General Delomudrov explained why the supply of T-90M "Breakthrough" to the Russian army will increase
The ground forces of the Russian Armed Forces have been replenished with a batch of the latest T-90M "Breakthrough" tanks, which are manufactured at Uralvagonzavod (UVZ). "Newspaper.Ru" figured out what the features of this machine are and what its prospects are.
Production of the T-90 began in 1992. In various modifications of these machines, more than 600 units were produced for the needs of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, as well as more than 2 thousand vehicles in export performance. "Today, the T-90 tank is the most commercially successful tank on the world market," it was noted in a press release on the results of 2021 issued by Rostec State Corporation, which includes UVZ.
Serial samples of the T-90M first entered the Russian army in August 2021. "Breakthrough" was created on the basis of the Russian main battle tank (MBT) T-90A. His turret was completely replaced, which made it possible to improve protection several times, increase the internal armored volume, place additional equipment and make the crew's working conditions more comfortable.
In addition to installing a new tower, UVZ specialists carried out a deep modernization of the power and transmission systems, the chassis, and also significantly improved the armor resistance of the machine. To increase the accuracy of fire and reduce the preparation time for firing, the tank is equipped with a modern panoramic commander's sight and an automated fire control system "Kalina", which allows for a circular view, search, recognition and capture of targets.
The 1,130 hp diesel engine developed by CHTZ-Uraltrak provides the T-90M with a large power reserve, including at extremely low and high temperatures.
- I told the newspaper.En" military expert, retired Major General Kirill Delomudrov.
The exact number of the last delivery of the T-90M to the Russian army is not called. According to official data, the Ministry of Defense has signed three contracts with UVZ for the supply of 80 vehicles. At the same time, only a part of them will be new, and the other part will be upgraded T-90A tanks.
General Delomudrov believes that the supply of T-90M to the Russian army will increase, but not to the detriment of other samples of tank equipment.
"The growth of T-90 production does not mean that the army is abandoning other tanks. The production and modernization of such combat vehicles as the T-72B3 and T-80BVM, which are among the main medium tanks and are considered the best in their class, will continue. The production of T-14 Armata tanks is also continuing, their number is also determined by the needs of the Ministry of Defense - so far it is small. In a kind of "tank race" with Armata, the T-90M "Breakthrough" is still leading, which combines both traditional reliability and modern developments," Delomudrov added.
Military political analyst Valery Volkov, in turn, noted that the T-90M attracted the interest of foreign buyers and was initially largely export-oriented. Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions have complicated the situation, the expert believes.
"Back in 2020, a contract was signed with Egypt for the supply of 300 T-90M tanks. The details of the contract were not disclosed, but if implemented, Cairo would become the largest operator of the T-90M in the region. Other countries, including India, China, Algeria, Venezuela, were also interested in this car.
There is, however, a good point in this. I am glad that the world's best export tank will remain in Russia," Volkov believes.
Victor Sokirko
