As introduced on December 28, Uralvagonzavod, the apex tank producer in Russia, has affirmed their supply of the scheduled consignment of tanks for the yr to the Russian navy, aligning with the nation’s state plans. But, an intriguing element resides inside this official communication.
In 2023, the specialist armored models, the T-90M Proryv, and the T-72B3M, have been distributed with a delicate alteration of their make-up in comparison with their 2022 equivalents deployed to the Russian forces. The discrepancy between the variants distributed amid the 2 consecutive years of ongoing battle in Ukraine is just not explicitly clarified by the Russian manufacturing authority. Nonetheless, underlying reviews trace that this yr’s conversion within the tanks’ make-up might be related to the prevailing circumstances on the battlefield.
A shared consensus amongst Russian specialists in 2023 means that each tank fashions have been optimized to reinforce the safety afforded by the tanks whereas escalating their operational efficiency.
Shut-fitting “bricks”
As reported by BulgarianMilitary.com in early December, Russian tanks outfitted with unusually dense layers of dynamic safety have been sighted in Ukraine. Notably, these blocks, also known as ‘bricks’, are a sort of reactive armor generally utilized in Russia. They have been organized in such a concentrated sample that even the crew hatchways had been decked out with these blocks.
The target of such a design is clear – to enhance the higher hemisphere protection of the car towards potential assaults from skidding threats and FPV drones.
Fascinatingly, this added safety measure nearly fully conceals the protecting overlaying. It has merely morphed right into a basis for affixing the ERA blocks. The way in which these safety blocks are densely packed, even on the tower hatches which can be shrouded with foldable chain-link screens, is kind of conspicuous.
Anti-drone safety
In 2022, the importance of kamikaze drones within the Ukrainian battle noticed a decline in comparison with their prominence in 2023. This remark extends to each opponents. Curiously, as we highlighted earlier this yr, notable developments have been made by Uralvagonzavod to their T-90 and T-72 tanks with the mixing of cellular anti-drone safety techniques.
Claims have surfaced linking Roselectronics, a Russian firm, to the event of this improve, although no concrete proof has been offered. The corporate has supposedly developed an improved anti-drone protection system dubbed ‘Safety’ or ‘Zashtita’. This revamped Zashtita system boasts an elevated most detection vary of UAV management alerts, increasing from 6 to eight GHz whereas sustaining a minimal vary at 300 MHz. Designed to detect a big range of drones, this method stays undetectable to enemy radars and impervious to radio jamming. It additionally employs round the clock detection and suppression capabilities inside a vary of two to 4 km.
One other potential answer is the tank-fitted model of the ‘Sapsan-Bekas UAV detection and countermeasure system. This was developed by the Avtomatika concern, additionally a subsidiary of the Rostec state company.
The Sapsan-Bekas complicated equally options 24-hour aerial monitoring and consists of three subsystems: a radio detection system, route discovering, energetic radar, video and optical-electronic monitoring with a thermal imaging channel, and a subsystem for radio suppression. It operates in a broad frequency vary – from 400 MHz to six GHz.
Energetic safety
In 2022, not each tank within the Russian arsenal was outfitted with top-tier energetic safety. Nonetheless, in 2023, Uralvagonzavod declared it will start to outfit its T-90M and T-72 tanks with their best energetic protection know-how – the Afganit – ranging from the center of the yr.
The Afganit, a cutting-edge innovation hailing from Russia, is an energetic tank safety system constructed to defend tanks from imminent threats like missiles and rockets. Remarkably resilient, this method employs a mix of sensors, radar, and a high-speed cannon to identify and neutralize incoming rounds earlier than they make contact with the tank.
Engineered to work along with different defensive mechanisms similar to armor and jet armor, the Afganit system possesses the flexibility to counter a number of threats without delay. This functionality renders it a formidable asset in battlefield conditions.
Able to participating enemies inside a 50-meter radius, the Afganit system is designed to counter threats from any route. It significantly excels in close-quarters fight, which is especially helpful in city warfare situations the place tanks are sometimes close to buildings and different constructions.
The Afganit system has been subjected to thorough testing and has demonstrated its effectiveness in shielding tanks from incoming projectiles. It’s at the moment being utilized by the Russian navy and is dubbed probably the most superior energetic protection techniques globally.
Tank projectiles
In terms of the “barely totally different” T-90M and T-72 tanks in 2023, it’s vital to spotlight the developments of their ammunition, significantly these utilized by the Russian T-90M tank. In a departure from 2022, the Moscow authorities has not too long ago affirmed the T-90M’s employment of progressive shrapnel-exploding shells.
This data was shared in October by the commander of the Floor Forces, Russian Army Common Oleg Salyukov. Russian insiders counsel that these distinctive bullets, dubbed Telnik, signify a breakthrough in ammunition know-how.
Famend for his or her fragmentation beam munitions, these novel projectiles have the distinctive capability to unleash a rain of pre-made submunitions following an airborne explosion.
“To up the ante in our barrage towards the adversary’s forces, the T-90M tanks have been kitted out with the newly formulated Telnik high-explosive shells.” The Common elucidated in his dialogue with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper that these shells embody pre-fashioned submunitions and are programmed to burst mid-air at a pre-set location alongside their course.
Moreover, Uralvagonzavod, the armored car manufacturing plant is witnessing an escalation of their manufacturing each month. Ultimately, the power’s manufacturing capability will hit its restrict. Nonetheless, insights from the plant’s Managing Director Alexander Potapov indicate that this saturation level remains to be a way off. Notably, this remark comes within the context of the plant functioning continuous, all through the day.
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