Russia has unveiled the latest version of the Russian T-90 main battle tank called T-90M «Proryv-3». That was reported Russian military expert Alexei Khlopotov.

The T-90M «Proryv-3» is a modernized version of Russian main battle tank. The upgraded tank will eventually replace the aging T-90 and T-90A tanks that are still in service with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

“We have about 400 tanks, set in the early 2000s. It’s been almost 12-15 years. They need to be updated. Therefore, we consider the issue of modernization of the tank fleet, “- said Deputy Russian Defense Minister Yuri Borisov at RAE-2015 in Nizhny Tagil.

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The T-90M tank has 125mm smooth-bore cannon that can fire guided missiles as well as shells. This tank is operated by a crew of three, including commander, gunner and driver and have new automatic target tracker and fire control computer. The tank powered by a new engine, developing 1 300 hp. Combat weight – 50 tons and ground clearance – 450 mm.

The T-90M has new composite armor as well as built-in Relikt explosive reactive armor (ERA) in place of the previous Kontakt-5. The «Proryv-3» is fitted with side skirts with built-in Relikt ERA. It provides protection against tandem warheads and reduces penetration of APFSDS rounds by over 50%. There is also a Shtora-1 countermeasures system, which significantly reduces the chance of being hit by enemy anti-tank guided weapons with semi-automatic guidance. As usually this tank is fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems.

The Russian Ministry of Defense’s decision to upgrade older T-90 models could be interpreted as a sign that despite earlier announcements, the T-14 will not replace the Soviet-era tanks as the mainstay of Russia’s tank force in the near future and that the Russian Ground Forces will continue to operate various MBT variants at least for the next decade.