Uralvagonzavod reportedly managed to repair a T-90M Proryv tank within just 4 weeks after it sustained critical damage from being hit by 26 Ukrainian drone kamikazes. Meanwhile, the tank’s crew, despite the severity of the damage, reportedly survived.
Such claims are made by russian propaganda sources, citing representatives of Uralvagonzavod, which is considered the "flagship" of the russian armored vehicle industry and the largest enterprise in the russian defense sector by personnel.
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At Defense Express, we want to emphasize the following points in this story. First, let’s note that representatives of Uralvagonzavod boast about completing the repairs in "just 4 weeks," a task that, in theory, should be performed by a field repair unit.
Moreover, they take pride in the fact that they restored a tank that was essentially "destroyed" (as a tank hit by 26 drone kamikazes would be characterized) rather than abandoning it as a "wreck" and using it as a parts donor. This contrasts with what the russian occupiers previously did with one of their damaged T-90M Proryv tanks.
This could, in turn, visibly indicate how the actual production volumes of new tanks at the russian Uralvagonzavod might not match the real needs of the russian army in the war against Ukraine.
Even with the average estimates that "on paper" Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) can produce up to 200 new T-90M Proryv tanks, only 30 of these will be completely new, while the rest will be assembled using old components and assemblies.
At the same time, this example of a T-90M Proryv tank, allegedly repaired within just 4 weeks after being destroyed to a "wreck" state by 26 drone kamikazes, may also illustrate the mechanism of statistical "inflation," which allows the russians to claim high production rates of tanks at their facilities.
The term "production" here clearly includes not only the manufacture of new vehicles or the modernization of existing ones but also, for example, the repair of battle-damaged tanks or those restored from storage. Therefore, for instance, russian propagandists claim that in 2023, the russian defense industry delivered as many as 2,100 tanks; meanwhile, the russian Ministry of Defense has set a plan for 2024 and 2025 of 1,500 tanks per year.
At the same time, we can rely on an estimate from the Swedish research institute FOI, which suggests that the russian defense industry is currently capable of supplying approximately 520 tanks per year. This includes around 140 T-72B3 and T-72B3M tanks, 62 T-90M Proryv and T-90/T-90A tanks, and 80 T-80BVM tanks. This calculation includes both new production and the modernization or repair of existing vehicles.
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