America's M1A2 Abrams and Russia's T-90s are two of the world's most advanced and
deadliest main battle tanks and even though some of the specifications of
these tanks including armor composition are kept in high secrecy.
However we'll try to compare latest variants of M1A2 Abrams and T-90s based
on the open source information and try to determine which one would win a real
battlefield scenario.
No 1. Developed in the 1970s
the Abrams main battle tank has been the mainstay of the US Army for around 50
years. The tank has been upgraded many times since M1 entered service. The
latest variant of Abrams is the m1a2 SEP v3 which is the most advanced and
networked MBT in the world. On the other hand T-90s is the latest variant of the
T-90 which is based on older T-72. T-90s adds a new laminated armor package
explosive reactive armor and an electronic countermeasure suite. Overall
it's a pretty formidable tank with a significant improvement over previous Russian tanks.
No 2. Now let's have a look at some specifications.
Around 10,288 Abrams have been built so far with a unit cost of $9.61M.
Operated by a crew of four M1A2 comes in at a whopping 74 tons.
The tank is powered by multi fuel gas turbine engine capable of generating
1,500 horsepower. Abrams can reach a top speed of 45 mph.
m1a2 comes with a 120-millimeter smoothbore gun with a manual loading
mechanism. Secondary armament includes a 12.7 millimeter heavy machine gun and
two 7.62 millimeter machine guns. The operational range of M1A2 is around 265 miles.
In contrast more than 3,200 T-90s have been built so far. Currently the
cost of the latest variant is around $5M.
Operated by a crew of three the tank comes in at a weight of 51
tons. The tank is powered by a v12 piston engine which produces 1,250 horsepower
The T-90s can reach a top speed of 37 mph. The Russian tank is armed
with a 120-millimeter smoothbore gun. The tank is loaded with 12.7 millimeter and
7.62 millimeter machine guns. The operational range of the T-90s is around 340 mi.
No 3. Abrams are powered by a gas turbine engine which generates 1,500
horsepower. Even though the Abrams is heavy and bulky it's surprisingly nimble
due to its powerful engine. The engine is multi fuel which can run on kerosene
diesel, petrol or aviation fuel. It can start at extremely cold temperatures and
can reach a top speed of 45 mph on road and up to 25 mph
on rough terrain. On the other hand the T-90s has a liquid-cooled v12 piston
engine, which produces 1,250 hp. This engine can be fueled by kerosene
benzene and diesel. The tank can carry up to 1600 liters of fuel in the main fuel
tanks and fuel drums. The engine can attain a top speed of 37 mph
on road and up to 28 mph on rough terrain. The tank can be fitted
with a snorkel for crossing 16 feet deep water.
No 4. The Abrams is considered one of the most protected
tanks in the world. It uses composite armor reinforced with depleted uranium
armor mesh. Abrams tanks are fitted with
countermeasure system which interrupts infrared and laser guidance of anti-tank
missiles.
The crew of the Abrams is well protected as most of the ammunition is
stored in a turret bustle. The bustle is separated from the main compartment if
the bustle is hit, ammunition detonates without killing the crew.
Although Russia's T-90s is much lighter than its American counterpart, it does
have good Armour and a fairly strong self-defensive suit. First there's T-90s
armour made up of composite material. The T-90s Armour is relatively light not as
effective as the Incredibly robust armor of Abrams. T-90s' second
tier of defense rely on explosive reactive armor. ERA consists of two
armor plates with an explosive charge core sandwiched in between. The idea
behind ERA is that it explodes outward destroying an incoming projectile in a
fraction of a second. Finally the T-90s packs countermeasure
system known as curtain. This system has a series of laser warning receivers
positioned around the tank.
No 5. The Abrams is armed with a 120-millimeter
smoothbore gun which can fire advanced kinetic energy and multi-purpose rounds.
the gun is accurate and has an effective firing range of more than 2.5 miles.
The gun is loaded manually by the gunner the M1A2 Abrams was one of the first tanks
with a hunter-killer engagement capability.
The tank commander uses a panoramic sight to search for targets, once the
target is selected the gun is laid on the target automatically and the gunner
completes the rest of the task. The commander's weapon is a 12.7mm
machine gun and the loader has a 7.62 mm machine gun.
There's an additional 7.62 millimeter machine gun mounted on the right hand
side of the main armament.
in contrast, T-90s armament includes a 125 millimeter
smoothbore gun stabilized in two axes. The gun can fire a variety of ammunition
including armor-piercing, anti-tank, high-explosive fragmentation and
shrapnel projectiles. The guns automatic loader can feed both ordnance and missiles.
The main gun is capable of firing anti-tank guided missiles with an
effective range of 328 feet to 2.5 miles.
The system is intended to engage tanks
and low-flying helicopters at a range of up to 3 miles. T-90s is armed with a 7.62mm
machine gun in a coaxial mount and a 12.7 millimeter
anti-aircraft machine gun.
So what are your thoughts, which tank is better?
America's M1A2 Abrams or Russia's T-90s let us know in the comment section and
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