Russia's tank struggles: Reliance on relics amid production limits
The Russian tank manufacturer, Uralvagonzavod, has revealed its annual tank production. While the numbers might seem impressive, they also highlight the significant and irreplaceable losses Russia faces during the war in Ukraine with current production levels.
The only new tank manufacturer in Russia, the Uralvagonzavod plant in Nizhny Tagil, produced about 200 T-72B and T-72B1 tanks upgraded to the T-72B3 standard and 60-80 T-90M tanks in 2024, reports Damian Ratka from Defence 24.
Less than 300 new tanks represent only part of the deliveries. Besides manufacturing new ones, the Russians continue to restore equipment from long-term storage, some of which have been stored since Soviet times. What was once seen as a nearly inexhaustible equipment supply is starting to deplete, as evidenced by the statistics of losses incurred in Ukraine.
Old tanks in the Russian army
As noted by Defence 24, Russia is attempting to mitigate the situation by resuming the production of T-80 family tanks. Although it has achieved some success by launching the production of gas turbines that power this equipment, new tanks of this type are still not being produced.
The increasing and consistently growing, month by monthly reliance on old T-62 tanks clearly indicates the reserves Russia is tapping into. This trend should not be surprising considering that in 2024, Russia lost about 3,700 tanks. This statistic is confirmed by photographic evidence, suggesting the number of destroyed machines could be even higher.
Meanwhile, it's worth comparing Russian production with European tank production, where only about 50 brand-new Leopard 2 tanks are produced annually, and approximately 60-70 are modernized.
T-62 tanks in the war in Ukraine
The T-62 is a tank produced from 1962 to 1975 in the USSR, with licensed production in North Korea lasting longer. When it entered service, it surpassed Western-made tanks of the time, such as the Leopard 1 and AMX-30, regarding firepower.
It was the first Soviet tank to be armed with a 115 mm smoothbore gun but it lacked the autoloader typical of later tanks like the T-64 or T-72. Officially, the T-62 was withdrawn from the Russian army in 2013. Yet, in December 2024, it made up nearly one-quarter of Russian tanks destroyed in Ukraine.
