Assembly line production of Ukrainian «Oplot-M» tank at Malyshev Plant in Kharkiv.

In September 2011, The Malyshev Plant, based in Kharkiv, announced plans to produce the first batch of five Oplot-M tanks for the Thai Army by the end of the year. Under the contract, the Ukrainian company will make 49 tanks worth over USD 200 million

The BM Oplot is a further development of the previous Oplot, which is based on the T-84 main battle tank. The tank has a conventional layout with the driver’s compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the middle and engine at the rear, accommodating a crew of three members.

The driver sitting in the centre is provided with a single-piece hatch cover that opens to the right. The commander on the right and the gunner on the left have single-piece hatches.

Tank has a length of 9.7 m (including the forward-facing gun), a width of 3.4 m without removable side skirts, and a height of 2.8 m. The combat weight of the tank is 51 tons.