A Military site: Iraq prefers Russian tanks to the US

BAGHDAD, The American military experts began to express their fear of losing the Iraqi arms market because of the preference of Russian tanks against the US," a military watch report said.

"The 35th Brigade of the Iraqi Army has started using the T-90S instead of Mi1 Abrams, which is in the service of the 34th Brigade, which is rarely involved in the fighting," It said.

This has caused concern in the US military experts who fear losing the Iraqi arms market by $ 7 billion.

"The Iraqi army has great confidence in the capabilities of Russian armored vehicles," it said. "He has considerable experience in using US and Russian tanks. His choice of T-90 is a serious blow to the prestige of US armored combat units."

The T-90S tank delivered to Iraq has a number of important features compared to the original T-90, one of the most effective tanks in the world. The armored vehicle has a strong and economical engine, allowing speeds of up to 40 mph (64 km / h) on the road for 340 miles (547 km) without refueling.

Tanks supplied to Iraq have a number of additional characteristics that increase their ability to stand up to anti-tank weapons. It has defensive systems that allow the tank to detect laser targets and range parameters to alert the crew that the tank has become the target of enemy missiles. It has protective shields to provide additional protection.

The Russian armored vehicle needs less fuel than the US. Russian tanks also reduce Iraq's dependence on the United States and Iran, and Russian armor will allow the establishment of an army that does not rely on Washington and Tehran to train crews and send spare parts and maintenance equipment.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency