Russian army receives new batch of T-90M tanks & BREM-1M recovery tanks despite economic sanctions.

Despite the economic sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, the production of military equipment continues and the Uralvagonzavod company, the producer of tanks for the Russian armed forces, announced the delivery of a new batch of T-90M Proryv main battle tanks (MBTs) and BREM-1M tracked armored recovery tank to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
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Russian-made T-90M main battle tank. (Picture source Russian Social Network VK)

On May 8, 2022, the Army Recognition editorial team reported that the Russian armed forces deployed its latest generation of main battle tanks, the T-90M, to conduct combat operations in Ukraine.

The T-90M Proryv is the latest modernization variant in the T-90 tank family that entered into service with the Russian army in 1994. This version of the T-90 tank is improved in terms of protection, mobility, and firepower. The T-90M was tested by the Russian army during the military exercise Zapad-2017 which was held from 14 to 20 September 2017.

The T-90M Proryv is 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. the second armament of the T-90M includes one remotely operated weapon station armed with an NSVT 12.7mm heavy machine gun and one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.

The design of the T-90M Proryv is similar to the previous version of the T-90 with a driver at the front, a turret in the center, and the power pack at the rear. The tank features a new 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 which is a second-generation explosive reactive armor (ERA) developed and designed by the Russian defense industry. Where the conventional ERAs are only capable of defeating shaped-charge jets, Kontakt-5 can also defeat APFSDS rounds. Because of Kontakt-5, long-rod penetrators can lose over 30% of their penetration potential and the protected vehicle becomes immune to them.

The T-90M Model 2017 Proryv-3 is motorized with a V-92S2 engine developing 1,000 hp coupled to a manual transmission with seven forward and one reverse gears. It can run at a maximum road speed of 60 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 550 km.

Russian-made BREM-1M tracked armored recovery tank. (Picture source Russian Social Network VK)

The BREM-1M is a tracked armored recovery vehicle that is based on the T-90 chassis. this type of vehicle is designed to recover damaged tanks and armored vehicles on the battlefield. It also supports the crew to conduct on-field repair and maintenance of armored vehicles.

The design of the BREM-1M consists of a T-90 tank tracked chassis without a turret. The top of the hull is equipped with a crane and other specialized equipment used to conduct recovery and maintenance operations. The lifting capacity of the hydraulic crane increased from 12 to 20 tons. BREM-1M has a welding tool for field overhaul. The carrying capacity of the cargo platform is 1.5 tons. It has a crew of three including a driver, commander, and a mechanic.

The forward hull of the BREM-1M integrates a spade bulldozer fitted with a 3.1m-wide blade. It serves as an earth anchor during recovery operations and also allows the vehicle to perform excavation and clearance missions. The vehicle also carries welding equipment and various tools to perform the repair and servicing of tanks.