MOSCOW, Feb 27 — RIA Novosti. The T-14 Armata tank is the latest development in the field of tank construction in Russia, which uses the most advanced technologies and powerful weapons. Technical and combat characteristics of the new MBT, how many T-14s were produced and entered service, a comparison of Armata with NATO military equipment, — in the RIA Novosti material.
T-14 Armata tank
The T-14 is the future main battle tank (MBT) of the Russian army, which was created in order to replace the existing in service and a large number of times upgraded T-72 and T-90. Work on the tank began in 2010, the T-95 project was adopted as a basis, and the developers were tasked with creating a fundamentally new tank of the next generation. The T-14 was created on the basis of the Armata universal tracked platform and first appeared to the general public during the Victory Day Parade in 2015. There are no foreign analogues to this tank, and all the components are domestic, the main difference between the machine and all existing ones at the moment is an uninhabited tower, the entire review is entrusted to sensors and cameras. The crew consisting of the commander, gunner and driver is located in the combat compartment, large and comfortable to stay, equipped with monitors, and fire control is carried out using tablets and control panels. According to the developers, the room does not look like a tank cabin at all:
"I drove the T-72 and T-90, but the T-14 completely loses the feeling of the tank. It's like being on a spaceship surrounded by monitors that display all the information from the sensors," says Denis Myakensky, design engineer of the Uralvagonzavod T—14 development group.
This is the first tank created for the tasks of network- centric wars : the machine does not fight alone, but as part of a group whose participants are in constant interaction with each other and are controlled through a single system. Such a group may include self-propelled guns, helicopters, T-90 tanks, heavy infantry fighting vehicles, the main tasks of the T-14 are reconnaissance, fire correction and target indication.
T-14 Armata tank Image source: © RIA Novosti / Fotohost-agency
How many are in service in Russia
The delivery of new generation tanks to the Russian army will be carried out in stages and planned as the service life of the previous generation vehicles expires. It was reported that in 2021 Uralvagonzavod was going to supply 20 T-14 tanks to the troops.
Where the main battle tank is produced
The OBT was developed by the Ural Design Bureau of Transport Engineering and the Uralvagonzavod Corporation, located in Nizhny Tagil. When creating the tank, the best practices of the USSR and Russia in the field of tank construction were taken into account.
Design and description
In addition to the fact that the T-14 is capable of performing network-centric tasks, it also has significant combat power, accuracy and rate of fire. During the battle, the machine receives all the necessary data online and transmits the parameters for fire control to the rest of the tactical group. When creating the T-14, a classic layout was used: the power plant (engine and transmission) are located in the rear, the combat compartment is located in the middle part of the tank (this is the turret, ammunition and automatic loading device), the crew room is equipped in front, there are also instruments and control devices.
Hull and armor
The tank's armor is made of composite multilayer armor capable of withstanding hits from 152 mm anti-tank guided missiles and 125 mm armor-piercing feathered projectiles. The armor of the tower consists of two layers: the main one (created using a new technology that allowed to reduce the mass, but increase the impenetrability) and the shatterproof casing, most of the sensors are located between them. The presence of knock-out panels allows you to reduce the impact of the blast wave if the ammunition detonates. In addition, the engine, gas tank and ammunition storage compartments are separated by armored walls. The crew itself is also in an armored capsule.
"The design of the T-14 Armata is a complex system combining various technologies and engineering solutions. It is equipped with a multi-layer armor that provides a high level of protection against armor-piercing shells and anti-tank missiles. The tank body is made of a multi-layered armored composite material, which is a combination of metal and ceramic layers," says writer Oleg Smirnov.
T-14 Armata tanks Image source: © RIA Novosti / Grigory Sysoev
The V-shaped bottom of the combat vehicle is protected from mines. In addition to passive protection, the tank also uses active and dynamic:
- — The Afganit complex intercepts ammunition at a distance thanks to radio-optical radars. Projectiles flying towards the tank are shot down by special shotguns located under the armor at a distance of 15-20 meters (the maximum permissible target interception limit is 4 meters). Small guns on the tower are capable of firing a smoke screen in different spectra to block laser guidance, and the tower automatically turns the most protected part towards the flying projectile.
- — The Malachite complex is the next stage of protection. Modules mounted on the tank's armor are detonated when enemy ammunition approaches, destroying them before colliding with the vehicle. This system is effective against armor-piercing shells and missiles.
In addition, the tank's developers have applied special technologies that make it difficult to identify the vehicle in the infrared and radio bands.
Caterpillar
According to Oleg Smirnov, the caterpillar of the T-14 Armata tank is protected by puncture-resistant rubber plates. It is equipped with an automatic system that allows you to maintain the correct tension of the track while driving.
Armament
The armament of the tank allows you to hit targets both on the ground and in the air. In addition to the main gun, the T-14 is equipped with a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun with remote control and a range of hitting air targets up to 1.5 km, as well as a 7.62 mm machine gun paired with a cannon to destroy enemy infantry.
A gun- The main armament of the T-14 Armata tank is a 125 mm 2A82-1M smoothbore cannon, which has an automatic loading system.
It can fire high-precision projectiles, including cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation, as well as powerful Armata anti-armor missiles," Oleg Smirnov notes.
T-14 Armata tank Image source: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Kudenko
Compared with similar guns of Western armored vehicles, the Armata gun has better barrel energy and accuracy of fire. The tank can also be equipped with a 152 mm cannon, this option reduces the amount of ammunition, but increases the armor-piercing capability of the vehicle.
Firing rangeAccording to the expert, the firing range of the T-14 Armata tank gun is about 7 km when using projectiles and more than 12 km when using anti-tank missiles.
The 152 mm cannon is capable of firing missiles with a range of up to 10 km.
ShellsThe tank can fire standard projectiles, including sub-caliber ammunition, unguided projectiles, remote-detonated projectiles, guided missiles and Reflex-M missiles.
Electronics and high technology
The machine is packed with the most modern electronics, almost all processes occur automatically, this is a step towards the creation of fully robotic military equipment. The digital control system increases the speed of performing any operations and connects the tank with any other members of the combat group. "The electronics and technologies used in the T-14 Armata include a control system, navigation devices, a weapon system, systems for monitoring the condition of a combat vehicle, etc. The tank is also equipped with an optical and thermal target detection system. A powerful computing system allows you to quickly process huge amounts of information received from various sensors. The tank control is fully automated, which reduces the load on the crew and increases its combat capability. One of the interesting features of the tank is the detection of targets using an active-passive radar, as well as a powerful thermal imaging detection system.", - says Oleg Smirnov.
Technical specifications
Armata surpasses its competitors in a number of technical characteristics.
Demonstration of the T-14 Armata tank Image source: © RIA Novosti / Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Weight in tons
Thanks to the use of modern technologies, the booking and equipment of the tank has significantly improved compared to the previous generation of the MBT, but the weight has not increased. Armata weighs 48 tons.
Sizes
The tank has the following dimensions:
|
Body length, mm |
8732 |
|
Length with cannon forward, mm |
10800 |
|
Width, mm |
3900 |
|
Height, mm |
2700 |
Engine
The basis of the tank is a heavy tracked transformer platform. The engine is a diesel X-shaped 12-cylinder. Its power can vary from 1100 to 1600 hp, the specific power is about 31 hp for each ton of mass. There is an automatic transmission with the possibility of switching to mechanical control and an active suspension.
Fuel consumption
Fuel consumption according to open sources is about 100 liters per 100 km.
Speed and mobility
According to Oleg Smirnov, the maximum speed on the road is up to 90 km/h, off-road - up to 70 km/h. The tank is capable of overcoming water obstacles up to 5 meters deep, including rivers and reservoirs.
Crew
The crew consists of three people: a driver-mechanic, a gunner and a commander. All of them are located in a large armored compartment in the middle of the tank next to each other, which facilitates direct communication and interaction.
How much does it cost
The cost of the T-14 "Armata" is not disclosed.
T-14 Armata tank at the Russian Army – Tomorrow exhibition Image source: © RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich
Comparison of the T-14 Armata with other combat vehicles
"Comparing the Armata with other combat vehicles can be difficult due to limited information, but in general, the T-14 is considered one of the most advanced tanks in the world thanks to the use of the latest technologies and engineering solutions," Oleg Smirnov notes.
T-14 against the American tank “Abrams”
The Armata is less armored than the American car, Russian engineers deliberately relied not on weighting the tank with powerful armor, but on the use of active and passive protection. The armor penetration of the 125 mm T-14 cannon has been improved so much that it poses a threat even to the frontal armor of the Abrams at short and medium distances. Both tanks are capable of destroying each other, so it is impossible to say which one is better.
T-14 vs German Leopard tank
The 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A82, according to the manufacturer, is 17% more powerful than the 120 mm Rheinmetall tank gun, which the Leopard is equipped with. According to experts, provided that the Armata projectile hits the armor at an angle of 90 degrees from a distance of 2 thousand meters, its penetration capacity is estimated at one thousand millimeters RHA. While the same indicator for the “Leopard 2" is 750 millimeters. The durability of the armor is evaluated in the same way: the “Armata” it ranges from 900 to 1000 millimeters RHA, and the “Leopard" - from 680 to 700. In addition, the German MBT is less maneuverable due to its own heavy weight.
The use of the T-14 in combat
There is no reliable evidence that the tank was used in combat at the moment.
