Russia continues to send in Ukraine T-90M tanks and BMPT fire support vehicles to increase its firepower
To increase the combat capabilities and firepower of its troops, Russia continues to send to Ukraine the latest development in combat equipment and armored vehicles including the T-90M main battle tank and the BMPT, a new concept of fire support vehicle.
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A Russian T-90M main battle tank was spotted somewhere in Svatovo, a city on the Krasna river in the Luhansk Oblast region of Ukraine. (Picture source Twitter account The Dead District)
Despite the international sanctions against Russia to weaken the Russian economy, the Russian defense industry continues to produce military equipment including drones, tanks, rocket launchers, missiles, and more. Recently, a video was published on the Internet and Social Networks showing former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visiting a factory that produces different types of missiles.
On September 14, 2022, a video was released on the VK Social Network Uralvagonzavod, a manufacturer of main battle tanks in Russia, showing the delivery of a new batch of T-90M main battle tanks and BREM-1M armored recovery vehicles to the Russian army.
On November 17, 2022, the Army Recognition editorial team reported that the Russian company Motovilikhinskie Zavody enterprise delivered a batch of Tornado-G and Tornado-S multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to the Russian army.
The T-90M is the latest generation of main battle tank in the T-90 family. It was unveiled and tested in 2017 by the Russian army during the military exercise Zapad-2017 which was held from 14 to 20 September 2017. This new Russian-made tank was designed thanks to the combat experience of the Russian armed forces gained during the counter-terror operation in Syria.
The T-90M is an upgraded version of the T-90A armed with one 125 mm 2A46M-4 smoothbore gun able to fire standard ammunition but also anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) Refleks NATO Code AT-11 Sniper-B. It is the first Russian tank fitted with a fully remotely operated weapon station armed with a 12.7mm NSVT heavy machine gun.
The T-90M has a crew of three including a commander, driver, and gunner. It features a new all-welded turret design protected by the Relikt ERA (Explosive Reactive Armour) 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. The lower part of the turret on 360° is also protected by an RPG metal net similar to the Q-Net add-on armor kit developed by QinetiQ to counter the threat of rocket-propelled grenades.
A BMPT Model 2017 fire support vehicle was spotted in Ukraine region under the control of a pro-Russian combat unit. (Picture source Russian Social Network VK)
The BMPT deployed in Ukraine is the BMPT Model 2017 which was unveiled in 2017 during the Victory Day Military Parade that was held on Red Square. This version of the BMPT which is now in service with the Russian army is based on the tracked chassis of the first version of the BMPT nicknamed Terminator 1 fitted with the turret of the BMPT-72 which was the second variant in the BMPT family.
The BMPT called Fire Support Combat Vehicle was designed to provide fire support to tank and infantry units, able to destroy heavy and light armored targets as well as aerial threats such as drones, low-flying aircraft, and helicopters. It has the ability to follow tanks and mechanized infantry units thanks to the use of a tracked chassis offering a high level of mobility in all-terrain conditions.
In fact, the BMPT also has incredible firepower, it is armed with two 30mm automatic 2A42 guns able to engage land targets at a range of up to 4,000 m and one PKTM 7.62mm coaxial machine gun which can be used against light armored vehicles and manpower. The guns can fire a wide range of ammunitions such as APERS-T (Anti-Personnel ammunitions), HEF-I (High-explosive Fragmentation Incendiary), AP-T (Armor Piercing), and KE (Kinetic Energy). Each side of the turret is fitted with missile launchers able to fire Ataka-T anti-tank guided missiles at a maximum firing range of 6,000 m.
The BMPT has a crew of five and is fitted with standard steel armor as well as explosive reactive armor (ERA) on the turret front, a detachable ERA module on the glacis plate, and appliqué ERA on the sides of the hull, and turret.