoluted but, long story short, due to the abovementioned T-64 program issues (engine reliability, difficulties with upgrades), alternative proposals were considered since the early 1960s and while those never got anywhere, they left UVZ with a number of interesting new components, most notably a new automatic loading mechanism for a 125mm gun and a new suspension. In 1967, Kartsev managed to convince the Soviet leadership to give him some early T-64A hulls to play with, replacing the original autoloader with his own and the rather unreliable 5TDF engine with a conventional diesel one from Chelyabinsk. These early tanks were referred to as Object 172 and were thoroughly tested between 1969 and 1971. In 1969, Kartsev retired and was replaced by V.N.Venediktov, who had the original T-64A suspension replaced with one developed earlier at UVZ. The resulting tank was called Object 172M and, after some thorough 1972 testing, it was introduced under the designation T-72 Ural (in honor of the place of its birth, the Ural mountains). Compared to the T-64A, the hull armor was roughly the same but the turret was simplified and the early turrets were made from cast steel only. It, however, was powerfully armed with the 2A46 125mm smoothbore gun. Between 1973 and 1979, 5677 T-72 tanks were built (although the number possibly includes some of the early T-72As) and most of them went straight to the Soviet army. However, between 1978 and 1980, approximately five hundred were built for in export specifications called Object 172M-E and M-E1. Contrary to popular belief about the export “monkey models”, there were almost no differences between the export version and the Soviet variant, although the Soviets were known to offer inferior ammunition for their export tanks. These T-72s were sold to, amongst other places, the Middle East, where they participated in a number of conflicts. An early Ural is not seen often these days, although and at least one was spotted in combat relatively recently in Syria.