The mistake caused the Russian T-90 tank to be hit by a TOW missile in Syria

The TOW missile (circled in red) is rushing towards the T-90.

On February 26, a video posted by Syrian rebels showing a TOW anti-tank missile hitting a Russian T-90 tank has been causing a fever on the Internet, according to Russia Beyond the Headline.

T-90 tanks produced in 1992 and the improved version T-90A produced in 2004 have been deployed by Russia to fight in Syria recently, after the US and its ally Saudi Arabia increased missile aid.

The US-made TOW missile is clearly the biggest threat to Syrian government army tanks.

The TOW-2A missile was also the weapon that destroyed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter that landed on the ground after being hit by machine gun fire during the rescue operation for the Su-24 pilot shot down by Türkiye on September 24. 11.

The result of being hit by such a missile in the flank or rear is obvious: T-72 tanks not equipped with active defense systems are almost unable to withstand missiles.

The appearance of the T-90 tank equipped with the Shtora 1 photoelectric jamming active defense system has changed this reality.

Shtora 1 is equipped with an optical suppression light, emitting radiant light with a frequency and waveband similar to the missile control light source.

Shtora optoelectronic pressure light on the T-90 tank.

According to Viktor Murakhovsky, a weapons expert and former tank driver who is now editor-in-chief of Arsenal Otechestva magazine, the video shows that the T-90 tank hit by TOW is a 1992 version, based on its characteristics.

It is unclear whether this T-90 was controlled by a Russian or Syrian crew, but it is easy to see that they made the most basic mistakes when using this modern weapons system, and almost had to pay the price.

According to Murakhovsky, the crew’s first mistake was not turning on the vehicle’s Shtora system, or the system was broken without their knowledge.

The crew’s second mistake was leaving the T-90’s turret cover open during combat.

After the explosion, the tank’s turret remained intact, the ammunition box of the 12.7 mm machine gun on the vehicle did not come off, and there were no signs that the shells inside the tank were on fire.

Russian tanks are built to withstand most anti-tank weapons attacking from any azimuth at an angle up to 30 degrees from the axis of the machine.

The soldier (circled in red) jumped out after the T-90 was hit by a TOW missile.

Another mistake of the tank crew was that they did not properly implement the battle tactics of the armored formation.

The incident occurred in the town of Sheikh-Akil northwest of Aleppo where the `Zawiya Mountain Eagle` group, a small group within the 5th corps of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), is fighting.

Although T-90 tanks are not a breakthrough technology in warfare, their effectiveness in combat operations can be significantly increased if they are used properly: in close coordination with infantry, artillery and air force.