On April 18, the Uralvagonzavod CEO announced that Russia was ready to start churning out the Armata T-14 battle tank in the immediate future. The state-of-the-art vehicle is now undergoing daily tests. Let’s have a look at this top-of-the-line masterpiece of Russia’s military industry.
Soon the Armata T-14 tank will start gunnery drills using the currently available ammo. Meanwhile, engineers are toiling over a new shell which will be able to burn through a meter-wide steel plate.
In the future the Armata tank will turn into a robot. “A remote-controlled Armata is a tank of the future, no doubt about that. We and people in the military are absolutely positive about this,” CEO Oleg Sienko said.
The engine power of Armata tanks will be increased up to 1,800 horsepower from the basic 1,500.
The T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle based on the Armata platform will be equipped with a UAV. "The use of a drone on the T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle is envisioned. This is an indispensable element in the tactical level.”
The new-generation T-14 was rolled out for the first time during the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on May 9, 2015.
Russia also intends to design a tank support fighting vehicle dubbed the Terminator-3 on the basis of the Armata tanks.
The Armata tank’s main feature is its unmanned turret. The crew of three is seated in an armored capsule in the hull’s front, which is separated from the stowage area. This construction gives the crewmen more chances to survive if the tank's ammunition explodes.
Above: Russian President Vladimir Putin, a T-15 infantry fighting vehicle and a T-14 battle tank (right).
Above: Russian President Vladimir Putin, a T-15 infantry fighting vehicle and a T-14 battle tank (right).
The tank’s armament includes a 125mm smoothbore cannon and a 7.62mm remote-controlled machine gun.
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© AP Photo / Alexander Zemlianichenko
However, the tank can be equipped with a 152mm weapon of the Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled gun, with its maximum firing range of up to 70 kilometers, which is designed to eliminate enemy tactical nuclear weapon systems, artillery and mortar batteries, armored units and infantry, anti-tank weaponry, anti-aircraft and missile defense systems and command and control installations.
Russia's foreign partners China and India have expressed interest in purchasing the Armata tank.
