At least one of Russia’s most advanced tanks, the T-90M, has been destroyed by Ukrainian troops the British Ministry of Defence has said today.

According to an intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defence:

“At least one T-90M, Russia’s most advanced tank, has been destroyed in fighting. The T-90M was introduced in 2016 and includes improved armour, an upgraded gun and enhanced satellite navigation systems.

Approximately 100 T-90M tanks are currently in service amongst Russia’s best equipped units, including those fighting in Ukraine. The system’s upgraded armour, designed to counter anti-tank weaponry, remains vulnerable if unsupported by other force elements.

The conflict in Ukraine is taking a heavy toll on some of Russia’s most capable units and most advanced capabilities. It will take considerable time and expense for Russia to reconstitute its armed forces following this conflict.

It will be particularly challenging to replace modernised and advanced equipment due to sanctions restricting Russia’s access to critical microelectronic components.”

More about the tank

According to 19fortyfive here:

“Russia’s T-90 Main Battle Tank – A History – Originally developed as the export version of the Russian T-90 main battle tank (MBT), which first entered production in 1992, the T-90S was also adopted by the Russian Armed Forces as the T-90A. This MBT was a further development of the Soviet Red Army’s T-72.

Manufactured by Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil, Russia, the T-90 had its origins in the Soviet-era program, which was created to develop a new MBT that could replace the T-64, T-72, and T-80 series. These tanks have often been described as a mix of old and new, relying on traditional Russian tank designs that have been standard since the Second World War, yet featuring true 21st century advances into the automatically loading cannon that reduced the size of the crew and resulted in a small and compact weapon platform.”

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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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nonsense
nonsense
1 year ago

There’s nothing wrong with Britain because traditional tank believers think they can solve this problem with latest a better tank.

Marked
Marked
1 year ago
Reply to  nonsense

In English?

nonsense
nonsense
1 year ago
Reply to  Marked

latest new tank purchased and upgraded. = solved

traditional way 

Monkey spanker
Monkey spanker
1 year ago
Reply to  nonsense

So long as the new upgraded tank has taken the lessons of what it will face on the battle field and been developed accordingly, tanks are great weapons. To use tanks they need to be integrated with infantry, infantry fighting vehicles, air defence systems etc etc. This is more tactics than having superduper weapons. A tank should be moving under an air defence bubble if required where recon units already have a good idea of where the enemy roughly is and what it’s composed of. Russia just seems to send tanks out on there own and they get blown up.… Read more »

nonsense
nonsense
1 year ago
Reply to  Monkey spanker

The tank must significantly increase its current weight, cost, and volume to survive.  The side effects of this are the performance improvement due to the aforementioned sacrifice, but uncertain viability and difficulty in being placed on the battlefield in an uncertain situation on the battlefield. (due to large area and large weight)  Already, the latest tank is heading for a price of 10M and 100 tons.  What’s next?  The upgrade of tanks brings about a larger increase in costs than ordinary people think  There can be no tanks that are lightweight and small but can withstand any ATGM  Obviously, tanks… Read more »

nonsense
nonsense
1 year ago
Reply to  Monkey spanker

Even if F-16 fighter jets are priced in one tank, tank believers will say that there is no problem at all because they can increase the defense budget. While it is small and light, and all of the upper , the side, the rear active protection systems are applied, at the same time, a tank with strong protection against the sabot ammunition may emerge. However, this upgrade will cause the tank to cost between 20M and 100M or more. Of course, it should have protection against IED = down.  Nevertheless, it is clear that advanced intelligent ammunition will become cheaper and… Read more »

Daveyb
Daveyb
1 year ago
Reply to  nonsense

Mate, what are you on about? Active Protection Systems (APS) will get more effective in time and at some point will not only defeat both high explosive anti-tank (HEAT), but also armour piercing fin stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS/Fin) rounds. Current systems such as Rafael’s Trophy can currently defeat HEAT warheads used in anti-tank guided missiles, rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and tube fired shells. In its current form it cannot defeat Fin rounds, as Fin are solid bits of metal (tungsten carbide or depleted uranium). So the fragmented Tungsten that Trophy uses to hit the threat with, cannot set off or… Read more »

Wasp snorter
Wasp snorter
1 year ago
Reply to  nonsense

What?

John
John
1 year ago
Reply to  nonsense

A lot of videos show single tanks operating all alone, no other vehicles, no infantry, on the move, attacking targets.

Zero tactics.

Dont let that fool you.

With this logic, the situation would have also approved helicopters are equally useless.

Martin
Martin
1 year ago
Reply to  nonsense

Like the battleship the death of the tank will not be a result of its lack of protection but the utility of its main gun vs the logistical cost of getting it there. There are still a lot of Missions where a 120mm direct fire weapon is needed however given the capability of drones, long range precision fire, AirPower and man potable missiles they have been reduced. That being said even a battleship would be useful to modern navies if they could afford them however they would be an expensive niche capability. Tank cost are not yet anything like battleship… Read more »

nonsense
nonsense
1 year ago
Reply to  Martin

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/poland-m1a2-sepv3-main-battle-tank

The M1A2 SEPV3 is the latest tank with the highest counter ATGM specifications. 

The price of the tank program per unit is 24M USD.

Nevertheless, the trophy is still vulnerable to the top, rear, and tank DOWN. 

More and more upgrades are needed to counter with Jabelin. 

If Chinese-made Jabelin copies and Russian-made Jabelin copies or Ukrainian-made Jabelin copies are on the market, the lifespan of Western-made tanks will not be very long.

Sean
Sean
1 year ago
Reply to  nonsense

“Jabelin”?!?!

You can’t just keep making tanks bigger or heavier. If you do that they become no-longer air, rail, or road, transportable, which makes their deployment to theatre much slower. You might also find roads and bridges in theatre can’t support their weight, limiting their usefulness. And then there’s the effect off-road…

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
1 year ago
Reply to  Sean

German “mouse” springs to mind.

Sean
Sean
1 year ago

Exactly!

grizzler
grizzler
1 year ago

just thinking that…the Mouse monika also proves one more thing …the Germans do have a sense of humour…

nonsense
nonsense
1 year ago
Reply to  Sean

I mean Javelin

https://www.makeitfrom.com/compare/Boron-Carbide-B4C/Tungsten-Carbide-WC

https://www.precision-ceramics.co.uk/super-hard-ceramics/

There are new plastic and ceramic-based materials that are lightweight and resistant to wear and tear. 

could weave those fibers to make them comparable to depleted uranium or tungsten. 

But if do that, it will be as expensive as silver or titanium of the same weight. 

It can never be cheap to have the same protection and be light.

Graham
Graham
1 year ago
Reply to  Sean

CR2 at TES is 72t and I hear that CR3 will be 75t. That must be the upper limit of what is sensible. Future tanks have got to be no heavier and preferably lighter than this.

FOSTERSMAN
FOSTERSMAN
1 year ago
Reply to  nonsense

The tank won’t die off, it still has its place.
What will change is the tactics and how to use them will change. I sort of get what your saying about weight and cost, it’ll be practically improbable that a MBT will weigh 100t and cost £20M, what will change is APS will become standard and increasingly more advanced.

P.s anyone who uses mbt’s without infantry and Vis versa is a fool.

David Steeper
David Steeper
1 year ago
Reply to  Martin

Spot on.

Graham
Graham
1 year ago
Reply to  Martin

I don’t think the logistic cost of deploying tanks has ever weighed heavily on anyone’s mind. We have deployed tanks overseas since 1916 and sucked up the cost. We have the HETs bought and paid for, rail flats surely don’t cost a fortune to hire and have to employ freight shipping for all the other vehicles and warlike stores. On your other point about drones, they are not wonder weapons. They can be jammed and shot down and do not carry as big an ammunition load out. A Heavy attack drones and their C2 and support package are not cheap.… Read more »

David Barry
David Barry
1 year ago

Good. Here’s hoping the crew got topped as well.

Mr Mark Franks
Mr Mark Franks
1 year ago
Reply to  David Barry

A little harsh me thinks.

David Barry
David Barry
1 year ago
Reply to  Mr Mark Franks

Not after Bucha.

Monkey spanker
Monkey spanker
1 year ago
Reply to  David Barry

Not harsh at all. While nobody wants to see death, this is war and Russia is the aggressor. The only way Russians back home are going to find out Ukraine is not as great as there media tell them is through injury and deaths effecting every member of society. It’s already affecting every member of Ukrainian society

Mark Franks
Mark Franks
1 year ago
Reply to  David Barry

Still popping a cap in every single Russian you come across makes you feel better.

David Barry
David Barry
1 year ago
Reply to  Mark Franks

Acting a bit speschul, are you not?

Mark franks
Mark franks
1 year ago
Reply to  David Barry

Not at all.

David Barry
David Barry
1 year ago
Reply to  Mark franks

So Russian soldiers, invading a peaceful country, killing innocent, babies, children, women and men deserve to live and that we should hope that they do?

JohninMK has some serious competition.

Mark franks
Mark franks
1 year ago
Reply to  David Barry

No they don’t and that is not what I was implying. If you really want to know I was an EU monitor in the former Yogoslavia believe you me I felt the same way as you do now. It’s all very well us armchair warriors making statements such as yours but it doesn’t solve anything. Those who butcher, rape and kill the innocent get what they deserve for sure. In reality in situations like this they will almost certainly get away with it. Enough said from me I have had my say.

David Barry
David Barry
1 year ago
Reply to  Mark franks

Well, thank you for your service, I can only imagine that you may have seen some horrific scenes.

I know my former colleagues did.

Should my views offend you, please accept my apologies, having lived with Russians, they have a different code on life and death.

Any tankers will be put back into the saddle and told to continue killing innocents, hence my views.

Thank you once more for your service.

Marked
Marked
1 year ago
Reply to  Mr Mark Franks

Not at all.

1 they deserve it after the conduct of Russian troops
2 the more misery heaped on the people of Russia the better the chance of them questioning why they suffer that misery
3 the more deaths the lower Russian morale sinks
4 the crew you kill today can’t be a threat in a different tank tomorrow
5 the bastards should have stayed in their own country. End of.

Mark franks
Mark franks
1 year ago
Reply to  Marked

You sound Russian.

farouk
farouk
1 year ago
Reply to  Mark franks
Last edited 1 year ago by farouk
Marked
Marked
1 year ago
Reply to  Mark franks

If I was I’d do the world a favour and top myself.

David Barry
David Barry
1 year ago
Reply to  Mark franks

You present as a tad in need of an education into the thinking of the Russian.

Heads up, they don’t value life like the British.

Ian
Ian
1 year ago
Reply to  Marked

👍👍

David Barry
David Barry
1 year ago
Reply to  Marked

100%

Jonathan
Jonathan
1 year ago

The key is no platform is invulnerable, if you run it stupid or the enemy is clever. I suspect there are a lot of dead infantry men but they are not out of date. This does not show the tank is irrelevant, but it does show the lighter tank,with poor fire suppression, ammo stowage, combined arms trading and reactive armour of the Russian army ( which is all soviet design and philosophy) is no longer effective. That does not mean western tanks with good combined arms, active defence systems and proper fire suppression and ammo storage are the same level… Read more »

Simon
Simon
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonathan

training & tactics

Jonathan
Jonathan
1 year ago
Reply to  Simon

I include that in combined arms as you just can’t do that without tactics and training.

Simon
Simon
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonathan

ok,like said comparing western tank operations and Russian one is like chalk & cheese

Jonathan
Jonathan
1 year ago
Reply to  Simon

Hi simon agree yes it’s completely different, There are a lot of people making inference that this proves the tank is no longer a useful weapon. But for my mind it only proves that the way Russia has used them is out dated not that the tank is outdated.

Daveyb
Daveyb
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Also, none of their vehicle have effective top attack protection. If our vehicles had the Trophy APS fitted, then they would get top attack protection.

nonsense
nonsense
1 year ago

The latest Russian tanks like t-90 and others are vulnerable not only to the top of the tank but also to the side and rear.

Therefore, the advantages of Ukraine, such as drone reconnaissance, ambush, and surprise attack, can destroy Russian tanks that are sufficiently moving or deployed to the front.

there’s no suprise

farouk
farouk
1 year ago

Not much info on the T90M. so for those who want to know more:(cut and pasted from Miltary today) The T-90M is an improved version of the T-90 tank. Sometimes this tank is referred as “Proryv-3” (Breakthrough-3). It was first publicly revealed in 2017. It has a number of improvements over the original T-90. It follows the lines of the T-90MS tank, which was designed for export and uses some similar components. The T-90M was trialed by the Russian Army in 2017. During the same year a contract was signed to deliver a first batch of 10 newly-built T-90M tanks… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by farouk
farouk
farouk
1 year ago
Reply to  farouk

The above picture is from the Web site of Russian military photographer VITALY KUZMIN, yes he’s Russian, but he posts some of the best pictures of Russian military equipment going. He’s just uploaded a load of pictures regards the practicing of the military parade set for the 9th of May in Moscow

Last edited 1 year ago by farouk
Watcherzero
Watcherzero
1 year ago
Reply to  farouk

Lol, its more accurate because it takes account of barrel warping due to heat and has an integral gun layer. Cant believe it took Russia until 2017 to match those features.

Sean
Sean
1 year ago
Reply to  farouk

It’s still a development of the T72 so it has the 6 road wheels of the T72 rather than the 7 of the Armata. It also still has the ‘Jack in the box’ flawed auto loader system which blows the entire turret 20ft in the air…

Daveyb
Daveyb
1 year ago
Reply to  farouk

Russia field tested the T90M in Syria, with initially mixed results. The T90M was developed on lessons learned from sending T90As to Syria. The tank’s electronic countermeasures worked sometimes and sometimes it didn’t, against the same threat of ATGM. From memory, I believe one was even captured by the Free Syrian Forces and used against Assad’s, before it was recaptured. The T90M’s 2A46M-5 is the latest development of the guns used by the T72, T80 and T90A. It can handle a higher chamber pressure, and thereby develops a greater muzzle velocity. It is supposed to be the most accurate out… Read more »

Heidfirst
Heidfirst
1 year ago

I thought that the T14 Armata was their most advanced tank?

GlynH
GlynH
1 year ago
Reply to  Heidfirst

If it ever enters service, properly etc.

James
James
1 year ago
Reply to  GlynH

If its actually anything more than a T72/T90 with a bodykit fitted over it!!

Watcherzero
Watcherzero
1 year ago
Reply to  Heidfirst

Armata is their intended future tank but its a couple of years older than this T-90 variant and while they have managed to build 100 of this between refitting old tanks and new ones they have still only finished less than 20 T-14 in the 8 years since approved for service because its cheaper to upgrade an old tank than buy a new one…

Marked
Marked
1 year ago
Reply to  Watcherzero

Think there have been reliability issues with Armata as well. At least one caught fire in public as well so it’s probably been sent to a gulag in disgrace.

farouk
farouk
1 year ago

Everything you need to know about the T90 tank

AlexS
AlexS
1 year ago

I would have expected less clikbait here.

No tank in the world is invulnerable.

Rob
Rob
1 year ago

Doesn’t matter how good the tank is if you drive it up a sand track in a forest with no infantry support. Same old, same old. It’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it.

Woody
Woody
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob

Russian forces are seriously talking about surrender after finding out John Deere are sending a consignment of tractors to Ukraine

Rob
Rob
1 year ago
Reply to  Woody

😉👍🏼

Rudeboy
Rudeboy
1 year ago

To be fair its not Britain…

Photo’s of the wrecked T-90M were out on Twitter days ago…

John Clark
John Clark
1 year ago
Reply to  Rudeboy

And yet, under it all it’s still just a warmed over T72… It’s like the UK still fielding and modifying Chieftain tanks! The news suggests that the Russians are loosing a considerable amount of tanks and APC’S every single day as the Ukrainians aggressively patrol forward, hit and run and create killing zones the Russians stumble into…. One wonders how long Ivan can carry on taking this sort of hiding, day in day out.. Wait until the western supplied 155mm Artillery gets fully fielded (along with NATO supplied targeting intelligence), the Russians will come to understand what it’s like to… Read more »

Sean
Sean
1 year ago
Reply to  John Clark

Well they supposedly Russia had 10,000 tanks in total pre-war and in 2 months the Ukrainians claim to have killed/captured 800 tanks. So at that rate, in 2 years they won’t have a single tank left…

The Ukrainians are facing a numerically superior force, so sensibly they’re fighting asymmetrically, with the technical edge of western weapons giving them a further advantage.
This more than Afghanistan, will be Russia’s Vietnam.

Last edited 1 year ago by Sean
RobW
RobW
1 year ago
Reply to  Sean

Given what we have seen of the state of their kit and their tendency to not be entirely truthful (to say the least), I’d imagine they actually have half that number of tanks at best. Most of them will not be in good condition either. Unless they plan on moving them from the borders with China then they may well run out of deployable tanks before long.

Jonathan
Jonathan
1 year ago
Reply to  Sean

considering most of their front line kit seems to be suffering from repair issues, I would imagine most of those numbers are just rotting lumps of metal. I agree that Ukraine are and will bleed the Russians although I’m not sure it’s really asymmetric warfare in the traditional sense, as they are fully engaging/defending and denying Russian and although smaller Ukriane has a large competent armed forces. Its not so much and irregular force fighting and bleeding an army that has taken possession, its a well trained army using a western way of war-fighting going toe to toe with a… Read more »

Quentin D63
Quentin D63
1 year ago
Reply to  John Clark

Lobbing lots of accurate artillery fire back at 🇷🇺 forces can’t come soon enough. Hope it gives themm 🇷🇺 the absolute scary shits and finishes them off! If anything spare maybe 🇺🇦 can do the same around Mariopul and even Crimea. Continues strength to 🇺🇦 forces, the people and their President!

Jonathan
Jonathan
1 year ago
Reply to  John Clark

Hi John, this is what I aways point out to the “look at Russia’s new warships and how many missiles they have “ brigade.

Everything Russia builds are essentially old Soviet projects even their latest SSNs are essentially Soviet ( 1980s) designs. You really have to drill down to the design pedigrees of Russian equipment and when you do you realise most of it is as the expression goes mutton dresses as lamb.

Finney
Finney
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonathan

The thing is they were probably working on some very good designs in the late 80’s which got stalled after the collapse of the USSR. Eurofighter is based on a late-80’s demonstrator and is doing pretty well for itself now. Russia’s problem is that it cannot afford many of their most modern designs, partly due to an insistence on retaining mass by keeping many older models in service. It’s like if we’d kept a couple of squadrons of Tornados and Harriers with minor upgrades and bought half as many Eurofighters and probably zero F35’s. An important fact to remember when… Read more »

dan
dan
1 year ago

Doesn’t matter how good the tank is. When employed by amateurs like the Russian Army they are useless. If the Russians had M-1A2s or Challenger3 it wouldn’t matter. They have no concept of armored warfare.

Tomartyr
Tomartyr
1 year ago

According to liveuamap: “Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate of the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet is reportedly on fire near Zmiiny island in Black Sea. Rescue operation ongoing, multiple aircraft, rescue vessels in the area”

Airborne
Airborne
1 year ago

Russian tactics are still shocking to see but the one consistently utilised drill is common throughout, and well used by them all once under IDF. It’s the RLFA, or Run Like Fuck Anywhere! Seems effective, and especially amusing when benny hill type, or silly music attached to footage! Putin must be so proud of his new Benny Hill show!

Nick
Nick
1 year ago

The T-14 Armata is Russia’s most advanced tank. This is a bit of a non-story.

RobW
RobW
1 year ago
Reply to  Nick

It is the most advanced tank they actually deploy. The T-14 is beset by problems with only a small number making it off the production line. Given how long the program has been going it’s doubtful it will ever see anything other than token service, driving past the Kremlin in parades.

Razor
Razor
1 year ago

Looking at pictures of T90s turret blown off does this indicate that stored ammunition has cooked off. I know Russian tanks have fairly low profiles and ammunition is stored in the turret with an auto loader. Western tanks have manual loaders with ammo stored in the hull. It does look like there needs to be a rethink of tank design given anti tank missiles. Perhaps we are seeing the demise of MTB.

Graham
Graham
1 year ago
Reply to  Razor

We are seeing the demise of Russian-built and crewed tanks. That’s all.

Steve
Steve
1 year ago

Kinda interesting that it’s only now, weeks into the war that one has been destroyed. Either Russia didn’t deploy them until recently or they are harder to kill than the hundreds of older models that are a burning mess, I wonder which it is.

Even the best equipment can be destroyed, as the US and their stealth bomber over the Balkans.

farouk
farouk
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve

Steve wrote:

Kinda interesting that it’s only now, weeks into the war that one has been destroyed. Either Russia didn’t deploy them until recently or they are harder to kill than the hundreds of older models that are a burning mess, I wonder which it is.

The reason why so few have been see, is simply down to the fact that only a few have been produced, with a figure of 100 tanks in total.

Bringer of facts
Bringer of facts
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve

We can only make 2 assumptions, There are few T-90s deployed to Ukraine, and they are harder to knock out.

AFAIK there are only 550 T-90s in the Russian inventory, some have been updated to ‘M’ about ~ 200 T90s not active (in storage)

Last edited 1 year ago by Bringer of facts
JohninMK
JohninMK
1 year ago

Here is a video of the incident. Given the size of the explosion it is likely that it was destroyed by friendly tank fire from behind after being abandoned for some reason. Note the smoke from the tank behind in the column.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1523979424433156096

Last edited 1 year ago by JohninMK
Airborne
Airborne
1 year ago
Reply to  JohninMK

FF or abandoned (see my post above in regarding your fav rapists skill set at running away) both are proof your russkie rapists, you know the ones you fully support, are garbage!