Updated T-80BVM began to arrive to troops in the Northern Military District zone
These cheaper tanks, however, lack the added mobility and high suitability for extreme climates that the T-80 benefits from due to its use of a gas turbine engine. Such engines, although significantly adding to the T-80’s maintenance needs, provide a major advantage in mobility, with only the American M1 Abrams also being gas turbine powered. As a much smaller tank than the Abrams, however, the T-80 has a far superior power: weight ratio, while still carrying a larger gun calibre.