"Armata" will become a real headquarters on the battlefield. The Ministry of Defense is developing a system for using the latest T-14 tanks. It is planned to form separate regiments and battalions from them, as well as send them to already created military units. Thanks to the unique automated control system, commanders with the help of" Armata " will be able to control other combat vehicles in real time. Using electronic warfare, the T-14 is able to protect various equipment from enemy aircraft and anti-tank weapons. And if necessary, it will support the BMP with fire from a unique 125-mm 2A82-1M cannon.
"Armata" will become a real headquarters on the battlefield. The Ministry of Defense is developing a system for using the latest T-14 tanks. It is planned to form separate regiments and battalions from them, as well as send them to already created military units. Thanks to the unique automated control system, commanders with the help of" Armata " will be able to control other combat vehicles in real time. Using electronic warfare, the T-14 is able to protect various equipment from enemy aircraft and anti-tank weapons. And if necessary, it will support the BMP with fire from a unique 125-mm 2A82-1M cannon.
Active protection
The Ministry of Defense is working on a new principle of using advanced Armata tanks. They can not only be reduced to separate units, but also distributed among existing regiments with modern armored vehicles. There they will be used as a commander of machinery, told "Izvestia" a source in the defense Ministry. The T-14 will be able to cover other vehicles with its active protection system and electronic warfare equipment. If necessary, they will support them with fire. It is planned that the staff "Armata" will go to the units equipped with the latest T-90M "Breakthrough" tanks, as well as upgraded BMP-2M with "Berezhok" combat modules. However, the final decision on this issue has not yet been made.
The commander of a tank company or battalion on a special screen installed in the "Armata" will be able to see not only the enemy's positions, but also where his combat vehicles are located, find out what task they perform, their technical condition and even the rest of the ammunition. To give an order, you will need to specify a place or a goal and press a few keys, as in a computer game. In real time, the commander will be able to call for an air strike and artillery.
— In the post-war period, the Soviet industry has always produced commander versions of the main battle tanks: T-62K, T-72K and others. These machines were used by the battalion commanders — " military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia. — They were distinguished by an auxiliary power plant, a powerful radio station and other specialized equipment. Such machines were used to control the battle, interact with attached units, communicate with the headquarters and higher command.
According to the expert, the Armed Forces have now created more than a hundred tactical groups, staffed by contractors, they are ready for immediate use. And for them, the Armata as a commander's tank, even if the units themselves are equipped with other vehicles, would be very useful. The T-14 is already integrated into the tactical control system and is equipped with closed data transmission equipment. The machine provides situational awareness much greater than on the tanks of previous generations. The commander on it will get the best opportunities to manage the unit and organize interaction with other units. The T-14 is equipped with an active defense system, and its gun is much more effective than on other tanks.
Earlier, the general director of the developer of "Armata" — the Ural Design Bureau of Transport Engineering (UKBTM) Andrey Terlikov said that by the end of 2021, the army will receive an installation batch of T-14. Sustainable serial deliveries are scheduled to begin next year.
In turn, the JSC "Research and Production Corporation "Uralvagonzavod" said that "Armata" and T-90M tanks are already equipped with equipment for connecting to a single tactical control system. Earlier it was reported about the use of its elements also on the T-72B3 and T-80BVM. It allows you to unite all the troops on the battlefield in a single network and manage them remotely.
"The Armata initially had the potential that allows the vehicle to perform the functions of a commander's tank, "military expert Alexey Khlopotov told Izvestia. — It was developed in the era of network-centric wars,and it had the appropriate requirements. The tank is fully integrated into the control system at both the tactical and strategic levels. Information from it is sent to all command posts. Modern digital technologies have made it possible to make the tank so that it can control not only conventional machines, but also robotic ones, the development of which is only underway today.
New generation
Now we know about the existing firm contract of the Ministry of Defense with Uralvagonzavod for 132 units of T-14 and T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicles. It will make it possible to equip two tank and one motorized rifle battalions with new equipment. The machines of this batch are already being produced.
The design of the T-14 Armata tank is radically different from all modern Russian and foreign vehicles. The main innovation was the uninhabited tower. The entire crew is housed in a special armored capsule. There it is isolated from ammunition and fuel and well protected. Loading and firing are carried out in fully automatic mode with the help of remote control.
The survival rate of the machine should dramatically increase the complex of active protection "Afganit". It will intercept the missiles before they hit the tank. It is also stated that it is possible to weaken the impact of anti-tank sub-caliber shells.
The tank is equipped with a new smoothbore 125 mm 2A82-1M gun. It not only has better accuracy, but also allows you to use more powerful projectiles.
In the future, it is possible to install a larger caliber gun on the tank. According to the developers, the tower is now designed for a 152-mm 2A83 cannon. With its help, it will be possible to destroy not only modern, but also any promising foreign tanks. High-explosive shells of this caliber are especially effective for hitting infantry, destroying fortifications and storming cities.
In addition to the tank, the T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle and the T-16 repair and evacuation vehicle are being developed and tested on the unified Armata platform. In the future, it was stated about the possibility of creating armored vehicles for other purposes. Among the options being worked out were a self-propelled artillery installation and a tank support combat vehicle.
In anticipation of the "Armata»
While serial deliveries of promising "Armat" have not begun, the troops are replenished with three modern types of tanks. The Ministry of Defense announced before the Defender of the Fatherland Day that it will receive more than 170 upgraded and new vehicles in 2021. Among them were more than ninety T-72B3 and T-72B3M, about eighty gas turbine T-80BVM. The first batch of T-90M "Breakthrough" was also mentioned.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the T-90M will enter the Kazan Higher Tank Command School this year to train future officers.
Some of these vehicles will be produced from scratch, the rest will be upgraded from the T-90A available in the troops. The updated version has got a completely different, better protected tower, a modern gun and a fire control system (FMS).
Such guns and SLA allow the T-90M to use projectiles with remote detonation on the trajectory. They are especially effective when firing at infantry in shelters. One of the subtle changes was the equipping of the tank with new control and communication systems. Now combat vehicles can be connected to a secure "military Internet", connected to each other and to the headquarters.
The most numerous of the updated tanks in the troops was the T-72B3. When upgrading combat vehicles, they are equipped with a new engine, a more accurate and powerful gun, as well as an automatic control system. Since 2016, the troops have received a variant with additional protection against cumulative ammunition, created based on the results of studying the experience of Syria.
