The T-90A was an upgraded T-72B series tank, with significantly improved combat characteristics. You've waited for it for a long time - the new top of the Soviet lineup finally arrives in War Thunder!

T-90A, main battle tank, USSR, rank VII

Pros

• Superior firepower
• Good protection
• Electro-optical active protection system
• ATGM’s, powerful APFSDS and proximity fuse rounds to destroy helicopters
• Improved engine

Cons

• Slow reverse speed
• Weak protection on the sides of the hull, compared to the top version of the T-72B3

So, the T-90A finally comes to War Thunder! The new top tank in the USSR tech tree, the top of the T-72 tank line at the moment. Along with the recently added T-72B3, the T-90A is a completely modern main battle tank, with all the necessary combat characteristics for the most demanding commanders. The tank has good mobility, thanks to the 1000 horsepower engine, though still having low reverse speed, similar to other “seventy-seconds”.

The T-90A has an upgraded welded turret compared to the basic T-72 model, additionally protected by Kontakt-5 ERA units. As a result, the turret's durability has increased, but the traditional vulnerable zone in the area of ​​the gun embrasure remains. Protection here is lower than on the turret sides, but not as weak as in other Soviet tanks in higher ranks. Similar to the later models of the T-72 family, the upper frontal part of the hull contains a combined protection plate with built-in reactive "Contact-5" armor and is capable of withstanding nearly all shells hitting the front of the hull.

The gun does not differ from the previous T-72B3, but the range of available ammo is wider. In addition to high-speed ATGM’s and a good AP round, the tank has a new APFSDS shell and a programmable proximity fuse “Ainet” round - the right choice for dealing with enemy helicopters. For night battles and poor visibility conditions, the tank is equipped with an excellent second-generation thermal imager.

What makes the T-90A unique is the  electro-optical jammer and laser/IR warning system. Two groups of radiation warning sensors are installed on the tank turret - coarse detection sensors in the lateral directions and the rear hemisphere, as well as sensors for precise detection of radiation sources in the front projection of the turret. These sensors provide the commander with information about the direction from which the irradiator (rangefinder, guiding beam) operates on the tank. If the missile has already been fired at your tank, the optical jammer is used - the powerful infrared lights of the Shtora system transmit coded pulsed-infrared jamming to the missile control coordinator.

The system works only against ATGM’s with an automatic guidance system with optical feedback, for example TOW, HOT, Konkurs, Ataka, and others. Shtora does not jam missiles with laser and laser-beam guidance, but their launch may be detected by a laser radiation sensor. The same IR-lights can also work as IR illuminators for night vision devices, however, simultaneously unmasking the tank in the infrared spectrum. The sector of action of the Shtora lights is about 40 degrees in azimuth from the axis of the gun, the vertical vector is only 4.5 degrees.

Smart weapons in War Thunder are getting smarter! Try the T-90A in top battles with the release of the War Thunder “New Power” update and master high technologies before your opponents. See you!

The War Thunder Team

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