PT-91 Twardy

History

The main battle tank of the Polish Army is the PT-91 "Twardy", which was developed from the T-72 MBT (T-72M1) popular during the Soviet era. The PT-91 is a low-profile 50-ton armored fighting vehicle with an autoloader that reduces the crew to three and an impressive 125mm main gun.

Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks are heavily used in the latest version of the vehicle to improve battlefield survivability. The Polish derivative also contains a number of indigenous components that contrast its design with its Soviet Cold War-era origins, including the local engine, communications suite and fire control system (FCS).

About 225 prototypes of this type are believed to have been produced, with the first year of service in 1995.

In Polish, the name "Twardy" means "tough" to emphasize the toughness of the vehicle on the battlefield.

The PT-91 continues the understated look of the classic T-72. Its power turret is in the middle, and the engine is in the rear of the design. Compared to her crew of three, the design allows for a more compact size than her western contemporaries. The vehicle is 9.67 meters long, 3.6 meters wide and 2.20 meters high all dimensions smaller than the mainstay of the US Army and Marine Corps, the US M1 Abrams main battle tank. The driver is located in the front center of the hull, and the commander and gunner are located in the turret.

The latter two crew members had their own protected hatch in the top of the turret with full scope. The overall armor protection of the tank is a composite structure, with steel side skirts protecting the upper part of the landing gear.

The landing gear consisted of six rubber tire wheels located on one side of the hull, with a drive sprocket at the rear and track idlers at the front. The vehicle relies on a proven track wheel linkage arrangement.

The heart of any MBT is its primary weapon, and the PT-91 did not disappoint with its Soviet-inspired 125mm 2A46M gun based on the D-81TM. Crews receive up to 42 rounds with multiple warhead types to suit battlefield needs. The gun is linked to a dual-axis fire control system that stabilizes the gun and allows firing with good precision on the move. The main gun is also powered by an all-new autoloader, which improves performance compared to the original T-72 offering and increases the ranged burst capability.

In addition to the 125mm armament, the PT-91 also carries the required coaxial 7.62mm anti-infantry (PKT type) machine gun, as well as a 12.7mm NSVT anti-aircraft heavy machine gun mounted on top of the turret. The coaxially mounted machine guns carry approximately 2,000x7.62mm ammunition and the roof-mounted machine guns carry approximately 300x12.7mm ammunition.

About 24 smoke grenade launchers were installed in two groups of 12 along the sides of the turret to allow the vehicle to develop its own smoke screen.

The PT-91 uses a locally produced PZL-Wola S-12U series diesel engine producing 850 hp, mated to a manual transmission system. Coupled with the torsion bar suspension system, the vehicle can reach a road speed of 60 km/h and a cruising range of up to 650 km.

The vehicle's range can also be increased by using an external fuel tank (this adds about 50 kilometers to the driving range).

The PT-91 is the main production version supplied to the Polish Armed Forces. The PT-91A contains a PZL-Wola S-1000 series diesel engine with 1,000 hp. The PT-91Z represents an attempt to modernize the base system, a prototype has been completed.

The PT-91M "Pendekar" is an export-oriented derivative from Malaysia. Several other demonstration vehicles are based on the basic PT-91 design.

The PT-91 chassis was used to build several other related combat vehicles, including the WZT-3 Armored Rescue Vehicle (ARV) series, the "Bison-S" pioneer vehicle, the PMC bridge, the prototype PZA "Loara" anti-aircraft System and 155-mm SPG self-propelled vehicle "Krab".

Since 2007, the Malaysian government has received 48 PT-91M tanks, as well as some associated combat vehicles.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

42 x 125mm bullets

300 x 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun

2,000 x 7.62mm machine gun

24 x Smoke Grenade

Changes