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T-90

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T-90S
File:T--90.jpg
Specifications
Mass46.5 tonnes
Length9.53 m
Width3.78 m
Height2.22 m
Crew3

The T-90 is a main battle tank (MBT) of Russian Federation Army. A highly-specified version of the T-90, known as Bhishma, is the principal combat tank of the Indian Army. Military Ordnance magazine ranked the T-90 as the seventh best tank in the world.[1]. According to the Federation of American Scientists, the T-90's combined passive and active defenses makes it "one of the best protected main battle tanks in the world".[2]

Production history

The T-90 with an 840 hp engine went into low-level production in 1993, based on a prototype designated T-88. The T-90 was developed by Russia's Kartsev-Venediktov Design Bureau at the Uralvagonzavod factory in Nizhny Tagil. The T-90 features a new generation of Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor on its hull and turret. Two variants, the T-90S and T-90E, have been identified as possible export models.

By mid-1996 some 107 T-90 tanks had gone into service in the Russian Far Eastern Military District. Plans called for all earlier models to be replaced by the T-90 by the end of 1997, but this objective remains unachieved due to lack of funding.

1999 saw the appearance of a new model of T-90, featuring the fully welded turret of the Obiekt 187 experimental MBT instead of the original T-90's cast turret. This new model is called "Vladimir" in honour of T-90 Chief Designer Vladimir Potkin, who died in 1999. It is unknown how this design affects the protection and layout of the turret, or whether the tank's hull armor layout was changed.

Currently, there are 241 T-90 tanks serving in the Russian Army's 5th Tank Division, stationed in the Siberian Military District, and seven T-90 tanks in the Navy. On May 15, 2006, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Belousov announced that along with other purchases, some thirty new T-90s will be produced for the Russian Army [3].

T-90 Bhishma of the Indian Army on display

In 2001, India bought 310 T-90S tanks from Russia, of which 120 were delivered in ready-to-use configuration, 90 in semi-knocked down kits and 100 in completely-knocked down kits. T-90S were made by Uralvagonzavod and the uprated 1,000-hp engines were delivered by Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. The T-90 was selected due to its good armour, 125mm tank gun (the largest calibre in service), excellent range, efficiency, and cost. India bought the T-90 after the failure to establish production of the domestically developed Arjun main battle tank, and to counter Pakistani deployment of the Ukrainian T-80UD/T-84 and planned purchase of the Chinese/Ukrainian Al Khalid.

The deal between India and Russia, estimated at a value of USD $750 million, also included the complete transfer of T-90 technology and weapon systems to India. With Russian, French and Israeli assistance, India developed an improved version of T-90M, known as the Bhishma. In 2006, the Indian Government awarded the Ordanance Factory Board a USD $2.5 billion deal to manufacture 1,000 T-90 Bhishma tanks for the Indian army.[4]

India has reported that problems have arisen with the French-designed thermal sights used on the T-90 in intense desert heat. [5]

Armament

2A46M Smoothbore Gun

The T-90 tank features the 125mm 2A46M smoothbore gun. The 2A46M is a highly modified version of the Sprut anti-tank gun. The gun can be displaced without dismantling the inner turret and is capable of firing:

Refleks laser-guided missile

The range of the 9M119 missiles is 100 m to 4000 m and takes 11.7 seconds to reach maximum range. The T-90M and the T-90 Bhishma variants can fire 9M119M missiles which have semi-automatic laser beam-riding guidance and a hollow charge HEAT warhead. Armed with the AT-II Sniper laser-guided missile, which can penetrate 700 mm of RHAe at 4000 m, the T-90 has the ability to engage low-flying air targets such as helicopters at a range of up to five kilometres.

7.62mm PKT Coax machine gun

This automatic, belt-fed gun weighs about 10.5 kg while the ammunation box carries 250 rounds and weighs an additional 9.5 kg.

Utjos 12.7mm AA NSVT machine gun

The remote-controlled NSVT machine gun forms a crucial component of the T-90's air-defence system. This auxilary armament has a range of 2 km and rate of fire of 210 rounds per minute.

Armour

The glacis and the turret of T-90 is covered by the second generation Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour (ERA). The tank's low rounded turret is centered on the hull and is covered by ERA bricks. This ERA gives the turret an angled appearance, with the ERA bricks forming a clam shell appearance. ERA bricks on the turret roof provide protection from top-attack weapons.

The T-90 is equipped with the Shtora-1 active protection system, produced by Electronintorg of Russia. This system includes infrared jammer, laser warning system with four laser warning receivers, grenade discharging system which produces an aerosol screen and a computerised control system. The laser warning system warns the tank's crew when the tank has been 'painted' by a weapon-guidance laser. The T-90's electro-optical jammer, the Shtora-1 EOCMDAS, jams the enemy’s semiautomatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) antitank guided missiles, laser rangefinders, and target designators.

The T-90 is also fitted with conventional armour plating and nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection equipment.

Operators

In all, there are about 550 T-90 tanks currently in service with Russian and Indian armed forces:

  • India India, 310 T-90S, 1000+ T-90 Bhishma to be manufactured in India.
  • Algeria Algeria, 300 T-90S to be manufactured in Russia[6].
  • Russia Russia, 248 T-90, 30 T-90S to be manufactured in Russia.

See also

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ [3]
  4. ^ [4]
  5. ^ [5]
  6. ^ [6]
  • Sewell, Stephen "Cookie" (July–August 1998). "Why Three Tanks?" Armor 108 (4):21. (PDF format)
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