Twenty Russian T-14 Armata main battle tanks delivered in February and review of Armata variants

The first 20 T-14 Armata main battle tanks were handed over to the military earlier in February. It was initially thought that the new tank would be revealed then, but authorities decided to keep the tank’s details a secret.

The T-14 (Object 149) main battle tank is based on the Armata platform, which has been in development at Uralvagonzavod since 2009. Other than the tank, the platform will be used for armored fighting vehicles (AFVs), self-propelled guns (SPGs), engineering vehicles and other uses.

The Armata tank will reportedly feature a remotely controlled gun and fully automated loading, as well as a separate crew compartment made from composite materials and protected by multilayered armor.

The tank will go through state trials in 2016, and it is expected that by 2020, over 2,300 tanks on the Armata platform will be supplied to the military.

The platform’s chief tank (T-14) sports an unmanned remotely controlled turret armed with a brand new 125 mm 2A82-1M smoothbore cannon. Its muzzle energy is greater than one of the world’s previously considered best cannons: the German Leopard-2 Rheinmetall 120 mm gun. The 125 mm gun has 15-20 percent improved accuracy and its rolling fire angular dispersion has improved 1.7 times. According to Russian media, the Armata tank might also come with a specially developed 152 mm gun, the most powerful ever cannon to be mounted on a main battle tank.

The Armata is designed as a modular universal combat platform that could be used as a basis for a variety of combat vehicles, including main battle tanks, fire support, mine clearing, heavy flame throwing and bridge laying vehicles, according to Russian state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

Variants that will use the Armata chassis

The “Armata” platform is intended to be the basis for a main battle tank, a heavy infantry fighting vehicle, a combat engineering vehicle, an armoured recovery vehicle, a heavy armoured personnel carrier, a tank support combat vehicle and several types of self-propelled artillery under the same codename based on the same chassis

According to preliminary reports, the new tank designated T-14 will be less radical and ambitious than the canceled ‘Object 195’ or T-95, it will weigh less, therefore, become more agile and will be more affordable, compared to its more ambitious predecessors. Additionally, the Kurganets-25 tracked armored vehicle provides high degree of commonality with the new Armata tank. The Kurganets-25 will evolve into various models, gradually replacing BMP and BMD and MT-LB and other types of tracked armored platforms. The Kurganets-25 will have modular armor that can be upgraded for specific threats, be armed with a 2A42 30 mm autocannon, and have four Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missile launchers.

The Armata will use a new type of lightweight armor designated 44S-SV-SH, developed by Steel Scientific Research Institute enterprise. This armor does not lose its qualities when used in extremely low temperatures, an indication of Russia’s military interest in the Arctic.

T-14: Main battle tank

The Armata tank will have a remote weapon station turret and an automated control system, with the crew protected by an armored capsule. It will have an externally mounted 125 mm gun with 32 rounds of ammunition; in addition to tank rounds, a new laser-guided missile able to be fired from the main gun with a tandem anti-tank warhead and a range of 5,000 m (16,000 ft) is planned to be created. The secondary armament will consist of a 30 mm cannon and a 12.7 mm machine gun.

Kurganets-25: Tracked infantry fighting vehicle

Strategy Page indicates in 2014 Russia began testing the newly built prototypes of its new Kurganets 25 IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle). This is based on the Armata chassis and will eventually replace all the existing BMP and BMD IFVs. The 25 ton Kurganets 25 will have a front mounted engine, a crew of three and carry six or seven infantry.

Boomerang 8×8: Armored personnel carrier

2S35 Koalitsiya-SV: Self-propelled gun

2S35 Koalitsiya-SV pic from military-today

Two other variants

BREM-T T-16: recovery vehicle

BM-2 (TOS-2): short range rocket artillery, similar to flamethrower system TOS-1 Buratino

SOURCES – Sputnick News, Wikipedia, youtube, military-today, Strategy page, rt.com