Manufacuring of the T-72 started in 1971 and it was mass-produced from 1978 in many models and in four coutries outside the Soviet Union. It has features like ABC-protection, infrared distance measure etc. and differs from T-64 in outer design mainly in its six big wheels. The latest model was even better armoured than the contemporary T-80U and a forerunner to the T-90. Different types of T-72 are the most common tank in the Russian army.