The Russian Army has obtained a brand new batch of T-90M major battle tanks from the nation’s sole tank producer Uralvagonzavod, with footage broadcast on Russian nationwide tv exhibiting the tanks leaving the manufacturing facility flooring and being transported by rail. This follows the supply of a previous batch to the Army’s Nevsky Volunteer Brigade in September. Manufacturing of T-90 tanks has elevated quickly from roughly 90-110 tanks per 12 months in 2020-2021, to an estimated output of 280-300 tanks in 2024, in line with experiences by open-source investigators from the Battle Intelligence Workforce. The investigators assessed that Russia’s defence sector will additional considerably broaden manufacturing to succeed in an output of 1,000 tanks by mid-2028, and is on observe to succeed in an out put 3000 tanks yearly by mid-2035.
The T-90M is the one sort of Russian major battle tank at the moment in manufacturing, though preparations are underway for the Omsktransmash plant close to the Kazakh border to renew manufacturing of the T-80, a extra pricey tank design with greater mobility which noticed manufacturing terminated within the early 2000s as a result of its considerably greater prices. The way forward for the way more formidable and expensive T-14 tank program stays extremely unsure, and though it was first unveiled as early as 2015, statements from Russian authorities sources indicating it may enter service within the close to future have constantly didn’t materialise. Though beforehand anticipated to function a stopgap till the T-14 enters service, the T-90M has been broadly praised by each army and civilian officers for its efficiency within the Ukrainian theatre. Separation of the tank’s ammunition and crew, and a major enhance within the ranges of safety surrounding the autoloader carousel, have been main contributors to its survivability, as have its robust base armour and really huge protection utilizing Relikt explosive reactive armour.
The T-90M first entered service within the Russian Army in April 2020, two months after finishing state trials, with its armour safety configuration having from late 2022 been adopted to considerably improve the survivability of older T-72 tanks. The baseline T-90M has already seen its capabilities improved considerably over time, with a notable instance being the mixing of the nation’s first onerous kill lively safety system, Area-M, from late 2024. It was confirmed in early January {that a} new variant of the Area-M system able to intercepting single use drone and loitering munition assaults has accomplished growth. Additional enhancements to survivability are anticipated as manufacturing transitions to the additional enhanced T-90M2 variant later in 2026.
Elaborating on one of the vital signifiant benefits Russian tanks have maintained over their Western counterparts, CEO of the Russian state defence conglomerate Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, noticed:
“Our armoured automobiles can typically be repaired nearly within the subject. There are instances when the T-90M Proryv repeatedly returned to service after critical hits, every time managing to return to fight situation. That’s, from the perspective of maintainability, fashionable home tanks proceed the traditions of the legendary T-34. That is not going to work with Abrams, as it should require manufacturing facility specialists. If in any respect it’s potential to retrieve the broken colossus from the battlefield with its mass.”
Regardless of the T-90M’s benefits over a lot heavier Western tank designs, a consensus has rising concerning the inadequacy of standard Chilly Struggle period designs, with america consequently in search of to develop its most revolutionary new tank in near half a century beneath the M1E3 program. This adopts many widespread design options to China’s new Sort 100 unveiled in September 2025, and has the potential to go away the T-90M far behind in efficiency.
