Posted on 09/07/2001 6:13:32 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
U.S. Army Intelligence is negotiating with Ukraine to buy Russias latest tank, the T-90, for the services testing and training programs, Defense News has learned.
"We are negotiating how many we need," Lt. Gen. Robert Noonan, the U.S. Armys deputy chief of staff for intelligence, told Defense News Aug. 3. Obtaining Russias latest main-battle tank would be a coup for the U.S. Army, industry officials and analysts say.
That is because the T-90 tank has never been used beyond the armored units of the former Soviet Unions Army, a retired U.S. Army colonel who is an expert on Russian tanks told Defense News Aug. 16.
"Only the T-90S, an export variant, has been seen before," the retired U.S. Army colonel said.
Noonan said U.S. Army Intelligence wants to buy less than a half-dozen
of the 46.5-ton, three-man crew tanks. He did not say when Ukraine and the service would complete the T-90 purchase. Ukraine Army Col. Olexander Sadoskyi, the countrys military attaché to the United States, was unavailable for comment, said a military officer in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington Aug. 14.
The T-90 is manufactured by the Nizhnyi Tagil company in Russia. The T-90 tank has five key systems that U.S. Army Intelligence would be interested in investigating, the retired U.S. Army colonel said.
They include:
*What armor, if any, is used in the front-wall cavities of the turret, which sits atop the tank. The turret is traditionally the best-protected part of the tank containing the best composite armor.
*How the T-90s 125-mm gun can also fire a laser-guided missile.
*Any Russian rounds that come with the T-90.
*Any reactive armor on the tank.
*Whether the main sight has either a first- or second-generation forward-looking infrared or thermal night capability.
Strapped for cash after the fall of the Soviet Union, former East Bloc countries have turned to selling their Russian-supplied arms, Noonan said. Monitoring the proliferation of Russian weapons and technology has become a top priority of U.S. Army Intelligence, he said. Another priority for U.S. Army Intelligence is protecting military research that takes place in the United States, Noonan said.
Because 85 percent of military research occurs in the United States, U.S. Army Intelligence must also guard against the illegal transfer of weapon technologies, he said.
"Were always looking at how were protecting our technology," said Noonan. "We dont want a situation to occur where a new technology catches us by surprise on the battlefield."
According to Noonan, Ukraine approached former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen two years ago about selling some of its T-90 tanks to the United States when Cohen visited Ukraine. Noonan said the U.S. Army already knows a great deal about the T-90s performance and armor protection.
The T-90 purchases will prove a boon to the U.S. Armys countermeasures programs, according to a Washington land warfare analyst.
"Not only can U.S. Army Intelligence compare its own gear, but it can also research countermeasures to the T-90 tank," John Gordon, senior military analyst, RAND, Washington, told Defense News Aug. 14.
Gordon said they can also be used for training purposes at the U.S. Armys National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif.
"Any time a world military can get a hold of modern equipment from around the globe it has to take advantage of it," Gordon said.
Gordon said the former Soviet Union made a habit of equipping the Red Army with its best arms, while exporting less-capable, but still potent, arms to its clients. For example, the 310 T-90 tanks India bought from Russia Feb. 15 for $650 million were the export T-90S variants, the retired Army colonel said.
Gordon could not put a price tag on the T-90, but said it is worth several million dollars. By comparison, the U.S. Armys Abrams tank costs $7.84 million, according to the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation 2000 report released by the Pentagon.
Acquiring foreign arms is a top priority of U.S intelligence agencies, says a Washington intelligence analyst. The U.S. military spends "hundreds of millions of dollars" each year on foreign arms, Steven Aftergood, a senior intelligence research analyst at the American Federation of Scientists, Washington, told Defense News Aug. 14.
The actual number is classified, Aftergood said. He said the Pentagon leaves the arms buying to each services intelligence agency. The retired Army colonel said he does not know how Ukraine has acquired T-90 tanks. He said the most likely explanation is that some Russian crews left the tanks behind. Noonan said the U.S. Army no longer needs to conduct extensive clandestine activities to acquire Russias latest arms as it did during the Cold War because they are readily available for sale on the Internet. He also tried to downplay the deals significance.
"This [the T-90 tank] is not a big deal. We have ways of getting them. We have them already," Noonan said.
A day before his interview with Defense News, the U.S. Army Intelligence chief said he found two more Web sites that sell Russian arms. "Missiles, tanks, Russian technology is for sale on the Internet," Noonan said.
Jason Sherman contributed to this report from Washington.
Perhaps, quite well. I imagine that is what they want to know.
What a bunch of sell-outs!
Balrog666: there was a post on other thread on this story that says that the export version is not as capable as the Russian version.
t-shirt: Huh? We're buying a few to look at, not use.
The fact that this exported Russian equipment performed poorly in the hands of the various Arab militaries is not an indictment of the equipment but rather an indictment of the personnel who used it. However, many naive and gullible Americans will not accept that explanation.
"Some people" must have been sniffing solvents back in the motor pool!
Throughout the '80's the M1 series acquitted itself very well in the Canadian Army Trophy (CAT) competitions held in a divided europe, and proved its worth in Desrt Storm. At this point in history, it is my humble opinion that the best tank in the world can only be decided by the aggresiveness of the commanders who employ them and the soldiers that man them.
GOD help our Army...
As far as the Ukranians selling off the tanks. With the entire ex-soviet bloc hurting for cash they would probably sell their own mothers on the street if there was cash involved. I know some folks in certain jobs that have been contacted by countries other than the Ukraine (Northern Eurpoean) wanting to sell Russian arms.
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