The tank was based on the T-80's chassis, using a new turret, and was armed with an LP-83 152.4 mm smoothbore gun. A variant of the tank utilizing a
rifled 152mm armament was never completed. Like most Soviet tanks, the gun offered poor depression, and the LP-83 offered a slower reload despite the presence of an
autoloader. The traverse rates of the barrel and turret were also lower than the regular T-80, thanks to the heavier gun. Despite being less versatile in battle, the firepower was superior to the T-80 and other similarly armed Soviet
MBTs. In September 1990 the tank was completed and in 1991 underwent trials. The trials showed high stability and reliability of the gun and the tank itself. However, the absence of funding discontinued further work on the tank's improvement. A major benefit of this new design was that the new turret was interchangeable with the standard T-80 main battle tank turret. With the ammo rack load and rate of fire, this tank can store 30 rounds of ammunition in total, including 16 already in the autoloader, which can be fired at a rate of 6 rounds per minute. ==See also==