Canadian tank crew members believe that the Soviet T-72 main battle tank is the best combat vehicle, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported citing a Canadian tank expert.
The expert, who shared his memories at a specialised CanadianGunNutz forum, considers the T-72 'tougher' than Germany's Leopards which allowed it to "give a good whack" to NATO.
The expert noted the advantages of the T-72 over the Leopard including the absence of the need for the frequent replacement of rubberised rollers (due to damage to the rubber coating), a headset with a laryngophone, which is not interfered with by wind noise, the engine exhaust smoke system of a Soviet tank that allows spraying diesel fuel onto a hot manifold, and the ability to quickly start after annual downtime, including in a water-filled state.
Earlier this week, the German newspaper Die Welt reported that Russia's cutting-edge T-14 Armata battle tank with its 125 mm calibre cannon eclipses the German Leopard-2 in a number of its characteristics.