"Breakthrough in modern tank building": how Russia prepares to promote the T-14 "Armata" tank on the world market

The Uralvagonzavod Concern (UVZ, part of the Rostec Group of Companies) will for the first time present the T-14 Armata tank abroad at the largest arms exhibition in the Middle East IDEX 2021. The international forum will be held from February 21 to 25 in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi ...

“At IDEX 2021 ... the international debut of the T-14 tank will take place - the only one in the world belonging to the third post-war generation.

The vehicle has a high degree of protection, including against high-precision weapons, and the presence of special equipment allows it to be integrated into the automatic control system of the tactical link, "the Rostec website reports.

The delegation of the Russian Federation at the exhibition expects increased attention to Russian technology, said the general director of the Uralvagonzavod concern, Alexander Potapov.

“We count on significant interest in the samples presented at the exhibition from the states of the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

For all companies in the defense industry, IDEX is consistently one of the most important exhibitions, and our products traditionally take their rightful place there, ”he said.

Tank for network-centric wars

It should be noted that the creation of the T-14 was preceded by several projects of new generation tanks, which were developed in the 1980s and 1990s.

We are talking about the tank "Black Eagle" of the Omsk design bureau of transport engineering and the T-95 ("Object 195") NPK "Uralvagonzavod".

For various reasons, these machines did not go into series, however, as experts believe, some of the technical solutions used in them and the unique experience gained were used in the T-14.

The T-14 tank is produced on the basis of the Armata heavy universal tracked platform.

On the basis of "Armata", several more models of armored vehicles are being created, including the T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle and the T-16 heavy armored recovery vehicle.

According to media reports, in the future, the "Coalition-SV" self-propelled artillery installation, which so far uses the chassis of the T-90 tank, may be "transplanted" onto the "Armata".

• T-14 "Armata"

• © rostec

Prototypes of the T-14 were first presented to the public at the Victory Day parade in 2015.

After that, for several years, the design of the tank was being refined.

The creators of the vehicle note that the T-14 is not only the world's only tank of the third post-war generation, but also the world's first tank with an uninhabited turret.

“For the first time in the world, the crew was placed in an armored capsule, separated from the ammunition load.

This measure allows the tankers to stay alive even if they hit the turret directly and the ammunition sets on fire, "the Uralvagonzavod Concern website says.

The special silhouette of the tank, as well as the special coating of the hull, significantly reduce "the vehicle's signature in the thermal and radar spectra of observation."

It is noted that the "Armata" armor is capable of "withstanding the hit of any existing anti-tank weapon" thanks to the "Afghanit" active protection complex.

Anti-tank missiles are diverted from the T-14 by means of electronic warfare, and heat-guided missiles are confused by a smoke-metal curtain.

Apart from the Afghanit, the tank also uses dynamic protection.

It is a reactive armor, with the help of which shells fired at the tank are destroyed by "detonating modules at a safe distance from the hull."

The turret of the tank is a combat module with a 125-mm 2A82-1M smoothbore cannon, which is equipped with a fully automated loading system.

Depending on the target, different projectiles can be used: cumulative, guided or high-explosive.

Rostec claims that the Armata tank surpasses all existing analogues in terms of firepower.

The tower is controlled by the crew remotely from an armored capsule.

Optical-electronic devices for observation, aiming and threat detection are installed along the perimeter of the tower and hull, which allows tankers to fully control the situation around the combat vehicle.

Also "Armata" - the first tank, created specifically for participation in network-centric wars.

This concept assumes that the T-14 fights as part of a tactical group, which is constantly in the interaction mode and controlled through a single system.

“The group may include heavy infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled guns, T-90 tanks, attack helicopters, and the T-14 in this link is assigned the role of a reconnaissance, target designator and fire spotter.

The success of such wars will depend on the speed and quality of the information transmitted.

The new Russian tank has all the possibilities for this, ”Rostec reports.

Most of the processes in the T-14 are carried out automatically.

The tank has a built-in diagnostic system that reports problems.

Information is displayed on the screen and duplicated by voice notifications.

“For example, the crew does not need to aim precisely, it is only necessary to approximately aim the gun at the target, and then the electronics will do everything by itself - it will accurately determine the distance to the target and aim the gun at it.

Thus, this machine uses elements of artificial intelligence that help the crew to fire.

Again, it is enough for the operator to indicate the direction to the goal, then everything is done independently.

The same algorithm is used on other combat robotics, including the one that was tested in Syria, ”said Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation in December 2020. 

The next step after "Armata", the developers note, will be the creation of fully robotic tank units.

At the Army-2020 forum, UVZ representatives said that such research work is already being carried out by order of the Ministry of Defense.

Within their framework, the T-14 tank was also tested in automatic mode.

The appearance of unmanned vehicles of this class, which is expected in the coming years, can significantly change the tactics of warfare adopted today, according to Rostec.

“Within the framework of R&D commissioned by the Ministry of Defense, the T-14 tank was also tested in unmanned mode.

Today it is one of the most promising areas for the development of armored vehicles.

With the advent of such heavy ground combat vehicles-drones, the balance of power on the battlefield will change.

And this is a question of the near future, "said the general director of the Uralvagonzavod concern, Alexander Potapov, in an interview with TASS in the fall of 2020.

At the same time, as Sergey Chemezov explained, the T-14 itself will not be produced in an unmanned modification: it is only used as a platform for developing such technologies.

According to Chemezov, serial deliveries of the T-14 Armata tank to the Russian troops will begin this year.

“Serial deliveries of the T-14 tank on the Armata platform will begin in 2021.

It is by far the best tank in the world today.

In the future, this vehicle will be the new main tank of the Russian army, and the export of "Armata" is also possible.

The necessary permits were drawn up last year, ”he said.

"There will be tremendous interest in the T-14"

According to experts, the T-14 "Armata" is a unique tank that was ahead of its time.

“Today, no country, except Russia, makes such combat vehicles.

A unique solution was the use of an armored capsule and an automated uninhabited tower.

In addition, the tank is well protected from anti-tank guided missiles and conventional ammunition, ”military expert Yuri Knutov said in an interview with RT.

• T-14 "Armata"

• RIA News

• © Alexander Wilf

In turn, the editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko noted the ability of the T-14 to participate in network-centric wars.

“The tank can exchange data in a group of combat vehicles, receive external target designation, including using drones and other means of detecting and controlling the enemy.

These are all elements of network-centric warfare.

Such an exchange of information between tanks allows you to select the most dangerous targets and hit them in priority order.

This is a breakthrough in modern tank building, ”he said in a comment to RT.

Yuri Knutov pointed out that the latest technologies were tested at the "Armata", which will be used in the future to create fully robotic complexes.

The experts agreed that the newest Russian tank will receive increased attention from the guests of the IDEX 2021 exhibition.

“The tank is ahead of its time, it is the best machine in the world, so there will be tremendous interest in the T-14.

This speaks of the success of our military-industrial complex.

Russia is ahead of all its competitors by at least 5-10 years.

Let's hope that the T-14 will be in demand not only in Arab countries, but also in India and other Asian states, as well as, possibly, in Latin America, "Knutov concluded.