Drone defeats "Putin's pride": Ukrainian forces destroy T‑90M tank
The Ukrainians managed to destroy another T-90M. The best tank the Russians have in Ukraine, this time lost the fight to a drone equipped with a grenade.
The video footage showing the moment of the attack and its consequences was published on social media on the official channels of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. From the short description accompanying the recording, we learn that in this case, a drone was sufficient to drop an American M67 grenade into the Russian tank.
The clash can be described as a duel of David and Goliath. With the help of a small unmanned aerial vehicle and a grenade, it was possible to eliminate a tank, which is valued at about £3.2 million, from further participation in the battle.
T-90M destroyed by grenade
The Russians employ a wide range of tanks in Ukraine. The T-90 is a family of main battle tanks, the first units of which began production in 1992. They represent a deep modernisation of the T-72, and the newest variant is precisely the T-90M, which has been unofficially nicknamed "Putin's pride". The Russian president personally examined one of the prototypes, praising its capabilities. In February of this year, during a visit to one of the armament factories, he stated, however, that "it is the best tank in the world".
the T-90M not as good as the Russians say
The war in Ukraine, however, refutes such declarations by the Russian dictator. T-90M tanks are systematically destroyed by Ukrainians, who have even managed to conduct more thorough analyses based on the captured specimens. According to them, the T-90M is "a failure more than a breakthrough", featuring an engine that is weaker than the official specifications suggest, microelectronics with a low level of resistance to damage, and difficulties in radio communication. Moreover, some solutions applied in this tank mirror the engineering thoughts from the older T-72.
At the same time, the T-90M is a better tank than other similar machines used by the Russians, which often date back to the distant Soviet era. The T-90M boasts advanced offensive capabilities, featuring a 125 mm caliber 2A46M-5 cannon with an improved fire control system equipped with French thermal imaging, and two machine guns - one of 7.62 mm caliber and another of 12.7 mm caliber.
The T-90M's build was reinforced with the Relikt modular reactive armour, which protects the hull and turret. However, the Ukrainians managed to identify a significant vulnerability of this Russian tank, notably the too weak roof.
