Russo-Ukrainian War: Demolished Russian T-72B3

      Situated some 65 miles to the north of Kyiv, the city of Chernihiv sits along a main route from the country of Belarus into Kyiv. As such, the area around the city has become contested with Russian forces having surrounded the city on three sides in an effort to cut off the defenders from any support and commence their push on the city from three directions. This three pronged attack would have, as one objective, to spread out Ukrainian military forces across a wider front rather than allow them to concentrate their defense on one or two avenues of attack. Nevertheless, Ukrainian tank hunters around Chernihiv have destroyed, according to reports, more than 30 Russian tanks following attacks on Russian columns and the photograph here shows one of those kills.

     The demolished T-72B3 main battle tank was hit by a Javelin anti-tank missile with devastating effect. Where the missile struck is difficult to say but a side shot into the back portion of the tank is one possibility. Such a location has thinner armor and is usually not protected by reactive armor. Another is that the missile struck the top of the rear deck where the armor is not very thick. The Javelin, designated the FGM-148, is a U.S. designed missile, the replacement for the earlier M47 Dragon. The Javelin entered service in 1996 and remains in service with U.S. forces as well as the military forces of over 20 countries, including Ukraine. It is reported that there are some 377 launchers and 1,200 missiles in Ukrainian military hands based on purchase contracts prior to the outbreak of hostilities. Whether additional missiles can be delivered to replenish the stock remains to be seen.

     The Javelin consists of two parts: the Command Launch Unit (CLU) and the Launch Tube Assembly (LTA). The CLU contains all the needed optics to enable the gunner to acquire targets in day or night conditions. The LTA contains the missile inside a disposable tube. The CLU is fitted to the LTA and after firing, the CLU is detached and fitted to the next ready LTA. A typical Javelin team is two men. The missile uses a tandem-charge HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) shaped charge warhead which allows it to defeat ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) and strike the main armor of the target. When used by infantry, the standard CLU permits a maximum effective range of 1.6 miles. The 19 pound warhead can penetrate over 750mm of regular RHA (Rolled Homogeneous Armor) or if facing tanks with ERA, the penetration drops to 600mm. The missile can use two attack profiles: a top attack profile to come down on top of the tank and a direct attack profile.

     So far, no Russian troops have moved into Chernihiv successfully, being repulsed by the defenders but given their isolated situation, it is difficult to say how long they can hold out.

Originally posted on February 26, 2022.