View source for T-72 tanks in Iraqi service

{{Short description|Ba'athist-era Iraqi main battle tank}}
<noinclude>
</noinclude>{{Infobox weapon
| is_vehicle         = yes
| name               = Lion of Babylon
| image              = Vehicles at 1st Cavalry Division Museum 24.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = [[War trophy|A captured]] T-72 on display at the [[1st Cavalry Division (United States)|1st Cavalry Division]] Museum, 2018
| origin             = [[Ba'athist Iraq]]
| type               = [[Main battle tank]]
| wars               = {{tree list}}
*[[Gulf War]]
**[[Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait]]
*[[2003 invasion of Iraq]]
*[[War in Iraq (2013–2017)]]
{{tree list/end}}
| designer           = [[Uralvagonzavod|Kartsev–Venediktov]]
| production_date    = 1989–1990?
| number             = 500 Unit
| weight             = {{convert|41.5|t|short ton|lk=on}}
| length             = {{convert|9.53|m|ftin|abbr=on}} gun forward<br />{{convert|6.95|m|ftin|abbr=on}} hull
| width              = {{convert|3.59|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| height             = {{convert|2.23|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| crew               = 3
| armour             = [[Composite armour|Composite]]{{sfn|Warford|1989|pages=20−21}}
| primary_armament   = 125&nbsp;mm [[2A46 125 mm gun|2A46M]]
| secondary_armament = * 7.62&nbsp;mm [[PKT machine gun|PKT]] [[coaxial weapon|coax]] machine gun
* 12.7&nbsp;mm [[NSV (machine gun)|NSVT]] antiaircraft machine gun or <br /> 12.7&nbsp;mm [[DShK]] AA machine gun
| engine             = V-12 diesel
| engine_power       = 780 hp (582 kw)
| pw_ratio           = 18.8 hp/t
| suspension         = [[Torsion bar]]<br/> Some [[Shock absorber|dampers]] removed to suit desert conditions<ref name="jed"/>
| vehicle_range      = 425 km<br/>600 km with fuel barrels
| speed              = 60 km/h (road)<br/>45 km/h (off-road)
}}

During the early stages of the [[Iran–Iraq War|Iran-Iraq War]], Iraq under the rule of [[Saddam Hussein]] imported a number of [[T-72|T-72 tanks]] from the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Polish People's Republic|Poland]]. The tanks saw service in both the [[Gulf War]] and the [[Iraq War]]. In the late 1970s, Iraq also established a factory to retrofit and repair T-72s, and started the '''Lion of Babylon''' project (named after the [[Lion of Babylon|Babylonian historical symbol of the same name]]) with the intent to assemble T-72s locally.

==History==
In the 1970s and 80s, Iraq purchased a hundred T-72 from the Soviet Union. Iraq utilized these tanks during the [[Iran–Iraq War|Iran-Iraq War]], which temporarily put T-72 exports to Iraq to a halt. However, Poland started delivering T-72s in January of 1982, and in September of the same year, Soviet exports resumed as well. Overall, Iraq received about 1,038 T-72 tanks, primarily produced in Poland. Some of these were destroyed during the [[Iran–Iraq War]], or captured by the Iranians.<ref name="Rus" /> As of 1996, Iraq had 776 T-72 tanks in service.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vpvo.narod.ru/Info/Iraq/iraq_pvo.html |title=Сборник статей "ВВС и ПВО Ирака": "Оценка потенциала средств ПВО Ирака" |access-date=2020-01-07 |archive-date=2019-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911222854/http://www.vpvo.narod.ru/Info/Iraq/iraq_pvo.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the new [[Iraqi Government]] acquired dozens of refitted T-72M1s from [[Hungary]], in order to equip an armored brigade. The headquarters of this new [[Iraqi Army]] unit is located in [[Taji, Iraq|Taji]], where Iraq had attempted to assemble T-72s locally in the late 1980s. Some surviving T-72s are used for training, and the experience of Iraqi Army officers and crews with the T-72 was one of the reasons behind the choice of Hungarian T-72M1s.<ref>{{cite news |first=Sgt. Lorie |last=Jewell |date=November 2005 |url=http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/nov2005/a111405tj1.html |title=Iraqi Army Takes Delivery of Tanks, Vehicles |publisher=Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq |work=defendamerica.mil |quote=Many of the division's soldiers drove T-72 tanks in the old Iraqi Army, so they are familiar with operating and maintaining them, leaders said. A handful of the tanks remain at Taji and are used for training purposes. |access-date=2006-08-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060802130325/http://defendamerica.mil/articles/nov2005/a111405tj1.html |archive-date=2006-08-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Shephard 2022 u861">{{cite web | title=Iraq receives ex-Bulgarian T-72s and BMP-1s | website=Shephard | date=2022-02-14 | url=https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/iraq-receives-bulgarian-t72-and-bmp1-vehicles/ | access-date=2023-07-17}}</ref>

==Combat history and performance==
T-72 tanks saw service in the 1991 Persian Gulf War as well as the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Like other tanks in the Iraqi inventory, T-72s were mainly employed as armored [[self-propelled artillery]], rather than in [[maneuver warfare]] roles. In operations, it fared poorly against American [[main battle tank]]s and [[armored fighting vehicles]]. For example, a 120&nbsp;mm [[depleted uranium]] (DU) [[APFSDS]] round from an [[M1 Abrams]] could knock out a T-72 tank well beyond 3,000&nbsp;m,{{sfn|Scales|1993|page=298}} while the effective range of the APFSDS 125&nbsp;mm shell used by Iraq was 1,800&nbsp;m.{{sfn|Scales|1993|page=261}} The Iraqi T-72s used 3BM9 APFSDS shells (removed from Soviet service in 1973),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modernarmy.ru/article/181|title=Танки и БМП в бою: опыт современных |trans-title=Tanks and IFVs in combat: the experience of modern wars |website=Modernarmy.ru|access-date=28 June 2015|url-status=live|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071214/http://www.modernarmy.ru/article/181}}</ref> with a penetration only 245&nbsp;mm at a distance of up to {{Convert|2500|meters|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=2. БОЕПРИПАСЫ ТАНКОВЫХ ОРУДИЙ |trans-title=Ammunition of tank guns |url=http://www.militaryparitet.com/nomen/russia/arty/artyboe/data/ic_nomenrussiaartyartyboe/2/ |website=Militaryparitet.com|access-date=3 September 2017|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903205953/http://www.militaryparitet.com/nomen/russia/arty/artyboe/data/ic_nomenrussiaartyartyboe/2/|archive-date=3 September 2017}}</ref> Poor maintenance also played a part against the T-72: most of the Iraq fleet saw service in the Iran-Iraq War, but they weren't kept in pristine condition; Barrel erosion on the main guns was a significant issue, decreasing their accuracy.{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|page=28}} 
 
The Iraqi T-72s, like most T-72 export versions, lacked then-modern [[night vision system]]s, though they did  have some night fighting tanks with older active infrared systems or floodlights - just not the latest starlight scopes and passive infrared scopes as on the Abrams.<ref>''Early performance assessment of Bradleys and Abrams'', p. 24.</ref>

Within closer ranges, the T-72 was more effective, especially while within prepared positions.{{sfn|Scales|1993|page=269}} However, even in such conditions, the T-72 did not fare well against M1s − as proven in the [[Battle of Norfolk]] during [[Desert Storm]], where the Iraqi tank shells fell short of their targets while the M1A1s began destroying their targets without suffering any casualties,{{sfn|Atkinson|1993|pages=466−467}}{{efn|"After the war they (TF 1-37th) returned to count the burned-out hulks of 76 T-72s, 84 BMPs, 3 air defense artillery pieces, 8 howitzers, 6 command vehicles, 2 engineer vehicles, and myriad of trucks."{{sfn|Scales|1993|page=270}}}} although the tank also participated in the [[Battle of Phase Line Bullet]], where [[M2 Bradley|Bradley]] IFVs from the 4th squadron of the [[US 7th Cavalry Regiment|7th Cavalry Regiment]] were driven back by dug-in Iraqi armoured vehicles at heavy cost.{{sfn|Atkinson|1993|pages=428−433}}

While the T-72M1 armor was effective against all 105&nbsp;mm threats during the 1980s, including Israeli [[tungsten carbide]] APFSDS rounds and older versions of the M1 Abrams armed with a 105&nbsp;mm main gun; it was inadequate against the 120&nbsp;mm gun of the M1A1 at normal combat ranges.{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|pages=26−28}} Some T-72s were fitted with jamming pods to spoof anti-tank guided missiles such as the [[BGM-71 TOW|TOW]] and [[MILAN]], but it proved to be ineffective. According to Zaloga, the United States modified the TOW guidance system before to the war to counter them,{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|page=28}}{{sfn|Zaloga|1993|page=22}} though according to an account from Atkinson, "one TOW appeared to skip across the hull of a T-72, hitting another one in the turret."{{sfn|Atkinson|1993|page=444}} The US also developed a [[tandem-charge]] version in order to counter up-armoured Soviet tanks.{{sfn|Ripley|1991|pages=61−62}} There is evidence of at least one T-72 surviving a direct hit from an Abrams main gun in Mahmoudiyah in 2003. A 120&nbsp;mm HEAT round from an Abrams impacted on the front of an ''Asad Babil'' turret at point blank range without producing a catastrophic kill.<ref>Conroy & Martz, p. 9</ref> Some T-72 tanks may have featured [[explosive reactive armor]], possibly obtained from Polish T-72M1 spare parts.<ref>{{cite web|author=Baumgardner, Neil|url=http://www.highbeam.com/library/docFree.asp?DOCID=1G1:141213121 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125040618/http://www.highbeam.com/library/docFree.asp?DOCID=1G1:141213121 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-25 |title=''Infantry'' magazine, September 1, 2004 |publisher=Highbeam.com |access-date=2013-02-03}}</ref>

Another improvised armor upgrade may have also been added at the Taji complex.<ref name="Rus">{{cite web|url=http://btvt.narod.ru/2/iraqarmy2.htm |date=December 29, 2009 |script-title=ru:ТАНКИ ИРАКСКОЙ АРМИИ |trans-title=Iraqi Army Tanks|work=otvaga2004.narod.ru|language=ru}}</ref> An additional 30&nbsp;mm armor plate was welded on the front areas of the hull and turret, leaving an air gap matching the size of the armor, so that the power of a HEAT jet could be dissipated in the hollow space. This technique follows the principle of [[spaced armor]]. The Iraqi engineers tested this reinforcement against captured Iranian 120&nbsp;mm [[Chieftain tank]] guns in 1989, apparently with some success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://btvt.narod.ru/2/iraqarmy2.htm|date=December 29, 2009 |title=ТАНКИ ИРАКСКОЙ АРМИИ |trans-title=Iraqi Army Tanks|work=otvaga2004.narod.ru|quote=''В 1988-89 гг. эти танки прошли модернизацию по усилению защищенности верхних лобовых деталей корпуса танка. Это достигалось путем приварки дополнительного броневого листа толщиной 30 мм с воздушной прослойкой, такого же размера. Эта мера была предпринята иракцами после изучения возможностей защиты танков от поражения различными боеприпасами 120-мм английской нарезной танковой пушки L 11А5, установленной на иранских танках "Чифтен", захваченных Ираком в ходе войны.''<br/>"In 1988-89. These tanks had been upgraded to enhance the protection of the upper front of the tank hull. This was achieved by welding additional 30 mm armored plating with stand-offs producing an air gap of the same size. This measure was taken by the Iraqis after experimenting with protecting tanks from defeat by various 120 mm ammunition from the British L11A5 rifled tank gun installed on Iran's Chieftain tanks, seized by Iraq during the war.|language=ru}}</ref>

===Iran-Iraq War===
Iraq deployed Soviet-built T-72B and Czechoslovak and Polish built T-72Gs against Iranian forces during the [[Iran–Iraq War]].{{sfn|Isby|1988|page=153}} The T-72s had success against Iranian [[Royal Ordnance L7|105mm M68]] tank guns and [[TOW missile]]s, both of which were ineffective against the tank's front armor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fire in the Hills: Iranian and Iraqi Battles of Autumn 1982|author1=Tom Cooper|author2=Farzad Bishop|date=2003-09-09|website=Arabian Peninsula & Persian Gulf Database |url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_214.shtml |access-date=2014-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323174631/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_214.shtml |url-status=usurped|archive-date=2010-03-23}}</ref> Overall, Iraq lost 60 T-72s during the war.<ref>{{cite web|title=Забытая война: ирано-иракский конфликт|url=http://army.lv/ru/Zabitaya-voyna-irano-irakskiy-konflikt/2640/4272 |website=Army.lv|access-date=15 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Танки Иракской армии |url=http://btvt.narod.ru/2/iraqarmy2.htm|website=Btvt.narod.ru|access-date=15 November 2014}}</ref> Ra'ad Al-Hamdani, a general in the [[Republican Guard|Iraqi Republican Guard]], noted that the 10th Iraqi Armoured Brigade, which was equipped with T-72s, was able to destroy the 16th Iranian Armoured Division within twelve hours, despite Iran's numerical superiority.<ref>{{cite web |title=Project 1946: Phase II|website=Ida.org |url=https://www.ida.org/-/media/feature/publications/p/pr/project-1946-phase-ii/ida-document-d-4121.ashx}}</ref> The division included [[Chieftain (tank)|Chieftain tanks]] against which the T-72 proved effective; Iran started the war with 894 Chieftains, of which only about 200 were left by the end of it.<ref>Andrew T. H. Tan (2014). ''The Global Arms Trade: A Handbook''.  Routledge. p. 126</ref> The 3BM9 APFSDS round was capable of penetrating the frontal armor of the Chieftain tank. Western observers, taking into account potential improvements on Soviet ammunition, concluded that the equivalent of {{cvt|480|mm}} of [[rolled homogeneous armour]] (RHA) would be necessary to prevent frontal penetration from the T-72 main gun.{{sfn|Zaloga|2023|page=34}}{{efn|For comparison, the American [[M60A3]] tank frontal armor had an effective thickness of {{cvt|225|mm}}.{{sfn|Isby|1988|page=118}}}} According to both sides, the T-72 was the most feared tank of the war.<ref>Interview – Iranian Tank Commander, McCaul ED, Apr-2004, ''Military History'', Vol. 21 No. 1; "Saddam's Generals: Perspectives of the Iran-Iraq War", Youssef Aboul-Enein</ref>

===Invasion of Kuwait===
Prior to the [[Invasion of Kuwait]], the Iraqis massed 100,000 troops and hundreds of T-54, T-55, and T-72 tanks alongside the border in an apparent act of harmless saber rattling. Once they managed to deceive Western intelligence agencies and the Kuwaitis, 350 tanks crossed the border with no resistance until they reached the outskirts of [[Kuwait City]] itself. While the initial resistance came from a pair of [[FV101 Scorpion]] light tanks, which were quickly destroyed by T-72s, the Iraqi advance was slowed down by the lack of ammunition: in order to keep the deception, only 24 T-72s of the Republican Guard carried full ammunition loads.{{sfn|Ripley|1991|page=3}} Kuwaiti tanks, which also included a small number of [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]]-made [[M-84]]s (based on the T-72) engaged Iraqi tanks at the [[Mutla Pass]] on August 2, 1990. They knocked out one T-72 during the fighting, but lost the overall battle.<ref>Kevin M. Woods (2008). [https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a484530.pdf "Iraqi Perspectives Project Phase II"]. ''Um Al-Ma'arik (The Mother of All Battles): Operational and Strategic Insights from an Iraqi Perspective'', Volume 1 (revised May 2008). Institute for Defense Analyses. pp. 117–118</ref>

===Gulf War===
The bulk of Iraqi armoured units were mostly equipped with the [[Type 69 tank|Type 69]] and only [[Iraqi Republican Guard|Republican Guard]] divisions were equipped with Iraqi-modified T-72s, with exception of the regular army's armored ''Saladin'' division.{{sfn|Zaloga|1993|page=38}} Thus, engagements between T-72s and [[Coalition of the Gulf War|Coalition]] tanks were limited to conflicts involving such Iraqi units.

During [[Desert Storm]], Iraqi T-72s were technologically 20 years out of date. Only one M1 Abrams was officially documented during the Persian Gulf War as having received enough damage to be towed and receive maintenance after being struck three times on the turret by a T-72.<ref>[[:File:DamagedByAssadBabil.gif|AMCCT test]]</ref> Another six M1A1s were allegedly hit by Iraqi T-72 tank fire in the Gulf War official report, but the impacts were largely ineffectual.<ref>Fahey, Dan: Collateral Damage...''During the ground war, only seven M1A1's were hit by rounds fired from the Iraqi's T-72 tanks, with none being seriously damaged.'' See also: George F. Hofmann & [[Donn A. Starry]], pag.9</ref> According to Atkinson and Scales, T-72s accounted for at least two M2 Bradley kills during Desert Storm and left several damaged, all on February 26, 1991.{{sfn|Atkinson|1993|pages=428−433}}{{sfn|Scales|1993|page=273}} Overall, the T-72 offered little challenge to Abrams and Challenger tanks, both of which could hit a T-72 from outside the range of T-72's main gun.<ref name="Lockwood 2022 y994">{{cite web | last=Lockwood | first=Dean | title=So Much for the Myth of Russian Main Battle Tank Superiority | website=Defense Security Monitor | date=2022-05-02 | url=https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/wordpress/2022/05/02/so-much-for-the-myth-of-russian-main-battle-tank-superiority/ | access-date=2023-07-19}}</ref> In addition to lack of range, exploding munitions facilitated by the design of the tanks' ammunition loading system were also an issue for Iraqi T-72s.{{sfn|Isby|1988|page=154}}

===2003 Iraq War===
[[File:DerelictAsadBabil.JPEG|thumb|A T-72 abandoned after the U.S. attack into Baghdad.]]
During the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], the Republican Guard's T-72s, most from the [[2nd Al Medina Armored Division|Medina Division]], were deployed around Baghdad to attempt a last-ditch defense of the [[Ba'ath Party|Baath]] regime.<ref>Zucchino, page 3</ref> In April 2003, U.S. tanks engaged their counterparts from just 50 yards, killing seven Iraqi T-72s without any losses.<ref>Conroy & Mars, p. 158</ref> Such encounters exposed the poor marksmanship of Iraqi gunners, in part due to the shortage of modern night-vision and range-finder assets.{{sfn|Scales|1993|page=268}} The T-72s were even more technologically lacking at this time, and it is not known if any improvements to the tanks were made between the Persian Gulf War and this conflict. Nonetheless, one Bradley was largely disabled by a 125&nbsp;mm round from an Asad Babil tank when Iraqi armoured troops attempted to attack their American opponents near [[Baghdad airport]].<ref>Fontenot, Degen and Thon, p. 306</ref>

The last operational T-72s acquired from the USSR and Poland were destroyed by the successive waves of American armored incursions on the Iraqi capital or abandoned by their crews after the fall of Baghdad, several of them without firing a single shot. The derelict tanks were later scrapped by [[U.S. Army]] disposal teams or shipped to the [[United States]] for target practice.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

===War against the Islamic State===
In April of 2017, the pro-government [[Popular Mobilization Forces|Hashed al-Shaabi militia]] used Iraqi-modified T-72Ms against forces of the Islamic State in clashes around the ancient city of Hatra.<ref name="Al-Rubaye 2017 z016">{{cite web | last=Al-Rubaye | first=Ahmad | title=Iraqi forces seize ancient site of Hatra from IS | website=The Times of Israel | date=2017-04-26 | url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/iraqi-forces-seize-ancient-site-of-hatra-from-is/ | access-date=2023-07-17}}</ref><ref name="Taylor 2017 g349">{{cite web | last=Taylor | first=Alan | title=The Battle for Mosul Enters Its Final Stage | website=The Atlantic | date=2017-06-28 | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/06/the-battle-for-mosul-enters-its-final-stage/532032/ | access-date=2023-07-17}}</ref> In the same year, the Iraqi army also used T-72s during the [[Battle of Mosul (2016–2017)|Battle of Mossul]].<ref name="FranceSoir 2017 a819">{{cite web | title=Bataille de Mossoul: la police et l'armée irakienne progressent difficilement dans la vieille ville | website=FranceSoir | date=2017-05-05 | url=http://www.francesoir.fr/politique-monde/bataille-de-mossoul-la-police-et-armee-irakienne-progressent-difficilement-dans-la-vieille-ville-combats-djihadistes-etat-islamique-erd-golden-division-daech-cham-irak-snipers | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225080939/http://www.francesoir.fr/politique-monde/bataille-de-mossoul-la-police-et-armee-irakienne-progressent-difficilement-dans-la-vieille-ville-combats-djihadistes-etat-islamique-erd-golden-division-daech-cham-irak-snipers | archive-date=2019-12-25 | url-status=dead | language=fr | access-date=2023-07-19}}</ref>

==Lion of Babylon project==
In 1989, [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraq]] stated it was locally assembling [[T-72 operators and variants#Soviet Union and Russia|T-72M1]] tanks locally, under the designation "Lion of Babylon" ({{Langx|ar|أسد بابل|translit=Asad Bābil}}) with local industry already producing some of the components and the ammunition.{{sfn|Foss|1994|page=51}} While the Iraqis did manage to produce the 125&nbsp;mm gun barrels locally, there's little evidence that substantial numbers of T-72M1s were built beyond prototypes.{{sfn|Zaloga|1993|page=38}} Regardless of their origin, T-72M1 tanks in Iraqi service were commonly known as the Lion of Babylon.{{sfn|Warford|1989|page=23}}

In 1986 a West German company built a factory in Taji to manufacture steel for several military uses. It was enlisted to retrofit and rebuild tanks already on duty in the Iraqi Army, such as [[T-54/55]]s, [[T-62]]s, and several hundred of Soviet and Polish T-72s,<ref name="timmerman" /> imported during early stages of the war with Iran.<ref name="Rus" />
In the late 1980s, plans were made to produce new T-72M1 tanks at that facility. These tanks were to be assembled from knockdown kits delivered by the Polish state-owned company [[Bumar-Łabędy]].{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|page=24}} The local assembly of the T-72 was to start early 1989, as suggested by Iraqi officials.<ref name="timmerman">{{citation |first=Kenneth R |last=Timmerman |author-link=Kenneth R. Timmerman |url=https://archive.org/details/deathlobbyhowthe00timm |title=The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq |chapter=Chapter 16: The Gang's All Here |year=1991 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-59305-9 }}</ref> A number of Iraqi officials such as Lt. General Amer Rashid, however, did not like the idea of being dependent on knockdown kits supplied by another country and pushed for the complete production of the T-72M1 tank instead.<ref name="timmerman" />{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|page=24}}
In 1991, the Taji plant was destroyed by an airstrike while being upgraded by Bumar-Łabędy.{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|page=24}}

The [[United Nations]] imposed an arms embargo following the Iraqi [[invasion of Kuwait]] in August 1990, which reduced the complete assembly of tanks to simple spare parts for T-72s and other tanks in the Iraqi arsenal.<ref name="timmerman" /> According to Polish officials, not a single T-72M1 had been assembled at the facility, even though in 1988, a supposedly locally produced T-72M was on display during an Iraqi arms show.{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|page=24}}

===Specifications===
[[File:DerelictAsadBabil-2010-28-01.JPEG|thumb|Image showing the plate of laminated armor welded on the glacis of a T-72. Note the edges around the rectangular section of the towing eyes and driver's hatch.]]In most aspects, the Lion of Babylon as proposed was physically identical to the T-72M1 it is based on. The gun barrels produced by the Iraqis had a service life of only 120 shots, after which accuracy drops significantly.{{efn|While the D-81TM main gun had an expected service life of 600 HE/HEAT rounds or 150 APFSDS rounds, export customers complained about barrels wearing out after firing around 100 APFSDS rounds.{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|page=28}}}} The barrel wear problem was exacerbated by the fact that the Iraqis frequently used their tanks in the [[indirect fire]] role.{{sfn|Zaloga|1993|page=38}} The T-72M1, like the older T-72B and T-72G models, used a composite armoured glacis plate, about {{cvt|200|mm}} thick, composed of a layer of [[fiberglass]] or ceramic material sandwiched between steel plates, but with additional composite armor on both sides of the turret. A {{cvt|30|mm}} thick steel plate was also mounted on the front slope of the T-72M1 for increased protection.{{sfn|Warford|1989|pages=20−21}} According to official Russian sources the T-72M1 hull provided the equivalent of {{cvt|400|mm}} of RHA protection against [[Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot]] (APFSDS) rounds and {{cvt|490|mm}} against [[High-explosive anti-tank]] (HEAT) rounds, while the turret provided {{cvt|380|mm}} of protection against APFSDS and {{cvt|490|mm}} against HEAT.{{sfn|Zaloga|2009|page=27}}

American military intelligence believed some were equipped with [[Belgium|Belgian]]-made thermal sights.{{sfn|Atkinson|1993|page=443}} These same sources claim the tank was also supposed to be provided with a better track protection against sand and mud than the Soviet T-72, by reducing the original number of [[shock absorber]]s.<ref name="jed">[http://www.jedsite.info/tanks-tango/tango-numbers-su/t-72_series/saddam/saddam-intro.html JED website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919095239/http://www.jedsite.info/tanks-tango/tango-numbers-su/t-72_series/saddam/saddam-intro.html |date=2008-09-19 }} (available by free subscription){{self-published source|date=May 2009}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|date=May 2009}} Some tanks also were fitted with a type of electro-optical interference pod of Chinese origin.{{sfn|Zaloga|1993|page=22}}<ref>{{cite web|title=T72 Tank|url=https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/land/row/t-72-iraq.jpg|work=fas.org|publisher=[[Federation of American Scientists]]|type=Picture of Iraqi T-72 featuring an optical interference pod}}</ref>
As secondary armament, the tank was to feature either the [[NSV (machine gun)|NSV]] or the [[DShK]] [[12.7 x 108 mm|12.7 mm]] machine gun and the [[Coaxial weapon|coaxial]] 7.62&nbsp;mm [[PK machine gun|PKT]] common to all T-72 models.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Atkinson |first1=Rick |title=Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War |date=1993 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston, NY |isbn=978-0-395-60290-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/crusadeuntoldsto00atki/ |url-access=registration}}
* Bohannon, Second Lieutenant Richard M. [https://www.knox.army.mil/center/ocoa/armormag/backissues/1990s/1992/1992MayJune.pdf "Dragon's Roar: 1-37 Armor in the Battle of 73 Easting."]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Armor, May–June 1992, VOL CI, #3.
* Conroy, Jason & Martz, Ron. ''Heavy Metal: A Tank Company's Battle To Baghdad'' Potomac Books, 2005. {{ISBN|978-1-57488-856-0}}
* Fahey, Dan. "Collateral Damage: How U.S. Troops Were Exposed To Depleted Uranium During the Persian Gulf War", in ''Metal of Dishonor: Depleted Uranium: How the Pentagon Radiates Soldiers and Civilians with DU Weapons'', International Action Center, 1997. {{ISBN|978-0-9656916-0-4}}
* Fontenot, Gregory, Degen, E. J. & Thon, David (2004). ''On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom''. Naval Institute Press. {{ISBN|1591142792}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Foss |editor1-first=Christopher F |editor1-link=Christopher F Foss |title=Jane's Armour and Artillery, 1994-95 |date=1994 |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=Surrey |isbn=978-0710611543 |edition=15th}}
* Hinton, Henry L. & others: [https://books.google.com/books?id=7T5yaedpow0C ''Operation Desert Storm: Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Abrams Tank, Apache Helicopter, Patriot Missile System and Foreign Government and Individual Contributions.''] DIANE Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-7567-1343-9}}
* Hofmann, George F. and Starry, Donn A. Editors. ''Camp Colt to Desert Storm : the history of U.S. armored forces'', University Press of Kentucky, 1999. {{ISBN|978-0-8131-2130-7}}
*{{cite book |last1=Isby |first1=David C. |title=Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army |date=1988 |publisher=Jane's Publishing Company Limited |location=London |isbn=978-0-7106-0352-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/weaponstacticsof0000isby |url-access=registration |edition=Revised}}
* Morris, David. ''Storm on the Horizon''. Presidio Press, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-7432-3557-0}}
* Ricks, Thomas E. ''Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq''. Penguin books, 2006. {{ISBN|978-1-59420-103-5}}
*{{cite book |last1=Ripley |first1=Tim |title=Desert Storm Land Power: The Coalition and Iraqi Armies |date=1991 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=London |isbn=1-85532-177-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/desert-storm-land-power-the-coalition-and-iraqi-armies/}}
* [[Bernard D. Rostker|Rostker, Bernard]]. [http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/du/ ''Environmental Exposure Report:Depleted Uranium in the Gulf''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707094606/http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/du/ |date=2009-07-07 }}, DoD Publication, 1998. {{OCLC|39801459}}
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* Scarborough, Rowan. [http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-2699990/Apache-operation-a-lesson-in.html ''Apache Operation a lesson in defeat''] The Washington Times, April 22, 2003.
*{{cite journal |last1=Warford |first1=Captain James M. |editor1-last=Cooney |editor1-first=Major Patrick J. |title=The Tanks of Babylon Main Battle Tanks of the Iraqi Army |journal=Armor |date=November–December 1989 |volume=99 |issue=6 |page=19-23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=421NAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA12-PA19 |publisher=U.S. Armor Association |location=Fort Knox, KY |language=en |issn=0004-2420}}
* West, Francis J. Bing. ''No true glory. A frontline account of the battle for Fallujah''. Bantam, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-553-80402-7}}
* Zaloga Steven J., & Sarson, Peter. ''M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank 1982-1992''. Osprey Military, New Vanguard. Reed International Books Ltd., 1993. {{ISBN|978-1-85532-283-7}}
*{{cite book |last1=Zaloga |first1=Steven J. |title=T-72 Main Battle Tank 1974−93 |date=1993 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-4728-0537-9 |author1-link=Steven J. Zaloga}}
*{{cite book |last1=Zaloga |first1=Steven J. |title=M1 Abrams vs T-72 Ural: Operation Desert Storm 1991 |date=2009 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-84603-407-7}}
*{{cite book |last1=Zaloga |first1=Steven J. |title=Tanks at the Iron Curtain 1975–90: The ultimate generation of Cold War heavy armor |date=2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4728-5383-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwTMEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* Zucchino, David. ''Thunder Run: The armored strike to capture Baghdad.'' Grove Press, 2004. {{ISBN|0-8021-4179-X}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category|Asad Babil tanks}}
* [http://www.kentimmerman.com/news/tdl16.htm The Death Lobby: How the West armed Iraq] by [[Ken Timmerman]]
* Yazīd Ṣāyigh, Markaz Dirāsāt al-Waḥdah al-ʻArabīyah: ''Arab military industry: capability, performance, and impact.'' Brassey's, 1992. {{ISBN|0-08-041777-9}}

{{T-64_navigation|style=wide}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lion Of Babylon Tank}}
[[Category:Post–Cold War main battle tanks]]
[[Category:Main battle tanks of the Cold War]]
[[Category:Main battle tanks of Iraq]]
[[Category:Iraq–Soviet Union relations]]
[[Category:T-72]]