This picture of a T-14 Armata tank was taken by Steven Zaloga at the Army 2017 show outside Moscow at the Patriot Park in Kubinka. More pictures of the show can be seen at this facebook post.
Video of the Day: Armata on Parade
April 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This video of Russian Armata T-14 tanks on parade appeared on youtube yesterday.
News from around the Web
April 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Here is a roundup of tank related news from around the web. These articles come from a variety of sources, some better quality than others. Click on the headline to read the entire article.
Jane’s IHS – DSA 2016: Malaysian Army Chief states Condor APCs and Scorpion tanks are to be upgraded
Malaysian army chief, General Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor, stated that the army plans to initiate an upgrade programme for its fleet of Alvis Vehicles Scorpion 90 light armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Condor 4×4 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to enable them to continue operational service.
USNI News – Walsh: Marines May Protect Tanks With Active and EW Protection Systems, Much Like Ship Self-Defense
As anti-tank threats are growing increasingly sophisticated, the Marine Corps is looking at protecting its ground vehicles with active protection and electronic warfare systems to fend off incoming rounds the same way ships and planes do today. Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy commandant for combat development and integration, said at a Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that as technology proliferates, the anti-tank threat is rapidly evolving. The Navy is investing in protecting its ships and aircraft from similar threats, and Walsh said it’s time for the Marine Corps to take the same approach for its ground vehicles.
Sputnik International – Russia Produces 70% of World Tanks, Ready to Churn out Armata in 2016
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia produces 70 percent of all tanks produced worldwide, producing one tank per day, Uralvagonzavod General Director Oleg Sienko said.
“Today we hold 70 percent of the world market on tank construction. I mean tanks both produced in Russia and under our licensing in the world. We’ve held first place for several years already and aren’t willing to give that up,” Sienko told RIA Novosti in an interview.
Daily Mail – On the prowl… through a river: South Korea tests out its fleet of £6million Black Panther tanks that can drive through 14ft of water thanks to a special ‘snorkel’ system
Prowling through a river, these are South Korea’s Black Panther tanks that can move effortlessly through 14ft of water thanks to a special ‘snorkel’. The £6million armoured vehicles were put though their paces in an underwater exercise across the South Han River in Yeoju, east of Seoul, today.
With its snorkel system, the turret becomes watertight but the chassis can take in some 500 gallons of water to counteract the buoyancy caused by the air pocket inside the tank.
The snorkel on top of the vehicle then serves as a look-out tower for the tank commander, keeping him above the surface.
Mirror – ‘PlayStation controls’ installed in British tanks in bid to attract ‘video game geeks’ to the Army
Tanks are being designed with controls that look like a PlayStation gamepad in a bid to encourage video game obsessive to join the army . The new British Challenger II’s firing mechanism is based on the Sony handset in order to make it instantly recognisable to new recruits.
Army chiefs believe hours playing Call of Duty make gamers the best gunners and hope the new-look controls will encourage them to sign up. Lance Corporal Shannon Wood, who teaches recruits how to use tank weapons systems, told the Daily Star that the Army is keen to harness people with technological abilities in the war against terrorism.
T-14 Armata stealth claims questioned by experts
August 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Jane’s has posted an article about how armor experts are sceptical over claims made by the manufacturer of the new Russian T-14 Armata that it is essentially invisible to radar. According to the article, the invisibility claim was made by the director of the Nizhi-Tagil-based UralVagonZavod (UVZ) plant, Vyacheslav Khalitov, on Ekho Moskvy radio on 3 July. Khalitov said the T-14’s hull is coated with special radar-absorbing paint and other materials and appliqués that make it difficult to be detected. The article quotes and unnamed retired US army flag-rank officer with experience in AFV development who states that “these claims would have to be proven. Placing heat-generating components ‘deep inside’ in the vehicle won’t help; modern thermal technology is very sensitive and when the tank is moved, or a weapon is fired, or a person is exposed, the thermal signature will light up. Plus, no matter where the engine is, when an engine big enough to move a 40- to 50-ton tank is fired up, it will have a signature.” The article also notes that Russian specialists familiar with radar signature reduction techniques said that most of the research in this area has been done with aircraft in mind and that the technology is not optimised for protecting ground targets.
Armata themed food truck?
August 9, 2015 by 4 Comments
These pictures were brought to our attention in a forum recently. Apparently the Russians are so excited about the Armata that they are painting them on the side of food trucks? Anyone care to translate the text on the truck for us?
Armata to be showcased at arms expo
July 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment
International Business Times is reporting that the new Russian T-14 Armata tank will be showcased in September at the Russia Arms Expo in Nizhny Tagil. The expo will run from September 9 through 12, with the Armata being on display on the second day. According to the article, the manufacturer of the Armata noted “As for the demonstration of the Armata, we’ll certainly show it. This will be either a closed show or Armata will be placed behind a glass anti-glare contour.” The expo will run Sept. 9 to 12. Previous expos have featured 20,000 visitors, 470 exhibitors and delegations from 40 countries. The Armata tank, which had long been cloaked in secrecy, will likely be a major draw.
Article declares that T-14 Armata is “Pretty Stale”
June 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
An article from ISH ETH Zurich by Joseph Trevithick attempts to deflate some of the hype surrounding the new Russian T-14 Armada tank, declaring it to be pretty “stale.” The author of the piece seems to be basing his conclusions on some comments made by noted tank expert Steven Zaloga, who is quoted as saying “A lot of this stuff is really stale” in regards to the new family of Russian armored vehicles displayed during the May Victory Parade. Zaloga is also quoted as saying that in the end “the Russians are not leaping ahead” and that “this is an attempt to catch up.” Considering the amount of media hype and nationalistic pride that the Armata has attracted, these comments from one of the worlds foremost tank and AFV researchers are bound to grab some attention.
Article excerpt:
But despite these and other boasts, the Russia’s new fleet is much less impressive when compared to many Western designs, even some that are decades old at this point. The T-14 is lighter and not necessarily any better armed or armored than the American M1A2 Abrams, the British Challenger 2 or the German Leopard 2, according to an infographic originally specifications sheet made up by the Russian TASS news service. The specifications were later translated into English by the U.S. Army’s Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO). Of course, both Moscow and Washington are generally tight-lipped about the exact details.
In terms of armor protection specifically, the T-14 is probably no more impressive than the tanks Washington and Berlin have had in service for two decades now, based on educated estimates. And while Western engineers have generally focused on passive armor, the Pentagon and others continue to experiment with their own active protection systems. The Armata’s Afghanit system is also just the latest development in a series countermeasures the Russian Army has been using since the fighting in Afghanistan – an experience the new device’s moniker clearly references. Soviet commanders – like their counterparts around the world – have found active protection systems and explosive reactive armor can be very dangerous to ground troops near vehicles equipped with these protective measures too.
As for armament, the range estimates for the T-14 seem generous. However, Leopard 2s can already hit targets at similar distances with the help of Israeli LAHAT missiles. Armata crews would probably have to fall back on gun-launched guided weapons when trying knock out enemies beyond some 5,000 to 6,000 meters too. Not that much of this matters, since the Russian sensors can’t necessarily find the mark much farther away. The “target detection range” is only vaguely “greater than 5,000 meters,” the TASS-provided specs said.
WoT History article on T-14 Armata
June 5, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Archive Awareness blog has translated a Russian language article on the T-14 Armata tank that originally appeared on the World of Tanks History page. While numerous articles have appeared on the T-14 recently, this one seems to have a good bit more detail than most we have seen.
Excerpt:
30 years ago, engineers from Nizhniy Tagil created a foundation for a new tank with Object 187 and Object 187A. The innovative but unfortunate Object 195 was then built in metal. What was the fruit of the labours of Ural engineers?
On the way to a breakthrough
Successful decisions in the 1960s allowed Soviet engineers to achieve a tank with a very tight layout. The tanks were compact, not very heavy, and had excellent protection. On the other hand, if the enemy shell did punch through the armour, it was nearly guaranteed that it would destroy components or kill the crew. The ammunition rack in the fighting compartment was especially worrying.In the end of the 1980s, all major Soviet tank factories were working on new tanks. Engineers aimed to boost the firepower (including by means of increasing the gun caliber), increase protection, and automate the vehicles. Additionally, a new layout was necessary, as the classic layout was no longer sufficient for survivability on the battlefield.
Soviet engineers had a difficult task. They needed to develop an innovative solution to protect the crew and fighting compartment, separating them from the ammunition rack. Kharkov, Nizhniy Tagil, and Leningrad were working on this task. The Nizhniy Tagil project from Uralvagonzavod, Object 187A, was never built in metal, but was the basis of the experimental “Perfection-88” program. In 2000, the Object 195 vehicle was created based on that research, a predecessor for the T-14 tank built on the heavy universal tracked Armata platform.
National Interest article on T-14 Armata
May 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment
National Interest.org has posted an article by Robert Farley examining the T-14 Armata and asking “should America be worried?” Some interesting food for thought, although it seems most of the information gleaned by the article author comes from internet articles (fortunately the article contains plenty of hyperlinks.) We invite people to read it and come to their own conclusions.
Excerpt:
How much should the United States worry about the Armata, and where should that concern lie? The impressive nature of the tank notwithstanding, the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps are unlikely to encounter it directly on the battlefield. The bigger questions involve how the Armata might change the global market for armored vehicles, and how the tank might become part of the arsenals of Russian proxies.
Jane’s 360: Russia’s Armor Revolution
May 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment
IHS Jane’s 360 has posted a fairly detailed article analyzing the latest developments in Russian AFV design. Declaring the new line of Russian vehicles “a revolution” in AFV design, the article uses photos from the May 9 Victory Day parade to draw some new conclusions regarding some of the technical details of these vehicles.
Paraded uncovered for the first time on 9 May in Moscow, Russia’s new range of armoured vehicles represent not only the biggest change in the country’s armoured vehicle families since the 1970s but also a new design ethos.
While the vehicles’ designs partly involve radical rather than revolutionary innovation, the scale and ambition of the change they embody is nothing short of a revolution. Together, the Armata, Kurganets, Boomerang, and Koalitsiya and other vehicles on show will replace nearly all Russia’s existing vehicle families as, remarkably, Russia is attempting to replace all its main armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) families at the same time.
Tank and AFV News 