"Armata" in Serbian: M-20UP1 never became a real tank

In Serbia, they worked on their own new-generation tank, which received the preliminary designation M-20UP1. Information about this was announced in the summer of 2015.

At the same time, several images of a promising machine were made public, which outwardly very much resembled the T-14 on the heavy unified Armata platform.

Just like the Russian model, the crew had to be located in the front part of the hull, in a well-protected armored capsule.

As the main armament, it was supposed to use a modernized version of the 2A46M gun.

The isolated ammunition consisted of 48 shells, although it is not known how many of them would be in the automated loading system.

To combat lightly armored and low-flying targets, a 30-mm automatic gun mounted on the right side of the turret served. There was also a 12.7 mm machine gun.

Another feature was the electric transmission. The power of the diesel engine was 1200 hp. The maximum speed on the highway was 60 km/h. Combat weight - 45,000 kg. The price of one copy is five million euros.

Despite the fact that the M-20UP1 project was well received by many foreign experts, it became clear even then that the car was unlikely to appear in metal. Creating a fundamentally new tank is a difficult task even for more technologically advanced states. In addition, multibillion-dollar costs were required for implementation.

Therefore, at present, Serbia is focused on the implementation of the program for the modernization of the existing fleet of M84 tanks and the development of the Russian T-72MS "White Eagle".

Alexey Moiseev