Open-source intelligence analysis firm Oryx studied the T-90M’s performance on the battlefield in 2024. The results were disappointing for the Russians. “One hundred of them have either been destroyed, damaged, and abandoned, or captured on the battlefields of Ukraine, according to Oryx.
Some of these have been taken intact, as Russian operators just ran away from combat. Ukraine has been busy poring over the tanks to learn what makes them tick. Engineers have been gathering valuable information about their strengths and weaknesses.
The T-90M Tank Problem
Overall, tank performance has been terrible in the war. The Russians have lost over 8,000 tanks of various models to Ukrainian actions. Most of these victories for the defenders have come from FPV (First-person View) drones and anti-tank missiles, plus conventional artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems.
This has hurt Russian morale. The T-90M destruction has sent a message to Putin and his generals that the mechanized fight against Ukraine has mostly failed.
“This is highly likely due to the reputational damage of losing the ‘prestige’ vehicle in combat and the requirement to produce greater quantities of Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), which can only be satisfied with other variants,” British intelligence wrote in a report.
More About the T-90M
The T-90M is the most updated tank in the Russian arsenal, and it was delivered to the troops in 2019. The older T-90s were introduced in 1992. The “M” designation is the fourth iteration.
Surprisingly, the Russians built the T-90 on a T-72 chassis, probably to take advantage of older production lines that would be more efficient and create economies of scale. The T-90 has a turret that is similar to the T-80.
All the Kinks Were Supposed to Be Worked Out
What sets the T-90 apart is its 125mm 2A46 gun and a more robust engine. The tank is nicknamed the Proryv-3. It developed from the T-90MS export version. The idea was to take lessons learned from a deployment in Syria and incorporate them into the T-90M. In 2017, the Russians tested the updated tank in military exercises that simulated a battle with Ukraine. Generals and acquisition experts liked what they saw. Technicians and engineers had created a winner. The T-90M was faster and more maneuverable than other models. The armor was believed to be effective, and that main gun was a keeper.
Production of the T-90M Was Ratcheted Up
At least 200 of the tanks were delivered to Russian forces in the Donbas region. Russia released a photo of a T-90M in action near Kharkiv. A new batch was delivered to the Central Military District after that public display. In 2023, Russian state media announced that the defense forces received another allotment of T-90Ms.
One interesting part of the T-90M is that the gun can fire an anti-tank missile called the Refleks. This is supposed to be highly accurate. The tank can shoot these on the move. The Refleks has a range of three miles.
The main selling feature of the T-90M is its armor. “The T-90M features a new all-welded turret design protected by the Relikt ERA [Explosive Reactive Armor] armor fitted at the front and on each side of the turret. It features higher protection performance and serviceability compared with the Kontakt-5 ERA suite,” according to ArmyRecognition.com.
However, battlefield performance has been disappointing. There have been so many T-90Ms lost that the Russian tank industry has difficulty replacing them. Only about 40 T-90Ms can be built per year.
One embarrassment has been the tank getting taken out by the smaller and less powerful Bradley Fighting Vehicle that was donated to the Ukrainians by the United States. There is no way a T-90M with that excellent armor package should be destroyed by a Bradley 25mm Bushmaster chain gun. Then another Bradley used a TOW missile to take out a T-90M. This made the Russians wonder what happened to their celebrated tank.
One problem with the tank is the ammunition stored inside. Tank rounds are fired through an auto-loader, but an anti-tank missile or drone hit can “cook off” the shells when a fire is sparked. This blows up the turret. That is likely why the Bradley has made the tank pay.
Russia has no choice but to make more T-90Ms and send them to the battlefield. Mechanized warfare tactics are tired and easy to predict. The Ukrainians can just sit back and let their own armored vehicles have a heyday against the T-90Ms. Plus, anti-tank missiles and FPV drones are taking a toll.
This means that the T-90M is not the best tank in the world. Even the most ardent armor enthusiasts wonder if tanks are obsolete on the modern battlefield. The U.S. Army’s M10 Booker light tank program just got cancelled, so that shows how armored combat is changing. Cancellation may not happen to the T-90M, but the Russians wonder if their prized possession is overrated.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
