Vladimir Putin is about to beef up the Russian Army by adding 3,000 tanks

Anyone with the slightest awareness of current affairs will be familiar with Vladimir Putin’s fondness for armed weapons.

Now the Russian president is set to give his arsenal an even bigger boost, adding around 3000 revamped tanks to his already well-equipped weaponry.

Britain’s military looks puny by comparison, with little over 400 tanks to our name.

According to military website IHS Jane’s, Russia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) is planning to update some of its old T-80BV main battle tanks (MBTs) before bringing them back into use.

A source told the site: “At present, the preparative works to start the modernisation of the first T-80BV MBTs are at a final stage.

“In accordance with the programme developed by Omsktransmash and the Special Design Bureau for Transport Machine-Building [SKBTM], the overhaul and modernisation of the MoD’s T-80BV tanks will be launched next year.”

Highlights of the modified T-80BV MBTs will include an updated energy generator and engine starter, and advanced explosive reactive armour (ERA) plates.

The source added that, “[Previously] the T-80BV tank played an important role in the armed forces. A programme to upgrade about 3,000 T-80 MBTs dates back to 2002; however, it was not implemented.”

That’s all set to change, however. The pimped up fleet will join the 550 or so T-80U tanks currently operated by the Russian military. These current tanks are coming to the end of their shelf life however, with IHS Jane’s saying they’re slated for retirement around 2020.

Top image of the T-80BV: Vitaly V. Kuzmin