T-80 "Nosorog" (Project Rhino) (entry for the Armored Warfare contest).
Vehicle: T-80 “Nosorog” (Project Rhino)
Class: MBT (Main Battle Tank)
Historical Background
: By the mid-2030s, the nature of global conflicts had irreversibly changed. The saturation of the battlefield with swarms of FPV drones, loitering munitions, and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) launching attacks from above had rendered conventional main battle tanks (MBTs) vulnerable. The “Rhinoceros” project was conceived in the depths of design bureaus as a response to these new threats—an attempt to create the ultimate breakthrough tank, capable of surviving where others are reduced to a heap of scrap metal.
The chassis of the time-tested T-80 (extended by one road wheel) served as the basis, but the “inner workings” underwent radical changes. Engineers abandoned the classic layout in favor of an uninhabited turret that covers 70% of the hull’s profile, allowing the crew to be isolated in a highly protected capsule.
Technical Features
:
Firepower
The “Rhinoceros”’s main selling point is its monstrous 152-mm smoothbore gun. This gun delivers exceptional single-shot damage, allowing it to penetrate the composite armor of modern main battle tanks clean through. The gun is mounted in an unmanned module, which reduces the vehicle’s silhouette but requires a special approach to firing tactics.
The
“Nosorog” Active Protection System (APS)
is a true air defense fortress on tracks.
KAZT “Smola”: A unique kinetic close-range defense system. It is based on a robotic turret equipped with a YakB-12.7 four-barrel machine gun. With a rate of fire of up to 4,500 rounds per minute and a reaction time of 0.023 seconds, “Smola” creates a cloud of lead, destroying incoming missiles and drones at ranges of up to 28 meters. The system is capable of tracking up to 14 targets simultaneously, intercepting objects traveling at speeds of up to 300 m/s.
Layered Defense: If a threat penetrates “Smola,” the “Arena-5M” anti-aircraft missile system (hard-kill) and the “Shtora-SM” optoelectronic jamming system (soft-kill) are deployed.
Close Combat
: The “Klop-M” system is used to defend against infantry attempting to close in on a tank in an urban environment. 34 mortars firing fragmentation grenades create a “dead zone” around the tank, making it virtually invulnerable to grenade launchers.
Mobility
: Despite its increased weight of (65) metric tons, the tank boasts phenomenal performance. The hybrid power plant (gas turbine + electric motor) delivers a total power output of 2,000 l.s., providing a specific power of about 30 l.s./t. This allows the “Rhinoceros” to make sudden bursts of speed that are beyond the capabilities of other heavy tanks and to change position instantly.
