Currently, there are several types of modern main battle tanks on the international arms and equipment market. Armored vehicles produced by different countries find certain buyers and bring certain income to their manufacturers. At the same time, none of the modern foreign tanks can match the sales of Russian vehicles of the T-90 family. The latter have already become the most massive export tanks built since the end of the Cold War.
The possibility of producing an export version of the latest T-90 tank began to be considered at the design stage. This soon resulted in the appearance of the T-90S tank, modified for future sales to foreign customers. In October 1992, the newest armored vehicle was adopted by the Russian army, and at the same time, permission was obtained to export T-90S tanks. In the very near future, the new export tank could be shown to potential buyers and received the desired orders. Nevertheless, over the next few years, the Uralvagonzavod enterprise, which developed the T-90S, did not manage to sign a single contract with foreign customers.
According to reports, at first, the promotion of the T-90S tank on the international market was hampered by bureaucratic reasons. It is known that until 1997, the manufacturing organization could not obtain permission to demonstrate a promising machine at foreign exhibitions. For the first time such a document was received only in 1997, before the IDEX exhibition in the United Arab Emirates. Nevertheless, this time not everything went smoothly: the tank was shown to the visitors of the salon, although it was not officially included in the exposition.
Tank T-90S. Photo Vitalykuzmin.net
The first demonstration to potential customers positively influenced further developments. Negotiations began shortly after IDEX-1997, leading up to the signing of new contracts. In 1999, Russia and India agreed on the transfer of three T-90S vehicles required for use in tests. A little later, this technique was tested at Indian proving grounds, and also compared with modern foreign vehicles of its class. According to the test results, the Indian military department decided to purchase exactly Russian tanks. In addition, India offered to supply not only ready-made combat vehicles, but also assembly kits. The latter were planned to be "converted" into ready-made tanks at one of the Indian enterprises.
The contract for the supply of T-90S tanks to the Indian armed forces was signed in 2001. It involved the construction of 310 combat vehicles with a total cost of about $ 1 billion. In accordance with the existing agreement, Uralvagonzavod was to build and deliver 124 tanks to the customer. The rest of the equipment was to be sent to India in the form of assembly kits. The assembly of tanks under license was entrusted to the HVF company in Avadi. It was planned to complete the delivery of the ordered equipment within the next few years.
In the context of the first "Indian" contract, the story of the customer's desire to receive guarantees was widely known. During that period, Russia and its industry were going through hard times, and there was a risk of stopping the construction of tanks for one reason or another. To resolve this problem, the top leadership of Russia had to take the situation under its personal control. Fortunately, further events, despite some difficulties, developed according to a positive scenario, and the order was fully fulfilled.
Ready 124 T-90S tanks, built in Nizhny Tagil, were handed over to the customer by the end of 2002. In the fall of the same year, the Indian company HVF received the first sets of components and assemblies, after which it began to independently assemble armored vehicles. Delivery of tanks in "unassembled" form continued for about a year. Licensed assembly of tanks in India was carried out until the middle of the last decade. As a result of all these works, the Indian ground forces received 310 main battle tanks of Russian design.
Having mastered the tanks of the first contract, the Indian military expressed a desire to continue procurement and construction. New contracts appeared already in 2006. First, the customer and the manufacturer signed a contract for the licensed production of 1,000 new tanks. A few months after the first contract, a new one appeared, according to which India was to receive another 330 T-90S vehicles with the production of some of this equipment in Russia. An important feature of the new contracts was the customer's desire to receive updated equipment in a modified configuration.
Indian tanks T-90S "Bhishma" in the exercise. Photo Wikimedia Commons
Especially for the Indian ground forces, a new modification of the T-90S was created, which differed in some design features. This project provided for the strengthening of the chassis and the refinement of the fire control system. In particular, standard thermal imaging devices were replaced by French-made products. Dynamic protection of the Russian development gave way to Indian counterparts.
Interestingly, the T-90S tanks, modified in accordance with the requirements of the Indian army, in addition to the official designation received a new name "Bhishma" (literally - "Grozny"). It was decided to name a tank with high characteristics and combat capabilities in honor of one of the main characters of the epic "Mahabharata", who glorified himself with feats of arms and skillful diplomacy.
In 2007, India again ordered Russian tanks. This time it was about the production of 347 cars. 124 tanks were planned to be received in finished form, and the rest were to arrive at the customer in the form of vehicle kits for assembly at the HVF plant. This order cost the Indian military $ 1237 million.
The enterprises "Uralvagonzavod" and HVF quickly enough were able to expand the mass production of the required armored combat vehicles and start fulfilling existing orders. The result was the appearance of a significant number of tanks and the start of the rearmament of the Indian ground forces. Over the next few years, very remarkable results were obtained. So, until 2010, inclusive, Russian tank builders sent to the customer more than 600 T-90S tanks in the original and modified version. At the same time, only a third of the tanks were handed over ready-made, while most of them were supplied as a set of parts for assembly at local enterprises. It is easy to see that by this time a little more than a third of all available orders had been completed. Joint work continued and has not been completed so far. New shipments of Indian-assembled tanks continue to enter the army; this process will continue over the next several years.
The main T-90SA tanks, intended for shipment to Algeria. June 2016 Photo by Menadefense.net
Orders for the production of T-90S for India are still in progress. The state-owned enterprise HVF has the ability to assemble up to hundreds of tanks a year from vehicle kits, and therefore will have to produce new equipment by the end of this decade. According to available data, the Indian ground forces are currently armed with more than 950 T-90S and Bhishma tanks. By 2020, it is planned to commission up to 2 thousand.such armored vehicles. Thus, the Indian army has already become the world's largest operator of the main tanks of the T-90S family, and in the near future it will provide itself with an even greater lead over the main "competitors".
Algeria became the second foreign buyer of T-90S tanks. The African state showed its interest in Russian armored vehicles in the middle of the last decade. In March 2006, a contract was signed for the supply of 185 T-90S tanks. Simultaneously with this contract, several more agreements appeared for the supply of various weapons and equipment of Russian production. The total value of all contracts reached $ 8 billion. A few years later, Algeria initiated the signing of another contract.
At the request of the Algerian army, the Uralvagonzavod company created a specialized modification of the tank under the designation T-90SA, modified for operation in North Africa and other similar regions. The main differences between the SA machine and the basic C were in the use of an air conditioner and the possibility of installing searchlight systems from the Shtora optical-electronic suppression complex. Algeria also purchased T-90SKA command tanks, which have a different composition of communication equipment. In particular, the T-BMS tactical battle management system is installed on them.
Unlike the Indian army, the Algerian side did not acquire a license to assemble Russian armored vehicles. Thanks to this, it was possible to reduce the waiting time for the required machines. As a result, to date, Algeria has received more than 300 tanks in line and command configurations.
T-90S tanks of the Ugandan armed forces and their crews. Photo Twitter.com/KagutaMuseveni
In 2011, Azerbaijan joined the list of buyers of T-90S tanks. The army of this country wished to buy three battalion sets of armored vehicles - 94 vehicles. The agreement provided for an option for the further supply of 94 more tanks. The Azerbaijani army received the first serial T-90S already in 2013. According to reports, about a hundred tanks have been delivered to date. Tanks for Azerbaijan, in general, correspond to the original T-90S project, but at the same time they carry optical-electronic suppression systems.
Another rather large contract was signed with Uganda. A few years ago, this African state acquired 44 Russian-made tanks. The supply of modern armored vehicles led to positive consequences in the context of the development of the army. The fact is that the backbone of the Ugandan armored vehicle fleet is still obsolete T-55.
Since a certain time, T-90 tanks of various modifications, including the original "A", have been supplied to the Syrian army. According to various sources, at least several dozen cars have already been transferred to a friendly state. Such deliveries are notable for the fact that Russian tanks were able to take part in the current war and show their real potential. During the Syrian war, different versions of the T-90 confirmed their combat effectiveness and high survivability. Several incidents with the shelling of such equipment with the help of anti-tank systems, which did not end with the destruction of armored vehicles, were widely known.
To complete the picture, it is also worth noting the supply of T-90S tanks to Turkmenistan and Armenia. The Turkmen army currently has only four such vehicles. The Armenian armed forces, in turn, have only one tank of this type. Of great interest is the "origin" of the only tank in Armenia. In 2014, the national team of this country performed at the World Tank Biathlon Championship and took second place in the overall standings. This success was marked by a prize - the T-90S tank. Soon the armored vehicle was handed over to the prize-winning army.
In 2017, there were several new messages about future deliveries of T-90 tanks. Thus, the Iraqi Defense Ministry previously announced its intention to purchase at least 70 Russian armored vehicles. At the same time, it was only about the first batch, and in the future a new order could appear. The cost of the agreement, for obvious reasons, was not disclosed. In mid-July, new messages appeared in this regard. The Russian side has officially confirmed the fact of signing an agreement with Iraq. However, this time the volume and value of the contract were not specified.
Parade crew of Turkmen T-90SA tanks. Photo by WIkimedia Commons
According to various estimates, under a new contract (or contracts), Iraq may receive up to several hundred T-90S tanks or other modifications with a total value of up to $ 1 billion. Naturally, these are only rough estimates, and therefore should not be taken too seriously.
Several months ago, rumors and reports from unnamed sources appeared abroad and in our country about the imminent signing of a contract for the supply of T-90MS tanks to the Egyptian armed forces. Initially, publications on this topic mentioned the possibility of selling 400-500 tanks, but later these numbers decreased markedly. At the same time, it is said about the possibility of supplying a part of armored vehicles in finished form in parallel with the organization of a licensed assembly. It can be assumed that in the very near future the first official reports of such a contract will appear.
New export contracts may appear in the near future. In early July, the report of the research and production corporation "Uralvagonzavod" for 2016 was freely available. This document provided some new information, as well as clarified the already known. In addition, the report stipulated the priority areas that are supposed to be mastered in the foreseeable future.
According to the report, in 2017 it was planned to timely and efficiently fulfill the already concluded contracts with foreign customers. At the same time, it was about Vietnam, which ordered 64 T-90S and T-90SK tanks, as well as Iraq, which is to receive 73 vehicles of the same types. Also this year, Uralvagonzavod is to complete pre-contract work with Kuwait, which wants to purchase 146 T-90MS / MSK tanks. The same machines are planned to be offered to India.
According to publicly available data, to date, at least 1,400 main battle tanks of various modifications of the T-90 family have been built by the forces of the domestic defense industry within the framework of export contracts. At least 1200-1300 armored vehicles will be built by the end of this decade in accordance with existing or planned contracts. Thus, the number of T-90 tanks sold will constantly grow, bringing certain revenues to the Russian industry.
"Prize-winning" T-90S tank, won by Armenian tankers in 2014. Photo Wikimedia Commons
If all the currently planned contracts are signed and executed on time, then in the foreign armies in the early twenties more than 2,600 T-90 tanks will be fully Russian-made or assembled abroad. Thanks to this, one of the last Russian tanks will once again confirm its title as the most commercially successful vehicle of its class. Indian orders for a long time allowed the T-90 to break away from competitors in the context of the volume of export contracts, and new agreements will only strengthen its position in the international arms market.
Last year's report by Uralvagonzavod directly states that foreign customers are still showing interest in the rather old T-90S vehicle and its various modifications, but they should also offer the newer T-90MS tank. As you know, the development of the T-90 family continues to this day and regularly leads to new results. Each new version of the Russian tank, embodied in metal, has every chance to interest a potential customer and become the subject of another profitable deal.
Soviet and Russian tanks have been present on the international market for a very long time and deservedly retain their leadership positions. New machines of the T-90 family continue this "tradition" and, showing high performance, allow Russia to receive new large contracts. At the moment, the T-90S and its modifications are the most commercially successful tanks in the world, built after the end of the Cold War. There is every reason to believe that Russian tanks will maintain this status for many years to come.
