Destination Of Russian T-90 Tank Left At Truck Stop Comes Into Focus

The Drive.com ^ | 4/14/2023 | HOWARD ALTMAN, JOSEPH TREVITHICK

[Beave Meister]

Thanks to a shipping label on the barrel of the main gun of a Russian T-90A tank that wound up at a Louisiana truck stop, we now have an idea where it came from and where it may have been headed before the truck hauling it broke down Tuesday night, leaving it sitting at Peto's Travel Center and Casino.

You can read our original story on the mysterious tank in question here.

The shipping label, photographs of which were shared with us by Louisiana resident John Phelps, shows it was sent from an organization called the “multinational assessment field team” with the port of embarkation listed as Gdynia, Poland. Its port of destination was Beaumont, Texas, about 90 miles west of where the tank wound up. The "ultimate consignee" on the label is Building 358, 6850 Lanyard Rd., Aberdeen Proving Ground. That's the home of the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC).

[logi_cal869]

Or maybe sanitizing those labs...

[tlozo]

How in the H*** did we get a T-90 out of Russia? Wasn’t aware that they had bothered to put them in Eukraine for duty.

35 T-90A(Destroyed, some captured), 1 T-90AK (Captured), 6 T-90S (Destroyed, 1 captured), 18 T-90M (Destroyed, some captured)

T90M Captured

https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html

[Widget Jr]

The T-90 is the T-72BM or 72BU with a different number on it. In the late 1980s the Russians were working on a new variant of the T-72 for the export market. Then in 1991 the Gulf War and the Battle of 73 Easting happened. Western quality was beating Russian quantity so badly it shocked the world. All of a sudden, all Russian military export models suffered a significant loss of interest and harder bargaining during sales negotiations. The solution for the new T-72 model was to give it a new number. The T-72BM/U became the T-90.

Since the T-90 is really a T-72 with some add ons and taken offs, Russia has been reluctant to put them into direct combat while marketing them as one of the best tanks in the world. When Russia sent tanks into Grozny in 1994, they did not send T-90s. The nearly identical T-72s were destroyed and took another blow to their reputation while the reputation of the T-90 was officially preserved. Having their newest and best tank destroyed by Chechen RPGs fired from basements and rooftops would be bad for sales and national pride.

The US and NATO already know about the T-90s abilities. What is going to be of interest is the condition of the tank. How well it was maintained and functions will reveal a lot about how Russian support is working.

[Jewbacca]

Never attribute to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence.

[pierrem15]

There were some trainers there when the war started. They were withdrawn, just like in Georgia in 2008.

We do not have anyone engaged in combat, although I would assume CIA has contractors providing intel or artillery and air observation near the front lines.

They keep denying we have troops fighting because people keep asserting that we do.

[Sequoyah101]

So the ukes have made some effort of trade for all our billions?

[PAR35]

If I was sending something large from Poland to Maryland, I wouldn’t route it through Beaumont.

That would make sense if you were sending it to Fort Cavazos.

[logi_cal869]

Hence ‘weird’.

[logi_cal869]

keep denying we have troops fighting because people keep asserting that we do.

I'm not 'people' and you are, in fact, promoting the lie with that statement.

[Vermont Lt]

Yes there are thousands of front line troops there, fighting and dying. And no one knows about it. All of those 19-20 year old boys can keep really good secrets.

[reg45]

Maybe some Hollywood studio needs it for a movie prop.

[threefinger]

Imagine the hilarity to follow if Budreaux were to walk up to it, tell Bubba “Here, hole ma beer,” pull out his Hi-Point 9mm and take a pot shot at the reactive armor, ... just to see what would happen.

[null and void]

One internet, and my personal kudos!

[Boogieman]

“How in the H*** did we get a T-90 out of Russia?”

Well, Russia sells T-90s to quite a few countries. In fact, I believe they have exported more T-90s than they actually have in their own service. So there’s no reason to assume we got one from Russia.

[Boogieman]

“All of those 19-20 year old boys can keep really good secrets.”

Yep, none of them would ever post anything to their buddies on Discord about how they are secretly serving in a war in Ukraine, for clout, or anything like that.

[lapsus calami]

 

 

They were selling MiGs on Ebay, but I just couldn't swing the cash.

 

 

[ansel12]

Remember this?

“Four Soviet soldiers who got lost on maneuvers in Czechoslovakia traded their tank to a tavern owner for two cases of vodka and were found sleeping it off in a forest two days later, a West German newspaper reported.”

[Grzegorz 246]

“Or maybe sanitizing those labs...”

+ sending genetically modified bats to the east ?

[Doctor Congo]

Aberdeen Proving Ground has a unit whose job is to keep foreign equipment running. The equipment is used for non-destructive experiments for the Army and Air Force. The Air Force has their own at Eglin AFB. (this info is far from classified, I will find some interwebs links eventually)

[Red6]

Years ago you could actually buy one from US Cav: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Cavalry_Store They sold demilitarized and phased out tanks to include I believe the M60.

I’m sure today there are 100 rules against it.

We’re getting more commie and gay by the day.