Ex Russian geologist MT-LB crew here. I'll tell you a little about this transport. Initially, the MT-LB was intended for towing howitzers to the battlefield. But very quickly it became known that the potential of this car is huge. At its core, MT-LB is a Swiss knife of transport. It's just a box with tracks and a powerful engine that will get you from anywhere. Where the MT-LB will pass, neither a tank nor an APC will pass. MT-LB is a lego part on which you can put a howitzer, a machine gun, push any transport weighing less than 6 tons or deliver passengers to inaccessible places. Amazing transport. I am very sorry that such a miracle of engineering is used in the war that my country has unleashed and is very rarely used for civilian purposes.

Current MT-LB/v driver here in the Finnish army. The MT-LB even though it's old it can still be relied on for many roles from transporting infantry, wounded, equipment, or towing mortars or artillery. It's very hard to find a military vehicle as terrain accesable and multipurpose as the MT-LB, even if it is ill suited for modern combat situations.

there was lot of confusion about the t-80um2...which was actually a t-80um1 with drozd. so the only prototype of the t-80um2 is still alive.

14:03 That's the one! Ever since I first saw this picture, I've been trying to figure out what the hell this thing was. Thanks!

I've always looked for a KZfaq channel that talks about tanks with the same depth that Drachinifel talks about ships. This channel is the closer I've got.

I went through the US Army LRS course back in '93, in which a portion of the course was threat vehicle identification. We had to properly identify about 120 different threat vehicles by seeing only a portion of each pictured vehicle during the training and testing. I was blown away by the amount of those vehicles I could still properly identify..meaning..the Russian armor hasn't changed that much at all. It's still mostly the same crap that was brought out in the 60's, 70's, 80's and early 90's, modifications aside.

That flag design you did for your thumbnail is honestly sick.

4:24 lmao, that's some absolute cheeky stuff done by the editor of the video

If you get shot with a Maxim it's still isn't going to tickle...

love the 1884 Maxim. The same basic weapon has been through the Russo-Japanese War, World War One, the Russian Civil War, the Russo-Polish War, World War Two, and now in 2022......

While it's pretty sad that these one-off and prototype vehicles had to be used in the front. This may hopefully also help Europe get rid of soviet tank designs with err "blow-out turrets" in their front line armed forces.

Another wonderful video from the Tank Encyclopedia team, love the coverage of these rare vehicles.

Good job guys! Nice to see such fresh topics!

I don't know how I found your channel, but Its really good. Dont know how you find such interesting background including film and still photographs on your topics but it really adds to the narrative. The Pookie episode was really cool and so was the story involving Japanese facing Soviet tanks with soda bottles 1/3 filled with sand and the rest petrol. What was neat to see too was your channel originates from 🇷🇴 Romania. Stay safe and let's hope the madman near you has a really bad day....

Incredible video as always.

It's interesting to see people praise the MT-LB and condemn the M113. Both are boxes on tracks

Best route for most countries would be to come up with a base chassis that could be used with multiple weapon systems. Having systems that use common parts also helps in cost reduction.

Creamed a little when I saw that tank encyclopedia uploaded

What an awesome video!!

good work! very interesting compilation

Every video starts like a old TV show and I love that feel of it

Great video. 👍🙂

An interesting point regarding the "mt-lb war", the Russian side is actively using Shturm-S and several units were clearly captured by Ukrainian troops, there is no clear evidence of the use by the Ukrainian side, since there are quite a few of them, given that they were actively used in 2014-2015 and part was lost, however, in 2020, the Ukrainian modernization of the Shturm-SM with the Barrier ATGM was shown (from the Luch Design Bureau - the manufacturer of the Stugna ATGM, it is worth noting that Ukraine produces quite good options for anti-tank missiles), but the number of units produced is unknown, especially considering that the aiming module was produced by an instrument-making plant in the city of Izyum, which is currently under the control of the Russian troops. Also, the video does not clarify the use by Ukraine and the separatists of the Brdm-2 in various, even artisanal, modifications. I also want to add about the T-64B1M, this is just a modification of earlier versions of the T-64B with additional armor for African countries. however, due to the lack of armored vehicles in 2014, about 25 pieces were transferred to the Azov regiment. And also about the T-72, Ukraine had ~1500 units after the collapse of the USSR, it sold about half for export, and later they were returned to service, mainly T-72AV, since there were only a few dozen T-72B/B1, and at the time of 2022, most of the mechanized brigades subordinate to the Operational Command West were equipped with T-72 tanks, this was due to the fact that during the Soviet era these vehicles were concentrated in western Ukraine and just logistically it was very convenient (repair bases, repair plant in Lviv)

There needs to be a part 2, now that the war's dragging on Russia has been using even more weird vehicles and Ukraine has been bragging about capturing some very very cool pieces pieces of tech that were previously only reserved to arms shows

Good video

You might need to do a part 2 at some point, because some weird stuff is popping up suddenly. Most notably a BMO-T was destroyed around Chernihiv.

Fascinating.

Love the Bob Semple in the intro!

What about the Ukranian strela-10 modification with the 2x4 launchers instead of the 2x2 ?

Ukraine pulled out a ASU 85 couple months back from a musuem to use lol

An update to this video would be sick!! Slovenia recently delivered the 28 M55-S tanks it promised to Ukraine, should be interesting to see those in action.

Thanks, taking no sides, just keeping the history alive. My respect.

I saw a VDV personal potrait on 4:24, but is almost impossible to captured that 1 frame. Is only possible with a quicktime. Was that on purpose?

And chance on a video of the T-80UM1 with the Arena aps?

7 months has gone and a lot has happened in this war with the great possibility of now Leopard 2 tanks entering this conflict. It would be good to do a part 2 to this vid I'm sure other things have been seen since.

Let's help Ukraine make the T-72, T-80 and T-90 rare and unusual vehicles in Russia.

The Ukrainian Army are making those Russian tanks even rarer

the T-72 AMT looks like the late model of the IS, most notably the IS-6 and the IS-7

4:24 Aaahh I saw that, I had to skim the video frame by frame but I got it. Made me laugh lol.

Z stands for West and V stands for East

It used to be so simple in WW2, every German tank was a Tiger, every American tank was a Sherman, every Russian tank was a T-34 and every British tank was ... eh ... left behind in Dunkirk. Now both sides are fighting with many versions the same equipment.

Would like to know if the Ukranian T84 Oplot has seen any action. I remember looking 5 years ago they only had about 10 in service then 5 and now only 2. I'm assuming they are being used in combat and have some losses or they have some that are not operational and require expensive repairs.

You forgot the IS-3 from back in 2014 that took part on the side of the DPR

armed tricycles, the new option for budget armies?😂

You might add the UR-77 mine-counter-measure vehicle based on the 2S-1 captured by the Ukrainians early in the war.

Idk if im correct i saw a video earlier of a t80oplot in kharkiv residential apartment buildings moving through thr neighborhood

4:24 That's Naval Infantry dude, dear #TankEncyclopedia.

Ukrainians: I see a tank!!! Ukrainian 2: Which one? Ukrainian 1: *pulls out encyclopedia and looks carefully* appears to be...a t80U, but it could be a regular T80 variant...could be experimental Ukrainian 2: I need to ask command whether to send a T72M1 Wilk, our t64B, a czech T72M4cz, or one of our new T90's. Ukrainian 1: Nah its just a regular T80, send in the T90.

I hope someone has recovered the wreckage of the t80 um2 so that it can be preserved at least at least what's left of it I understand the conflict and everything is bad but it is kind of a unique historical piece it's sad to see such things destroyed and relegated to the scrap heap to be lost forever

Lots of captured vehicles have been sent to Britain and the US for testing and research, I would interested to see if you could compile a list of these vehicles.

50 shades of MT-LB

10:50 isn't the shtora a passive protection system?

There is also t-64bm2 with another engine

Wild watching this 2 & 1/2 years later. Those heady days of the early war really were something. If UA can hold on through the summer, Russia will have expended pretty much all the Soviet armor in its inventory able to be refurbished. Tens of thousands of armored vehicles in two years, think about that. By fall western defense production (155mm especially) will finally ramp up to a point it can to some degree meet Ukrainian demand. Putin is in North Korea today to trade ballistic missile technology for more North Korean artillery ammunition (and presumably barrels). It’s rough for everyone, but, with a little luck & some help from that incredible Ukrainian fighting spirit, it won’t be long before Putin takes another trip to NK, never to return. Slava Ukraine!

I wouldn't call a recovery vehicle "least"- much better for hauling tanks you capture than farm tractors!

13:00 You think they're playing tachanka while driving around with that caret?

12:57 This photo was taken in the town of Oleshky, Kherson oblast, not in Donbas

To think, some of these folks could be manning the same vehicles their great great grandfather drove or rode on!

It appears Russia has seriously underestimated the strength and resolve of Ukraine. Proof comes in the form of the obsolete and limited production vehicles they have committed to combat. Since little if any resistance was expected the use of second line equipment seemed prudent. In hindsight the Russians are learning the error of their ways paid for by the loss of those vehicles.

You need at least two T-55 recovery vehicles to pull a T-80. That's not good. The efficiency ratio of a recovery vehicle has to be 1:1.

interesting, to say the least.

Kornet penetrates any tank regardless of ERA. 1300mm penitration is no joke

also i see on some video russian atgm vehicle on chassis of bmp. It wasn't captured, but if you look for videos on KZfaq, then you probably didn't find rare vehicle in action.

Why does this intro remind me of the light bringer

It sucks to see all of these rare vehicles being blown up, no matter what side there on.

why are there IFVs based on a SPG basis?

I've seen a russian scooby doo van with kontact 1 era installed on the front and a very proud russian posing in front of it. Don't overestimate them.

lol 4:24 i see what you did there :)

Z markings is in the South, while V was in the North. Now also seen in the East.

Someone needs to invent a tank that runs for a ton of miles between fill ups. There MUST be better engines for these old platforms, that are 300%+ more efficient.

Wouldn't say that T-80BV is a modern day tank. Still, 80's tech

What about the t 90M

4:23 VEH DEH VEH

T-80UM2 was reportedly destroyed by Ukrainian artillery so i wouldnt doubt it had the hard kill system installed, just no way it could intercept the threat at such angles.

4:44 it can penetrate *anything* even Armata, I think. Tandem charge=no ERA, 1300mm pen is no joke. Also Nozh is actually not that good, especially since it's something close to Contact-5 in the way it's built. It may be more effective, but both Nozh and Contact have steel carcass that is mounted on top of armor and those parts are weak spots. On both Nozh and Contact those carcasses are quite large.

It's actually a total mess. We have here two armies that until 30 years ago are one, both have those different model of tanks coming out from a common mold (so that no one could be considered nontworth of a modernization program as they can mount the same weapons and sights) , so it can happen that a fully updated T-64 i.e.the older model of the whole "family" is still the second best option for one of the two sides. And the russian T-72B3M mod.2016 almost the same for russian forces nowadays. Actually some weapon could even be completely revived: a Maxim 1910, with its water cooling was considered outdated in WWII to be carriedcaround but is actually a great thing as today to be mounted on a pick up or even on a SUV (and a great answer to the ones that lament how they still use the same caliber than they introduced in XIX). Think about T-64 boxer engine also: in the sixty/seventies was a source of endless problems (same as the one of Chieftain), now reworked using modern electronics and technology is an absolute beast with the power and the acceleration of a gas turbine with the consume of a turbodiesel.

I think the Soviets should have made some attempt to standardize their vehicles. Aside from some common chassis, this is a nightmare of half-upgrades, subvariants, variants, variants of subvariants, and upgraded but uncommon subvariants of variants.

There's a panther looking tank in ukraine, i saw an image of it

Nozh doesn't work, there's a good article explaining it. It wouldn't stop a Kornet

Unfortunately, they have forgotten in their list the tanks with their unique egg carton armor.😉

Where the BMO-T ?

Nozh is a light ERA. Not so tough to penetrate. Duplet is heavier and harder to punch through. More about ERA: Kontakt 1 doesn't need thick base armour, unlike Kontakt 5, so, it is quite possible to use it on the MTLB.

Article link?

waow

Whos the guy at 4:25 that flashes for less than a second.

Can it cross water and can it swim?alligators have been around for years, as such snorkel boats are in concept today troubles for Federal.

W

Oblast means region. It sounds weird when video is in English and this is the only think that is not translated. Sorry my ocd kicking in 😜

if it works use it

I'm waiting for IS-3 and T34/85s to show up in the Ukrainian arsenal soon.

4:25 I see what you did there

9:11 lol, how is that unfortunate?

Hello

Just today a T-90M was destroyed

4:24

It's easy to spot Russian-made tanks, look for the smoke and flames

I don't think I've ever seen a Russian or Ukrainian tank fire a missile from its main gun.

most of this vehicles fight long before military operation, don't understand your sarcasm at the end. Ukraine fight against dnr for 8 year already.

The T-80UM2 is a unicorn in the modern battlefield now lost forever. The T-80UK is also unicorn tank which is good for Ukraine managed to captured 2 for free no tax.