Despite official praise, Russia’s T-90M Proryv-3 main battle tank faces major setbacks that challenge its reputation as one of the best tanks in the world. Issues with production, significant battlefield losses, and critical design flaws continue to undercut claims of superiority.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promoted the T-90M as the most advanced tank in active service. Recently, a new shipment of the tanks was delivered to the military. Ahead of the country’s annual Victory Day celebrations, Rostec, Russia’s state defense conglomerate, made fresh claims about the tank’s dominance.
“The Russian T-90M, T-72B3M, and T-80BVM are the best tanks for modern combat. They are the top serial-produced tanks in the world when considering overall performance,” said Vladimir Artyakov, Rostec’s first deputy CEO, in a statement to the TASS news agency.
Artyakov added that Rostec uses a “flexible system of armor production” that allows for quick changes based on battlefield needs. He claimed that no other country has a system like it.
However, many of these claims lack solid evidence. Russia has struggled to replace the large number of tanks lost since its invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. Western sanctions have also cut off access to important components, slowing tank production.
Rostec often reports tank deliveries in vague terms like “batches,” without giving actual numbers. While this may suggest large deliveries, each batch could consist of just a few tanks.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, T-90 production has increased since the war began. In 2023, about 70 tanks were built, compared to around 40 before the conflict. This year, production could exceed 90 tanks, possibly reaching up to 200 if efforts are ramped up.
Still, that pace remains slow for modern warfare. During World War II, the Soviet Union produced over 84,000 T-34 tanks in just six years. The T-90M’s production can’t match that scale.
Russia may be producing more tanks, but it’s likely losing them faster than it can replace them. As of mid-2023, at least 100 T-90Ms had been destroyed, with many more damaged or lost in battle.
The T-90M also has a critical design flaw shared with older Soviet-era tanks. It uses an autoloader system that stores ammunition inside the tank. If an anti-tank weapon hits the turret area, it can trigger a chain reaction that causes the turret to explode off the tank—known as the “jack-in-the-box” effect.
While the T-90M was expected to be an upgrade over older models like the T-72, this flaw remains. Russian crews have tried to reduce the risk by adding makeshift armor, including metal cages and add-ons known as “turtle armor.” However, these field modifications are not part of the original design and are not highlighted in international arms expos.
Despite public praise from top officials, Russia’s T-90M tank continues to face serious problems. Limited production, rising battlefield losses, and unresolved design flaws all challenge the narrative that the T-90M is the world’s best tank.
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