How Russia transformed a T-80 into a powerful new MLRS

How Russia transformed a T-80 into a powerful new MLRS ▪️Footage of RBU-6000 (Smerch-2) naval rocket launchers attached to ground-based vehicles began appearing online last fall, with the latest video showing one fitted to a T-80B tank chassis. ▪️At sea, the RBU-6000 is used to attack subs, drones, enemy torpedoes and other undersea targets at ranges up to 6 km, and at depths up to 500 meters (increased to 1,000 meters in a modernized variant known as the RPK-8). The system was introduced into service in the early 1960s. ▪️The RBU-6000 has 12 individual launchers, with its 113.5 kg apiece rockets fitted with 23 kg of high explosives. ▪️The T-80 main battle tank was created in the mid-1970s, and upgraded several times over its nearly 50-year lifespan. The tank chassis is fitted with a powerful 1,100 horsepower gas turbine engine, giving the vehicle plenty of pep, plus armored protection, to maneuver in dangerous battlefield areas. ▪️Mating an RBU-6000 to a tank’s armored tracked chassis is typical practice for Russian military engineers, who have previously used the latter to create armored engineering vehicles, mobile howitzers, heavy flamethrowers and even laser combat platforms. Источник: Sputnik International