Russia's Revolutionary T-14 Armata Main Battle Tank

T-14 Armata during Victory Day Parade: Photo Credits: TASS

T-14 Armata is Russia's newest Main Battle Tank developed by Russia's Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) after the collapse of Soviet Union. Russia plans to induct some 2,300 units of T-14 MBT by 2025, although the mass induction of 2,300 such expensive main battle tank seems impossible considering the fact that Putin's expensive arms build-up faces major hurdles as Russia's economy sinks under the weight of Western sanctions and falling oil prices.

The T-14 was originally priced at about $8 million per unit but according to some Russian defense officials, the price will come down to around 250 million rubles ($3.8 million) per unit once serial production begins.

Armata represents the most revolutionary step change in tank design in the last half century. Prototype of T-14 was rolled out at the Red Square, Moscow on annual Victory Day parade in 2015.

Photo Credits: TASS

Armata reportedly boasts a new generation of explosive reactive armor (ERA), according to a Russian defence industry source "The new ERA can resist anti-tank gun shells adoped by NATO countries, including the state-of-the-art APFDS DM53 and DM63 developed by Rheinmetall and anti-tank ground missiles with high-explosive anti-tank warheads".

Armata's main weapon system consist of 2A82 125-millimeter smoothbore cannon, which is capable of firing high-powered munition with a firing rate of 10 shots per minute at an effective range of up to 7 kilometers, which is likely to be replaced with a more powerful 152 mm cannon in later versions of the type. Additional weapons of the MBT include a 30 mm sub-caliber ranging gun, as well as a 12.5 mm turret heavy machine gun reportedly capable of taking our incoming projectiles approaching at speeds of up to 3,000 meters per second.

Armata is claimed to has the capability to become fully automated, making it world's first robotic tank and 20 years ahead of anything west has. Bristling with state-of-the-art weaponry, armed with a remote control turret and equipped with outer armour that explodes on impact to stop shells reaching the crew console inside.

T-14 Armata Front View (Photo Credits: EPA)

High-tech onboard computer system performs most of the technical functions, allowing the crew to focus on key tasks. 'For the crew, its like playing a video game, taking some final moves and making decisions. The crew has much better chance of surviving if the tank is destroyed, if you look at the old Russian tank designs, they had a habit of blowing up quite spectacularly with pretty poor chances for crew survivability.

The previous Russian tank, the T-90, was designed to have a low profile, light armour, and to be extremely manoeuvrable on the battlefield. It weighed 20 tons less than the American Abrams tank, but that meant it was also extremely vulnerable if hit by high-explosive rounds. By comparison, the new Armata T-14 has a high ground clearance and increased armour, especially on the tank's traditionally soft underbelly in order to protect the crew from mines. 

T-14 MBT is based on Armata universal chassis system that will eventually serve as platform for over a dozen different tracked vehicles, including a self-propelled artillery gun, an armored military engineering vehicle, and an armored personnel carrier. “70 percent of tracked armored vehicles of the Russian Ground Forces are slated to be replaced by vehicles based on the Armata universal". The question remains whether Russia will be able to afford this major modernization push of its armored forces. As of now, it seems more than unlikely.

The Armata uses a new type of armor, which designers say is significantly more resistant to enemy fire, although they are coy about its specific characteristics. On top of that, the vehicle is protected by an improved version of reactive armor, which explodes on impact to stop a projectile from reaching the main layer of armor. The Armata is also equipped with an active protection system, forming an outer perimeter of its defenses (as seen in the animation video above). When the system spots an enemy projectile, it fires a round to destroy it or knock it off its path.

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