MBT: Primer T-14 sería provisto en 2019

Russia: First serial T-14 Armata main battle tanks to be supplied in 2019

The T-14 tank on the heavy tracked Armata platform was launched into batch production after an upgrade. The first batch of 16 tanks will be supplied by the end of the year. On May 9, new T-14 will participate in the VE-Day parade in Red Square. They will be then distributed among units in various parts of the country for operation in close to combat conditions, the Izvestia daily writes.


T-14 Armata main battle tank displayed at Armya-2018 (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Twelve T-14 tanks and four T-16 armored recovery vehicles will be supplied to the troops by the end of the year, several Defense Ministry sources told the newspaper. The serial Armata differs from prototypes by some new units and systems. The first serial tanks will participate in the VE-Day parade and will then be tested by the troops. Sixteen vehicles will be sent to units deployed in various climatic zones. Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) Corporation told the newspaper it strictly observes the contract with the Defense Ministry to produce Armata tanks and combat vehicles.

Experts compare the T-14 to foreign analogues and say it exceeds US Abrams, French Leclerc and German Leopard 2. The Russian tank is 25-30 percent more effective and has better survivability than adversary vehicles. The tank is equipped with Afganit reactive armor. It creates an impenetrable dome over the tank and automatically destroys approaching shells, bombs and missiles without crew participation.

The tank's main characteristic is its unmanned turret. The T-14 crew remotely controls the weapons from an isolated armored capsule inside the tank hull. The capsule protects the crew and iumproves survivability on the battlefield. It is an innovation in tank design. The Armata has a new diesel engine of 1,500 HP. The firepower relies mainly on its 125mm gun 2A82. Designers said its technical level exceeds all existing tank guns by 1.2 times. The muzzle energy of the 2A82 gun is 1.17 times higher than the best NATO 120mm gun of Leopard 2A6 tank. But the Russian barrel is 60 centimeters shorter, which makes the tank more compact.

The Armata is a universal tracked heavy platform which can be used to carry tanks, heavy infantry fighting vehicles, engineering vehicles, heavy armored personnel carriers, tank support, reconnaissance and command vehicles.

The T-16 armored recovery vehicle manufactured on the Armata platform is designed to evacuate damaged vehicles from the battlefield and repair them in field conditions. It has a set of special equipment, e.g. utility blade, and differs from existing BREM-1M by a more powerful manipulator crane and a haulage winch. The T-16 conning turret for the crew is located at the front to the left side. The crew comprises three men: commander, driver and operator. The protected capsule has seats for the crew of the evacuated tank. The diesel engine and automatic reversing gearbox are behind the manned compartment.

The T-16 ecovery vehicle has a strong armor and dynamic and electronic protection against guided weapons, and anti-mine devices with electromagnetic detonators. The T-16 has a combat module with a large-caliber machinegun remotely controlled from the armored capsule.

The Defense Ministry said in 2018 Armata would be tested in the Arctic. Trials in the mountains and desert with high temperatures are also planned.

"Covert drawbacks and design miscalculations are usually exposed at the stage," expert Sergey Suvorov said. "Since Soviet times, the armor had to be tested in various conditions - in a hot and cold climate and dusty terrain. The Defense Ministry requires a tank to properly operate in a temperature range of minus 50 to plus 50 degrees Centigrade. Tanks will be sent for trials to northern units, e.g. in Buryatia where temperatures fall to the required critical degrees. In Soviet times, tanks were tested in the heat of Kara Kum Desert in Turkmenistan. Now they are sent to Astrakhan region," he said.

Expert Viktor Murakhovsky said that the serial tanks which become the backbone of the armor differ from the prototypes. "The exterior of Armata is likely to be the same. The upgrade concerns the power plant, transmission, the sight and ammunition. They will have to design new munitions for the tank, including guided and detonated in flight," he said.

To make a comparison, the Soviet Union upgraded the engines of the T-62 and T-80 tanks. Thus, the T-80 actually got a new power plant before the serial production, the Izvestia said.