Russia's Armata Tank Looked Like The Future of Warfare (But There Could Be a Problem)

[Boats]

Russia's Armata Tank Looked Like The Future of Warfare (But There Could Be a Problem)
By: Michael Peck - National Interest - 11-3-19
RE: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/bu...-problem-92936

There is evidence that the next-generation tank, which has caused a stir in Western defense circles, has run into difficulties, according to Russian defense publication Military-Industrial Courier.

Does Russia’s much vaunted T-14 Armata tank have problems?
Photo link: https://nationalinterest.org/sites/d...?itok=U73_FgQ0

There is evidence that the next-generation tank, which has caused a stir in Western defense circles, has run into difficulties, according to Russian defense publication Military-Industrial Courier.

Writer Oleg Falichev uses a bit of inductive reasoning. He first starts with the premise that Armata manufacturer Uralvagonzavod was awarded a contract for 132 experimental Armata models, including T-14 Armata main battle tanks, T-15 infantry fighting vehicles, and T-16 armored recovery vehicles.

“We divide 132 into three and come to the conclusion that the plant should supply 44 tanks annually,” Falichev writes. “...By the end of 2019, the plant will supply only 16 cars, four of which are BREM [armored recovery vehicles].”

“This leaves a deficit of 28 vehicles, which are very unlikely to be finished by the end of this year. In addition, state tests of machines on the Armata platform have not yet been completed and will continue until the end of 2019. Only after that will the final decision be made on serial purchases, which can be adjusted, possibly to the lesser side.”

Ironically, while Western observers are awed by the next-generation tank, which some believe is better than Cold War designs such as the M-1 Abrams or Leopard 2, the Russian military hasn’t exactly been in a hurry to acquire them. The biggest reason is the T-14’s price tag, estimated at almost $4 million apiece. Initial plans to buy 2,300 T-14s by 2025 have been pared down to a bit more than 100 experimental vehicles.

In addition, the Armata itself has teething problems as well as issues inherent to the design, according to Falichev. For example, the T-14 has an unmanned turret operated by a crew safely nestled in the armored hull. Yet while the turret can revolve, the crew compartment cannot. “It is not possible to turn the capsule like a turret, so the emphasis is on optical means and electronics, which can fail in battle,” Falichev notes.

Instead of an expensive new tank, Russia thinks it better to upgrade its older tanks. The Armata “became a hostage of many new technologies and systems introduced into it,” Falichev says. “At first it looked more than innovative and sparked explosive interest. But the car was prohibitively expensive. As a result, the Russian Ministry of Defense came to the conclusion that one cannot especially rush with large batches of Armatas. And the emphasis should be placed on the T-72, T-80, and T-90 tanks, using the huge modernization potential inherent in them back in Soviet times. Having received modern laser rangefinders and aiming systems, fire control, infrared vision, and protection (Arena and Shtora) against anti-tank missiles, these machines become even more formidable weapons, not inferior in combat power to the Abrams, Leopards and others.”

These are issues well understood by Americans, whose military has learned the hard way that cutting-edge weapons – the B-70 bomber, the F-35 fighter, Future Combat System armored vehicles – come with cutting-edge problems that sometimes can’t be fixed at reasonable cost. But Russia, which since Soviet times has had a reputation for producing simpler but cheaper and more rugged equipment than the West, is discovering that innovation comes at a price.

About this writer: Michael Peck is a contributing writer for the National Interest.

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Personal note: Any idea how much fuel these extra large tanks must use?
Only specs I found are listed below:
Nr.5 Armata (Russia)



The Armata is a new Russian main battle tank of new generation. Pre-production tanks were first publicly revealed in 2015. In 2018 Russian MoD ordered a first batch of these new tanks. Exact order numbers were not disclosed but it is likely that around 60 tanks were ordered. First production tanks were planned to be delivered during the same year. Once in service, the Armata will gradually replace the ageing T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks that become increasingly out-dated.

The Armata is a clean sheet design with a number of advanced features. It shares little common with the current T-90. Also the Armata is much bigger than its predecessor.

Its specifications are classified, however the Armata might be one of the most protected tanks in the world. It has newly-developed base armor, made of steel, ceramics and composite materials. Also Armata has a new Malakhit add-on explosive reactive armor. It has been reported that Armata will be fitted with a new Afghanit active protection system, that is currently being developed. However in 2018 it appeared that there are setbacks with development of the Afghanit. However by 2018 prototypes of this system were not completed and were not ready for testing. The tank has a new countermeasures system that reduces the chance of being hit by enemy ATGW with semi-automatic guidance.

This tank is operated by a crew of 3 men. All crewmembers are seated side-by-side in a well protected armored cell, located at the front of the hull. It is the first production MBT with such crew layout. The tank can operate even with penetrated armor, as far as the crew cell is intact.

The Armata is also a world's first production MBT with completely unmanned turret. It is armed with a new 125 mm smoothbore gun that is more accurate than the previous Russian tank guns. This tank can launch anti-tank guided missiles in the same manner as ordinary projectiles. The gun is completed with an autoloader. This tank has a hunter-killer capability.

It has been reported that this tank is fitted with a diesel engine, developing 1 200 hp.

Introduction of this new Russian MBT created a stir in the West. Now a number of countries, such as Germany and UK are looking to upgrade their tanks, or develop new designs in order to counter the threat posed by this new Russian tank.