Russia keeps trying to refine and modernize its Т-72B3 main battle tanks to the 2022 modification.

Modernization is carried out at the Research and Production Corporation Uralvagonzavod enterprise, which is located in Nizhny Tagil.

Retrofitting the Т-72B3 tank involves strengthening it with additional protection and installing new systems.

In particular, the front fenders protection on the Т-72B3 tank is strengthened as in the Т-90М tank (No. 1).

The gun mantlet received protection in the form of Kontakt-1 reactive armor (No. 2).

The blocks are installed parallel to the gun barrel, which does not allow them to counteract the shaped charge. Detonation of these blocks can deform the gun itself.

Reactive armor was also added to the tank turret, as in older Т-72B variants (No. 3).

The Sosna-U multi-channel system with the Catherine thermal imager by the French company Thales received a mechanism for opening armored curtains (No. 4).

Before such an alteration, it was necessary to manually unscrew four bolts from the thermal imager protective panel before combat. This configuration was criticized in Russia for years.

The only advantage of Sosna-U is the 12x zoom, while there are only two positions of 4x and 12x. The sight itself does not output the thermal imaging channel into the eyepiece, for which a separate small monitor is used.

Also, Т-72B3 mod. 2022 tank received new unknown sensors (No. 5).

Recall that during the hostilities, the Ukrainian military captured a significant number of Russian Т-72B3 tanks.