MOSCOW, RUSSIA — Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin spoke about the supply of tanks to Ukraine. According to his words, “the arsonists” [as Putin calls the Ukrainian allies] will supply Kyiv with between 400 and 440 tanks. Russia, for its part, will modernize and produce three times as many – 1,600, Putin said.
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Mr. Putin did not explain which tanks would be modernized and from which model they would be produced. Experts assume that it is a T-90M Proryv. According to Russian sources, before the start of the war, the Russian army had 350 T-90 tanks in service. The data from the beginning of 2021.
In the same year [2021], orders for the delivery of new T-90s were not large – only 30 tanks. At the same time, however, the Russian Federation placed an order for the modernization of at least 100 T-90 units to the T-90M Proryv level.
What are the expectations?
While Ukraine awaits Western tanks, Russia relies on its own production. Challenger 2, Leopard 2, and Abrams 1 are the tanks promised to Kyiv. Deliveries of the first Leopard 2 have already begun with the first tanks arriving from Poland. BulgarianMilitary.com recently announced a report that Canada is sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, as well as Norway. Tanks from Germany and other European countries are expected. They will mostly be Leopard 2s. Britain has promised only 14 Challenger 2 tanks, and the US 31 Abrams 1 tanks.
During the time of the Soviet Union, Soviet factories produced 4,000 tanks a year. Today, only Uralvagonzavod can fully load its capacities. Some analysts say that if the plant manages to produce and modernize 1,600 tanks in a year, it will be a success. There are such signals that it is possible to happen. Since last year, the modernization of the plant has not stopped and the company receives state funding to increase the production capacity, as well as the construction of new facilities.
Information is conflicting
Information about the state of tank factories in Russia is quite contradictory. Logically, during a war, propaganda messages arrive from both sides of the war in full force.
Western analysts claim that economic sanctions on Russia will have a serious impact on tank production. Russia denies this, and even domestic experts believe that Moscow is returning to the concept of a multi-thousand tank fleet.
For example, Russian media reported that two new tank repair plants are currently under construction. The idea is that they will take over the modernization and repair of T-90M tanks, while UralVagonZavod will be fully engaged in the production of new units. According to initial data, one plant will have an area of 250,000 square meters, while the other will have an area of 180,000 square meters.
Will economic sanctions have an impact?
Last year, our reports showed that one way or another, the sanctions imposed on Russia are having their effect. However, it turns out to be short-lived. With many plants forced to increase hours, cut back on supplies of materials and components, and look for new workers, Russian tank plants still found a way to continue production, even if it was less compared to two years ago.
Russia is rich in natural resources, minerals, and raw materials. The T-90M, for example, consists of a ballistic computer, day, night, and thermal imaging channels, force and wind sensors, barrel bending sensors, a control panel, and a multi-function indicator interface.
T-90M and the sanctions
Digital station R-168-25U-2 Aqueduct, for example, is 80% built from Russian components since 2017. There are individual components, processors, and microchips that are imported from abroad. Such are, for example, Xilinx and Altera. But even before the war, Russian engineers found their equivalent, presenting 5578TC084 or 5578TC064 as their replacements.
LSD modules are also based on local hardware and software solutions. For example, the dual-core processor that has been the heart of these modules for years is also Russian – KOMDIV64-M. The controllers and microchips are foreign, but a replacement or equivalent is said to be easy to find.
But a lot of ROMs, ADCs, DACs, microwave chips, or BIS controllers of the KN587IK1 type have actually been made in Russia for years. Mechanical instruments and steering wheel panels “are not difficult,” they say in Russia, and can be produced.
Tank mechanics is a tank information and control system. However, the T-90M actually uses the mechanics of the T-72B3 and older versions of the T-90. This system has simple logic with “firmware” for 500-550 kb. The data from the MTO sensors flows through it. Like a car’s onboard computer, it shows coolant temperature, oil level, malfunction of each unit, etc.
Tank crews train
Tank crews of the Ukrainian and Russian armies are trained and trained. This is clear from media reports in recent weeks. BulgarianMilitary.com has already announced Ukrainian tank crews in England for training to work with the Challenger 2. There are such crews in Ukraine’s neighboring countries that are being trained to work with the Leopard 2.
The situation is the same in the Russian army. Knowing what tanks will arrive, Russian tank crews are training to fight the three models of tanks expected in Ukraine. In addition to practical, the crews also have a theoretical part of the training. In this part, they are familiar with the weak points of the three models of Western tanks. This entire training and training process was announced by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on March 18 of this year.
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