Is Russia Running Out of Tanks?

How close is Russia to running out of tanks? How quickly is it able to replace losses? Analysts have been studying these questions ever since the Russian incursion into Ukraine in 2014 and its annexation of Crimea, which gave Western analysts their first chance to get a good look at the Russian military since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Now, after three years of conflict in eastern Ukraine and one year into Russia’s intervention in Syria, some pundits are starting to declare that Russian military power has peaked, or perhaps that it never was as strong as its political leaders claimed. So where does Russia really stand?

Russian tank divisions

Russia has approximately twenty tank divisions, each made up of around two hundred tanks. That said, the average age of these tanks is around thirty years old. So while Russia may not be running out of tanks anytime soon, it is facing a diminishing pool of fighting-age tanks. Furthermore, Russia’s industrial base and production facilities are under stress due to Western sanctions and general economic decline. The Uralvagonzavod factory in Nizhny Tagil – the world’s largest manufacturer of tanks – has been forced to cut back production by 30%.

Russian tank unit structure

In the Russian Army, tank units are typically composed of three to five platoons, with each platoon consisting of three to four tanks. In addition, each tank unit has a designated number of support vehicles, including armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. These numbers can vary depending on how the force is deployed. For example, when engaging in operations within an urban area, an armored unit might only have one or two platoons available for deployment at any given time because their other assets must be assigned to perimeter security duties around the city.

Russian T-14 Armata

The Russian T-14 Armata is a next-generation main battle tank designed by Uralvagonzavod. It was first seen in public during rehearsals for the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade. The T-14 is armed with a 125mm 2A82-1M smoothbore gun, a 7.62mm PKT machine gun, and a 12.7mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun. The vehicle has an unmanned turret, armed with a 30mm 2A38 autocannon.

The Russian army plans to buy 2,300 tanks before 2020.

Russian T-90MS and T-90AM tanks

The T-90MS and T-90AM tanks are the latest versions of the T-90 tank. They were developed by the Russian company Uralvagonzavod. The T-90MS is an upgraded version of the T-90A, while the T-90AM is a new design. Both tanks feature a new turret design, improved armor, and a more powerful engine. The T-90MS has a crew of three, while the T-90AM has a crew of four. These tanks have a fully-stabilized 125mm 2A46M smoothbore gun with a 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun. Their diesel engines provide 840 horsepower at 2,000 rpm to propel them up to 65 kilometers per hour on roads or 40 kilometers per hour cross country (according to Wikipedia). It can go up hills that are 35 degrees steep with gradients between 1:1 and 1:2 (according to Army Recognition).

The current state of Russian armor

Russia has been at the forefront of armored warfare since the early days of the tank. Today, the Russian Army is one of the largest and most well-equipped in the world. However, recent years have seen a decline in Russian armor production. This has led to concerns that Russia may be running out of tanks.