Ukrainian drones take down another prized Russian T‑90M tank

Ukrainians destroyed yet another relatively scarce T-90M tank, also referred to as "Putin's pride." Its destroyer turned out to be a pair of FPV drones. We explain how drones worth a few hundred dollars destroyed a tank valued at 6 million Canadian dollars and what went differently than usual.

Russian tanks T-90M alongside T-80BWM are the most powerful machines Russians possess that Ukrainians might encounter. It is estimated that the Russians had over 100 of these machines in stock, a very small number compared to the more than 1000 modernized T-72B3/B3M tanks. It's also worth noting that the loss of 93 T-90M units has been confirmed through photos or videos so far.

The video below shows how a Russian T-90M got hit by an FPV drone in the engine, forcing it to stop. Interestingly, in this instance, before the second one arrived, the entire three-person crew managed to leave the tank before it was attacked a second time. This resulted in a spectacular explosion of the ammunition magazine.

Russians introduced the first T-90M tanks into service only in 2021. Russians boasted they represented a new quality compared to older T-72B machines, but that was marketing to avoid comparisons to T-72 tanks, which were massively destroyed during the First Gulf War.

For this reason, Vladimir Putin proudly presented and praised the tank during military trade shows. Meanwhile, it's a deeply modernized T-72B tank whose armour was strengthened by applying Relikt reactive armour blocks, among other things.

This is a heavy dual-layer shield designed to provide protection even against double-warhead high-explosive anti-tank rounds and kinetic penetrators. However, it should be noted that it does not completely cover the tank's main armour, leaving certain areas where the T-90M is very vulnerable to destruction. Pilots of FPV drones often exploit this by attempting to strike between the back of the turret and the hull.

In such a case, a cumulative jet burns through the armour and reaches the carousel-type ammunition magazine housing 22 shells and propellant charges. It is not isolated from the crew (two soldiers even sit on it), and any damage to it results in an explosion and the immediate death of the crew.

Other changes compared to Soviet-era machines mainly include using a more powerful engine and a modern fire control system, Sosna-U with a thermal imaging camera originating from an old production series from France and newer ones, most likely from China.