T70125

T70125
T70125-M1 (top) and T70125-MX (bottom)
Type	Main Battle Tank
Place of origin	Velikoslavia
Service history
In service	1970 - present
Used by	Velikoslavia
Production history
Designer	Vushok Design Committee
Designed	1962-1969
Manufacturer	Vushok Armor Plant
Produced	1970-1990
Specifications
Weight	43 tonnes
Length	9.0 m (barrel forward) 6.9 m (hull only)
Width	3.12 m
Height	2.50 m
Crew	3 (M1-MX) 2 (MX)
Armor	Cast turret 250 (300 on later variants) mm turret front 210 mm turret sides 90 mm turret rear 65 mm turret roof 130 mm at 60° hull front 90 mm hull upper sides 28 mm hull lower sides 69 mm at 0° hull rear 35 mm hull bottom 45 mm hull roof
Main armament	12.5 G01T L/55 smoothbore gun
Secondary armament	1 x 12.7mm EA15 10 x 76mm smoke grenade launchers
Engine	Pantra F14 4 stroke 12 cylinder 45 liter water cooled diesel engine 850 hp at 2500 RPM
Suspension	Torsion Bar
Operational range	650 km (with fuel drums)
Speed	60 km/h on-road 48 km/h off-road

The T70125 is a family of Velikoslavian main battle tanks that entered production in late 1969. Around 3,500 units were built as the intended replacement for older T60110 and T50100 units that made up the armored forces. Through refurbishment programs and modernizations, the vehicle has remained in service globally, though it was relegated to storage in 2001 when the T80125 fully replaced it within front line armored divisions. Vushok Armor Works has since offered an upgrade package to allow older vehicles to remain in service for longer and though it has left production, it is still capable of being ordered after it was cleared for Level 3 export clearance in 2002. The Elatian V-74 main battle tank is a subsequent development of the T70125.

Design characteristics

The T70125 shares many design characteristics with older Velikoslav tanks. Though being lighter than its Ostrozvan and Ludvosiyan counterparts caused it to be considered a weaker overall vehicle, though this was later considered an incorrect assertion. Velikoslav tanks were designed to fit into large, fast moving formations and travel great distances under their own power, whereas heavier vehicles such as the Bv.65 were employed differently. Though later variants had increased armored protection, the T70125 was always very much designed to fight fast moving conflicts over the large, less developed areas of the Velikoslav-Ludvosiyan border regions. The experiences of the Second Partisans' War also greatly influenced Velikoslav armor design from the T60110 onwards and the T70125 was no exception, with packages for heavy urban fighting introduced from day one.

Weight

The original T70125 variants had a lower weight when compared to other nations at only 45 tons. Bridges and roads in eastern Velikoslavia tended to be older with less weight capacity, thus it was deemed essential to have an armored vehicle that was capable of passing over them. This had the added bonus of creating a scenario in which heavier foreign vehicles would have difficulty using Velikoslav roadways, especially in the east. This decision proved controversial, and debates within the procurement committed resulted in two separate initial prototypes for the design. Rather than develop a new engine for the vehicle, the Pantra F12 4 stroke 12 cylinder 40 liter engine was bored out, creating a 43 liter block with a larger diameter turbocharger, resulting in an engine that made 820 horsepower. This would initially cause issues with cylinder wall cracking, resulting in the development of the Pantra F14, which would be employed on later variants.

The T70125 is designed to cross rivers up to 5 m (16.4 ft) deep submerged using a small diameter snorkel assembled onsite. If stalled out under water, the engine must be restarted in 10 seconds or the engine compartment will flood due to loss of pressure.

Variants

• Project 714P1 - Prototype that favored speed and mobility over heavier armor. Project 714 was later accepted as the primary production variant. The P1 variant was initially proposed with a 115mm gun, but this was rejected and the prototype was modified with the 125mm gun that had recently finished development.
• Project 715P1 - Prototype unit that focused on heavier armored protection and weighed eight tons more than the 714P1. Ultimately rejected by the Procurement Committee, though elements were included in production models and the design served as a basis for the later T82125, which ultimately became the T80125.
• T70125-M1 "Project 714 - Original variant based off the "Project 714" prototype that was accepted for production. It had a left mounted search light and a RFOS34 optical sight located in the turret. A high number of the F12V bored out diesel engines from this generation experienced block cracking, forcing production to pivot to later variants equipped with newer F14 engines only a year after production began.
  • T70125-CM1 - Command vehicle fitted with additional radio equipment. Only six of these were made before production switch to CM2 variants and all six were subsequently converted.
  • T70125-ARM1 - Armored recovery variant of the M1. Weighing several tons more than a base M1, the ARM1 variants experienced the most engine block failure from block cracking and all thirty were broken down by the time production pivoted to newer models. All were upgraded to ARM2 standard with the newer F14 engine.
  • T70125-M1E - Official designation for M1 variants that were converted with F14 engines in order to solve the block cracking issue. All fifty M1s were updated to M1E standard.
• T70125-M2 - Variant that entered production in 1971 with the new Pantra F14 diesel engine, which produced 850 horsepower and solved previous problems with the F12V. The M2 included some slight armor modifications and strengthening of the turret armor but little else.
  • T70125-ARM2 - Armored recovery unit designed to replace the ARM 1 in production, which suffered the same engine issues as all M1 based platforms.
  • T70125-CM2 - Command vehicle with F14 engine fitted and slight upgrades to radio equipment.
• T70125-M3 - First major upgrade introduced in 1975 that many older M2 variants were upgraded to. Included newer technology, such as a laser rangefinder replacing the optical rangefinder of older variants. Modifications to the armor increased survivability. The top and sides of the turret were heavily reinforced with composite armor and an improved 125mm G01TB was fitted. Armor around key areas was strengthened as well. A new electronic fire control system was fitted to increase combat capabilities of the unit. Mounts for explosive reactive armor provided a way to further increased the protection for the unit.
  • T70125-CM3 - Command variant of the M3 fitted with additional radio equipment.
  • T70125-M3E - Export variant of the M3 with M2 standard technology but retaining the armor improvements, with the exception of the extra explosive reactive armor.
• T70125-M4 - Introduced in 1981 to outfit units that were not slated to receive T80125 upgrades. Further improvements to the main gun in the form of the G01TBa and the addition of a new gunner's site allowed the vehicle to be able to fire ATGMs. Additional reinforcements to the armor and the application of ERA from the factory brought the T70125 up to standard.
  • T70125-CM4 - Command variant of the M4. All former CM2 and CM3 command variants were upgraded to the CM4 standard.
• T70125-M5 - Model introduced in 1992 in order to facilitate another decade of service for the T70125 platform. The same equipment from the upcoming T80125-M5 was installed on this vehicle so it could serve as a test bed for the FVJS81 fire control system. Included new technology such as nightvision and stronger armor. Weight saving aluminum was added in non-essential areas.
• T70125-M6 - Proposed upgrade introduced on the eve of the platform's retirement from service. It served as a test bed for new technologies such as a friend-foe identification system, damage management system, and revolver trustle autoloader. Only ten units were produced and briefly served with the 15th Armored Regiment. Greenlit for export customers the same year.
• T70125-MX - Comprehensive modernization package for export customers introduced in 2012. A more space conscientious autoloader system gives the crew a slight increase on available movement room inside the vehicle. A new triple layer armor scheme featuring rolled homogeneous steel, ceramics, and advanced composites along with a top layer of non-explosive reactive armor offers more protection. Modifications to the turret, including more armored angles and an increased height, provide more protection and movement room for the crew.
  • T70135-MX1 - MX model equipped with a 135mm gun. Served as a test bed for the H01T L/61 135mm gun and several artificial intelligence powered and virtual reality based systems.

Users

• Velikoslavia
  • Grand Armed Forces of Velikoslavia