His interview came after UK military intelligence said in a five-page report that the T-14 is the most breakthrough step in tank design in the last 50 years.
"Without hyperbole, Armata represents the most revolutionary change in tank design in the last half century," the report said, citing the vehicle's speed, radar systems and turret design.
Commenting on the matter, Konovalov told Sputnik that the West, especially the UK, was highly impressed by the fact that the Russian defense industry could develop, create and actually start mass-producing such a breakthrough tank.
Russia shows what its newest Armata tank can do: https://t.co/U6OGtUiXVC #Tank100 pic.twitter.com/CKdFkp9RDq
— Forces TV (@Forces_TV) 15 сентября 2016 г.
"The West still remains in shock about the emergence of the T-14 Armata tank given that the West had repeatedly predicted that the Armata project would never be implemented and that the tank would be a 'soap bubble,'" he said.
According to him, the T-14's sophisticated characteristics set a new trend in tank construction. Konovalov said that "the West will have to either create the T-14's analogue or admit that they currently need no tanks on the potential battlefield."
"However, modern warfare once again confirmed the significance of the tanks, especially those equipped with a powerful protection system," he said, adding that the T-14 has the most advanced protection system in the world.
The Russian Defense Ministry unveiled its next-generation Armata tank at the May 9 Victory Day military parade in Moscow in 2015.
New Russian T-14 "Armata" tank size (on the left) compared to the current T-90 tank (on the right) pic.twitter.com/4iNOZtZfjk
— English Russia (@EnglishRussia1) 29 августа 2016 г.
The Armata tank features sophisticated weaponry, a remote control turret and outer armor that explodes on impact to prevent shells from reaching the crew inside.
A digital control system directs the tank's movement, tracks targets and activates its defense systems, freeing the crew from routine tasks so they can focus on key combat functions.
Currently, the tank sports the standard 125-mm cannon, but, designers say, it could easily outfitted with a much more powerful 152-mm cannon in the future.
