T-90

The T-90 traces its lineage to a Soviet-era initiative to develop a successor, designed to replace the T-72 and eventually other Soviet main battle tanks. The T-72 platform was chosen as its foundation due to cost-effectiveness and simplicity. The Kartsev-Venediktov Design Bureau developed the Object 188, an upgraded T-72B, which was selected over the more advanced Object 187. Following trials from 1989, the Object 188 (initially T-72BM) was adopted in 1991, entering Russian service as the T-90 in 1992. Initial production was modest for domestic orders but resumed with the upgraded T-90A in 2004, followed by the T-90M, which began deliveries in 2020.

The T-90 is a third-generation main battle tank equipped with a 125mm smoothbore main gun fed by an autoloader, enabling a crew of three. This armament is capable of firing various ammunition types, including fin-stabilized discarding sabot rounds, high-explosive anti-tank projectiles, fragmentation rounds, and laser beam-riding anti-tank guided missiles effective against both armored targets and low-flying helicopters. Secondary armaments include remotely operated heavy and coaxial machine guns. The tank integrates a sophisticated fire-control system, which, on later models, includes advanced thermal imaging sights for enhanced day and night engagement capabilities. Defensive measures are multi-layered, comprising a blend of steel and composite armour, supplemented by explosive reactive armour such as Kontakt-5 or the more advanced Relikt on newer variants. The Shtora active protection system, designed to jam missile guidance systems and obscure the tank with smoke, is also a feature, though not universally fitted on all export models. Motive power is provided by a series of upgraded diesel engines, and the T-90M variant introduces a significantly modernized turret, an improved main gun, a more potent engine, enhanced multi-channel sighting systems, and real-time data exchange capabilities.

The T-90 entered service with the Russian military in 1992 and has since been adopted by several nations, with India being a prominent export customer operating and licence-producing the T-90S Bhishma, featuring tailored modifications and ongoing upgrade programs including advanced sighting systems and a forthcoming Mark III variant. Algeria, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Vietnam are among other notable users. The T-90 has seen considerable combat, beginning with alleged deployment during the 1999 War in Dagestan. It was subsequently used by Russian and Syrian forces in the Syrian Civil War, where its reactive armor demonstrated resilience against certain anti-tank missiles. Azerbaijani T-90S tanks participated in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, incurring some losses. The tank has been extensively deployed by Russian forces during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022, with both T-90A and the advanced T-90M variants in action. Significant losses have been documented, attributed to various anti-tank weaponry, raising questions regarding its battlefield survivability under modern combat conditions, and some captured units have been repurposed by Ukrainian forces or sent for foreign evaluation.

Armenia • Azerbaijan • Algeria • India • Iraq • Russia • Syria • Turkmenistan • Uganda • Ukraine • Vietnam