The T-72 has been exported to: Algeria, Bulgaria, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, Hungary, India, Iran, Libya, Poland, Romania, Syria and Yugoslavia. Hungary donated 77 T-72 tanks to the government of Iraq in November 2005.
The T-72A tank was in production until 1985, along with export versions T-72M and T-72M1. The T-72B entered production in 1985. The export version of the T-72B, the T-72S has a new engine and suspension system and is configured for mounting explosive reactive armour (ERA). The tank is fitted with a 125mm D-81 smoothbore gun, a 7.62mm co-axial machine gun and a 12.7mm air defence machine gun mounted on the commander's cupola. The tank carries 45 rounds of 125mm ammunition, 22 rounds of which are carried on an automatic loading carousel.

The gun fires separate loading armour-piercing discarding sabot rounds (APDS), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds and high-explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG) projectiles.

Fire accuracy is attained by a laser rangefinder sight, ballistic computer and a thermal barrel sleeve. Dual-axis stabilisation ensures effective firing on the move.

The tank's anti-armour missile system is the 9K120 Svir (Nato codename AT-11 Sniper), designed by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau, Tula. The system is intended to engage tanks fitted with ERA as well as low-flying air targets. It has a range of 100m to 4,000m and firing requires the tank to be stationary.

The system's 9M119 missile has semi-automatic laser beamriding guidance. The gun's automatic loader will feed both ordnance and missiles. For further and additional information see also: M6 Gun Motor Carriage

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