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.
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 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.
Chinese tank maker Norinco uses social media to trash talk Armata
June 9, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Bloomberg Business is reporting that Chinese tank manufacturer Norinco is using social media to lob taunts at its Russian rival’s most advanced tank, the T-14 Armata. Using popular messaging service WeChat, Norinco took aim at a widely reported and embarrassing incident involving the T-14 Armata, in which one of the vehicles ground to an abrupt halt on Red Square during rehearsals for the 70th anniversary celebrations of World War II victory. According to the article, the Norinco WeChat post said “The T-14’s transmission is not well-developed, as we saw through a malfunction taking place during a rehearsal before the May 9 parade. The VT-4 has never encountered such problems so far. Our tanks also have world-class fire-control systems, which the Russians are still trying to catch up with.”
Norinco’s sales have expanded faster than any other major defense company over the past five years, surpassing Lockheed Martin Corp., maker of the F-35 fighter, and General Dynamics Corp. The Chinese armaments maker’s $62 billion in revenue as of 2013 and more than 275,000 employees embody the clout of China’s defense industry, which the U.S. Pentagon recently warned in an annual report “has the potential to reduce core U.S. military technological advantages.” With foreign sales of $7.4 billion over the five years through 2013, China overtook France to become the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
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.
More footage of Armata breakdowns
May 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Since our post from yesterday on the Armata tank that apparently broke down during a parade rehearsal, a couple new videos have come to our attention. Here is one that shows a Russian ARV attempting to pull the broken down T-14 Armata. The ARV is unable to budge the heavier Armata tank, spinning it’s tracks on the pavement.
Next up is a clip of a T-15 Armata heavy IFV attempting to drive up onto a tank transporter. The vehicle seems to have issues half way onto the truck bed and then stalls out as it pulls back down onto the pavement.
And here is a clip of another T-15 apparently stalling out while on parade.
Armata suffers apparent breakdown during rehearsal
May 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Business Insider is running an article claiming that one of Russia’s new Armata tanks suffered a mechanical malfunction during a dress rehearsal for the upcoming Victory Day Parade. This was also reported at the RT website, which stated:
All seemed to be going to plan until one of the mighty machines unexpectedly stopped right in front of the Lenin’s mausoleum. Its engine was still running, but the tank would not move. An attempt to tow it away failed, before the T-14 eventually managed to restart and rumble off around 15 minutes later.
The most amusing part of the incident may be the announcers insistence that the tank malfunction was a planned event and that “We wanted to show how an evacuation of a tank would take place. It was planned that the tank would stop.” A parade showcasing tank recovery techniques would be a rather odd parade indeed.
Russian Defense Ministry reveals photos of T-14 Armata
April 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The International Business Times is reporting that Russia’s defense ministry has released it’s first official image of the new Armata T-14 tank. The image was released via the “Russia Beyond the Headlines” news source. The article notes that:
The heavily armored T-14 is the main battle version of the Russian Armata tank and features a 125mm gun that is remotely controlled, with an unmanned turett. The photo of the tank was first posted on the ministry’s site in a section about Victory Day, Russia’s celebration of the 70-year anniversary of the end of World War II. Images first leaked of the highly anticipated tanks in late March.
The tanks are a part of Russia’s plan to update its military, and it has proven costly with the country attempting to maintain its plan to spend 23 trillion rubles ($433 billion) despite economic contraction, Bloomberg reported.
The picture itself it not particularly exciting. As with the other leaked pictures of Armata that have appeared, the details of the turret are obscured by a tarp. Also, it would appear that the picture (below) referred to in the article is not of the tank version of the vehicle as it has no cannon.
Tank and AFV News 