T-90 tank, a Russian battle tank of third generation, Moscow, Russia - Stock-Fotografie

The T-90 tank has its origins in a Soviet-era program aimed at developing a replacement for T-64, T-72 and T-80 series of battle tanks. Standard protective measures include a blend of steel and composite armour. With regular equipment, the upgraded T-90 seems to be the best protected Russian tank, especially with the implementation of Shtora-1 and Arena defensive systems. T-90S saw combat action during the 1999 Chechen invasion of Dagestan. According to Moscow Defence Brief source, one vehicle was hit by seven RPG anti-tank rockets but remained in action. The T-90A was deployed to Syria in 2015 to support Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War. In early 2016, Syrian Army forces began using T-90As in combat. In late February, a video was leaked which showed a T-90 survive a direct frontal turret hit by a BGM-71 TOW-2A optically tracked, wire-guided American anti-tank missile in Aleppo.