T - 95 T - 95 is the common informal designation of a Russia n fourth generation tank that was under development at Uralvagonzavod before being cancelled in May 2010 . History . The project was first reported in 1995 and announced by Russian official sources in 2000 , but no concrete data had been released . It was due to be introduced in 2009 , but was perpetually delayed . The Russian government terminated its involvement in the project in May 2010 and withdrew all funding . Most information about this tank was speculative . The design was presumably a significant departure from the Soviet - era tanks currently in service . In particular , it was expected to have a new hydropneumatic suspension with adaptive features , and the entire crew was apparently going to be placed in a sealed compartment inside the hull , isolated from other tank components . T - 95 was a name given to the tank by media ; it was not an official name . According to published sources , development of a new tank called " Object 195 " began at the Uralvagonzavod design bureau in the early 1990s . The prototype tank was announced by the Russian Minister of Defense Igor Sergeyev in 2000 . On July 10 , 2008 the Russian government announced that the Russian armed forces would start receiving new - generation tanks superior to the T - 90 main battle tank after 2010 . " The T - 90 MBT will be the backbone of the armored units until 2025 . T - 72 ' s and T - 80 ' s will not be modernized and will be eventually replaced by new - generation tanks , which will start entering service after 2010 " , a news conference with Sergei Mayev , head of the Federal Service for Defence Contracts . On the first day of Russian Defence Expo 2010 in Nizhny Tagil , The Director of the Federal Service for Military - Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation , Konstantin Biryulin , announced to the press that the Russian state monopoly Federal Service for Defense Contracts was unveiling the prototype of new battle tank called " Object 195 " ( T - 95 ) in a private showing to selected VIP guests , though the tank has yet to be seen by journalists or confirmed publicly by any of the participants . However , in May 2010 , deputy defense minister and chief of armaments Vladimir Popovkin announced that a number of programs for development of new armor and artillery weapons would be canceled . The main victim is the Object 195 program . Popovkin said the military will focus on modernization of the T - 90 instead . The reason given for this was the fact that the T - 95 was already obsolete , as it had been in development for almost two decades , but some sources speculated it had more to do with the recent reduction in Russia ' s military budget , requiring substantial cuts across the board . Popovkin confirmed this decision in a June 2010 Interview , stating that Russia would no longer fund and was not going to buy the T - 95 , but that Uralvagonzavod might continue to work on the tank without government support . In early July 2010 , as reported by " Ural Information Bureau " : the Minister of Industry and Science , Sverdlovsk region , Alexander Petrov said that Uralvagonzavod would soon finalize a T - 95 prototype , entirely independently . However without state funding or export permits , the company would be unable to proceed to production . The Chinese have a " T - 95 " tank that draws very heavily on this latest Russian prototype . Known as the T - 95e , it does indeed have a hybrid diesel / electric drive system . This is only a prototype , the production model , if any , is to be the 99 / 4e , with the " e " noting electric drive . The primary advantage of an electric , or hybrid drive is the ability to be able to move on a moments notice . The engine need not be started , with its visible diesel exhaust smoke . Again , the tanks in question are prototypes and were produced in very limited numbers for testing . Status . Given on December 1 , 2010 , a translated interview with Oleg Sienko , Chief Executive Officer of the Uralvagonzavod shed some light on the project ' s current and future status : Interviewer < br > " In April the Deputy Minister of Defense , Vladimir Popovkin , stated that the military will cease financing for the development of their newest tank , known by the name T - 95 , and do not object to its declassification and showing to the public , which wants to see it as much as it wanted to see the fifth generation " Sukhoi " jet fighter in January . When will this be possible ? " Oleg Sienko < br > " I personally want it to be shown , but for now we cannot do this without having received all the necessary permissions . All I can say is that no one has developed anything similar . As far as the fate of this fighting vehicle and other new fighting vehicles is concerned - I hope that clarity will be brought in for the new military state program . " Interviewer < br > " Meaning , in the following year the fighting vehicle will not be declassified ? " Oleg Sienko < br > " I cannot comment on that right now . " Interviewer < br > " Is it possible a simplified fighting vehicle based on the T - 95 will be developed ? It is often said similar programs are very complex and that the industry would not be able to deal with it . " Oleg Sienko < br > Interviewer < br > " And the T - 95 experience is being taken into consideration in this project ? " Oleg Sienko < br > Interviewer < br > " This new platform will probably be revealed 2015 or later , right ? " Oleg Sienko < br > " We will not wait for 2015 , this is too late . We are working on it , and on other types of platforms . We are also developing new engines in the 1500 hp and 1800 hp range , and they are being tested . Most importantly , there was no problem with their production . We are also working on electric drives , which provide a large fuel economy and smoother motion . These are great advantages compared to older designs . " Interviewer < br > " Then the new unified platform will use an electric drive ? " Oleg Sienko < br > " Yes , it ' s quite possible . " Possible Successor . According to the interview , it seems with high probability that after possible cancellation of the project , a successor could be the T - 99 , which uses partial designs and experiences gained from both T - 95 and Black Eagle projects .