Russia Has A New Tank, The T-90M2—And Plans To Build 1,800 Of Them

Can the Kremlin find, or produce, enough hulls for a massive tank program?

New tanks depart Uralvagonzavod

Deliveries of new T-90M tanks may have collapsed at Russia’s Uralvagonzavod factory on the slope of the Ural Mountains. But that’s not stopping the Kremlin from plotting a massive surge in tank production—including a new version of the T-90M, the T-90M2.

The T-90M2 apparently has a new transmission and an active protection system, which fires tiny explosives to intercept incoming enemy munitions.

Production of the T-90M2 “is scheduled to begin modestly, with just 10 units planned for 2026,” Ukrainian analysis group Frontelligence Insight explained in a report based on Russian documents.

“However, Russia’s long-term production plan points to far more ambitious goals,” Frontelligence Insight added. “Between 2026 and 2036, Moscow intends to build at least 1,783 T-90M and T-90M2 tanks, with 1,118 of them slated for completion in the three-year period from 2027 to 2029.”

That would be enough new tanks to re-equip nearly half of Russia’s armor corps. Other types are slated for production, as well. The Kremlin aims to convert 828 older T-72 models into new T-72B3Ms between 2026 and 2036.