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Cate's Research-Investigation Bureau

CRIB is an independent passion project led by 1 person interested in Russian military equipment. This blog focuses on Russian military vehicle news, historical events and development. Any coinciding information or the author's perspective on reality is purely random.

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HGM Panzergarten

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- January 11, 2025

During the summer of 2023, I returned to the HGM and the tank museum for the 7th time. Usually, I try to photograph vehicles that are maintained and preserved in a building. This time around, my colleague and I went to see the vehicles stored behind the main building of the HGM, which is known as the Panzergarten. Due to the vehicles not being the main attraction, the exterior is in a relatively poor state. Back in 2023, the vehicles stored there were; M24 Chaffee, Centurion MK.3, Centurion ARV, Centurion bridge laying vehicle and a Charioteer. As of early 2024, the Charioteer and 2 M24 Chaffees were moved to the front of the Tankhall. Below are some of the images from the Panzergarten. To see images in the highest quality you can open them in a new tab or click on them.

Kurganmash BMP-2 bought by Austria for IFV evaluation

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- November 08, 2024

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"AGAVA" - "AGAVA-2" and its confusing history

- December 28, 2020

When covering Soviet sight technology there are always some interesting designs and approaches to solving an issue. It is a common fact that the Soviet Union in the 1980s-1990s was quite behind in thermal sight technology. Only in the 1990s, but to be specific in 1992, the Soviet Union now Russia started to field small batches of thermal sights on their tanks, primarily T-80Us and some of the early T-90 variants, which just recently entered service. Russia's journey through creating its own domestic thermal sight traces back to 1982. The 1980s were quite an important time for the 'Krasnogorsk Factory named after S.A Zverev', which is still to date an Optical Engineering and Optoelectronics factory. The factory is primarily known for making domestic Soviet cameras back in the day. However, that's not the only thing that the factory has produced back then. Close to the mid-1980s, the facility was contracted to develop new thermal sight technology for the Soviet Ministry...

HGM Panzergarten

- January 11, 2025

During the summer of 2023, I returned to the HGM and the tank museum for the 7th time. Usually, I try to photograph vehicles that are maintained and preserved in a building. This time around, my colleague and I went to see the vehicles stored behind the main building of the HGM, which is known as the Panzergarten. Due to the vehicles not being the main attraction, the exterior is in a relatively poor state. Back in 2023, the vehicles stored there were; M24 Chaffee, Centurion MK.3, Centurion ARV, Centurion bridge laying vehicle and a Charioteer. As of early 2024, the Charioteer and 2 M24 Chaffees were moved to the front of the Tankhall. Below are some of the images from the Panzergarten. To see images in the highest quality you can open them in a new tab or click on them.

GTD-1000 - GTD-1000TF - GTD-1250 Gas Turbine Engines

- December 05, 2020

The world's first mass-produced tank gas turbine engine GTD-1000T was created at the Klimov Plant in 1968 for the T-80 main battle tank developed By the special tank design Bureau of the Kirov plant (now JSC "Spetsmash"), which was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1976. Since 1980, a modification of the GTD‑1000TF for T-80B/BV tanks was produced, since 1986 a modification of the GTD-1250 for T-80U tanks. GTD-1250 Engines of the GTD-1250 family as part of the power plants of T-80 tanks are in service with the armies of Russia, Belarus, Cyprus, South Korea, Kazakhstan. Turbine engine GTD-1000T/GTD-1250, which have a large volume-weight capacity and a more favourable traction characteristic compared to diesel engines, provide T-80 tanks with interesting characteristics: - higher operational readiness - easy start-up at low temperatures (up to -40°C) - better cross-country ability on soils with a low load-bearing capacity - best noise and heat-masking qualities - increased ...

A new sight for the modernized T-90

- April 21, 2021

Back in 2018, a new programme was started. This programme's focus is to create domestic equipment for Russian armoured vehicles, specifically optics. This is so that the Russian army can stop depending on the french company "Thales" and their Catherine technology. T-72B3 received new internal components for the Sosna-U sight, phasing out any foreign components. As for the T-90M/T-90MS, something else was done. Previously, the T-90M/T-90MS employed the Sosna-U sight, which featured french components from Thales. However, the internals of the sight was not simply replaced. This time, a completely new domestic sight was created under the name PNM-T. The sight was reportedly made by the PJSC ANPP TEMP-AVIA in 2018 or 2019. The first appearance was in the Telekanal Zvezda show, during the episode about the Proryv-3 (T-90M). In this episode, a new plaque can be seen with the name of the sight. Its first public physical appearance, however, was at the Army-2019 event. The doo...

T-80 MBT engine air filtration and dust prevention systems - Part 2

- May 17, 2023

This article does not specifically cover individual filtration units but is a collection of features across several T-80 engine variants. Since 1976, almost all T-80 variants came standard with gas turbine engines. Early T-80 variants utilized the GTD-1000T, the T-80B and its subsequent variants fielded the GTD-1000TF and the later production models of the T-80U used the GTD-1250. With each iteration, the HP (kW) increased to 1000 HP (745kW), 1100HP (820kW) and 1250HP (919kW). The T-80 uses a monoblock-style engine d eveloped in the 1970s by VNIITransmash "Предприятие п.я. А-7701" , which means the engine block is mounted together with the air filtration system and other vital components. The air filtration unit is made of several parts assembled into a monoblock. The air filtration unit consists of 2 cyclone batteries, 2 oil cooling radiators and 2 cooling ventilators. The 2 batteries contain cyclone filters. There are 14 cyclone filters arranged in a 2x7 pattern on each b...

T-90A - a short history of sights

- November 16, 2020

In 2004, the T-90A (Object 188A1) tank joined the Russian armed forces. It included many fire control system upgrades, a new welded turret, and improved mobility. The T-90A Obr. 2004 tank was fitted with a T01-K05 Buran-M Obr. 2004 3rd generation night vision sight, which improved over the previous T01-K01 Buran-PA sight from the T-90 Obr. 1992. --Picture of T-90A with Buran-M Obr. 2004-- In 2005, the tank received an upgrade for the sight, which became T01-K05 Buran-M Obr. 2005, with noticeable differences in the sight's housing. --Picture of T-90A with Buran-M Obr. 2005-- --Picture of T-90A diagram with Buran-M Obr. 2005-- --Picture of two T-90As, one with Obr. 2004 and one with Obr. 2005 Buran-M sights-- Above: T-90A with Buran-M Obr. 2004 sight, and behind it, T-90A with Buran-M Obr. 2005 sight. In 2006, the T-90A had to be brought to more modern standards, so the production of this model with new second-generation thermal imaging sight began. The sight was named ESSA, wh...

T-80 aerodynamic features - Part 1

- May 16, 2023

This article is the first part of a set of articles covering the engineering and methodology used to create the T-80s filtration system alongside aerodynamics to reduce airflow dust/sand contamination. The T-80 MBT has been fielded in many climate regions. Desert climates pose a variety of variables that directly impact dust presence in the engine air filtration system. Variables include wind speed and direction, vehicle speed, depth and soil composition, air intake system design, and contours of the hull and turret. Historical background: Long-term trials were conducted in the southern Kara-Kum desert. It was determined that during 1970-1983, the quantity of dust present in the engine filtration system increased due to climate changes and weaker upper soil layers. During the 1970s to 1980s, the Turkmen Canal underwent Soviet industrialization to build an irrigation canal and other facilities. This build-up of new infras...

T-54/T-55 with GTD-3T gas turbine engine

- October 12, 2022

In the early 1960s, an R&D program was launched to create a promising next-generation tank. T-54 and T-55 tanks served as the basis for various running models, designed to test new components and systems. The GTD-3T gas turbine engine and its supporting systems, the hydromechanical transmission, the placement of the driver in the turret, automated control drives, as well as the chassis of new experimental tanks were tested on these models. T-54 with GTD-3T Between 1960-1961 Factory No.174 (Zavod No.174) and VNII-100 created a mobility trial mockup using a T-54 and fitted it with a GTD-3T gas turbine engine which unregulated produced 515kW (700 hp), during the installation process the turbine engine's performance was reduced to 318kW (432 hp). Compared to the baseline T-54, the new variant mainly had its engine-transmission bay changed. The GTD-3T displaced more inner volume compared to the standard V-54 diesel engine. Larger volume displacement meant that the engine was 140 mm...

New Omsktransmash T-80BVM modernization batch

- February 09, 2023

Omsktransmash has released footage showcasing the production of T-80BVM tanks. A T-80BVM was shown in its full combat loadout. Several interesting integrations can be identified. This T-80BVM is equipped with up-armoured mudguards, which are present on T-90M tanks and new T-72B3M batches. Previously, T-72B3 tanks have received additional ERA containers mounted on the side of the hull, this feature has been carried over onto T-80BVM tanks. This T-80BVM also mounts the same protective netting which is present on T-90M MBTs. In the same video, a very interesting observation can be made. Standard T-80BV turrets are retaining the old 1G42 housing while featuring a Sosna-U cover. This is very odd, considering that during the production of T-80BVMs the old housing is removed and welded shut and replaced with an auxiliary TV-based sight located next to Sosna-U. The old DVE-BS cross-wind sensor mast has been replaced with a new welded housing. The original placement ...

Object 490 "Тополь" - "Poplar"

- December 22, 2020

The project of a promising tank developed in the 1980s by E.A. Morozov. Object 490 "Тополь" - "Poplar" mockup The design had some primary characteristics which are worth mentioning. A crew consisting of two people - the gunner commander and the driver. Reducing the crew to two and placing them in a compact, well-protected capsule. The use of a hydropneumatic suspension. In addition to solving the main task - increasing average speeds by improving the smoothness characteristic, it makes it possible to control the tank's clearance, which increases the manoeuvrability and survivability in battle. In addition, the controlled hydropneumatic suspension by changing the trim of the machine allows you to increase the gun pointing angles in the vertical plane. Reducing the crew to two people and placing them in a compact, well-protected capsule with the ...