In spite of shortages of MBTs at the front in Ukraine, the Russians reportedly have around 1,000 T-72s sitting in a long-term storage depot. While they continue to rust, the Russians have been refurbishing T-55 and T-62 tanks are sending them into battle. Why are the Russians prioritizing older models for refurbishment? It could be the T-72's auto-loader. Having sat outdoors for decades, they might be beyond repair- or it's cost-prohibitive to fix or replace them.
So are the Russians just going to sit on 1,000 MBTs? Recent reports point to a new heavy APC design based on the T-72 chassis.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news...n-testing-area
In most T2k timelines, there's either no "Peace Dividend" draw-down, or it's greatly reduced in scope and scale. So, more T-72 would be kept in working condition. But still, as the war grinds on, it would be harder to repair or replace auto-loading equipment. In that case, it makes good sense to convert operational T-72 chasses into heavy APCs.
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