T‑90m's 'spinning turret syndrome' casts doubt on Putin's prized tank

The T-90M is touted as the best tank available to Russian units participating in the invasion of Ukraine. According to representatives of the Russian army and Vladimir Putin himself, these machines were supposed to be so advanced that even NATO would envy them. However, the long-term conflict has revealed numerous problems with the T-90M, particularly concerning the turret.

The Ukrainians have already destroyed many T-90M units. Most successful attacks have been recorded on video, often showing similar scenes of the Russian tank's turret spinning uncontrollably. Some journalists and analysts call this the "spinning turret syndrome," which renders the tank ineffective in combat and, in most cases, prevents safe evacuation from the battlefield. As a result, T-90Ms are often abandoned, allowing Ukrainians to destroy them, often by dropping grenades from drones.

Such problems have not been observed with other Russian tanks. So far, there is no consensus on the causes of these issues. Based on recordings of attacks, the turrets of T-90M tanks start to "go crazy", sometimes even after an attack with a relatively low-impact weapon like a kamikaze drone.

Some analysts suggest that it may be related to the fire control system, which sends false signals due to optical damage. It is also worth noting that T-90M tanks are equipped with an electric turret rotation mechanism. This mechanism is much faster than a hydraulic one but is more complicated and can fail if the electronics are defective.

Earlier reports from the Ukrainians reinforce such assumptions. Based on the analysis of units captured by the Russians, it was established that the T-90M suffers from numerous flaws. These include a weaker engine than the specifications suggested, radio communication difficulties, and low-durability microelectronics. This has led to claims that the T-90M is a "failure instead of a breakthrough."

Vladimir Putin calls the T-90M the "best tank in the world." Although the war in Ukraine shows that it is far from that, it remains significantly more dangerous than other such machines available to the Russians. It is the newest tank in the T-90 family, which originated in 1992. It features a 2A46M-5 125mm cannon with the Kalina fire control system, two machine guns (7.62mm and 12.7mm), and modular reactive armour Relikt.

The value of each T-90M tank is estimated at around $5.9 million CAD.