Kuwait reportedly transferred more than 150 M-84AB tanks (modified licensed T-72 of Yugoslav production) to Croatia for repair and subsequent transfer to Ukraine.
Roughly 150 M-84ABs of an original 215 ordered (170 M-84ABs, 15 M-84ABI ARVs and 15 command M-84ABK) were sold to Kuwait by the end of 1991 for $500 million.
The Đuro Đaković (Djuro Djaković) holding, which during Yugoslav times produced licensed copies of Soviet tanks, will modernize M-84AB tanks before sending them to Ukraine. The transfer of tanks to Croatia has already begun; the first six M-84ABs have already been delivered to the country, and trailers with tanks were spotted moving towards Croatia on January 25 in Barje, Slovenia.
Tank M-84 is based on the Russian tank T-72, and it distinguishes with the largest applicable gun calibre with ammunition, automatic gun loading, small mass, low silhouette and good condition
Croatia also transferred to Ukraine two An-32B transport aircraft that had already flown to Ukraine.
The Croatian Air Force purchased the aircraft in 1995 but has been in storage at Pleso Airport in Zagreb since 2014.
About M-84AB Tanks
Yugoslavia was another country to licence build the Russian T-72. After the Yugoslavian Government secured the license, the prototypes were developed in 1982 for field testing, and production began sometime in 1983. The first production vehicles were completed in 1984, hence the 84 in its designation. The principal improvements over the T-72 were improved composite armour, a locally manufactured fire control system and a 12-cylinder water-cooled V46-6 diesel engine generating 780hp.
The vehicle was designated the M-84AB. The vehicle used the SUV-M-84 computerized fire control system – DNNS-2 gunner’s stabilised day/night sight, commanders’ DNKS-2 day/night periscope, and laser range finder.
Standard equipment on the M-84 is a 2A46 125 mm smoothbore cannon, which is connected to an autoloader (reducing the crew to three; the commander sits on the right side of the turret, the gunner on the left, and the driver centrally at the front of the vehicle) centrally located in the turret. It can reload at a rate of 8 rounds per minute. The vehicle stores 40 rounds in the hull (this has changed with some future upgrades) and has a 7.62 mm M86 coaxial MG and one 12.7 mm M87 anti-aircraft MG mounted on the commander’s cupola. Twelve smoke grenade launchers are positioned in front of the turret in banks of five and seven grenades.
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