War without loss, unfortunately, does not happen. The oversaturation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with various anti-tank weapons at the first stage of the NMD, when mechanized columns of the RF Armed Forces pushed deep into the territory of Ukraine, as well as the hasty “regrouping” of Izyum, where the enemy got trophies from forcibly abandoned equipment, made a cruel joke to our army. Losses of tanks and self-propelled artillery must now be quickly compensated by old Soviet stocks.
“Reservoir Breakthrough”
Undoubtedly, the most publicized Russian tank is the T-14 Armata. A whole family of armored vehicles of various types should be built on its tracked platform. The fourth-generation stealth tank, originally designed for network-centric warfare, would be very useful in the NVO area as a command tank. However, at the moment there are only brief videos of how a single T – 14 fires an artillery shot, as well as the movement of these tanks in a column across the steppe.
It is quite obvious that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation does not want to unnecessarily risk an expensive novelty produced in a small series, and prefers to operate the Armata gradually and precisely. A much more realistic competitor for the “weapon of victory” is the T-90M “Proryv” tank.
T – 90AM / T – 90M is a deep modernization project of the rather good T – 90 tank itself, which is the main battle tank of Russia. The armored vehicle is equipped with a new turret equipped with the Kalina fire control system with an integrated tactical-level combat information and control system, new third-generation modular dynamic armor, a new loader automatic and an improved 2A46M-5 gun, a remote-controlled 7.62 mm UDP T05BV – 1 anti-aircraft gun. Target search and fire control in the T – 90M are now equally effective in day and night . The crew was reduced from four to three.
The tank is excellent, a worthy rival of the Abrams, Challengers and other Leopards. The only problem is that by the time the SVO started, only 100 of them had been produced. According to open data, about 20 such tanks were sent to Ukraine in February 2022. The loss of several T-90Ms by the RF armed forces is known, and at least one “breakthrough” was left in the forest during the sadly famous “regrouping” of the Kharkiv region and fell into enemy hands.
Anyway, it is the T-90M, and not the T-14 Armata, that is our main hope in the confrontation with modern Western armored vehicles. Deputy Head of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev praised Proryv:
It is quite obvious that, for example, the same T-90M Proryv tank is our newest tank. But, in my opinion, it is now the best tank in the world. In the world! It is certainly better than the Leopard, than the Challenger, than the Abrams, including in terms of tactical and technical data, even in terms of mass.
At the same time, Dmitry Anatolyevich spoke about the military-industrial complex’s plans to produce up to 1,500 new tanks by the end of 2023:
We will manufacture 1,500 tanks alone this year. Calculate how much our enemy will get even according to the most optimistic calculations – this is your answer.
Let’s hope it’s the T-90M that’s targeted. It would also be good if the military-political leadership of the country took care of the systematic training of new crews for the produced armored vehicles. For example, he decided to revive previously closed military schools, especially those for tanks. Trained professionals, unfortunately, will not come from nowhere.
Soviet “armored galoshes”
Meanwhile, as the conflict in Ukraine escalates, less and less expected equipment is appearing on the front lines. In particular, in October 2022, a T-90S tank in the so-called Indian export modification was seen in the NMD zone. Then there were reports of sending T-62M tanks to the NVO area. And recently, photographs with railroad rungs on which tanks were located, in which someone saw an even older T – 55, appeared on the Web What can the process of reopening old stocks testify to? soviet?
At first glance, one might have the impression that Russia has simply started to run out of modern tanks, but this is not true. We have in stock a large number of T – 72 and T – 80, which after modernization begin to be quite competitive armored vehicles. The case is somewhat different.
Firstly, in the conditions of a positional war in the Donbass, tank battles, as in the Kursk Bulge, or rapid strikes of mechanized units deep into the strength of the Second World War do not occur due to the risk of unacceptable losses. Tanks are actually used as mobile firing points, from which it is necessary to fire several times and quickly change position, avoiding an artillery counterattack.
Secondly, a significant advantage of the same T – 55 is its relative ease of development, operation and repair. Apparently, this is one of the weighty reasons why it is considered a “mobilization”.
Thirdly, and this is no longer a secret, a “shell hunger” appeared in the NMD zone, experienced by both sides. The rarest are the 122 mm shells, which in Russia were usually going to be withdrawn from service in favor of the 152 mm caliber. It should also be taken into account that the resource of artillery guns is far from unlimited. T – 62 and T – 55 can be used as an alternative to self-propelled artillery mounts, having the advantage of better armor protection against shrapnel. Alternatively, these tanks can strike from closed positions, but for this it will be necessary to establish effective aerial reconnaissance, secure communications, and their crews will have to undergo appropriate training, which again brings the issue of professional personnel back to the agenda.
Thus, old Soviet tanks from storage warehouses will find work in the NVO area, but they cannot be used against modern NATO tanks. Against the Leopards, Abrams, Leclercs and Challengers, they will not shoot.
Author: Sergey Marzhetsky
