T-14 “Armata” – Putin’s super tank or just Kremlin propaganda? Britney Spears deletes her Instagram profile (for the 7th time) – fans call the police

New design, modern armor and armament, while being lighter and more mobile than its western counterparts: with the T-14 “Armata”, Russia appeared to be catching up with NATO armies in armor technology. The British Ministry of Defense even called it a “revolution in tank development” when the first photos of the T-14 became public in 2015. But now the myth of the Russian high-tech device has faded.

Three examples of the T-14 were again displayed in Moscow during the May 9 parade. However, the model is said to have been on the battlefields in Ukraine only recently. The Russian army relies on the T-72 and T-80 tank models rather than their most modern equipment. British intelligence believes that the T-14 tanks were in such poor condition that the armed forces in Ukraine would have been reluctant to accept them. Even before Putin’s war of aggression, experts pointed to problems with the T-14 that could explain its long absence from the war zone.

For the crew, T-14 “Armata” is much safer

In terms of technical data, the T-14 is actually one of the most effective main battle tanks in the world. It is the first Russian tank whose turret is unmanned, similar to the American tank M1 Abrams. This design is considerably safer for the crew: in the previous models of the T-14, the crew sits in the turret directly above the ordnance; if a projectile hits there, the ammunition often explodes and the turret blows up – an all too familiar sight in the war in Ukraine. With such a hit, the crew usually has no chance.

Instead of a flat and compact shape to protect the crew, the developers of the T-14 opted for stronger armor. According to Russian information, a composite armor made of ceramic and a new type of steel alloy should also protect the T-14 against anti-tank weapons – without making the tank too heavy. With a combat weight of about 55 tons, the T-14 is considerably lighter than a German Leopard 2 at 72 tons or an American Abrams at 73 tons – and that with almost the same dimensions. Less weight means more speed and reach.

Only 20 instead of 2,300 units of the T-14 delivered

Experts were also impressed by the explosive reactive armor “Malachite”, which was said to be installed as standard equipment on the T-14. With «malachite», explosives are applied between layers of metal and composite material on a tile. These tiles can then be attached to particularly vulnerable areas of the tank. If an enemy projectile hits such a “malachite” tile, the explosives in it will explode, partially offsetting the effect of the attack.

But no matter how impressive the technical data of the “Armata”, it has not yet entered series production. The Russian military originally planned to procure 2,300 units by 2020, but so far a maximum of 20 units have been commissioned. In 2018, the Kremlin said serial production of the T-14 was unnecessary – the T-72, T-80 and T-90 models could finally compete with NATO tanks, said the Deputy Prime Minister of Defense and Space Industry. Yuri Borisov.

Russia loses modern T-90 tank in Ukraine

In addition to the high production costs of about seven million euros each, Western sanctions also threaten to hinder mass production of the T-14. After the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, the West imposed sanctions in the technology sector, which means that Russia can no longer easily access many parts of the T-14: “The costs for the project have exploded, Russia had major problems to the T-14 in series production – also because many special materials and sub-components from the West are used for the main battle tank, which are no longer available, “said the military expert Gustav Gressel in May of the “Mirror”.

Another modern tank that saw action in Ukraine was a T-90M MBT. This is based on the same chassis and design as the T-72 and T-80 models, but should be considerably less vulnerable thanks to modern electronics and armour. But that too turns out to be a myth: in the spring, just days after it was first sighted on the battlefield, Ukrainian forces destroyed the T-90 near Kharkiv.