Some Giro thoughts

[Marcello]

Originally Posted by KV7

Marcello, TPD-2-49 is listed as a day sight, so is the rangefinder and sight the same unit, or is it two pieces of equipment, with the operator ranging with the rangefinder, then(manually) matching the range to a superelevation mark on the gunsight, as in a non automated laser system ?

It is an integrated unit. You range and aim looking in the same sight. There is a video of the operation available at this page
http://www.t-72.de/html/tpd-2-49.html

Originally Posted by KV7

I would pity the poor crews trying to shoot in the dark with nothing but stadia in the night sight on a late 70's battlefield though !

Max vision range on the most common export (something better was available but not widely used outside USSR) T-72 night sight supposedly was 600-800 meters, with one km achievable only under optimal conditions. At those ranges you could fire APFSDS without worrying too much about ranging and superelevation.