How would you say it fares against IA's T-90s? Both seem to have the same shortcomings for the most part. Except UDs have access to better ammunition. But T-90s probably have better protection right? Speaking of which, what ERA do the UDs have?
IAs T90S’ have better oversll protection I’d say, not only as better base armor but also due to somewhat better ERA coverage and placement. Both use the same ERA, Russian Kontakt-5. Some sources also say that IA uses its own Kanchan Composites on the T90S, which would also help improving protection.
T90S definitely has better forward mobility due to a higher HP and torque output, but it’s transmission is poor, giving it a slow reverse speed compared to the T80UD.
Both have the same thermal sights for the gunner, 2nd Gen Catherine FC. however Indian T90S came with them standard, PAs UDs got them recently/are still getting them.
both don’t have Thermals or independent sights for commander, only basic night vision. However with the recent upgrades PAs UDs might have better NVs for the commander.
T90S has a somewhat better FCS than the UD originally, but with PAs recent upgrades this might not be the case anymore either.
a lot of this is vague because we don’t actually know what upgrades PA made to the UDs FCS and GCS systems and how it impacts their performance. If they are just localization and reliability improvements maybe the performance is unchanged even, in which case the comparison could be different.
one major advantage for the UD is modern ammo. IAs T90S only have BM42 at best, PAs UDs can fire Naiza and BTA-4.
neither have any form of APS or laser warning receivers. Neither have many crew protection features. Neither originally had ACs, india did start a program to equip its T90S with APUs and ACs post 2016, but it’s progress is unknown to me.
overall they’re rather comparable tanks, one forms nearly 50% of the Indian fleet, the other forms less than a quarter of ours, at the end of the day what really matters is how they’re used.
