The Russian-made T-90S Vladimir tank, when tested in one Arab country, turned out to be more viable than its counterparts produced in other states. This was announced on Tuesday by the head of the Rosoboronexport delegation N. Dimidyuk at the international exhibition IDEX-2011, which is taking place in Abu Dhabi. The tests took place in 2009, but they were only reported now. The name of the country where the tests took place has not yet been advertised.
N. Dimidyuk said: "Two years ago, one of the Arab countries tested the main battle tanks of a number of states in really difficult climatic conditions."
In his words, the tests of the domestic tank began rather curiously: the receiving party asked why the Russians brought only one tank, because they were convinced that one vehicle must break down during the tests. But our tank did not fail.
N. Dimidyuk said: “We trained their driver-mechanic for two days - he was a unique professional. In 10 days the tank covered 1300 km, and it went not just in the sand, but in flying dust, in the mountains at night …. the tank was closed at night so that we did not repair anything there, we did not turn it up. After the tests, they asked to remove the engine. When it was removed, there was not a single oil leak in the sump."
T-90S fired various ammunition. During the use of weapons at a range that, at the request of representatives of the owners, exceeded the limit by 3 kilometers, sixty percent of the targets were hit.
According to Dimidyuk, Leclerc (France), Leopard (Germany) and Abrams (USA) tanks took part in these tests, but they did not pass such tests. When asked by journalists why the Arabs have not bought Russian tanks so far, Dimidyuk replied: "Next is politics."
At the same time, we have to admit that along with the existing advantages, some of the parameters of the T-90S are already outdated. So, it uses the "Shtora" OE protection complex, which is capable of withstanding second-generation missiles. Shtora cannot affect newer third-generation missiles. There is hope for the active protection of the "Arena", but it cannot deal with shock balls and armor-piercing projectiles (BPS) and, in addition, it is susceptible to the effects of microwave weapons.
But the main drawback of the tank is its practical vulnerability from above, which makes it incapable of conducting combat operations. So, at present, high-precision cluster guided warheads have been created, which can be delivered in various ways (aviation, missiles and artillery) and can effectively hit armored vehicles from above.
