T-90S's rival on the way to becoming the king of Southeast Asian tanks

When it receives the T-90S later this year, Vietnam will join the ranks of Southeast Asian countries possessing modern main battle tanks.

In terms of strength, it is clear that Vietnam's T-90S is rated much higher than Malaysia's PT-91M Pendeka or Myanmar's VT-1A (MBT-2000).

However, if it wants to become the "King of Southeast Asian tanks", the T-90S still has formidable opponents, including:

T-84 Oplot-T

Royal Thai Army T-84 Oplot-T main battle tank

The T-84 Oplot-T is a main battle tank version produced by Ukraine based on the T-80UD prototype, so it has a similar shape and carries typical characteristics of the T-80 tank family.

This tank has a Western-style box-shaped welded turret that replaces the traditional Soviet round turret. The Oplot-T's protection consists of composite armor on the inside and Nozh 3rd generation explosive reactive armor on the outside. This ERA layer has features that are not inferior to Relikt and superior to Kontakt 5.

In addition, the vehicle is also equipped with the Varta active protection system (similar to Shtora), which includes a laser warning device, infrared jammer and smoke generator, along with a panoramic sight with a thermal sensor.

Weighing only 46 tons, the heart of the Oplot-T is a V12 6TD-2 diesel engine with a capacity of up to 1,200 horsepower (compared to 1,130 horsepower of the upgraded engine on the T-90S), for a maximum speed of 70 km/h and a range of 540 km.

The T-84's armament includes a 125 mm KBA3 smoothbore gun capable of firing anti-tank missiles through the barrel, a 12.7 mm internally controlled machine gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.

Although there are many complaints about the quality, if successfully overcome, this tank can be on par with the T-90MS.

MBT Revolution

Indonesian MBT Revolution main battle tank.

The MBT Revolution is a modular upgrade package based on the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank, implemented by Rheinmetall in 2010. Indonesia was the first customer to purchase 61 MBT Revolution tanks.

Developed for urban combat and low-intensity conflicts, the MBT Revolution is a departure from the original Leopard 2A4 built during the Cold War for high-intensity conflicts based on tank combat in open terrain.

The vehicle is equipped with modular composite armor made of modern nano-ceramic materials and titanium-steel alloys, which is especially effective against RPG anti-tank grenade launchers or homemade mines.

MBT Revolution weighs 60 tons, MTU MB-873 Ka501 diesel engine with 1,500 horsepower for a maximum speed of 72 km/h; operating range of 550 km. Equipped with weapons including 120 mm L44 smoothbore gun, 1 12.7 mm machine gun and 1 coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun.

Compared to the T-90S, Indonesian tanks are considered inferior in terms of firepower but superior in terms of comfort, electronic equipment, and the ability to ensure safety for soldiers.

Leopard 2A4SG

Leopard 2A4SG main battle tank of the Singapore Army.

The Leopard 2A4SG is an improved version of the Leopard 2A4 at the request of the Singapore Army, the most noticeable feature of this variant is the vehicle's wider turret with more sloped surfaces created by additional armor. The vehicle is also equipped with thicker track skirts and steel cage armor on the rear half of the hull and turret.

This tank weighs 52 tons, it still uses the MTU MB-873 Ka501 diesel engine and the 120 mm L44 smoothbore gun similar to Indonesia's MBT Revolution, the attack and defense power between the two Leopard variants above is not much different. They are formidable opponents of the T-90S.

According to Dat Viet Newspaper