The American edition of The National Interest, in an article posted in January 2019, rated the Russian T-90S tank as "deadly" due to the fact that it combined the best developments implemented in the Soviet T-72 and T-80, and became one of the the best examples of value for money.
How true is this?
The T-90 tank did not appear quite usual. Within the framework of the topic "Improvement-88" at UVZ, work was carried out on a deep modernization of the T-72 tank, at the same time a new generation "Boxer" tank was being developed in Kharkov.
The T-72 tank by that time was hopelessly outdated and lagged behind in firepower, power plant and protection from the T-80U / T-80UD tank. This was especially true of the firepower of the tank, on the T-80U / T-80UD a fundamentally new sighting system based on the Irtysh multichannel gunner sight, a system for automatic calculation and input of corrections when firing from a place and on the move with artillery shells and controlled by a beam was already introduced laser missile "Reflex", and day-night sight "Agat-S" of the commander, providing search for targets, duplicated firing from the cannon from the commander's seat and remote control of the anti-aircraft installation. For the power plant, a 1000 hp gas turbine engine has already been introduced on the T-80U, and a 6TDF diesel engine with a capacity of 1000 hp on the T-80-UD.
The modernization of the T-72 assumed the introduction of all innovations from the T-80U / T-80UD tanks and the creation of a more powerful power plant.
The created samples of the modernized T-72 tank by the fall of 1992 successfully passed a set of tests. By that time, the Union collapsed, unfinished work on the promising Boxer tank remained in Ukraine, Russia found itself without a promising tank, and the top leadership of the military, with the support of Yeltsin, decided to recognize this tank as new and adopted it in October 1992 under the T-90 index. … In fact, the T-90 was not a new tank, but a deep modernization of the T-72, in its layout and main characteristics it did not fundamentally differ from the existing generation of tanks.
This was confirmed in a speech in March 2011 at the Federation Council by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of Russia, Colonel-General Postnikov, who said that the T-90 tank "is actually the 17th modification of the Soviet T-72" produced since 1973 " …
The general was only partially right, the T-90 was not a new tank, but a modernization of an existing one, but the characteristics of this tank were at the level of Western tanks of this generation, in addition, all the achievements of Soviet tank building and new developments of Russian designers were introduced into it.
Over the years after its creation, the T-90 tank underwent a number of successful upgrades, and in terms of its characteristics it is not inferior to the Abrams and Leopard-2.
T-90 - 1992 T-90S - 2001 (export version).
T-90A, T-90SA - 2006
T-90M, T-90AM, T-90SM - 2010
The layout of the T-90 tank is classic, the crew is three people, the driver is located in the hull, the commander and gunner are in the turret. MTO is located in the rear of the hull. The tank uses a carousel-type automatic loader, similar to the T-72 tank. Ammunition - 40 shots, 22 are located in the automatic loader, 18 in the non-mechanized ammunition rack, 10 in the turret aft niche and 8 in the hull. For the first time in Soviet / Russian tanks, an armored niche with knockout panels is provided in the rear of the turret for placing part of the ammunition in a non-mechanized ammunition rack. The rest of the layout of the T-90 is the same as the T-72.
Firepower
The main armament is the 125-mm 2A46M-5 cannon, which was used on the T-80U / T-80UD tank. The latest modification of the T-90AM provides for the installation of a 125-mm 2A82 high-power cannon with a partially chrome-plated barrel and high muzzle energy installed on the Armata tank.
The set of ammunition is standard: armor-piercing subcaliber, cumulative, high-explosive fragmentation, guided missiles and added shrapnel fragmentation with remote detonation on the projectile's flight path along the distance to the target measured by a laser rangefinder.
BPS from the T-90 ammunition are somewhat inferior in armor penetration to their American counterparts. For example, the armor penetration of the ZBM-42M from the T-90A ammunition is estimated at 650-700 mm, while the American M829A2 BPS from the M1A2SEP Abrams ammunition penetrates 710 mm at the same distance. A new generation of BPS with higher armor penetration is being developed for the T-90 tank. When using the 2A82 gun, the power of the BPS will be significantly higher than its western counterparts due to the higher muzzle energy of the gun.
The gunner's and commander's sighting system was completely borrowed from the T-80U / T-80UD tank with modification for the automatic loader of the T-72 tank. Daytime gunner's sight "Irtysh" with stabilization of the field of view in two planes, with a magnification factor of 4-12, an optical channel with a target detection range of up to 5000 m, a laser rangefinder and a laser guidance channel for a guided missile "Reflex".
As a night sight on the first T-90 samples, the TPN4-49 Buran P / A night sight was used with a target detection range in the passive mode of 1200 m, in the active mode with illumination by the Shtora system floodlights - 1500 m. On the subsequent T samples -90, the first generation thermal imaging sight TPN4-49 - 23 "Agava-2" was installed with stabilization of the field of view through the gunner's sight, with gunner's and commander's screens, target detection range in active mode with illumination by "Shtora" searchlights 2500-3000m.
Since 2006, a second-generation Essa thermal imager with a Catherine FC thermal imaging matrix made in France began to be installed on the T-90A tank, the target detection range increased to 4000 m. for shooting.
The commander's sighting system has a PNK-4S "Agat-S" day-night sight with stabilization of the field of view in the vertical plane, with a magnification factor of the day channel 7, 5, the night channel - 5, 1. Target detection range at night in passive mode up to 700 m active - 1000 m. The complex also includes a monocular sight PZU-7 for firing from an anti-aircraft gun and electric drives for remote control of the anti-aircraft gun. The complex provides the commander with search and detection of targets, control of fire from an anti-aircraft machine gun, as well as firing from a cannon in a duplicate mode.
During the modernization of the T-90M (T-90SM) series tank, the MSA has undergone dramatic changes. The Kalina control system includes a multi-channel gunner's sight with optical and thermal imaging channels, two-plane stabilization of the line of sight, a laser rangefinder and a laser guidance channel for the Reflex (Invar) guided missile. The detection range through the optical channel is 5000 m, through the thermal imaging channel - 3500 m. The commander has a panoramic sight with optical and thermal imaging channels, a laser rangefinder. The target detection range through the optical channel is 5000 m, through the thermal imaging channel - 3500 m.
The LMS allows you to implement the target acquisition and tracking mode. To provide all-round visibility, the LMS has four cameras that transmit images to the commander and gunner's monitors. The system also provides remote control of the anti-aircraft gun from the commander's and gunner's positions. A 7, 62 mm or 12, 7 mm machine gun can be used as a charger.
The Kalina control system is integrated with the tank information and control system and the tactical level tank interaction control system, which includes inertial and satellite navigation systems that enable the T-90M to be used as a network-centric tank. Still, it should be noted that the use of the T-90M as a "network-centric tank" is still mostly desirable. To achieve the declared characteristics, a large amount of work is required to improve and fine-tune the software and hardware of these systems.
The T-90M tank is not inferior to the Western tanks "Abrams", "Leopard-2" and "Leclerc" in terms of the set of instruments of the FCS and its capabilities for conducting effective fire.
Security
The T-90 tank has a differentiated anti-cannon armor protection with extensive use of reactive armor elements. The T-90 armored hull is welded, the tower is cast, with the modifications T-90A and T-90SA, the tower is welded with improved manufacturing technology.
Armoring of the hull and turret is made using multilayer composite armor, rolled armor and casting. The roof of the hull consists of rolled armor plates, the bottom of the hull is one-piece stamped, of complex shape. The upper frontal hull plate, the frontal part of the turret in the frontal part are made of multilayer composite armor. The side and roof of the tower, the side of the hull also have partially multi-layer armor.
The armor of the tower is combined, in the front of the tower in special cavities there are special armor packages with reflective sheets of three layers: a plate, gaskets and a thin plate. This makes it possible to provide high armor resistance with a lower mass of protection.
The T-90 has built-in explosive reactive armor of the second generation "Contact-5"; it is installed on the frontal upper part of the hull, on the forehead and on the roof of the turret, and on the side skirts.
With the further modernization of the T-90, serious attention was paid to strengthening the protection, the next generation of reactive armor "Relikt" was installed on the modifications of the T-90M, T-90AM, T-90SM, the armor of the upper frontal hull plate was strengthened, to protect the crew from the secondary stream of fragments. fire-resistant anti-splinter material "Kevlar", a reserved niche in the rear of the tower for non-mechanized ammunition stowage is provided, shots in the automatic loader and in the ammunition rack of the hull are protected from damage when the tank's armor is penetrated, the sides of the tank are protected by armored screens, the aft elements of the hull in the MTO area are protected by lattice screens, a mesh screen with reinforcement at the intersections of the threads is installed on the perimeter of the tower.
The measures taken provided the tank with one of the highest levels of protection for modern tanks. At the same time, certain disadvantages appeared associated with a serious increase in the dimensions of the tower due to the placement of a niche for ammunition there, an insufficiently high level of reservation in this zone, an increased probability of hitting ammunition in the tower compared to placing them at the hull level and an insufficiently effective method of protecting the crew. when the ejection plates are triggered.
According to expert estimates, the armor resistance of the tank, taking into account the built-in dynamic protection, is provided at the level: from the BPS, the forehead of the hull - 830 mm, the forehead of the turret - 950mm, from the COP the forehead of the hull - 1350 mm, the forehead of the turret - 1150-1350 mm. For comparison: according to expert estimates, the armor resistance of the frontal projection of the Abrams tank from the BPS is 850-900 mm and from the CS - 1100-1200 mm.
Mobility
The mobility of the tank is determined by the power of the power plant and its mass. On the T-90 tank, from the moment of its creation to the latest modifications, the power of the power plant has significantly increased. On the first series of the T-90, a 12-cylinder V-84MS diesel engine with a capacity of 840 hp was installed, on the T-90A, T-90SA modifications - a 12-cylinder V-92S2 diesel engine with a capacity of 1000 hp, on the T-90M modifications, T-90AM, T-90SM - 12-cylinder V-99 diesel engine with a capacity of 1130 hp.
With the mass of the T-90M tank at 48 tons, it has good characteristics in terms of power density and specific pressure in comparison with Western tanks. Comparative characteristics with the M1A2 Abrams tank are as follows:
Abrams M1A2; T-90M
Tank weight (t): 63; 48
Engine power (hp): 1500; 1130
Specific power (hp / t): 24; 23, 5
Specific pressure (kg / sq. Cm): 1, 02; 0, 94
Maximum speed on the highway, km / h: 67; 60
Cruising in store (km): 426; 550
On the T-90M tank, the conditions for controlling the movement of the tank have been significantly improved, instead of control levers, a steering wheel is used, an automatic gearshift has been introduced, which allows remote control of the movement of the tank. To ensure the operability of the tank's systems when the engine is off, an additional diesel power unit DGU7 with a capacity of 7 kW is installed on the fenders.
In terms of the aggregate of the main characteristics, the T-90M tank is not inferior to its main western competitors, the Abrams, Leopard-2 and Leclerc. So the assessment of American analysts of the capabilities of the Russian T-90M tank is fair. The tank is a serious competitor to Western tanks and can create many problems for them, to which "Western partners" will have to look for worthy answers.
