Russian T‑90M tank exposed: Vulnerability amid frontlines
A Russian military correspondent documented an intriguingly embedded tank turret in the winter, initially believed to be a Leopard. The truth was much more brutal, as the accompanying person identified the wreck as a Russian T-90M. We present what it can do and how it was destroyed.
The Russian military correspondent documented wrecks in the frontline region and was most interested in a specimen with a torn-off turret embedded in the ground. A mine destroyed the tank, the explosion of which led to the detonation of the ammunition it was carrying.
Initially, the Russian thought it was a Leopard 2 but was quickly corrected by a companion who recognized the wreck as a T-90M tank. Among other things, this is indicated by the arrangement of hatches or the smoke grenade launchers on the turret.
The pinnacle of Russian armored thought becoming rarer
T-90M tanks are created by rebuilding earlier models, such as the T-90A and T-72B. This means that the production of these machines may be halted once the supplies of older shells in post-Soviet warehouses run out. T-90M tanks are among the most dangerous machines that Ukrainians can encounter.
The T-90 tank family was born in response to the massive destruction of Iraqi T-72s during the Persian Gulf War. To avoid unfavourable comparisons, the Russians changed the name of the comprehensive modernization of the T-72B tank to T-90A. This model later evolved into the T-90M, which became a main attraction at Russian arms fairs praised by Vladimir Putin.
The T-90M is characterized by a fire control system with a thermal imaging camera based on French solutions, although these have now been replaced with components from other sources. The tank is also equipped with two-layer Relikt reactive armour, offering protection against anti-tank missiles with dual warheads and reducing the effectiveness of kinetic penetrators fired from other tanks.
Nevertheless, the reactive armour overlays the basic armour from the T-72B model, which creates weak points exploited by Ukrainian FPV drone pilots.
The automatic loader with a hull-mounted magazine containing a full set of 22 projectiles and powder charges, on which two of the three crew members sit directly, has also remained unchanged. Any damage to it essentially guarantees a powerful explosion with a torn-off turret, which then falls further or closer. These changes have increased the T-90M's weight to about 48 tonnes, necessitating the use of a more efficient engine with 1250 horsepower.
