IDEX 2025: T-90MS forms centrepiece of Russian exhibits in Abu Dhabi
Peter Felstead
The Russian defence industry took advantage of the lack of an embargo at the IDEX 2025 defence exhibition, held in Abu Dhabi from 17-21 February, to display its latest defence technology.
In a Russian display area at IDEX 2025 that covered almost 1,000 m2 in which more than 40 Russian defence manufacturers displayed their products, the centrepiece was an example of the T-90MS main battle tank (MBT) produced Uralvagonzavod (UVZ), which was displayed by Russian state export agency Rosoboronexport and was originally aimed at the export market.
The T-90MS on display featured a number of upgrades resulting from Russia’s combat experience in Ukraine over the last three years. The most visible of these were a frame over the turret with a woven mesh screen, petal-like PPC panels surrounding the sides and rear of the turret and a post-mounted mesh screen around the rear of the vehicle to provide protection against attack from so called first-person-view (FPV) drones, which have claimed so many Russian tanks in Ukraine (UVZ literature states that the mesh screens, which also hang around the front of the turret, are additionally protection against high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds).
A modernised version of the T-90 MBT, the T-90MS was demonstrated in Russia in 2011 and was first displayed internationally at IDEX in 2013. With a combat of 48 tonnes, the T-90MS has as its main armament the 125 mm 2A46M-5 or 2A46M-6 smoothbore gun served by an autoloader. In addition to standard natures of 125 mm ammunition this can also fire the 9M119M laser-guided projectile out to a maximum range of 5,000 m. As well as a coaxial 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun, the T-90MS is additionally armed with a remote-controlled 12.7 mm 6P7K machine gun on the turret roof.
The T-90MS features a computerised fire control system and the gunner is provided with a stabilised TV/thermal imaging (TI) sighting system with laser rangefinder and missile guidance sighting system, while the commander has a day/night panoramic sight with TV and TI channels and a laser rangefinder. According to UVZ, the T-90MS sighting systems have an identification range for an MBT target of 5,000 m by day and 3,300 m at night.
Propulsion-wise, the T-90MS is powered by a multi-fuel liquid-cooled four-stroke diesel with turbo supercharger that develops 1,130 hp, according to UVZ literature, which lists the tank’s maximum highway speed as 70 km/h.
For protection the T-90MS features Relikt explosive reactive armour (ERA) in addition to its main armour and the export-variant Arena-E active protection system, although the T-90MS displayed at IDEX 2025 featured additional ERA panels on the turret top and sides and the rear of the hull. According to a Rosoberonexport press release at IDEX 2025 the T-90MS also features a counter-UAV electronic warfare system.
Meanwhile, among the other Russian exhibits was a new version of the Pantsir-S air defence system. Designated the Pantsir-SMD-E, this system features an ammunition loadout that includes “48 TKB-1055 small-sized cost-effective missiles” to protect against all kinds of UAVs alongside the system’s longer-range surface-to-air missiles, according to Rosoberonexport.
Although the significant Russian industry presence at IDEX 2025 was obviously focused on securing new sales of military equipment into the Middle East, with regard to tank production Russia may well have to look to fulfilling its own domestic requirements first. At the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ launch event for its 2025 edition of The Military Balance in London on 12 February 2025, the institute’s analysts assessed that Russia lost 1,400 MBTs in the Ukraine War in 2024 and has lost a total of more than 4,000 MBTs since its invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
The institute additionally noted that, while Russia’s defence industry has demonstrated resilience, its current rates of production and the refurbishment of stored vehicles will not offset battlefield losses indefinitely, adding that Russia will not have sufficient MBTs to conduct effective offensive operations beyond early 2026 if it maintains the same operational tempo and suffers the same losses as in 2024.
