Article Posted on : - Sep 12, 2011

T-72 Main Battle Tank. A file photo.

MOSCOW (BNS): The Russian Army is planning to procure new-generation Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) in 2014-2020, Russian Defence Ministry said.

According to a news report by RIA Novosti, Russian scientists are engaged in the development of a new-generation tank to rearm the armoured units of the Russian military.

"In 2014-2020 we are planning to replace our current fleet with new tanks on large scale, so that the new models will constitute 70% of the total," Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Sergei Vlasov, was quoted as saying in the news report.

The Russian Ground Forces currently have T-72, T-80 and T-90 MBTs and their variants in its arsenal.

The two new models, tentatively dubbed as the T-95 and the T-99, are being developed, according to Russian military experts. Both projects are highly classified, the report added.