May 26, 2014. 16 best armor sections from all the four Russian Federation Military Districts are now getting ready for the second international Tank Biathlon 2014 Championship at Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil. The championship will be held on July 26-August 10 in Alabino range in Moscow Region.

According to the corporation’s press service, contract soldiers from Novgorod Region, Murmansk Region, Chelyabinsk Region, Chechnya, and Zabaikalye will be training at Uralvagonzavod for two weeks.

‘The athletes are now studying the T-72B3 tank that will be used for fulfilling the contest tasks. The T-7B3 is different from the series-produced version that is used in the Russian Armed Forces’ armor divisions in that it has quite a number of upgrades that touch upon nearly all the systems of the vehicle,’ the company reports.

The tank drivers first covered some theory relating to the modernization of the T-72 and then underwent practical training at Uralvagonzavod’s mechanical assembly department; they work on a tank assembly line and get to learn from operators, engine mechanics, and other experts on tank systems and units. Specialists in charge of testing the company’s combat vehicles share their expertise on the operation of the machine as well. They will also help the soldiers in their practical sessions that will soon take place at Staratel range.