Stronger Than T-72: Ukrainian Tank Crews Reinforced With Advanced Croatian M-84s

Croatian M-84 tanks have been delivered to the 141st Mechanized Brigade – the soldiers shared their impressions and the differences compared to Soviet-era T-72s.

A report featuring the tank crew was aired by TV5.

The tank unit, operating near the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, highlighted the vehicle’s advanced electronics and a higher level of automation compared to the Soviet-era T-72M, which served as the basis for the Croatian tank.

“Here, the electronics do more of the thinking, rather than needing to work everything by hand,” said the tank commander, who goes by the callsign Rokky.

The Croatian tanks reportedly arrived in good condition, as most of them underwent major overhauls and upgrades to the M-84A4 Sniper standard before 2023.

The tank crew has outfitted the vehicle’s hull and turret with Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor and anti-drone mesh screens. Still, the tank’s Croatian origins remain recognizable – particularly by the gunner’s distinctive sight located on the left side of the turret.

This is the SCS-84 composite sight, which features both a day channel and an infrared night vision channel, integrated into a digital fire control system.

The system significantly simplifies the gunner’s task by automatically calculating aiming adjustments, using data from the onboard weather station and a laser rangefinder.

Unlike the Soviet export tanks of the 1980s, the Croatian M-84 offers better mobility and maneuverability thanks to its new 1,000-horsepower V46-TK diesel engine, as well as improved turret rotation and gun elevation drives.

Meanwhile, the level of protection has not changed – during modernization, the vehicle did not receive any additional applique armor or reactive armor packages. Its armor corresponds to the protection level of the T-72M1/T-72A.

The first news about the transfer of these vehicles emerged in November of last year. At that time, Croatian officials announced plans to supply 30 tanks. Alongside them, Ukrainian forces were also set to receive 30 M-80 infantry fighting vehicles.

In exchange for the old equipment, the Croatian government was to receive compensation from Germany, which would be used to purchase 50 Leopard 2A8 tanks. Together with associated weaponry and spare parts, this compensation was valued at €144.8 million, intended to partially fund the order of new equipment.