The Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) concern (part of Rostec), on the eve of May 9, sent a new batch of modernized T-90M, T-80BVM, and T-72B3M tanks with enhanced anti-drone protection to the troops. The design was created taking into account the recommendations of military personnel. This is reported by Defence blog.
UVZ has repeatedly stated that combat experience helps improve all three tanks.
According to the author of Defence blog, the news about the dispatch of another batch of T-90M, T-80BVM, and T-72B3M to the Russian troops on the eve of Victory Day is a well-thought-out step, designed for potential buyers.
Since 2022, UVZ has been operating under strict Western sanctions. Restrictions apply to the supply of machine tools, microelectronics, and materials for tank production. However, the plant does not reduce production volumes despite the pressure.
Russia is actively developing an import substitution program and establishing new channels for parallel imports. At the same time, it is impossible to objectively assess the impact of sanctions on Russian tank building, the Western journalist emphasized.
Russia is supplying tanks to the front, where armored vehicles are being destroyed at an unprecedented rate for the post-Soviet era. The question is, will tank factories be able to compensate for these losses?
What is known about the modernized combat vehicles
UVZ engineers have improved the protection of the T-90M, T-80BVM, and T-72B3M. The upper hemisphere of the tank has been equipped with additional armor. It covers the engine and transmission compartments from enemy FPV drone attacks.
Work continues on the modernization of passive and active protection, operational and technical characteristics of tanks. The main attention is paid to increasing the survivability of combat vehicles.
The author of Defence blog acknowledged that the T-90M is the most modern and combat-ready of the three tanks. The T-80BVM is excellent for operation in cold weather, but not economical due to high fuel consumption. The T-72 is modernized more often than other tanks. The T-72B3M version is the most numerous in the Russian Armed Forces.
The simultaneous delivery of the T-90M, T-80BVM, and T-72B3M confirms the heterogeneity of Russian armored forces, he concluded.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has not officially named the number of destroyed tanks. In June 2023, President Vladimir Putin stated that the Russian Armed Forces had losses of armored vehicles, but some tanks could be restored.
