US Army Places Advert for Dummy Russian T-72 Tanks

The Pentagon has issued a tender for "realistic" models of Russian T-72 tanks for field military training.

The US army has posted an advertisement requesting "a tactical training device used to simulate and incorporates the look of a real world Russian T-72 combat Tank for field military training." 

The army is looking for a steel frame that it can attach to a Humvee chassis, which "must be skinned with realistic vinyl T72 Russian tank graphics that can be identified at a distance," the advert continues.

The visually modified vehicles must be delivered to Fort Drum, a US Army military reservation in Jefferson County, New York.

One of the most widely-produced postwar tanks, over 20,000 T-72 tanks have been built since production began in the 1970s. 

Weighing 40-50 tons, the tank is particularly mobile and lightweight. Recent upgrades include ballistic add-on armor protection and thermal night vision for gunners, which enables anti-tank missiles to be launched at night.