T-90

History

The T-90 is the current main battle tank of the Russian army, developed on the basis of the successful qualities of the previous series of the T-72 and T-80. Compared to its contemporaries, the T-90 is one of the most protected tanks in the world and one of the most heavily armed combat systems.

Like other Soviet-era tanks, the T-90 uses an integrated autoloader, three crew members and a low profile design.

With the fall of the Soviet Empire in 1991, the Russian military entered a period of low morale and spending cuts. As a result, many projects were either postponed indefinitely or cancelled outright. During the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Army reveled in the prospect of using two main battle tanks (MBTs) side by side, beginning with the introduction of the T-64 in 1963. It was later replaced by the T-72 in 1971.

Both tank designs use an autoloader to power the large-caliber 125mm smoothbore main gun. The T-64 was designed to be a high-tech (and therefore more expensive) main tank solution for the Soviet Army, while the T-72 was designed to be a cheaper, production/export friendly brand.

However, it was the T-72 that ultimately gained a greater legacy due to export sales, while the T-64 was limited to Soviet territory due to its "state secret" status. The T-64 was then modernized into the T-80, and the qualities of the popular T-72 were incorporated into this revised design.

The T-80 entered service in 1976 and became the main MBT of the Soviet Army until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The T-80 uses a gas turbine engine, which promises higher power output compared to conventional diesel-powered tank engines.

However, Powerpacks were never completely reliable and proved to be more fuel-guzzling, uneconomical and complicated to manufacture.

Realizing that they were now facing an uncertain world, Russian authorities began to discuss the merits of manufacturing and operating two similar but different MBT solutions. Therefore, the focus was on developing a modernized form of the T-72 with key qualities of the T-80 to outperform the aging pair.

The T-80's fire control system works with the T-72 frame, while retaining the autoloader, as well as the proven 125mm smoothbore main gun - a fusion that established the prototype "T-88" name. The engine of choice was a diesel powerplant rated at 830 hp, and the resulting product was subsequently adopted as the "T-90", essentially an evolution of the original T-72 series.

Low-rate production of the T-90 tank began in 1993, culminating in full-rate production vehicles starting in 1995. Since then, around 1,670 T-90 tanks have been produced for Russian and various operators around the world.

Production is carried out by the local group Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil, Russia.

Like the T-72 before it, the T-90 has a very low profile thanks to its two-man turret housing the commander and gunner (commander on the right, gunner on the left). The autoloader is a carousel design that has been perfected over decades, feeding and loading from two separate steps. Like previous Soviet tanks, the T-90 supports guided anti-tank missiles fired from the main barrel and can attack ground and air targets (helicopters).

The driver sits in the front center of the fuselage, with the turret just behind. The engine was placed separately from the crew in the rear compartment. As usual, the track system spans the hull and is dominated by six twin-tire rubber tire wheels, with the drive pinion at the rear and the chain tensioner at the front. Side skirt armor is a standard defense on all T-90 tanks.

Glacis boards are nearly vertical and provide basic protection against enemy fire. Likewise, the turrets are very low and sharp-edged, which in turn provides a basic defensive strategy against invading projectiles.

The commander had a raised dome with a sight, while the gunner managed his own turret roof hatch for entry and exit. Armor protection is a mix of steel and composite with the added benefit of an additional explosive reactive armor block ("Contact-5") that provides protection against HEAT (High Explosive, Anti-Tank), APFSDS (Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized) ) provided, drop sabot) bullets, power and chemical penetrators.

Add blocks to the front of the hull, sides and turret as needed.

The armor scheme, fire control system and anti-missile defense system were all derived from the T-80. NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protection system and night vision goggles are standard. The "Shtora-1" anti-missile countermeasure kit is optional equipment, but is almost always built into field units and is designed to jam incoming signals, such as those of missile launches. Laser warning receivers warn staff to track vehicles. The fire control system is fully digital and is equipped with thermal imaging equipment and a laser rangefinder.

Overall, this allows for "fire anywhere, anytime" and low-light activity. The dozer blade is concealed under the bow and can be used to clear obstacles, while the minesweeper plow can be added to the existing T-90 frame thanks to the integrated dozer under-blade attachment point.

The T-90 uses the same main gun as the previous T-72 and T-80 - the 125mm smoothbore 2A46M tank gun. As mentioned, the main gun retains the ability to fire missiles, and its breech is fed by an automatic loader (AT-11 "Sniper" missile). The aircraft carries 43x125mm projectiles, which can be a mix of HE-FRAG(FS), HEAT-FS and APFSDS-T shells and Sniper-AT missiles. Secondary armament consists of a 7.62mm PKT machine gun mounted on a coaxial mount next to the main gun, holding 2,000 rounds of ammunition.

A heavy 12.7mm NSV or Kord machine gun is mounted on top of the turret for anti-aircraft defense and is loaded with 300 rounds of ammunition. Two rows of six smoke grenade launchers allow the tank to display its own smoke screen to mask movement.

Additionally, diesel fuel could be injected into the exhaust as a secondary smoke screen replacement - a staple of most Soviet tanks.

The preferred powerplant for the T-90 initially focused on the V-84 12-cylinder 840-horsepower diesel engine. The system was subsequently upgraded with the use of a 12-cylinder diesel series V-92 rated at 950 hp. The latest T-90 now uses a V-96 12-cylinder engine with 1,250 horsepower. The chassis relies on a torsion bar suspension system to provide the maneuverability needed for off-road touring.

On ideal road surfaces, the top speed is up to 40 mph and the range is up to 430 miles. The T-90 weighs a total of 52 tons.

The original T-90 model was simply referred to as "T-90". The export version of this variant was designated "T-90E" and the modified command vehicle version was designated "T-90K". The first major new variant of the T-90 series was the "T-90A", which was equipped with a V-92 diesel engine, ESSA thermal imager and welded turret assembly.

The T-90A was subsequently referred to as the "T-90S" export, and the main vehicle was referred to as the "T-90SK".

The T-90 was modernized in 1996 with "Relict" ERA protection and a new composite armor scheme in the "T-90M" prototype. Developments include a new 1,250-horsepower V-96 diesel engine, as well as a new main gun, turret assembly and thermal imaging range. GPS navigation is standard.

The T-90M went into production as "T-90MS".

As with any expensive main battle tank, the Russian military is trying to make the most of the T-90 chassis-based battlefield system it has invested in and procured. These include the BREM-72 Armored Rescue Vehicle (ARV), BMR-3 Minesweeper, IMR-3 Combat Engineering Vehicle (CEV) and MTU-90 Armored Bridge Paving Vehicle.

The T-90 tank received a baptism of fire during the Second Chechen War during the August 1999 invasion of Dagestan. Dagestan is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea and borders Chechnya to the west (North Ossetia to the west). from Chechnya). The first Chechen war (1994-1996) was a disgrace to the Russians, as it led to the victory of Chechen separatism and the withdrawal of Russian troops after a formal ceasefire. During the conflict, the T-80 showed its limitations in urban combat, where Chechen partisans were able to knock out more than 200 Russian Army tanks in a month using rocket-propelled grenade hit-and-run tactics. The T-80 was designed with the vast European landscape in mind, and urban warfare was not one of its strong suits.

Russian tankers have proven to be poorly trained in the environment and not effectively supported by accompanying ground forces and infantry fighting vehicles to defend against such attacks at close range.

On August 7, 1999, the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade (including Al Qaeda fighters) invaded the Russian Republic of Dagestan, launching the Second Chechen War, which would last until September 28. Russian officials, who benefited from the T-80's poor performance in the last war, tried to avoid mistakes by bringing the T-90 into battle as a well-equipped integrated missile defense and support force.

Russian observers thought the armor protection was excellent, and the T-90 hit directly without catastrophic casualties. The Second Chechen War ended in a Russian victory, with 2,500 enemy combatants killed at the hands of 279 Russians.

The Russian victory did a lot to restore the image of the mighty Red Army that emerged in World War II.

To date (2015), the Russian military operates around 930 T-90 tanks, including around 930 T-90A variants. One of the big operators of this type is the Indian Army, which has procured more than 600 T-90S tanks to overcome the limitations of its indigenous "Arjun" MBT program (Indian purchases are locally manufactured using Russian-supplied kits) . An additional 1,000 T-90 tanks can still be added. Modifications of these Indian versions to suit Indian military requirements gave the tank the local designation "Bhishma" ("He of the Terrible Oath"). Algeria received 305 T-90SA series tanks ordered in 2009. Azerbaijan has ordered about 20 T-90 tanks, while Turkmenistan has ordered 10 and has selected another 30.

Uganda is believed to have received 44 T-90S tanks from Russia in 2010, with an order of 100.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

43 x 125mm projectile.

300x12.7mm ammo.

2,000 x 7.62mm ammo.

12 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes