The gunner seat was placed in front of the commander. Īmmunition was stored in a compartment situated in the right side of the turret and the commander was situated right beside it. The vehicle's fuel tank was located to the right of the driver and acted as extra armor. The roof armor was unusually high on the hull as well as the turret in order to prevent the vehicle from being damaged by artillery. The armor consisted of a layer of steel followed by composite armor, which consisted of five layers of steel separated by four layers of ceramic. The tank is considered a vehicle ahead of its time, as it utilized multiple new technologies to stay ahead of the competition.

The project was cancelled at the end of 1984 due to the newer Object 477 Molot program beginning. The biggest change from the Object 490 to the 490A was the completely redesigned turret as well as minor changes to the chassis. The 490A Buntar was suggested to provide the vehicle with one more crew member as well as an externally mounted gun. Object 490A was created as an alternative variant for the Object 490.

Neither of the vehicles was completed before their production was ceased. Only two prototypes were ever produced, neither of which was capable of firing due to time constraints. The Obiekt 490A 'Rebel' (Russian: Объект 490А Бунтарь), or Object 490A, was a Soviet experimental main battle tank developed between 19.

Russian experimental main battle tank