A top U.S. Army general has revealed the three tanks that might be up to par with the M1 Abrams main battle tank (MBT) and China's most modern MBT -- the Type 99A -- isn't on the list.

The third-generation MBTs that might have the measure of the Abrams consist of two tanks operated by U.S. allies and only one by an enemy: Russia's T-90.

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These tanks are Britain's FV4034 Challenger 2; Israel's Merkava and the T-90, said Lt. Gen. John M. Murray, Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 of the U.S. Army. And, as can be expected, Gen. Murray rated the Abrams as the best of the lot.

Russia's newest MBT, the T-14 Armata, didn't make Gen. Murray's list since not one Armata is operational with any armored unit in the Russian Ground Forces.

The program to supply the Russian Ground Forces with T-14s was initially planned to begin by 2020, but was extended to 2025 due to funding shortfalls. The Russian Army plans to order 2,300 T-14s.

Western military analysts doubt if the Kremlin has the money to buy that many Armata tanks considering the Russian economy's dire financial straits as a result of punishing Western sanctions.

Russia can produce only 120 T-14s a month. At that rate, it will take nearly 21 years to replace Russia's 2,500 operational tanks with T-14s.

For the time being, Russia will have to do with the newest iteration of the T-90, the T-90M, which is being heavily upgraded to give it a fighting chance against the Abrams.

Russian media reports the T-90M will be outfitted with many of the technologies to be installed in the T-14, further confirmation all is not well with the production of the T-14.

That makes the Abrams king of the hill.

"I think for the very near term, the Abrams is still near the very top of its class," said Gen. Murray in a testimony before the U.S. Congress' Senate Armed Services Committee's Airland Subcommittee.

"I think we have parity. I think there is parity out there. I don't think we have overmatch," he pointed out, referring that none of these three tanks is clearly superior to the Abrams.

"I would not say that we have the world-class tank that we had for many, many years. I'll be an optimist and say that we're at parity with a lot of different nations."

China's T-99A MBT, its most modern, probably didn't make Gen. Murray's list because the odds are minuscule the T-99A will ever face the M1 Abrams in battle. The only way for this encounter to occur would be for the U.S. Army to invade mainland China, and no one is seriously considering this option.

Any U.S.-China land battle in Asia will likely take place in the islands dotting the South China Sea, and will pit the U.S. Marines against the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps.

TagsM1-Abrams, U.S. Army, main battle tank, Lt. Gen. John M. Murray, FV4034 Challenger 2, Merkava, T-90, Russian Ground Forces, T-14 Armata