NOTE: This article is about the T-72 tank in the main ArmA games. For its Czechoslovak counterpart in ArmA 3's CSLA Iron Curtain Creator DLC, see T-72 (CSLA). |
The T-72 is a Main Battle Tank featured in ArmA: Cold War Assault, ArmA: Armed Assault and ArmA 2.
ArmA: Cold War Assault
T-72 | |
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Faction | ![]() ![]() |
Type | Medium Tank |
Seats | 3 seats:
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Item capacity | Max:
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Top speed | ~ 59 km/h |
Fuel capacity | 700 fuel units |
Primary armament | Main:
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Secondary armament | Coaxial:
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Variants | None |
Games |
The T-72 is a Medium Tank used by Soviet military forces and in limited numbers with the Nogovan Partisans in ArmA: Cold War Assault.
Overview
- Role:
- Direct fire and manoeuvre
« | T72 with its low profile is closely related to the T-64, which is produced solely for USSR armed forces. This tank includes several capabilities including fitment of additional armor or dozer blade for obstacle clearance and preparation of firing positions. It is powered by a V-12 multi-fuel engine that is capable of running on diesel, benzene or kerosene. For extension of operational range, the T72 can carry two 200 liter external fuel drums which can be tactically jettisoned if required. Vehicle Description
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Design
A cheaper version of its contemporary counterpart, the T-64, the T-72 was one of the most advanced Medium Tanks to have been designed for use by the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies.
Since its introduction to service in 1971, it has and continues to be the standard armoured fighting vehicle of many armies across the world.
Armament
It is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon and has a coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun for use against infantry.
The T-72's standard loadout gives it 35 rounds of high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and armour-piercing (AP) shells for the main gun (for a combined total of 70 shells). The coaxial 7.62 mm MMG on the other hand, feeds from a single 500-round belt box and has no spares to reload from.
Features
In all aspects, the T-72 is far superior to its medium American counterpart. Unlike the M60, the shells fired by the T-72's 120 mm cannon hit harder, and have more range and accuracy, as they are actually roughly equal to firepower of an M1A1 or T-80, while the M60 has sensibly weaker firepower, equal only to the T-55.

A platoon of Soviet T-72s engaging Partisan T-55s.
It also has a greater top speed and slightly better armour plating that offers better resistance against tank cannon shells when compared to its American counterpart.
However, in the case of survivability against non-heavy anti-tank weapons, it is surprisingly equal to the M60 and can resist up to two direct hits from rounds fired by an M72 LAW or the RPG-75NH.
Mobility
When it comes to turning rate and handling, the T-72 is slightly superior to T-80 and just barely better than the M1A1. However, in terms of speed and acceleration, the T-72 is inferior to both tanks in spite of the fact that it is overall lighter and less well-armoured.
Notable Traits
Its main advantage is that loadout-wise, it is (at least for the main gun) completely identical to the M1A1 and shares the same firepower output, but lacks a coaxial HMG and uses a 7.62 mm MMG instead.
Crew Capacity
The T-72 has a crew capacity of three, which consists of the driver, a gunner, and the commander.
Camouflage
- Olive: Standard olive paint scheme. Exclusive to Soviet T-72s.
- Guerrilla: Olive drab paint scheme but customised with guerilla markings and green stripes. Exclusive to FIA guerillas.
Protection
The T-72 has 400 points worth of armour plating.
Armament
NOTE: For specifics on the Cannon 120 mm's munitions, see its related section listed here.
All weapon systems are controlled by the gunner position. Their optics can switch between two fields of view:
Cannon 120 mm

120 mm smoothbore gun. Can load either HE or AP-type munitions.
It can achieve a fire rate of 7.5 rounds per minute and accuracy-wise, has a fixed dispersion of 0.002 rad regardless of range. There is no delay for swapping between munition types.
MG 7.62 mm

Base damage value | Initial velocity (m/s) |
---|---|
8 | 1,000 |
Coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun. It is mounted adjacent to the main cannon.
It can attain a fire rate of up to 600 RPM and has a muzzle velocity of 1,000 m/s. Accuracy-wise, it always has a fixed dispersion of 0.0007 rad regardless of distance.
Trivia
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Gallery
ArmA: Armed Assault
T-72 | |
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Faction | ![]() ![]() |
Type | Main Battle Tank |
Seats | 3 seats:
|
Item capacity | Max:
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Top speed | ~ 55 km/h |
Fuel capacity | 1000 fuel units |
Primary armament | Main:
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Secondary armament | Secondary:
Coaxial:
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Variants | None |
Games |
The T-72 is a Main Battle Tank used by the SLA in ArmA: Armed Assault.
It is also utilised in limited numbers with RACS military forces. They were given access to the T-72 following the release of the Queen's Gambit expansion pack.
Overview
- Role:
- Direct fire and manoeuvre
« | The T-72, introduced in the early 1970s, is not an evolution of the T-64, but rather a parallel development, simpler to produce and maintain. While the T-64 was provided only to forward-deployed Soviet units, the T-72 was deployed within the USSR and exported to non-Soviet Warsaw Pact armies and numerous other countries. Library Description
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Design
Returning from Cold War Assault, the T-72 remains mostly the same but is now classified as a Main Battle Tank.
Its ammunition loadout has been slightly adjusted and the commander now has access to a remotely-operated heavy machine gun.
Armament
It is now armed with a 125 mm cannon as well as a turret-mounted DShKM heavy machine gun. A coaxial 7.62 mm MMG is once again also available to the gunner for use against infantry and other light targets.
The main gun has access to 23 rounds of armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) and 22 high-explosive (HE) shells. The coaxial MMG feeds from a single 2,000 round linked belt and has no spare belts to reload with.
Lastly, the commander's HMG feeds from a pre-loaded 50-round belt box and has access to a further three boxes (for a combined total of 200 rounds).

RACS-operated T-72.
Features
The T-72 serves as the mainstay of the SLA's armoured divisions and mechanised RACS battalions. Though no longer considered to be state-of-the-art as it was at the height of the Cold War, the T-72 remains as a rugged and reliable vehicle to spearhead ground assaults.
Drawbacks
Lacking the heavy armour of the M1A1, the T-72 is completely inferior to its American counterpart in every way. While their main guns are comparable in terms of range and accuracy, the T-72 is still largely outclassed when it comes to both mobility and speed.
Crew Capacity
The T-72 supports a crew of three that consists of the driver, a gunner, and the commander. It is unable to transport any additional crewmen or passengers.
Camouflage
- Desert: Desert tan paint scheme with green camouflage blobs. Used exclusively on post-war RACS T-72s.
- Olive: Flat olive paint scheme. Only applied onto the SLA's T-72s.
Protection
The T-72 has a base armour value of 690.
Hull
The T-72's hull can withstand up to 690 points of damage.
Engine
Its engine can only survive 241.5 points of damage before failing.
Treads
Both tracks can incur only 103.5 points of damage before breaking.
Turret
The T-72's turret is able to take up to 690 points of damage.
Gun barrel
The turret's main gun can withstand just 207 points of damage before failing.
Armament
NOTE: For specifics on the D-81's munitions, see its related section listed here.
The D-81 and PKT are controlled by the gunner position, while the commander handles the DShKM instead:
D-81

125 mm smoothbore gun. Can load either HE or AP-type munitions.
It can achieve a fire rate of ~ 8 RPM and has an effective firing range of 2,500 metres. It takes 8 seconds to swap between munition types. The optics provide three alternate fields of view.
PKT

Base damage value | Initial velocity (m/s) |
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12 | 900 |
Coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. Effective against infantry and unarmoured ground vehicles at ranges of up to 600 metres away.
It can attain a fire rate of up to 800 RPM and has a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s. Accuracy-wise, it always has a fixed dispersion of 0.003 rad regardless of distance. It takes 7 seconds to reload a fresh linked belt (assuming the T-72 has run out and is rearming at a logistical vehicle).
Optics for the PKT are identical to those used by the D-81.
DShKM

Base damage value | Initial velocity (m/s) |
---|---|
28 | 850 |
12.7 mm heavy machine gun. Useful against infantry, unarmoured/lightly-armoured ground vehicles as well as low-flying helicopters at distances of up to 1,200 metres.
It has a fire rate of 600 RPM, a muzzle velocity of 850 m/s, and takes a total of 10 seconds to reload a fresh belt box. Accuracy-wise, it has a fixed dispersion of 0.002 rad regardless of range.
For optics, the commander can switch between three fields of view.
Trivia
- The T-72 was not initially available to RACS forces on Armed Assault's release. The faction was only given access to T-72s following the release of the Queen's Gambit expansion pack.
Gallery
ArmA 2
T-72 | |
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Faction | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Type | Main Battle Tank |
Seats | 3 seats:
|
Item capacity | Max:
|
Top speed | ~ 55 km/h |
Fuel capacity | 1000 fuel units |
Primary armament | Main:
|
Secondary armament | Secondary:
Coaxial:
Defensive:
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Variants | None |
Games |
The T-72 is used by several OPFOR, BLUFOR and Independent factions in ArmA 2.
Overview
- Role:
- Direct fire and manoeuvre
« | The T-72, introduced in the early 1970s, is not an evolution of the T-64, but rather a parallel development, simpler to produce and maintain. While the T-64 was provided only to forward-deployed Soviet units, the T-72 was deployed within the USSR and exported to non-Soviet Warsaw Pact armies and numerous other countries. Armoury Description
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Design
The T-72 in ArmA 2 mostly remains the same as its Armed Assault model, with the only difference being that it has slightly increased armour plating.
Armament
It retains the 7.62 mm coaxial MMG, 125 mm cannon, along with a turret-mounted DShKM HMG. The main gun still has access to only 23 rounds of APFSDS and 22 rounds of HE shells.
The coaxial MMG on the other hand feeds from a single 2,000-round linked belt, while the HMG is pre-loaded with a single 150-round belt box along with three more spare boxes.
Drawbacks
Relatively outdated by modern standards, it lacks the tough armour of its latest American counterpart, nor can it fire gun-launched anti-tank missiles like its modern Russian incarnation. It is also fairly slow and cannot accelerate as quickly.
Likewise, the T-72 is not fitted with contemporary electronics or fire control systems. It lacks a laser rangefinder, and is unable to toggle thermal or night vision modes like its Czech counterpart, which makes it mostly useless when there is poor visibility.
Overall, this means that the T-72 is mostly outmatched by all of its heavier counterparts, as all these drawbacks mean that it isn't much better than the T-55 (which is even older than the T-72).
Crew Capacity
It has a maximum capacity of three crewmen which consists of the driver, a gunner, and the commander. It is unable to transport any passengers.
Camouflage
- Woodland: Olive green paint scheme with dark brown camouflage blobs. Only used on CDF-operated T-72s.
- Insurgent: Olive green paint scheme with spraypainted stroke patterns and a red cross stripe. Used by ChDKZ-operated T-72s.
- Olive: Flat olive green paint scheme. Used on NAPA T-72s.
- Desert: Standard two-tone desert tan/olive green camouflage scheme. Used by T-72s operated by the Takistani Army.
- Nakidka: Olive green paint scheme with black/tan camouflage blobs. Exclusively used on Russian T-72s.
Protection
The T-72 has a base armour value of 690.
Successful strikes to any of the following highlighted sections will inflict full damage to the component:
Hull
The hull can take 586.5 points of damage.
Engine
The engine can resist 241.5 points of damage before failing. A damaged engine will prevent the T-72 from attaining its top speed.
Treads
Both tracks can only survive 103.5 points of damage. Only 30% of damage is transferred onto the T-72's "health" pool.
Turret
The turret can incur up to 690 points of damage.
Armament
NOTE: For specifics on the D-81's munitions, see its related section listed here.
The D-81 and PKT are controlled by the gunner position, while the commander handles the DShKM instead:
D-81

125 mm smoothbore gun. Can load either HE or AP-type munitions.
It can achieve a fire rate of 10 RPM and has an effective firing range of 2,500 metres. It only requires 2 seconds to switch between munition types.
The gunner's optics only provide two fields of view but can toggle either day or night vision modes. Beginning at 600 m, manual zeroing is available up to a maximum distance of 3000 m (rising in 200 m increments).
PKT

Base damage value | Aerodynamic friction | Initial velocity (m/s) |
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12 | -0.00096 | 900 |
Coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. Effective against infantry and unarmoured ground vehicles at ranges of up to 800 metres away.
It can attain a fire rate of up to 800 RPM and has a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s. Accuracy-wise, it always has a fixed dispersion of 0.00125 rad regardless of distance. It takes 5 seconds to reload a fresh linked belt (assuming the T-72 has run out and is rearming at a logistical vehicle).
Optics and zeroing ranges for the PKT are identical to those used by the D-81.
DShKM

Base damage value | Aerodynamic friction | Initial velocity (m/s) |
---|---|---|
28 | -0.0006 | 850 |
12.7 mm heavy machine gun. Useful against infantry, unarmoured/lightly-armoured ground vehicles as well as low-flying helicopters at distances of up to 1,200 metres.
It has a fire rate of 600 RPM, a muzzle velocity of 850 m/s, and takes 6 seconds to reload a new belt box. Accuracy-wise, it has a fixed dispersion of 0.0015 rad regardless of range.
For optics, the commander only has access to a single field of view with a fixed zoom but can also toggle between day or night vision modes.
Trivia
- The T-72 is one of the most ubiquitous vehicles in ArmA 2 with almost every faction using it as either their primary MBT or in the case of the Russian Armed Forces, as an alternate counterpart to the heavier T-90.
- Strangely, rusted wrecks of the T-72 placeable in the editor make an appearance in ArmA 3 despite the fact that none of the factions make use of the T-72 (the tank itself is not featured as a usable vehicle in ArmA 3's base content outside of third party-developed Creator DLCs).
Gallery
External links
See also
Vehicles of comparable role and configuration
- T-80 (Heavy Soviet counterpart, ArmA: CWA only)
- M60A3 Patton (Medium U.S. counterpart, ArmA: CWA only)
- T-55 (Outdated Takistani Army counterpart, ArmA 2: OA only)
- T-90 (Alternate Russian Armed Forces counterpart, ArmA 2 only)
- T-72M4 CZ (ACR counterpart, ArmA 2: ACR only)
Vehicles of ArmA: Cold War Assault | |
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Wheeled | Bike • BRDM • Bus • HMMWV • Motorcycle • PV3S • Jeep • SCUD • Skoda • Small car • Sports car • Trabant • Tractor • Truck 5T • UAZ • Ural |
Tracked | BMP-1 • BMP-2 • M1A1 • M113 (Vulcan) • M60A3 • M2A2 Bradley • Shilka • T-55 • T-72 • T-80 |
Rotor-wing | AH-1 Cobra • AH-64 • CH-47D • Ka-50 • Mi-17 • Mi-24 • OH-58 • UH-60 |
Fixed-wing | A-10 • Plane • Sopwith F.1 Camel • Su-25 |
Aquatic | Boat • LST • Mark II PBR |
(Parenthesis) denote variants. |
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Wheeled | BRDM • SCUD* • UAZ • Ural |
Tracked | BMP-1 • BMP-2 • Shilka • T-72 • T-80 |
Rotor-wing | Ka-50 • Mi-17 • Mi-24 |
Fixed-wing | Sopwith F.1 Camel v2 • Su-25 |
Aquatic | Boat |
* not actually usable outside of cutscenes. |
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Wheeled | Bus* • Jeep • Motorcycle • PV3S • UAZ* |
Tracked | BMP-1* • T-55* • T-72* • T-80* |
* used by the Nogovan Partisans in the Resistance campaign |
Vehicles of ArmA: Armed Assault | |
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Wheeled | 5T Truck • Army 4x4 • Bus • BRDM-2 • Car • Hatchback • HMMWV (Civil) • Offroad (Hilux) • M1030 (TT650, TT650G) • Pick-Up (Datsun) • Sedan • Stryker • Tractor • UAZ • Ural |
Tracked | BMP-2 • M1A1 • M113 • Shilka • T-72 |
Rotor-wing | AH-6 • AH-1Z • KA-50 • MH-6 • Mi17 • UH-60 |
Fixed-wing | A-10 • AV-8B • Camel • DC-3 • Su-34 |
Aquatic | CRRC • RHIB • PBX Boat |
(Parenthesis) denote variants. Queen's Gambit |
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Wheeled | BRDM-2 • TT650G • UAZ • Ural |
Tracked | BMP-2 • Shilka • T-72 |
Rotor-wing | KA-50 • Mi17 |
Fixed-wing | Camel • Su-34 |
Aquatic | PBX Boat |
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Wheeled | Army 4x4 |
Tracked | M113 • T-72 |
Rotor-wing | AH-6 • MH-6 • UH-60 |
Aquatic | CRRC |
Queen's Gambit |
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Wheeled | BTR-90 • BM-21 Grad • Kamaz • Vodnik • UAZ-469 |
Tracked | 2S6M Tunguska • BMP-3 • T-72 • T-90 |
Rotor-wing | Ka-52 • Mi-8MTV-3 (Mi-8MT) • Mi-24P |
Fixed-wing | Pchela-1T • Su-39 • Su-34 |
Aquatic | PBX |
(Parenthesis) denote variants. |
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Wheeled | 9P117 SCUD-B • BM-21 Grad • BTR-60 • BRDM-2 • Military Offroad • Motorcycle • SUV • UAZ-469 • Ural • V3S |
Tracked | BMP-2 • BVP-1 • M113 • T-34 • T-55 • T-72 • ZSU-23-4 |
Rotor-wing | Mi-8 • Mi-24D • UH-1H |
Fixed-wing | An-2 • L-39ZA • Su-25 |
Operation Arrowhead | Army of the Czech Republic |
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Wheeled | BM-21 Grad • BRDM-2 • Motorcycle • Offroad • Pickup • UAZ-469 • Ural |
Tracked | BMP-2 • T-72 • ZSU-23-4 |
Rotor-wing | Mi-8MT |
Fixed-wing | Su-25 |
(Parenthesis) denote variants. |
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Wheeled | BRDM-2 • BM-21 Grad • Motorcycle • UAZ-469 • Ural |
Tracked | BMP-2 • T-72 • ZSU-23-4 |
Rotor-wing | Mi-17 (Mi-17-IVA) • Mi-24D |
Fixed-wing | Pchela-1T • Su-25 |
(Parenthesis) denote variants. |
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Wheeled | BRDM-2 • Offroad • Motorcycle • Pickup • Ural* • V3S |
Tracked | BMP-2 • T-34 • T-72 |
* only the ZU-23 variant is specifically used by NAPA. |