The T-80 was the last Soviet main battle tank designed, built and fielded during the Cold War. Instead of being developed from its predecessor, the simplified and mass-produced T-72, the Nikolai Popov-designed T-80 was a direct descendant of the T-64 albeit with design elements of the T-72 such as its suspension and 125-mm 2A46 series smoothbore gun with an autoloader. The T-80 retained the general hull and turret layout of its predecessors with the most notable change was the incorporation of a gas turbine engine, the first Soviet main battle tank to do so. The gas turbine gave the T-80 exceptional mobility and speed but at a cost of increased fuel consumption and a greater logistical burden to service a mechanically complex engine (problems that would be found in the US M1 Abrams, also equipped with a similar powerplant). As a result, some variants, mainly those built in the Kharkiv factory, were fitted with a diesel-powered engine. The T-80's 2A46 gun could fire similar ammunition to the T-72 including both tungsten and depleted uranium APFSDS rounds as well as gun-launched 9K112 (AT-8) and later 9M119 (AT-11) ATGMs. Like its predecessors, the T-80 was also capable of deep wading operations using a removable snorkel. Despite its more advanced features compared to the T-72 and T-64, the T-80 lacked many of the novelties seen in contemporary Western tanks in areas such as crew protection and ceramic armor. As a result, it is often not seen as a true third-generation design, at least until later variants like the T-80U added reactive armor. The result has been a mixed success on the battlefield, notably in Chechnya where the tank proved vulnerable to attacks in an urban setting and over 200 were lost. Its performance during the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been little better, with an estimated 370 lost during 2022 (plus additional losses among Ukraine's diesel-powered variants). Nearly 5,000 T-80s were fielded by the Red Army shortly before its dissolution, before being passed on to the USSSR’s successor states and eventually also exported to Cyprus, Egypt, South Korea, China, Yemen and Pakistan, the latter which received over 300 diesel-powered units from Ukraine which inherited the Kharkiv production line.

The original T-80 (Ob’yekt 219) entered service in 1976 but only a handful were built before switching to the definitive early variant, the T-80B. This featured uprated armor and fire control, as well as a more powerful engine in post-1980 production units. It was further refined into the T-80BV, easily distinguished by its lavish use of Kontakt-1 ERA across the glacis, sides and turret, giving it much better defense against HEAT rounds. The next step in the evolution of the tank was the T-80U, first fielded in the mid-1980s and was characterized by a new engine, fire control, and laser designator as well as Kontakt-5 ERA which was more seamlessly integrated to the hull and turret. The ability to carry the more advanced 9M119 (AT-11) ATGM also gave it greater long-range lethality (this was first introduced in the earlier T-80A). Overall, this was the most advanced Soviet tank at the time of the dissolution of the USSR. The T-80U was also eventually equipped with an uprated engine, seen in post-1992 units, and a more recent refinement, the T-80UM can be equipped with the 9M119M (AT-11B), as well as new thermal imaging equipment. The most recent variant is the T-80BVM which adds Relikt ERA as well as an improved engine and autoloader. A special diesel-powered version was known as the T-80UD and was built in the Kharkiv Morozov plant, which became Ukrainian-owned after independence. This was further refined into the T-84 which incorporated considerable Ukrainian-made equipment, and which is covered in a separate entry.