The T-90M "Proryv" tank can reach up to 60 km/h forward, but when moving backward, it is limited to a speed of about 4–5 km/h. This is not a feature of its use, but a direct consequence of its design, inherited from earlier vehicles.
This is not a “feature” but a direct consequence of a design rooted in Soviet-era vehicles. “Pervyy Tekhnicheskiy” explains the technical dead end of modernizing an old platform.
Transmission – the main limiter
The T-90M "Proryv" is based on a scheme with side gearboxes (BKP), inherited from the T-72 family. It is not physically designed for fast reverse: there is only one "short" reverse gear.
To achieve high reverse speed, a fundamentally different architecture is needed – a single transmission unit with full reverse. This is no longer a modernization, but essentially a new tank.
Hull and layout limitations
The problem is not only in the gearbox but also in the dimensions. The armored space of the T-72/T-90 platform is extremely dense: the engine, transmission, and units are packed as compactly as possible.
Installing a modern hydromechanical gearbox, like on the M1A2 Abrams or Leopard 2, is impossible without serious hull modifications. And that's a different project and different money.
Forced compromise
The popular explanation about "betting on offense" is only part of the truth. In modern combat, the tank actively operates "from cover": rolled out, fired, rolled back.
Slow reverse speed here is a disadvantage, not a concept. It is maintained not because it is better, but because the platform does not allow it to be quickly corrected without a complete redesign.
Why new tanks are different
Modern vehicles, such as the M1A2 Abrams and Leopard 2, use hydromechanical transmissions. They allow moving backward at speeds up to 25–30 km/h, which provides an advantage in maneuverable combat.
The new T-14 "Armata" also solved this problem – it initially has a new transmission and high reverse speed. This means that engineers understand the task, but the T-90M is still a modernization of an old platform.
The price of compactness
The T-90M "Proryv" remains more compact and lighter than Western tanks. Smaller dimensions simplify camouflage, transportation, and reduce weight.
But there is a price to pay for this. A more complex transmission cannot be "crammed" into a limited volume without increasing size and weight.
The slow reverse speed of the T-90M is not an engineering error, but a "birth trauma" of the T-72 platform. It can only be radically corrected – through a new layout, as was done in the "Armata".