Tank weapons on the threshold of the 21st century. Domestic tank missiles and shells

Vladimir Odintsov

PURPOSE AND TASKS

Currently, a tank is considered primarily as a melee (contact) weapon, operating on the “see-and-shoot” principle. There are two main concepts of the tank as a close combat weapon system. According to one of them, the main task of the tank is to fight enemy tanks, which pose the main danger (according to the principle of “fight equal”), and defense against ground and air tank-hazardous weapons should be carried out by a tank “train”, i.e. accompanying BM11 and self-propelled anti-aircraft installations. It should be noted that the concept based on the idea that the main threat to the tank will be created by the enemy tank is not confirmed by the course of military operations. Thus, during the fourth Arab-Israeli war of 1973, tank losses were distributed as follows: from anti-tank systems - 50%, from aviation, hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, anti-tank mines - 28%, from tank fire only - 22%.

Another concept, on the contrary, comes from views on the tank as an autonomous weapon system capable of independently solving everything combat missions close combat, including the task of self-defense.

There is another view of the tank as a universal fire weapon, which should be capable of conducting both close and long-range fire combat. This is mainly explained by the desire to use the huge percentage firepower tanks in the general interests ( tank division The United States has 250 tanks and only 36 guns of 155 mm caliber) and a sharply increasing share of the participation of armed forces in suppressing armed conflicts in “hot spots”, in which the likelihood of “classic” mass clashes tank groups small. Giving tank weapons long-range properties will significantly change the appearance of a gank, forming a kind of hybrid of a tank and self-propelled gun.

On the other hand, range can be very useful for the tank formations themselves in suppressing enemy tanks and tank-dangerous targets in the depths of the defense, i.e. implementation of the concept of fighting second echelons (ensuring an advantage before entering contact combat). Such opportunities appeared in recent years in connection with the development precision weapons, free-dispersion cluster projectiles and field information systems.

According to experts, a triple salvo of a brigade of tanks in an enemy brigade tank column at a distance of 15 km with 140-mm free-scattering cluster shells can destroy up to 20% of tanks, self-aiming projectiles of the SADARM type - up to 30%, and homing projectiles of the EPHRAM type - up to 40 % of enemy tanks.

CALIBER (MASS) OF PROJECTILE

The history of the development of tank artillery indicates a trend of continuous increase in caliber.

The continuous increase in the thickness of the tank's armor, currently reaching 1000-1100 mm for the frontal projection in terms of a monolith, requires a further increase in the caliber of the gun (or the diameter of the ATGM) to 140-150 mm. The diameters of ATGMs have long reached this level (152-mm domestic ATGM "Kornet-E" and the American ATGM TOW). An increase in the caliber of the gun is hampered by restrictions on the recoil impulse (the problem of the dynamic compatibility of the gun with the platform), a strict limit on total weight tank (maximum 55 tons), which is due to restrictions on rail and road transportation and a sharp decrease in the number of ammunition with increasing caliber. The law of decreasing numbers at a fixed mass of the weapon system (gun + ammunition) of 3000 kg is close to linear. The graph also shows conditional boundary minimum number ammunition (n=25). The average number of operating ammunition for four main tanks was taken as this limit.

Tank	Smoothness gun	Ammunition, pcs.
	Type	Caliber, mm	Full	Operation	Reserve.
"Abrams" M1A1	M256	120	55	44	11
"Leopard-2A4"	Rh-120	120	42	15	27
"Leclerc"	CN-120-26	120	40	22	18
T-80U	D-81	125	45	28	17

CALIBRES OF GUNS OF DOMESTIC MEDIUM TANKS

Tank	Capibre, mm	Gun type
T-34	76	Rifled
T-34-85	85	Rifled
T-54.T-55	100	Rifled
T-62	115	Disadvantages
T-64, T-72, T-80, T-90	125	Smoothness

The caliber corresponding to n=25 is close to 140 mm. This caliber is considered promising for a smoothbore gun by all major tank-producing NATO countries, including the USA (experimental 140-mm XM291 tank gun).

GUN OR ROCKET?

All modern main tanks are armed with cannons. IN domestic tanks The gun is also used as an ATGM launcher. Numerous attempts to develop purely missile tanks have failed.

Note: tank model 287 was additionally armed with two 73 mm

Dependence of the number of tank ammunition on the caliber of the gun at a fixed mass of the weapon system

Structural diagrams launchers missile tanks

A – vertical start; B – inclined start; B – horizontal release; G-turn before launch

Layout diagrams of existing and future cannon tanks

Experimental designs of domestic missile tanks

Meanwhile, missile tanks have a number of undoubted advantages:

The caliber restriction and the problem of dynamic compatibility of the gun and platform are removed;

The limitation on barrel survivability is removed (for the D-81 cannon – 10 rounds of ammunition);

The starting overloads are reduced (when firing, the overload is 20,000, when launching a rocket<1000), что позволяет применять более рациональную конструкцию боевой части и системы управления снарядом;

Firing range restrictions are lifted;

The tank's ability to fight air targets, primarily anti-tank helicopters, increases sharply.

There is a real opportunity to achieve projectile speeds of 2000...2500 m/s;

Such an increase in speed will lead to the emergence of a fundamentally new powerful tank ammunition - a guided hypersonic kinetic armor-piercing missile. There is information about the development of such a rocket from LTV (USA). Alliant Technologies (USA) announced the development of a 120-mm armor-piercing kinetic-action guided missile TERM - KEHM 1007, fired from the barrel of a tank gun. The missile operates on the “fire and forget” principle using a millimeter range seeker (see also RF Patent No. 2108537).

The layout of missile tanks is determined primarily by the type of launch (vertical, inclined, with horizontal missile ejection) and the type of launcher (PU) (multi-barrel, single-barrel with automatic loader). The most compact placement of missiles, simplicity of design and a fairly high rate of fire are ensured in a multi-barrel launcher with a vertical launch directly from the container, but this imposes significant restrictions on the length of the missile.

The main objections to purely missile tanks boil down to the following:

The flight time of ammunition increases;

A guided missile is more vulnerable than a projectile when exposed to active tank protection systems (Arena, Drozd).

The cost of a missile and its maintenance during storage is significantly higher than the cost of an artillery round;

Maintenance and firing of missiles requires highly qualified personnel, which is difficult to implement in a conscript (not contract) army.

Undoubtedly, psychological aspects associated with the rejection of the traditional scheme of weapons with many years of experience in successful use, and to a certain extent, with distrust in the reliable operation of complex electronic guided missile systems in real combat conditions, also play a certain role. In general, much suggests that during the first quarter of the 21st century, the decisive role will remain with the cannon tank.

Significant discrepancies exist in forecasts about the design layout of the gun of the future tank. Along with the classic scheme with a full-revolving turret, a turretless scheme with a remote cannon is considered as a very promising one, as well as compromise options - a caponier scheme (STRV-103B tank), half-turret and others.

CANNON: RIFFED IAI SMOOTH BORE?

For the first time, a smoothbore gun was installed on the domestic T-62 tank (115-mm U5-TS “Molot” gun). There is a widespread belief that the reason for the return of tank artillery to smooth-bore guns was the introduction into the tank ammunition of a sub-caliber projectile with a detachable pallet, stabilized in flight by the fin (BOPS - armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectile). This opinion is erroneous, since BOPS can be quite successfully fired from rifled guns. For example, the M60A1 tank was armed with a 105-mm M68 rifled cannon, which had in its ammunition finned shells M735, M744, M797, M833, GD105 and others. The real reason for the appearance of a smooth-bore tank gun was the desire to eliminate the harmful effects of rotation on the action of a cumulative projectile.

Currently, all main tanks, with the exception of the Challenger (UK) and Arjuna (India), are armed with smoothbore guns. The promising European 140 mm tank gun is also a smoothbore gun. However, the debate between smoothbore and rifled tank guns is not over. Supporters of rifled guns point to such disadvantages of smooth-bore systems as:

Large aerodynamic resistance to the movement of the projectile due to the tail and, as a result, a short firing range;

Low survivability of smooth-bore guns, especially when firing sub-caliber shells;

Low shooting accuracy.

Experienced missile tank ob.287

T-62. This tank was the first to have a smoothbore gun (115-mm U5-TS Hammer gun)

T-72. Main armament – 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46

T-80UD. Main armament – 125 mm 2A46M-1 smoothbore gun

Main battle tank T-80U

The action of a projectile with a trajectory turn

1 – shooting of ballast mass; 2 – process of finishing; 3 - shell explosion

It is also indicated that with the development of dynamic armor and active protection means for tanks, the cumulative projectile may turn out to be completely ineffective and will be excluded from tank ammunition, which will lead to the loss of the above-mentioned main advantage of a smoothbore gun. The short firing range of feathered caliber projectiles does not allow solving the problem of suppressing targets deep in enemy defenses.

On the other hand, for non-rotating (or weakly rotating) shells of smoothbore guns, the problems of precise guidance and control of the action, including the action of roof-piercing shells, projectiles with trajectory follow-up, etc., are much easier to solve.

In general, it should be recognized that today there is no sufficiently substantiated answer to the question about the type of promising tank gun (rifled or smooth-bore).

SHOT: UNITARY OR SEPARATE LOADING

Foreign tanks "Abrame" and "Leopard-2" use unitary shots with manual loading carried out by the fourth crew member. In domestic tanks T-72, T 80, T-90, separate-loading shots with a burning cartridge case are used, and loading is carried out by an automatic loader, which made it possible to reduce the tank crew to three people (commander, gunner, driver) and at the same time significantly increase the rate of fire. The automatic loader includes a rotating ring conveyor with a vertical axis, located on the floor of the tank and containing radially arranged cassettes with shells and powder charges, an elevator that lifts the cassettes onto the loading line, and a valuable rammer located in the pursuit of the turret, as well as a device for ejecting the combustion pan from the tank sleeves. The location of the conveyor in the floor of the tank behind relatively weak armor and the presence in the conveyor of a large mass of flammable combustible cartridges led to numerous cases of tank destruction in regional conflicts when cumulative grenades from hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers hit the space between the rear rollers.

SMOOTHBORE GUN AMMUNITION

The main element of tank ammunition is an armor-piercing finned sabot projectile (BOPS) (but in US terminology APFSDS - Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot - armor-piercing projectile stabilized by fins with a detachable pan). Its main advantage is the high initial velocity of the projectile (1600...1800 m/s), which leads to a short flight time and, as a consequence, a large direct shot range (2500...3000 m), approximately a thousand meters greater than the corresponding range for a cumulative projectile. Another important advantage of BOPS over a cumulative projectile is its significantly lower susceptibility to the effects of dynamic and, in particular, active protection of the tank.

Domestic BOPS of early designs (ZBM12, ZBM15, ZBM17, ZBM22) were made with two-base centering in the barrel bore on a three-sector pan and stabilizer feathers. Currently, most BOPS have a two-base sector pan, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the stabilizer and, consequently, the aerodynamic air resistance (domestic BOPS ZBM32, ZVBM17).

The main organic disadvantage of BOPS with a sector tray is the possibility of radially expanding the sectors already in the barrel bore, from which unpleasant consequences follow:

Excessive barrel wear, rapidly progressing as it increases in size;

Inability to use muzzle brakes.

Modern foreign tanks armed with 120 mm smoothbore guns (Abrame M1A1 (USA), Leopard 2A4 (Germany), Lsklsrk (France), Merkava MkZ (Israel), tank 90 (Japan)) They have only two types of ammunition: BOPS and cumulative fragmentation (COS). The high-explosive fragmentation effect is relegated to the background and is regulated as a side effect of the action of a cumulative fragmentation projectile. There is an obvious duplication of armor-piercing action to the detriment of other tank tasks. The explanation for this must be sought in the concept of “beat an equal” (see above). The problem of a single tank fighting tank-hazardous weapons located in structures, for example, in buildings during operations in populated areas, is also considered insignificant.

In conditions of fleeting maneuverable tank combat, especially with rough terrain and smoke, the determining factor is the desire to instantly fire at the tank at the moment of its appearance, which is associated with the need to have a constantly loaded gun. In this case, any ammunition shell must provide effective action against armor. The ammunition load of two types of armor-piercing shells is built precisely on this principle. Despite the well-known pessimism regarding the future of cumulative projectiles, it should be recognized that their capabilities are far from being exhausted. Great hopes are associated with the development of tandem projectiles with two cumulative craters, one of which is designed to remove dynamic protection, and the second - to penetrate the main armor. Serious attention is paid to the development of projectiles that hit a tank with a shock core from above (for example, the 120-mm XM943 STAFF projectile from the USA).

Separation of a two-base pallet after the BOPS leaves the barrel

155-mm M483A1 cluster projectile with fragmentation-cumulative ammunition (88 pcs.)

1 – remote fuse;

2 – expelling powder charge;

3-diaphragm;

4 – projectile body;

5 – cumulative fragmentation combat element M42 (M46);

6 – cut off bottom of the projectile

Cumulative fragmentation combat element (US Pat. No. 5153371)

1 – loop stabilizer;

2 – impact inertial fuse;

3 – cumulative funnel;

4 – fragmentation shell

Armor-piercing finned sabot projectile for the 125-mm D-81 tank gun

1 – ballistic tip; 2 – armor-piercing rod; 3-detachable three-section tray; 4 – stabilizer; 5 – tracer

Self-aiming roof-piercing BE based on the principle of the “impact core” of the 155-mm SMArl cluster projectile (Germany)

Explosion of a self-aiming combat element of a SMArt projectile

On the contrary, the concept of a tank as an autonomous weapon system capable of solving all combat missions, including the task of self-defense, requires, first of all, the presence in the ammunition load of a projectile capable of effectively hitting tank-dangerous targets. This problem cannot be solved by standard HE shells with impact fuses for the reason that when firing projectiles with impact fuses flatly to fragment single targets, there is an extremely unsatisfactory agreement between the dispersion density of the impact points of the shells and the coordinate law of destruction.

Currently, there are two main directions in the development of a multi-purpose tank projectile:

Using a standard OFS to ensure a trajectory explosion in the zone of reliable destruction using a non-contact fuse or a high-precision fire control system (FCS) with a remote fuse;

Development of new projectile designs that ensure effective operation when using medium-precision fire control systems with remote fuses.

The first direction provides the highest level of probability of hitting a target, but its development is associated with overcoming a number of fundamental difficulties. Non-contact fuses of the optical or radar type with a conical actuation surface, providing reliable action against air targets, are unsuitable for action against small-sized ground targets, which is explained, on the one hand, by their low IR and radar aperture, and on the other hand, by the strong shielding influence of the earth's surface, relief, vegetation, etc. It is necessary to search for new schemes of proximity fuses, including multi-channel ones, capable of separating subtle targets from the background based on a combination of characteristics. The same factor, i.e. the difficulty of separating the target from the background and the impossibility of determining the exact distance to the target hinders the development of a high-precision fire control system with a remote fuse

The second direction includes the development of multi-purpose tank shells of the following types:

Axial (beam) action projectiles;

Projectiles with additional rotation;

Cluster shells.

The use of these types of projectiles does not require the development of high-precision fire control systems or proximity fuses. Their common feature is the presence of a lesion field extended along the trajectory of the projectile.

Projectiles with axial directed flows G "PE, containing an explosive charge, can be implemented in the form of three main schemes:

Fragmentation-beam projectiles (patent No. 2018779, 2108538 RF (Research Institute of SM MSTU), No. 2137085 RF (FSPC "Pribor") see also "Military parade" No. 6, 1996, "Equipment and weapons" No. 4,7, 1999);

Kinetic fragmentation projectiles with a charge of detonation-capable dual-use solid fuel (patent No. 2082943, RF 2095739);

Fragmentation-beam projectiles with time-separated ejection of the GGE block and detonation of the fragmentation warhead (the “SVAROG” scheme, application No. 98117004, 99110540).

The last scheme is considered by experts as the most promising. It ensures the most complete use of the projectile's energy resources. The target is hit by the combined effect of the axial flow of the GGE and the circular field of warhead fragments, with the first hitting the front projection of the target, and the second hitting the lateral projections.

The combined impact of the GGE unit and the warhead on an aerial target, along with the destruction of its various projections, can lead to the emergence of new cumulative effects. An example is the intensive destruction of thin-walled aerodynamic panels of aircraft due to the infliction of multiple damage to the panel by the axial flow of the GPE, which are the centers of destruction, followed by the destruction of the weakened panels by the compression effect of the explosive charge of the warhead. Another example is the intensification of the action of the GGE block when they are executed in the form of incendiary elements. When the block is thrown back, the GGE approaches the target later than the warhead fragments. In this case, fragments of the warhead pierce the fuel tanks and ensure that the fuel flows into the atmosphere with the formation of a vapor-air mixture, and later incendiary GGEs cause its ignition.

Kinetic anti-tank missile (pat. No. 2108537)

1 – body; 2 – nozzle block; 3 – nozzle; 4 – charge of solid fuel; 5 - rear part of the rack; 6 – armor-piercing rod; 7-front part of the rack; 8 – longitudinal ribs; 9 – control compartment; 10 – homing head; 11 - steering wheels; 12 – wings (stabilizers)

Operation diagram of a light gas gun

1 – powder combustion chamber; 2 – piston; 3 – light gas; 4 – projectile; 5 - barrel; 6 – combustion products of gunpowder

Returning to the issue of long-range tank shells capable of hitting clusters of armored targets deep in enemy defenses, it should be noted that the broadest prospects for these shells will open up when the caliber of tank guns increases to 140 or even 152-155 mm. An idea of the characteristics and capabilities of modern cluster artillery shells can be obtained from the example of the 155-mm M483A1 cluster shell, which was successfully used during the Gulf War. The projectile has a mass of 46.5 kg and contains 88 M42 cumulative fragmentation combat elements. The M42 combat element has a diameter of 38.9 mm, a mass of 182 g, and a mass of explosive charge (A 5) of 30.5 g. The total mass of the combat element is 16 kg, i.e. 0.344 total projectile mass. The M42 combat element has normal armor penetration of about 60...65 mm.

The use in tank artillery of adjustable projectiles such as “Centimeter”, “Krasnopol”, “Kitolov” with a semi-active optical seeker is considered unpromising due to the difficulties of organizing the illumination of distant targets with a laser target designator. A more modern stage in the development of high-precision weapons is embodied by projectiles that do not require external illumination of the target and implement the “fire and forget” principle. These primarily include projectiles of the SADARM type, which eject two or three self-aiming combat elements from the body, striking armored targets from above with self-forming strikers (“shock cores”), and projectiles of the Artstrix, EP11RAM type, ejecting one homing combat element. Targeting is carried out using an IR dual-band seeker.

NEW WAYS TO DEVELOP TANK GUNS

A further increase in the initial velocity of the projectile is limited by the existence of a theoretical limit to this speed of 2200...2400 m/s in the classical design of a weapon with a propellant powder charge.

At a high projectile speed, the pressure in the volume behind the projectile does not have time to equalize along the length of the volume, i.e. the pressure on the bottom of the projectile turns out to be significantly less than the pressure on the bottom of the chamber. This is explained by the low speed of wave exchange in the combustion products of gunpowder, which in turn is determined by the low speed of sound in them. In this case, the energy of the part of the combustion products adjacent to the bottom of the chamber turns out to be unused.

An increase in the wave exchange rate, and, consequently, an increase in the throwing speed can be achieved by replacing powder gases as a working fluid with light gases (hydrogen, helium) having a high speed of sound. A light gas gun contains a combustion chamber of gunpowder, a chamber with a light gas compressed by a piston, and a barrel with a projectile placed in it.

With a light gas gun mass of 2 tons, a projectile weighing 1 kg can be imparted with a speed of 2500...3000 m/s. The disadvantage of a light gas gun is its low rate of fire, which is associated with a complex reloading procedure. With a two-gun tank design (for example, “Leopard-3” of Germany), a light gas gun can be installed as one of the guns, used as a “one-shot weapon” to destroy an enemy tank at a great distance.

An even more radical way to increase projectile speed is to use electromagnetic or electrothermochemical guns. Electromagnetic guns can provide an initial projectile speed of 4000...5000 m/s. Work in this direction has been going on for a long time. The main difficulty lies in the development of electrical energy storage devices, primarily capacitor banks, with high volumetric energy density. According to experts, in the first decade of the 21st century this value can reach 20...30 MJ/m3. With a projectile mass of 3 kg and an initial speed of 4000 m/s, its kinetic energy is 24 MJ, and the electrical energy consumed per shot, taking into account the installation efficiency, is 60...80 MJ. To produce a series of three shots without recharging the batteries, the total energy reserve should be on average 210 MJ, which in terms of the volume of batteries is 7... 10 m3. Such a volume is difficult to accommodate inside the tank. The energy density of batteries achieved today is significantly lower than the specified value and amounts to several MJ/m3.

The all-electric tank AET (All Electric Tank), currently being developed in the USA, is supposed to be equipped with an electromagnetic gun developed by the Picatinsky Arsenal of 80 mm caliber weighing up to 2.7 tons with a projectile mass of 3kg, an initial speed of 2500...3000 m/s and a direct shot range of 4000 meters . The tank is expected to be put into operation no earlier than 2020.

There is no doubt that with the development of the main armament of the tank, the composition of its additional armament will be revised (for domestic tanks it includes a front-facing 7.62 mm machine gun and an anti-aircraft 12.7 mm machine gun, smoke grenade launchers, active protection systems for the Arena tank or "Drozd"), The issue of installing a small-caliber automatic cannon on a tank, for example, a 30-mm standard 2A42 (2A72) or a promising 40-mm cannon, has been discussed for quite some time. This weapon would dramatically increase the tank’s capabilities in the fight against tank-threat targets, primarily anti-tank guided missile systems and anti-tank helicopters. When moving to missile tanks, the installation of automatic guns becomes imperative.

As an interim measure to increase the fire potential of a tank in the fight against tank-dangerous manpower at close range, the installation of automatic grenade launchers on the tank, for example, a standard 30-mm AGS-17 grenade launcher or a promising 40-mm grenade launcher, can be considered.

Rostislav Angelsky

The ground forces of any country are armed with special large-sized multi-purpose combat vehicles with a terrifying appearance - tanks. These hulking monsters combine armor, high levels of protection and firepower to counter the enemy and support infantry with fire to capture and hold territory. That is why they are an important element of the weapons of any country and number thousands of units.

If an armed monster weighing 70 tons is moving towards someone at a speed of 65 km/h, then he will think several times whether to get in the way of a strong and modern combat vehicle. It is very difficult to name the exact number of tanks, since some states that are proud of their weapons openly declare the number of these combat vehicles, while others deliberately suppress information. The same figures that are already known are very contradictory. Therefore, when compiling the review, data declared by national governments was taken into account.

10. Türkiye: 3,763 main battle tanks

Türkiye occupies a worthy place in the world in terms of the number of armed forces. The country is armed with many American and German-made tanks, for example, the M48 Patton and Leopard 2A4. Leopard main battle tanks from Germany are considered the best of their kind in the world, and the 2A4 modification is adapted for urban combat. Türkiye is interested in having large tank forces as a counterweight to the forces of its militarized neighbors, Iran and Syria.

9. Ukraine: 3,784 main battle tanks

Taking into account the turbulent situation in Ukraine associated with the military conflict, it is not surprising that the state wants to have a large number of tank troops. Ironically, a situation has arisen where the majority of tanks are T-64s left over after the collapse of the USSR.

8. Pakistan: 4,000 main battle tanks

Pakistan is one of the countries where the numbers regarding the number of tanks fluctuate greatly. But the fact that the state is armed with tanks is undeniable. Pakistan purchased most of the tanks, and, surprisingly, from China. The Pakistani Al-Zarrar tank is based on the Chinese Type 59 tank, and the country also has a Type 85 tank in service.

7. Egypt: 4,145 main battle tanks

Most Egyptian tanks are of American origin, such as the M60-2000 and M1 Abrams tanks. It is sad that they actively showed themselves on the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities in recent confrontations. The country also uses tanks from the former Soviet Union, including the Ramses II main tank, which is based on the Soviet T-54.

6. Syria: 4,750 main battle tanks

It is not surprising that Syria has a large number of tank troops in its arsenal. The country is in a zone of constant conflict, and the current situation determines the use of heavy equipment against the Syrians themselves. Syria received most of its tanks from Russia, including the T-55. The T54/55 tank is considered the most numerous; the Soviet Union produced 100,000 copies of this model until 1981, when it was discontinued (until 1983 it was still produced in Czechoslovakia).

5. North Korea: 5,500 main battle tanks

Any figures regarding North Korea must be questioned, since the state strives to secure superiority over its eternal enemy, South Korea, through false, inflated statistics. China and the former USSR supplied tanks to North Korea, while the country itself increased production of the T-62-based Chonma-ho and P'okpoong-ho tanks, built in North Korean factories (North Korean Second Machine Industry Bureau).

4. India: 5,978 main battle tanks

Every military historian and fan of The Princess Bride knows to never get involved in a war in Asia. But if a country is forced to enter into a military conflict on this vast territory, it is obliged to have large tank forces. The four largest tank armies in the world belong to Asian countries. Most of the tanks in Indian service are T-72 with 125mm cannon and powerful destructive capabilities.

3. China: 9,000 main battle tanks

According to statistics, China is in second or third place in the number of tank troops in the world. It is armed with Type 59 and Type 96 tanks, and a large number of Type 99s with a 125 mm gun. The tank's armor is equipped with laser defense systems, and the tank itself can reach a speed of 80 km/h.

2. USA: 9,125 main battle tanks

The United States' neighbors are Canada and Mexico, and it would seem to make no sense for the state to build up its weapons for fear of invasion by land. Indeed, there is no need for the United States to increase the number of main battle tanks, since the state is mainly relying on the development of the navy and air force. The United States is armed with thousands of units of the M1 Abrams tank and its modifications. The future of US tank forces lies with the M1A3 Abrams tank, which competes with the highly modernized South Korean tank, the K2 Black Panther.

1.Russia: 22,710 main battle tanks

Not surprisingly, Russia is at the top of our list. The amount of weapons is determined by the long border of the state, 19,312 km, which must be controlled and protected. Most of the tanks are in a mothballed state - the T-54, T-64 tanks, and the modern T-90 tank is ready to fight at any moment. In the future, Russia hopes to create a fully remote-controlled tank based on the Armata platform. Everything is heading towards the fact that tanks on the battlefield will fight without crews and be controlled from a distance. And it is possible that over time all military equipment will be converted

Currently, tank formations remain the main striking force of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. They are designed to conduct combat operations both independently and in cooperation with motorized rifle units and artillery.

Various modifications of the T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks are in service, which are constantly being improved. At the last Army-2017 forum, the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Uralvagonzavod Corporation (UVZ) signed contracts for the supply of new T-90M tanks and the overhaul of T-72B, T-80BV and T-90 tanks.

In 2016, the 90th Guards Vitebsk-Novgorod Twice Red Banner Tank Division (Central Military District, Chelyabinsk Region) was recreated in the Ground Forces; the arrival of new and modernized tanks made it possible to re-equip 12 motorized rifle and tank battalions. Six tank companies were formed in the Airborne Forces. In 2017, it is planned to supply the troops with 905 modern tanks and armored combat vehicles.

In 2019, it is planned to begin large-scale production of the new T-14 tank on the Armata unified heavy tracked platform. According to the state armament program, by 2020 the share of modern armored vehicles in tank forces should be at least 70%.

In 2011, to modernize the T-72B tanks in Russian service, the T-72B3 modification was developed. It was created as an inexpensive alternative to the T-90A until the Russian army receives a new generation of tanks.

The vehicle has been in service since 2012. Thanks to its annual successes at the Tank Biathlon, the T-72B3 earned the honorary title of the main sports combat vehicle of the Russian army.

In February 2017, the first batch of T-72B3 tanks of the latest modernization entered service with formations and military units of the Moscow region. Distinctive features of the new vehicles in comparison with previous versions are a more powerful engine, superior to the old one by 1130 hp, an improved weapon system, aiming and control. The 2A46-5 gun received an updated automatic loader, modified to use new ammunition. The 125 mm smoothbore gun remained the same.

For the driver, there is an automatic gearshift, a digital display and a rearview television camera. The modernization also affected the hull protection: the combined multi-layer armor was reinforced with side screens with Relikt dynamic protection modules, hinged lattice screens and additional dynamic protection modules in a “soft” case.

According to the developers, the T-72B3 has significant advantages over modern foreign tanks. First of all, this concerns its smallest weight and dimensions, high power reserve, as well as the presence of a guided weapons complex that allows the tank to fire a missile at ranges of up to 5000 m from a place day and night. The machine can be used in conditions of high dustiness and ambient temperatures of +50 °C and above due to the use of a two-stage air cleaning system and a highly efficient cooling system of the power plant.

The vehicle entered service in 1976 and became the world's first production tank with a main power plant based on a gas turbine engine. Manufacturer: Omsk Transport Engineering Plant (part of UVZ).

In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, former Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass, who led the Syrian army's military operations in Lebanon in 1981–82, called the T-80 tank the best in the world.

The tank has a classic general layout (crew - three people). The driver's workplace is heated. The layout of the fighting compartment is similar to that of the T-64B tank. The total fuel supply is 1140 liters. The tank is equipped with equipment for self-digging and for hanging a mine trawl.

The main armament of the tank is a 125 mm smoothbore tank gun with a 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun, a 12.7 mm Utes anti-aircraft machine gun system, as well as a guided weapons defense system and a Tucha smoke grenade launch system. The gun can be used to fire both conventional ammunition and guided missiles at a range of up to 5 km. The weapon system also includes a rangefinder sight, a night sight and a loading mechanism.

The T-80U is a further development of the T-80BV tank. The improvements affected all basic combat and operational properties. First of all, the survivability of the tank has been significantly increased due to changes in the design of armor barriers, the inclusion of built-in dynamic protection, and a slight increase in the mass of material allocated for the armor.

The capabilities of conducting both long-range and close-range fire combat have been improved, thanks to the use of the new Reflex ATGM guided weapon system with missiles guided by a laser beam, which allows them to be launched at any speed of the tank. The T-80U is also equipped with the Irtysh weapon control system.

The combat weight of the T-80U main battle tank is 46.5 tons. It is equipped with a three-shaft gas turbine engine with a power of 1250 hp. and is capable of reaching a speed of 70 km/h on the highway (the average on the ground is 40–45 km/h). Fuel range on the highway is 500 km.

The tank is protected by multi-layer combined armor, equipped with built-in dynamic protection, and a system of collective protection against weapons of mass destruction.

This year it became known that the Russian Ministry of Defense is preparing a modernized T-80BVM tank for testing. According to the head of the Main Armored Directorate of the military department, Alexander Shevchenko, the experience of combat operations in Syria showed the shortcomings of serial models of armored vehicles, so the department accelerated the development of new ones and the modernization of existing models.

Also this year, the general noted, a tank support combat vehicle will be put into service, in which many countries have already shown interest, primarily Israel and Syria, and a modernized T-72B3 tank with improved combat characteristics.

Produced at the turn of the 80s and 90s, it represents a serious modernization of the T-72B. Initially it was called "T-72B improved". Was renamed in 1992. When the chief designer of the vehicle, Vladimir Ivanovich Potkin, died, the tank was given his name "Vladimir".

The main difference between the T-90 and the T-72B is the introduction of an optical-electronic suppression complex TSHU-1 "Shtora", a fire control complex 1A45 "Irtysh", equipment for remote detonation of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile with a special fuse at a given point in the flight path, anti-aircraft machine gun installations with remote control, side screens with built-in dynamic protection.

"Shtora" provides additional protection for the tank by interfering in the optical range with the control lines of ATGMs with optical feedback or laser guidance. The turret of the T-90 tank has 12 grenade launchers for setting up aerosol curtains. The ammunition load of the 125-mm T-90 smoothbore gun includes a high-explosive fragmentation projectile with an electronic remote fuse.

The built-in dynamic protection of the Vladimir includes eight sections on the upper frontal plate of the hull, seven blocks and one container on the frontal part of the turret, as well as 20 containers on the roof of the turret. Three removable screens with built-in dynamic protection are installed along the sides of the hull. The tank is equipped with a 1000 hp diesel engine.

Based on the Soviet T-72 tank, the T-90 became the most commercially successful tank of the 21st century. Foreign analogues are inferior to domestic cars in terms of price/quality ratio. According to open sources, more than 2,000 modifications of the T-90 were produced, of which about 1,500 were exported. At the same time, contracts for this tank continue to be fulfilled.

It is also known that during the analysis of the combat use of the T-90A tank in Syria against terrorists, no combat damage or operational failures of the tank were detected; the vehicle showed a high degree of protection.

Russian main battle tank T-14 on the Armata heavy tracked platform. Designed as the main tank of the Russian Ground Forces. Manufacturer - UVZ. The tank, which should become the basis of the future weapons of the Russian army, is called a new generation vehicle.

According to the developers, this vehicle is significantly superior to its predecessors and competitors in such important indicators as firepower and security.

The T-14 uses a revolutionary layout - the tank's turret is uninhabited, the crew is located in a special protected capsule in a hull with reinforced frontal armor, which significantly increases safety. The automated turret will be able to continue firing even if the crew is incapacitated. Additional fuel tanks are recessed behind the armor, further enhancing safety. The modular system allows you to replace the tank's weapons and equipment depending on the tasks.

According to open sources, the tank is equipped with a 1,500 hp diesel engine. The chassis uses a seven-support design for the first time (previously six rollers were used).

The T-14 is equipped with a tank information and control system that controls all components and assemblies of the vehicle. The control of the chassis and propulsion system is robotic, thanks to which the machine automatically adapts to the nature of the terrain when moving. Estimated characteristics: highway speed - up to 75 km/h, weight - up to 55 tons, power reserve - up to 500 km.

The T-14 became the first modern tank equipped with an active phased array radar, which can be used as an artillery reconnaissance radar, that is, to determine the positions of enemy tanks and artillery from the trajectories of projectiles. The system can operate in conditions of blinding aerosol multispectral curtains, when conventional optical sights are useless.

The T-14 is not just a tank, but a universal strike vehicle, which simultaneously includes a tactical missile system, an anti-aircraft air defense system, an army reconnaissance and target designation complex - and a battle tank itself.

According to the specialist, thanks to the new complex, the actions of the tank commander and gunner during battle are reduced to a minimum: the commander simply points the cursor at the target and presses a button to capture it.

The T-14 was first demonstrated to the general public in 2015 at the Victory Parade in Moscow. A year later, at the International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2016" in the Moscow region, its combat and mobility capabilities were shown for the first time.

Roman Azanov

The material uses data from the TASS-Dossier

The editors of the TASS website thanks the operators of the RIA "Army of Russia" of the Russian Defense Ministry for providing video footage of the T-14 "Armata" tank and underwater driving of the T-90 tank

Modern battle tanks of Russia and the world photos, videos, pictures watch online. This article gives an idea of the modern tank fleet. It is based on the principle of classification used in the most authoritative reference book to date, but in a slightly modified and improved form. And if the latter in its original form can still be found in the armies of a number of countries, then others have already become museum pieces. And just for 10 years! The authors considered it unfair to follow in the footsteps of the Jane’s reference book and not consider this combat vehicle (very interesting in design and fiercely discussed in its time), which formed the basis of the tank fleet of the last quarter of the 20th century.

Films about tanks where there is still no alternative to this type of weapon for the ground forces. The tank was and will probably remain a modern weapon for a long time due to its ability to combine such seemingly contradictory qualities as high mobility, powerful weapons and reliable crew protection. These unique qualities of tanks continue to be constantly improved, and the experience and technology accumulated over decades predetermine new frontiers in combat properties and military-technical achievements. In the eternal confrontation between “projectile and armor”, as practice shows, protection against projectiles is increasingly being improved, acquiring new qualities: activity, multi-layeredness, self-defense. At the same time, the projectile becomes more accurate and powerful.

Russian tanks are specific in that they allow you to destroy the enemy from a safe distance, have the ability to make quick maneuvers on off-road, contaminated terrain, can “walk” through territory occupied by the enemy, seize a decisive bridgehead, cause panic in the rear and suppress the enemy with fire and tracks . The war of 1939-1945 became the most difficult test for all humanity, since almost all countries of the world were involved in it. It was a clash of the titans - the most unique period that theorists debated in the early 1930s and during which tanks were used in large numbers by almost all belligerents. At this time, a “test for lice” and a deep reform of the first theories of the use of tank troops took place. And it is the Soviet tank forces that are most affected by all this.

Tanks in battle have become a symbol of the past war, the backbone of the Soviet armored forces? Who created them and under what conditions? How did the USSR, which had lost most of its European territories and had difficulty recruiting tanks for the defense of Moscow, was able to release powerful tank formations onto the battlefields already in 1943? This book is intended to answer these questions, telling about the development of Soviet tanks “during the testing days ", from 1937 to the beginning of 1943. When writing the book, materials from Russian archives and private collections of tank builders were used. There was a period in our history that remained in my memory with some kind of depressing feeling. It began with the return of our first military advisers from Spain, and only stopped at the beginning of forty-three,” said the former general designer of the self-propelled guns L. Gorlitsky, “some kind of pre-storm state was felt.

Tanks of the Second World War It was M. Koshkin, almost underground (but, of course, with the support of “the wisest of the wise leaders of all nations”), who was able to create the tank that a few years later would shock the German tank generals. And not only that, he not only created it, the designer managed to prove to these military fools that it was his T-34 that they needed, and not just another wheeled-tracked "motor vehicle." The author is in slightly different positions, which formed in him after meeting the pre-war documents of the Russian State Military Academy and the Russian State Academy of Economics. Therefore, working on this segment of the history of the Soviet tank, the author will inevitably contradict something “generally accepted.” This work describes the history of Soviet tank building in the most difficult years - from the beginning of a radical restructuring of the entire activity of design bureaus and people's commissariats in general. during the frantic race to equip new tank formations of the Red Army, transfer industry to wartime rails and evacuation.

Tanks Wikipedia, the author would like to express his special gratitude to M. Kolomiets for his assistance in selecting and processing materials, and also thank A. Solyankin, I. Zheltov and M. Pavlov, the authors of the reference publication “Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. 1905 - 1941” , since this book helped to understand the fate of some projects that was previously unclear. I would also like to remember with gratitude those conversations with Lev Izraelevich Gorlitsky, the former chief designer of UZTM, which helped to take a fresh look at the entire history of the Soviet tank during the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. For some reason today it is common for us to talk about 1937-1938. only from the point of view of repression, but few people remember that it was during this period that those tanks were born that became legends of the wartime...” From the memoirs of L.I. Gorlinky.

Soviet tanks, a detailed assessment of them at that time was heard from many lips. Many old people recalled that it was from the events in Spain that it became clear to everyone that the war was getting closer and closer to the threshold and it was Hitler who would have to fight. In 1937, mass purges and repressions began in the USSR, and against the backdrop of these difficult events, the Soviet tank began to transform from “mechanized cavalry” (in which one of its combat qualities was emphasized at the expense of others) into a balanced combat vehicle, simultaneously possessing powerful weapons, sufficient to suppress most targets, good maneuverability and mobility with armor protection capable of maintaining its combat effectiveness when fired upon by the most massive anti-tank weapons of a potential enemy.

It was recommended that large tanks be supplemented with only special tanks - amphibious tanks, chemical tanks. The brigade now had 4 separate battalions of 54 tanks each and was strengthened by moving from three-tank platoons to five-tank ones. In addition, D. Pavlov justified the refusal to form three additional mechanized corps in addition to the four existing mechanized corps in 1938, believing that these formations were immobile and difficult to control, and most importantly, they required a different rear organization. The tactical and technical requirements for promising tanks, as expected, were adjusted. In particular, in a letter dated December 23 to the head of the design bureau of plant No. 185 named after. CM. Kirov, the new boss demanded that the armor of the new tanks be strengthened so that at a distance of 600-800 meters (effective range).

The newest tanks in the world, when designing new tanks, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of increasing the level of armor protection during modernization by at least one stage...” This problem could be solved in two ways: Firstly, by increasing the thickness of the armor plates and, secondly, by “using increased armor resistance." It is not difficult to guess that the second way was considered more promising, since the use of specially strengthened armor plates, or even two-layer armor, could, while maintaining the same thickness (and the mass of the tank as a whole), increase its durability by 1.2-1.5 times. It was this path (the use of especially hardened armor) that was chosen at that moment to create new types of tanks.

Tanks of the USSR at the dawn of tank production, armor was most widely used, the properties of which were identical in all areas. Such armor was called homogeneous (homogeneous), and from the very beginning of armor making, craftsmen sought to create just such armor, because homogeneity ensured stability of characteristics and simplified processing. However, at the end of the 19th century, it was noticed that when the surface of an armor plate was saturated (to a depth of several tenths to several millimeters) with carbon and silicon, its surface strength increased sharply, while the rest of the plate remained viscous. This is how heterogeneous (non-uniform) armor came into use.

For military tanks, the use of heterogeneous armor was very important, since an increase in the hardness of the entire thickness of the armor plate led to a decrease in its elasticity and (as a consequence) to an increase in fragility. Thus, the most durable armor, all other things being equal, turned out to be very fragile and often chipped even from the explosions of high-explosive fragmentation shells. Therefore, at the dawn of armor production, when producing homogeneous sheets, the task of the metallurgist was to achieve the maximum possible hardness of the armor, but at the same time not to lose its elasticity. Surface-hardened armor with carbon and silicon saturation was called cemented (cemented) and was considered at that time a panacea for many ills. But cementation is a complex, harmful process (for example, treating a hot plate with a jet of illuminating gas) and relatively expensive, and therefore its development in a series required large expenses and improved production standards.

Wartime tanks, even in operation, these hulls were less successful than homogeneous ones, since for no apparent reason cracks formed in them (mainly in loaded seams), and it was very difficult to put patches on holes in cemented slabs during repairs. But it was still expected that a tank protected by 15-20 mm cemented armor would be equivalent in level of protection to the same one, but covered with 22-30 mm sheets, without a significant increase in weight.
Also, by the mid-1930s, tank building had learned to harden the surface of relatively thin armor plates by uneven hardening, known since the end of the 19th century in shipbuilding as the “Krupp method.” Surface hardening led to a significant increase in the hardness of the front side of the sheet, leaving the main thickness of the armor viscous.

How tanks fire video up to half the thickness of the slab, which was, of course, worse than cementation, since while the hardness of the surface layer was higher than with cementation, the elasticity of the hull sheets was significantly reduced. So the “Krupp method” in tank building made it possible to increase the strength of armor even slightly more than cementation. But the hardening technology that was used for thick naval armor was no longer suitable for relatively thin tank armor. Before the war, this method was almost not used in our serial tank building due to technological difficulties and relatively high cost.

Combat use of tanks The most proven tank gun was the 45-mm tank gun model 1932/34. (20K), and before the event in Spain it was believed that its power was quite sufficient to perform most tank tasks. But the battles in Spain showed that a 45-mm gun can only satisfy the task of fighting enemy tanks, since even shelling of manpower in mountains and forests turned out to be ineffective, and it was only possible to disable a dug-in enemy firing point in the event of a direct hit . Firing at shelters and bunkers was ineffective due to the low high-explosive effect of a projectile weighing only about two kg.

Types of tanks photos so that even one shell hit can reliably disable an anti-tank gun or machine gun; and thirdly, to increase the penetrating effect of a tank gun on the armor of a potential enemy, since using the example of French tanks (which already had an armor thickness of about 40-42 mm), it became clear that the armor protection of foreign combat vehicles tends to be significantly strengthened. There was a sure way for this - increasing the caliber of tank guns and simultaneously increasing the length of their barrel, since a long gun of a larger caliber fires heavier projectiles with a higher initial velocity over a greater distance without correcting the aiming.

The best tanks in the world had a large-caliber gun, also had a larger breech, significantly greater weight and increased recoil reaction. And this required an increase in the mass of the entire tank as a whole. In addition, placing large-sized rounds in a closed tank volume led to a decrease in transportable ammunition.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that at the beginning of 1938 it suddenly turned out that there was simply no one to give the order for the design of a new, more powerful tank gun. P. Syachintov and his entire design team were repressed, as well as the core of the Bolshevik design bureau under the leadership of G. Magdesiev. Only the group of S. Makhanov remained in the wild, who, since the beginning of 1935, had been trying to develop his new 76.2-mm semi-automatic single gun L-10, and the staff of Plant No. 8 was slowly finishing the “forty-five”.

Photos of tanks with names The number of developments is large, but mass production in the period 1933-1937. not a single one has been accepted..." In fact, none of the five air-cooled tank diesel engines, work on which was carried out in 1933-1937 in the engine department of plant No. 185, was brought to series. Moreover, despite the decisions At the very top levels of the transition in tank building exclusively to diesel engines, this process was constrained by a number of factors. Of course, diesel had significant efficiency. It consumed less fuel per unit of power per hour. Diesel fuel was less susceptible to fire, since the flash point of its vapor was very high. high.

New tanks video, even the most advanced of them, the MT-5 tank engine, required a reorganization of engine production for serial production, which was expressed in the construction of new workshops, the supply of advanced foreign equipment (they did not yet have their own machines of the required accuracy), financial investments and strengthening of personnel. It was planned that in 1939 this diesel would produce 180 hp. will go to production tanks and artillery tractors, but due to investigative work to determine the causes of tank engine failures, which lasted from April to November 1938, these plans were not implemented. The development of a slightly increased six-cylinder gasoline engine No. 745 with a power of 130-150 hp was also started.

Brands of tanks had specific indicators that suited tank builders quite well. The tanks were tested using a new method, specially developed at the insistence of the new head of the ABTU, D. Pavlov, in relation to combat service in wartime. The basis of the tests was a run of 3-4 days (at least 10-12 hours of daily non-stop movement) with a one-day break for technical inspection and restoration work. Moreover, repairs were allowed to be carried out only by field workshops without the involvement of factory specialists. This was followed by a “platform” with obstacles, “swimming” in water with an additional load that simulated an infantry landing, after which the tank was sent for inspection.

Super tanks online, after improvement work, seemed to remove all claims from the tanks. And the overall progress of the tests confirmed the fundamental correctness of the main design changes - an increase in displacement by 450-600 kg, the use of the GAZ-M1 engine, as well as the Komsomolets transmission and suspension. But during testing, numerous minor defects again appeared in the tanks. Chief designer N. Astrov was removed from work and was under arrest and investigation for several months. In addition, the tank received a new turret with improved protection. The modified layout made it possible to place on the tank more ammunition for a machine gun and two small fire extinguishers (previously there were no fire extinguishers on small tanks of the Red Army).

US tanks as part of modernization work, on one production model of the tank in 1938-1939. The torsion bar suspension developed by the designer of the design bureau of plant No. 185 V. Kulikov was tested. It was distinguished by the design of a composite short coaxial torsion bar (long monotorsion bars could not be used coaxially). However, such a short torsion bar did not show good enough results in tests, and therefore the torsion bar suspension did not immediately pave the way for itself in the course of further work. Obstacles to overcome: climbs of at least 40 degrees, vertical wall 0.7 m, covered ditch 2-2.5 m."

YouTube about tanks, work on the production of prototypes of the D-180 and D-200 engines for reconnaissance tanks is not being carried out, jeopardizing the production of prototypes." Justifying his choice, N. Astrov said that the wheeled-tracked non-floating reconnaissance aircraft (factory designation 101 or 10-1), as well as the amphibious tank variant (factory designation 102 or 10-2), are a compromise solution, since it is not possible to fully satisfy the ABTU requirements. Option 101 was a tank weighing 7.5 tons with a hull. according to the type of hull, but with vertical side sheets of cemented armor 10-13 mm thick, since: “The inclined sides, causing serious weighting of the suspension and hull, require a significant (up to 300 mm) widening of the hull, not to mention the complication of the tank.

Video reviews of tanks in which the tank’s power unit was planned to be based on the 250-horsepower MG-31F aircraft engine, which was being developed by industry for agricultural aircraft and gyroplanes. 1st grade gasoline was placed in the tank under the floor of the fighting compartment and in additional onboard gas tanks. The armament fully corresponded to the task and consisted of coaxial machine guns DK 12.7 mm caliber and DT (in the second version of the project even ShKAS is listed) 7.62 mm caliber. The combat weight of the tank with torsion bar suspension was 5.2 tons, with spring suspension - 5.26 tons. Tests took place from July 9 to August 21 according to the methodology approved in 1938, with special attention being paid to tanks.

Few issues related to the armament of the Russian army do not cause such heated debate as the future of domestic armored forces. Experts, journalists, professional military officers and simply people interested in military affairs participate in a furious discussion. Articles on this topic regularly appear in the Russian media. Representatives of the top leadership of the Russian army do not tire of adding fuel to the fire.

There are debates about the potential of Russian combat vehicles, as well as their comparison with foreign counterparts. In 2011, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces, Colonel General Postnikov, spoke extremely unflatteringly about the characteristics of the T-90 tank, comparing them with the performance of the main German Leopard-2 tank. According to him, the T-90 is not a technical breakthrough, but just another modernization of the T-72, in which there is nothing fundamentally new. He also mentioned that, in his opinion, the price of a Russian tank is too high - for 120 million rubles (this is the price of one T-90) you can buy several Leopard 2A7 tanks. On the other hand, many experts call the T-90 the bestto datethe main tank in the world. Where is the truth?

The T-90 tank is a continuation of the T-72 and T-80 family of vehicles. Its development and testing began in the late 80s of the last century, and it was put into service in 1992. The car does not contain any revolutionary innovations; conceptually it continues earlier cars. Of course, many changes were made to the design of the T-90: the fire control system and protection were improved, the vehicle received more advanced multi-layer armor and built-in dynamic protection, but we can say that the T-90 is just the most modern modernization of the T-72.

History of the creation of the T-90:

In 1985, mass production of the new T-72B tank began - but already at that time the tank was obsolete in comparison with advanced foreign analogues. This was especially true for the fire control system; in this regard, it lost not only to the Leopard and Abrams, but even to the new Soviet tanks. Therefore, immediately after the start of serial production of the T-72B, work began on its modernization.

The 1A45 “Irtysh” fire control system (FCS) was installed on the vehicle; it was well tested on T-80 tanks), it was combined with the tank’s automatic loader. The latest optical-electronic suppression complex (KOEP) “Shtora” was also installed, which protected the vehicle from anti-tank weapons, especially those using laser guidance. It cannot be said that the new tank was a breakthrough in its technical characteristics, but the protection and firepower of the vehicle were increased.

In 1989, state testing of the tank began at several training grounds in different parts of the USSR. The tests turned out to be especially difficult in Central Asia, in conditions of high temperature, sand and dust. In 1992, the tests were successfully completed, and the new vehicle was put into service. In the same year, mass production of the vehicle began, designated T-90. After the tragic death of Vladimir Ivanovich Potkin, the chief designer of this model, the T-90 was named “Vladimir” in his honor.

The T-90 of various modifications has become the most popular and best-selling Russian tank on the world market. Until 1998, 120 tanks of this type were manufactured for the Russian Ministry of Defense. In 2004, work began on modernizing the T-90, which resulted in the T-90A and T-90AK vehicles (they featured a more powerful engine, a new welded turret, an improved thermal imaging sight and a new gun stabilizer). The latest modification of the T-90 is the T-90AM tank, which is equipped with a new Kalina fire control system, an upgraded gun, a new automatic loader and a more powerful engine.

During the production of the T-90, several export modifications of the tank were created, which took into account customer requirements. The Russian Ministry of Defense has stopped purchasing the vehicle since the end of 2011.

Design of the T-90 tank

The T-90 main battle tank has a classic layout: the control compartment is located in the bow, the fighting compartment is in the middle of the vehicle, and the engine and transmission are in the rear of the tank. The crew consists of three people: the driver is in the control compartment, and the commander and gunner are inside the turret, to the left and right of the gun.

The tank's hull is made of welded armor, the frontal part of the vehicle consists of multi-layer armor using composite materials and with built-in dynamic protection.

The main armament of the T-90 is a 125 mm smoothbore gun. The gun is equipped with a stabilizer, a chrome-plated barrel, and has systems for recording barrel deformation and pumping out powder gases. The length of the gun is 48 calibers. The gun's rate of fire reaches 8 shots in 56 seconds. The T-90 is also armed with a coaxial machine gun and an anti-aircraft gun (NSVT "Utes").

The tank's ammunition load is 43 rounds and includes various types of ammunition: 3BM42 armor-piercing sabot shells, 3BK29M armor-piercing cumulative shells, high-explosive fragmentation shells with an electronic remote fuse (increases the effectiveness of the fight against enemy personnel located in shelters), as well as 9M119 ATGMs. The firing range of anti-tank missiles ranges from 100 to 5000 meters. No tank in the world has ammunition with such a range.

The T-90 is equipped with a four-stroke 12-cylinder diesel engine; in later versions of the vehicle it was replaced with a more advanced engine with a turbocharger, which increased its power from 840 hp. up to 1000 hp The engine provides greater mobility and maneuverability of the tank; it is not for nothing that the T-90 is called the “Russian flying tank.” The transmission is planetary type, there are 7 forward gears and one reverse gear.

The fire control system makes shooting as easy as possible. All data (firing range, wind direction and speed, air temperature, tank position) for firing are taken into account automatically and the gunner simply needs to aim the sight at the target and press the fire button. The tank is equipped with a Buran-PA night sight, as well as an Agat-S sighting system for the tank commander.

The T-90 is protected by multi-layer armor with built-in Kontakt-5 dynamic protection. The Shtora-1 optical-electronic countermeasures system protects the vehicle from anti-tank weapons with a semi-automatic guidance system or laser homing. Laser radiation sensors ensure its reception within a 360° radius, the data is quickly processed, and an aerosol grenade is fired in the desired direction, blocking the laser beam. The tank has a modern fire extinguishing system.

The T-90 tank's weakest point of defense is its fuel system. The fuel tanks are partially located in the combat compartment and are in no way separated from the crew. Another problem with this vehicle is the placement of ammunition inside the fighting compartment, while it is also not isolated from the crew. Its detonation is guaranteed to lead to the destruction of the tank.

The T-90 uses the chassis of the T-72 tank. In combination with a new engine, reliable transmission and low weight of the machine, it provides high mobility and maneuverability. Due to its ability to effectively overcome obstacles, some Western experts call the T-90 a “flying tank.”

Main performance characteristics of the T-90 tank

Main Features
Crew composition	3 people
Tank weight, t	46,5
Length, m	6,86
Tank hull width, m	3,78
Tower hatch height, m	2,23
Engine power, hp	800/1000 l. With. (diesel)
Number of cylinders	12
Cooling	Liquid
Transmission
Type: mechanical	Two final drives, input gearbox and coaxial final drives
Number of gears (forward/reverse)	7/1
Diesel fuel tank life on the highway; capacity	550 km; 1200 l
With mounted tanks; capacity	700 km; 400 l
Fuel consumption, l/100 km	240-450
Chassis
Suspension	Torsion bar
Highway speed, km/h	60
Speed on arable land, km/h	50
Obstacle elevation angle	30 degrees
Obstacle barrier, m	0,8
Barrier ditch, m	2,8
Barrier ford, m	1,2 (1,8)
Tank armament
Gun type; caliber	Smoothbore; 125 mm
Guided missiles
Firing range	5 km
Loading	Automatic, manual
Number of ammunition, pcs.	42 (22 rounds in the automatic loader)
Rate of fire	8 rounds per minute
Ammunition types	BPS, BKS, OFS, UR
Coaxial machine gun	PTKM 7.62 mm; 2000 rounds
Heavy machine gun	CORD 12.7 mm; 300 rounds
Protection
Multi-layer combined armor, with Kontakt-5 dynamic protection. KOEP "SHTORA-1"

Advantages and disadvantages of the T-90

The T-90 tank is truly a modern tank with characteristics that are not inferior to their foreign counterparts. Its strengths are good mobility and maneuverability, reliability of the engine and chassis, as well as a good level of security. The relatively light weight of the tank and its dimensions make the vehicle less vulnerable to enemy fire.

The negative aspects of the T-90 include the location of the ammunition and fuel tanks next to the crew. ERA is ineffective against tandem ammunition (although the tank's protection system is effective against most anti-tank weapons). The fire control system on early modifications is outdated, although the Kalina fire control system installed on the latest models is not inferior to foreign analogues. The tank's disadvantage is also its low reverse speed.

The undoubted advantage of the T-90 is the ability to fire guided missiles at a range of up to 5000 meters.

Modifications of the T-90 tank:

T-90S - a machine made for export
T-90SK - command version of the T-90S
T-90K - T-90 command tank, the vehicle is equipped with additional communications and navigation equipment
T-90A - a vehicle with a more powerful power plant, a welded turret, a new automatic loader and a new thermal imaging sight
T-90AK - command T-90A
T-90SA - export version of T-90A
T-90SKA - command version of the T-90SA
T-90AM is the latest modification of the T-90A. The Kalina control system, a new automatic loader and a new Relikt remote control system and the V-92S2F power plant (1130 hp) were installed.

There is a whole range of vehicles developed on the basis of the T-90 - for carrying out sapper work, bridge layers, recovery vehicles. The T-90 is in service with several countries around the world.