Tank origin

Faced with the production problems and high cost of the complex T-64 tank, the Soviet Union initiated the Object 172 project to develop a new main battle tank that would retain the T-64’s best features, including its light weight, 125mm cannon, and use of an autoloader to reduce crew size. The result, the T-72, was considered an effective "wartime production" version of the T-64. It became the most-used tank throughout the Warsaw Pact from the 1970s to the 1990s.