The Russian Army is Getting Its First New T-90M Tanks

By David Axe,The National Interest

The Russian army will receive its first new T-90M tanks as part of a batch of 400 armored vehicles heading for the ground-combat branch in 2019.

The T-90M, arguably Russia’s most advanced front-line tank, is a modernized version of a vehicle that first entered service in 1993.

“This year, over 400 new and upgraded armored vehicles are due to arrive for the troops,” Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu said on June 4, 2019.

“They include T-72B3M tanks with the domestic sighting and observation system, T-90M Proryv-3 and T-80BVM tanks and BMP-1AM infantry fighting vehicles,” Shoigu said.

“In addition, the factory [Uralvagonzavod] is developing the T-15 newest infantry fighting vehicle based on the Armata platform and featuring the Kinzhal combat module and a 57-millimeter gun. The vehicle’s prototype will be featured at the [Army-2019] international military and technical forum in June.”

Shoigu did not say how many of the 400 new vehicles would be T-90Ms, but state media organization TASS earlier in 2019 reported that the army this year would receive a “battalion set” of the tanks, or around 40 vehicles.

The Russian army fields around 40 combat brigades, each with one battalion of tanks.