The T-90M Proryv-3 is Russia's upgraded T-90 main battle tank, combining a revised turret, 125 mm gun, Relikt explosive reactive armor, modernized sights, and improved mobility. Publicly shown in 2017 and first delivered to Russian units in 2020, it became one of Russia's most modern operational tanks in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, where open-source imagery has documented losses, damage, abandonment, captures, and wartime field modifications.
Russian forces fielded T-90M tanks on Ukraine's eastern front; open-source loss tracking documented destroyed, damaged, abandoned, and captured vehicles, and TWZ analyzed a January 2024 Stepove fight in which Ukrainian Bradleys disabled a Russian T-90M.
Role detailsThis page treats the T-90M as the Russian Proryv modernization branch and links the export T-90S/T-90SA branch as adjacent family context.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Export-family branch | The T-90S/T-90SA export branch is kept as a separate catalog record so export-service evidence and the later Russian T-90M modernization are not conflated. Sources: T-90M Model 2017 Proryv-3 MBT |
The T-90M retains a 125 mm smoothbore gun layout and can fire tank ammunition as well as gun-launched anti-tank missiles.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Gun-launched anti-tank missile | Army Recognition describes the T-90M as able to fire Refleks anti-tank guided missiles from its 125 mm main gun; the linked support page covers the 9M119M Refleks / Invar missile family without adding independent conflict-use claims. Sources: T-90M Model 2017 Proryv-3 MBT |
TASS reported that the upgraded T-90M outperformed the T-90A at the Zapad-2017 exercises and that Russian troops were expected to receive a battalion set.
Sources: Russia's upgraded T-90 tank outshines its predecessor in combat efficiency
Rostec said Uralvagonzavod delivered the first T-90M Proryv tanks to Russian Army units.
Sources: Russian Army Receives First T-90M Proryv Tanks
Wavell Room reported T-90Ms appearing on the eastern front, while Oryx documented destroyed, damaged, abandoned, and captured vehicles in Ukraine.
Sources: T-90Ms are appearing on the Eastern front - what is the threat?, Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine, Armor Experts Breakdown Video Of Ukrainian M2 Bradley Mauling Russian T-90M Tank
Rostec reported further Uralvagonzavod deliveries and described added camouflage, anti-FPV coverage, and electronic-warfare equipment on T-90M tanks.
Sources: Uralvagonzavod Delivered the T-90M and T-72B3M Tanks to the Field on the Eve of the Victory Day
Open sources describe the T-90M as the Proryv-3 modernization of the T-90, with the most visible changes concentrated in the turret, protection suite, crew systems, and later wartime fittings.
| Area | T-90M feature | Reader takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Welded turret, Relikt ERA, modular armor, and added slat or netting elements. | The T-90M is visibly more protected than earlier T-90-family layouts, with later batches adding more field survivability fittings. |
| Fire control | Modernized sights and fire-control upgrades. | Better target acquisition and crew awareness are part of the Proryv modernization package. |
| Main gun | 125 mm 2A46M-series smoothbore gun with a carousel autoloader and Refleks missile compatibility. | The tank keeps the familiar Russian autoloaded gun layout while retaining gun-launched missile capability. |
| Wartime adaptation | Rostec later described camouflage, anti-FPV coverage, and electronic-warfare equipment on delivered tanks. | The public record shows both a factory modernization and subsequent battlefield-driven additions. |
| Fielding | Publicly shown in 2017, first delivered to Russian units in 2020, and later documented in Ukraine. | The modernization moved from trials to wartime service in a few years. |
Sources: T-90M Model 2017 Proryv-3 MBT; Russia's upgraded T-90 tank outshines its predecessor in combat efficiency; Russian Army Receives First T-90M Proryv Tanks; Uralvagonzavod Delivered the T-90M and T-72B3M Tanks to the Field on the Eve of the Victory Day; T-90Ms are appearing on the Eastern front - what is the threat?; Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine.
