The M-84AS1 and M-84AS2 are substantially modernized versions of the

M-84 The M-84 is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav main battle tank based on the Soviet T-72. It is still in service with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Kuwait. Development and production Development The ...

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...

Military Technical Institute Military Technical Institute (; abbr. ) is a Serbian weapons and aircraft design institute, headquartered in Belgrade, and governed by the Ministry of Defence (Serbia), Serbian Ministry of Defence. It is a top-level military scientific research ...

and produced by Technical Overhauling Institute "Čačak" in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. The first version designated as M-84AS1 was presented in 2017. Later revisions feature numerous improvements and were presented in 2020 and 2021. Latest revisions of the AS1 and AS2 incorporate newly domestically developed modular

explosive reactive armour Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour used in protecting vehicles, especially modern tanks, against shaped charges and hardened kinetic energy penetrators. The most common type is ''explosive reactive armour'' (ERA), but variants include ...

, a modern battlefield management and fire-control system, a

remote controlled weapon station A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), remotely operated weapon system (ROWS), or remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated light or medium-caliber weapon system, often equipped with a fire-control system, that can be installed on a ...

and other updates. A total of 21 subsystems are updated with modern solutions. AS1 and AS2 are developed in parallel and differ in the number of implemented subsystems and some specific turret modification regarding RCWS, the commander hatch and equipment implementation. AS2 is probably going to be used as a platoon commander tank as soon as mass modernization begins.

Design and development

History

The imperative for modernization of Serbia's aging

fleet presented the

Military Technical Institute Belgrade Military Technical Institute (; abbr. ) is a Serbian weapons and aircraft design institute, headquartered in Belgrade, and governed by the Ministry of Defence (Serbia), Serbian Ministry of Defence. It is a top-level military scientific research ...

and Serbian Defense Industry with numerous tasks and challenges. Serbia inherited some 212 M-84 from Yugoslavia of which most never experienced any kind of modernization since their adoption. Though a modernization program for the M-84 called M-84AB1 (later renamed to M-84AS) has been presented in 2004 by Serbia featuring several russian weapon systems, it has never seen mass adoption and only 10 M-84 were upgraded to this standard, probably due to the financial and political situation of Serbia at that time. Since then tank designs around the world saw a number of fundamental improvements like the incorporation of explosive reactive armour, updated subsystems and optics or even active protection systems. It became evident that even the M-84AS modernization was obsolete and a completely new modernization program was needed to bring the M-84 to a level where it could keep up in terms of effectiveness and protection.

M-84AS1 (2017)

The first version of M-84AS1 from 2017 had several changes and improvements compared to the M-84A and basic M-84 including original model of T-72. Domestic first-generation explosive reactive armour was applied (comparable to

Kontakt-5 Kontakt-5 is a type of second-generation explosive reactive armour (ERA) originating in the Soviet Union. Due to the shortcomings of Kontakt-1, NII Stali developed a new type of reactive armor, Kontakt-5, so that it also affects the penetration c ...

), covering a bigger area of the front turret and a sizeable portion of the front plate, providing better protection. A new fire-control system with domestic laser and radar warning systems was implemented along with a 12.7mm remotely controlled weapon station and a soft active protection suite. The back of the hull and turret is further fitted with cage armour while armour plates attached to the frontal hull remained. Although these changes were an improvement over the previous M-84, this design still had major flaws, especially when it comes to protection. It was criticized for the low reactive armor coverage, bad sensor placements and low situational awareness. The weaknesses of this initial version were recognized and further development of the modernization package commenced. The result was a revised M-84AS1 which was presented in 2020. File:M-84AS1_01.jpg File:M-84AS1 02.jpg

M-84AS1 (2020)

The M-84AS1 from 2020 corrected many of the flaws that were found on the previous version from 2017. The turret and hull are almost completely covered with domestic second-generation explosive reactive armour M19, providing increased protection from modern threats like

top-attack A top attack weapon is designed to attack armored vehicles from above, to take advantage of the fact that the armour is usually thinnest on the top of an armoured vehicle. The device may be delivered as a smart submunition or a primary munition b ...

tandem-charge A tandem-charge or dual-charge weapon is an explosive device or projectile that has two or more stages of detonation, assisting it to penetrate either reactive armour on an armoured vehicle or strong structures. Anti-tank Tandem charges are ef ...

missiles according to the designers. A total of nine new subsystems are integrated. Among them an improved fire-control system with an integrated day/night sight and new sensors. New forms of passive and Active protection system are developed. Protection against

Top attack A top attack weapon is designed to attack armored vehicles from above, to take advantage of the fact that the armour is usually thinnest on the top of an armoured vehicle. The device may be delivered as a smart submunition or a primary munition b ...

missiles like

FGM-148 Javelin The FGM-148 Javelin, or Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium (AAWS-M), is an American-made man-portable anti-tank system in service since 1996 and continuously upgraded. It replaced the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile in US service. Its fire-and-f ...

is increased by using better composition of modular

Explosive reactive armour Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour used in protecting vehicles, especially modern tanks, against shaped charges and hardened kinetic energy penetrators. The most common type is ''explosive reactive armour'' (ERA), but variants include ...

that protects top of turret and soft kill

Active protection system An active protection system (APS) is a system designed to actively prevent certain anti-tank weapons from destroying a vehicle. Countermeasures that either conceal the vehicle from or disrupt the guidance of an incoming guided missile threat are ...

that is using Smoke grenade with Infrared smokes to create Smoke screen in order to block missile guidance. Day/night, thermal cameras and commander scope with 6 low light cameras with other sensors increase

Situation awareness Situational awareness or situation awareness, often abbreviated as SA is the understanding of an environment, its elements, and how it changes with respect to time or other factors. It is also defined as the perception of the elements in the envi ...

of tank crew. Early warning sensors for detection of radar, laser designation and launching of rockets are coupled with automatic delivery of Smoke grenade towards threat to achieve protection. Second generation (comparable to third generation in other countries) of domestic

ERO-19 better than

and comparable with Relikt is developed to protect against newer tandem charge HEAT warheads. Additional slat armor for protection against rocket-propelled grenades is also present. Automatic fire extinguisher capable to react in milliseconds with modern UV sensors for fire detection is added to stop explosions in tank compartments. New type of RCWS with 12.7mm machine-gun is added so commander can operate safely inside turret. In total about 21 news subsystems are developed to increase survivability, mobility and precision of M-84AS1 and M-84AS2.

CBRN defense Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) or Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection (NBC protection) is a class of protective measures taken in situations where chemical warfare, chemical, biological warfar ...

is increased with new sensors and automation process. New tank gun 125mmNabavka novih „Lazara 3“ za Vojsku Srbije
/ref> with modern thermal sleeve will be produced in Borbeni složeni sistemi factory and new ammunitionMinistar Vulin: Domaća pamet u službi napretka naše Vojske
/ref> with better penetration and explosive characteristics including 125mm

Airburst round An airburst round is a type of tactical anti-personnel and anti-aircraft explosive ammunition, typically a shell or grenade, that detonates in midair, causing air burst effect fragment damage to enemy personnel or aircraft (notably comparably ...

.The APFSDS shell that is being issued to the tank is known to have 500mm of penetration at 2 kilometers range.

Production

Numerous companies will participate in production of many tank subsystems while Tehnički remontni zavod Čačak will be finalist for modernized tank under a guidance by

. Producers involved in production of M-84AS1 tank and subsystems are: *Technical Overhauling Institute "Čačak" - reactive and other armor, overhaul and modernization center and finalist for new tanks *ATB Sever - automatic loading system *

Sloboda A sloboda was a type of settlement in the history of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for 'freedom' and may be loosely translated as 'free settlement'.

- ammunition and smoke discharge units *

PPT Namenska PPT Namenska () is a Serbian manufacturer of arms, mortars, grenade launchers, unmanned ground vehicle, hydraulics and pneumatics, airplane parts and some complex weapons system including modernized M-77 Oganj, PASARS-16, and LRSVM Morava in va ...

- hydraulics, transmission parts and turret movement system *Teleoptik žiroskopi - optics, gyroscopes and gyroscopic devices and

Fire-control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a hum ...

with software, electronics and electronic elements of active protection system *Zastava kovačnica (part of

Zastava Arms Zastava Arms () is a Serbian manufacturer of firearms and artillery, based in Kragujevac, Serbia. In 1853, it was founded, and cast its first cannon. It is the leading producer of firearms in Serbia and is a large contributor to the local defense ...

) - tank tracks * 14. oktobar - finalist, modular tank engine manufacturer, engine and transmission parts, shell parts for ammunition *

Yugoimport SDPR Yugoimport–SDPR () is a Serbian state-owned weapons manufacturer as well as intermediary company for the import and export of defense-related equipment. It is headquartered in Belgrade, with production facilities in Velika Plana, Kuršumlija, ...

- 125mm gun and barrels, welded turrets, rcws, radio-logical-chemical subsystem, fire suppression subsystems *EI Opek - detection of cumulative charge breach for automatic fire extinguisher, tank ammunition fuses *Imtel komunikacije, Belgrade - UORZ -Radar warning and direction finding system - part of protection system *

- machine-guns 12.7mm and coaxial 7.62mm

Effectiveness

Many improvements that are adopted for M-84AS1 and M-84AS2 Serbian domestic modernization, gave better final results than some other current modernization programs developed for T-72. While basic armour of some

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...

versions is better than basic armour of

, additional newer and better placed modular

Explosive Reactive Armour Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour used in protecting vehicles, especially modern tanks, against shaped charges and hardened kinetic energy penetrators. The most common type is ''explosive reactive armour'' (ERA), but variants include ...

will provide better cover and protection and new systems will provide much better additional situation awareness with better gun and ammunition. The new tank variant will feature an improved engine over a regular T-72 (increased from 780 to 840 horsepower), that will give an overall edge in combat to M-84AS1 compared most other modernized

variants. In terms of protection, it is often considered even better than its Russian T-72B3 counterpart.

Operators

References

External links

Article on the M84-AB1, published in "Odbrana"

Article on M-84 published by UK parliament commons

Forecast international on tank engine

Canadian assessment of ordnance
{{DEFAULTSORT:M-84as Post–Cold War main battle tanks Main battle tanks of Serbia Tanks with autoloaders Military Technical Institute Belgrade