For the first time ever the most advanced Russian main battle tank T-90M was captured by the Ukrainian army in the Kharkiv Oblast. This tank is also covered with Nakidka radar-absorbent and heat-insulating material.
In the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian military captured one of the most advanced Russian -90M “Proryv” tank. The Ukrainian tanker posted pictures of the seized tank to his Shawshank Redemption YouTube account. Without any visible damage, the -90 “Proryv” tank fell into the hand of Ukrainian soldiers.
The tank was probably left behind by the Russian 2nd Guards Tamanskaya (Motor) Rifle Division when they hastily left the Kharkiv Region.
The captured tank is also equipped with a radar-absorbent material (RAM) camouflage known as Nakidka. A set of devices for reducing visibility Nakidka is a set of covers made of radio-absorbing material and sections for covering a combat vehicle.
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The T-90M is also armed with a new 2A46M-4 gun, which has longer range and is 15-20% more accurate than the standard gun of 2A46M gun of the T-90. It uses the same 125 mm ammunition as other Russian main battle tanks. It fires APFSDS, HE and HE-FRAG rounds.
Interestingly the first Т-90М tank was destroyed by the Ukrainian force in May 2022 by using Swedish Carl Gustaf 84 mm anti-tank recoilless rifle, on the outskirts of the village of Staryi Saltiv, Kharkiv Region.
According to open source data, russian federation managed to produce only 20 units of T-90M before the all-out war with Ukraine. Those were delivered to the elite Tamanskaya motor rifle division of the russian army. Earlier, the commander of this division colonel Zavadskiy fled the battlefield to russia before his demoralized subordinates, as reported by Information Resistance. No wonder these troops easily abandoned the state-of-art tank T-90M.
The tank was considered a means of bringing the T-90 up to a comparable technological standard to the T-14, which although in production is not yet operational. The Russian Army is expected to field over 500 T-90M tanks, with deliveries ongoing and the vehicles relied on heavily.
The upgraded T-90M tank has improved armor protection. It uses Relikt built-in Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) in place of the previous Kontakt-5. It provides protection against tandem warheads and significantly reduces penetration of APFSDS rounds. The T-90M is fitted with rubber side skirts with built-in armor plates. Some areas of the tank are covered by a cage armor and special net, that improves protection against certain types of anti-tank weapons. This tank is fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems. Interior is lined with spall liner.
There is also a countermeasures system, which triggers smoke grenade dischargers once the tank is being illuminated by a laser beam. This system significantly reduces the chance of being hit by enemy anti-tank guided weapons with semi-automatic guidance.
But seems like even the latest Russian main battle tanks are vulnerable to modern anti-tank weapons.