How many tons are in service 14. Russia has just announced how many deadly Armata tanks it will build. Infrared target detection complex

21.09.2019

T-14 (Index GBTU - Object 148) is the latest Russian main battle tank with an uninhabited turret based on the Armata universal tracked platform. The T-14 was presented to the general public at the Victory Parade in 2015 along with other products based on the Armata.

Tank T-14 "Armata" - video

As part of the state armaments program, a state order has been placed for the manufacture of 2,300 T-14 tanks until 2020-2025. In 2015, a pilot batch of 20 tanks was manufactured. In 2016, the mass production tanks, which is not planned to be reduced even in a crisis. At the same time, the procedure for military acceptance and elimination of shortcomings was launched.

The T-14 is the first tank in the world within the framework of the concept of "network-centric warfare", where the T-14, due to the medium-range circular AFAR radar used in the tank, and infrared HD surveillance cameras with 360 ° circular coverage, is used as a reconnaissance vehicle, target designation and fire adjustment of self-propelled guns, air defense systems and escorts from T-90 tanks of their tactical level.

The T-14 is the world's first "stealth tank" not only with a drastic reduction in visibility in the infrared, radio and magnetic range, but also with the use of innovative "signature distortion" technologies, that is, the distortion of its visual image in the indicated ranges, making it difficult to find a tank GOS ATGM class Javelin, Spike or JAGM among discarded infrared traps and clouds of dipoles. It is equipped with a new generation of the Afganit active protection complex, capable of intercepting even anti-tank shells and, safely for the infantry and equipment surrounding the tank, blind anti-tank guided missiles by using smoke-metal curtains or burning out the electronics of their homing heads through the use of electromagnetic weapons.

The T-14 is equipped with fourth-generation dynamic armor "Malachite", which is capable of repelling shots from hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers with a probability of more than 95%, as well as destroying modern anti-tank sub-caliber projectiles, even fired into the side of a tank.
The multi-layer ceramic-metal frontal armor of the tank cannot be penetrated by existing projectiles and anti-tank missiles. The world's first tank with an armored crew capsule, which guarantees its survival even with the detonation of ammunition.

The history of the creation of the T-14 is connected with the continuation of the developments of the USSR on tanks with an uninhabited turret, as well as the competition between the Russian Federation and the United States for the creation of a tank for the concept of "network-centric warfare", where the Future Combat Systems program was a competitor to the Armata project. The authoritative American publication National Interest, assessing the competition between the Armata and Future Combat Systems programs, notes that the American military-industrial complex suffered a serious defeat for the national prestige of the United States, failing to complete the development of a replacement for the Abrams tank.

Unlike traditional tanks, the T-14 is a "network tank", that is, it is designed not for a single battle, but to work with a group of different combat vehicles in one tactical level, performing the functions of reconnaissance, target designation and remote control through a single tactical level control system from the Sozvezdie concern, which allows all machines of the Armata platform to receive the operational situation in real time and automatically calculate ballistic data for fire control systems in the scenario of hitting targets not with one Armata, but attacking the target with the whole group at once, which includes, in addition to the T-14, several more heavy infantry fighting vehicles T-15, self-propelled guns 2S35 "Coalition-SV" and an attack helicopter.

The T-14 has a GLONASS navigation antenna protected from electronic warfare and a radio communication system, which is described in more detail in the article on ESU TK.

Since the T-14 radar is declared Ka-band, this means that it has a theoretical accuracy of up to 5 minutes of arc(0.08°). In practice, for similar radars like Credo-1E, it is possible to achieve an accuracy of about 10 meters in range and 0.1 ° in azimuth. The T-14 panoramic infrared sight with independent rotation can refine the azimuth of the detected target with even greater accuracy, as was done on a similar XM1209 machine in the Future Combat Systems program. However, even without taking into account the refinement of the coordinates of targets by optical methods, the radar allows you to effectively correct the fire of self-propelled guns following the T-14, and, in general, conduct your own fire quite effectively. high-explosive fragmentation projectiles. Indeed, the radar, with an accuracy of 0.1 ° at 6 km, can give out coordinates with an accuracy of about 10 meters. At 10 km, the error will be about 17 meters, which is enough to shell infantry and lightly armored vehicles from self-propelled guns with 152 mm shells. Note that even small Doppler radars also see well the explosions of shells on flying fragments, so they can be used to correct artillery fire, reporting an amendment to the shooting. An important fact is that even having specified the azimuth using the panoramic sight, the tank commander may not use the laser rangefinder and the target will not be able to take self-defense measures like a smoke screen.

Some experts point out that the T-14 pulse-Doppler radar is able to calculate the trajectories of projectiles like an artillery reconnaissance radar, that is, it is capable of automatically calculating the coordinates of the positions of enemy tanks and artillery from the trajectories of projectiles flying past the T-14 and performing automatic shelling. Indeed, in a similar radar as the ELM-2133 from Trophy, the calculation of the coordinates of an ATGM, RPG or projectile shot is supported with data transmission to the FCS for opening return fire. However, following the example of a similar system in the Merkava, it can be expected that the accuracy of determining the coordinates of the missile launch site by this method may not be sufficient for inflicting a retaliatory artillery strike only on them, additional reconnaissance of the target by optical means will be required.

Since the T-14 uses a pulse-Doppler radar capable of calculating the target's velocity vector, the radar can provide very accurate angular coordinates of a helicopter or aircraft in the air to indicate the sector for launching missiles for light SAMs of the Sosna, Strela-10M4 class or OSA SAMs that do not have their own surveillance circular radars, but equipped with equipment for external target designation and radio control. For more powerful Pantsir-S1 air defense systems, such an external target designation scenario is also of extreme value, since it allows you to avoid unmasking the air defense system due to the operation of your own radar with the risk of being destroyed by an anti-radar missile.

Experts report that the T-14 will be able to indicate targets to its escort from numerous old T-90MS tanks modernized with the installation of jamming-proof communications and GPS / GLONASS navigators. Obviously, the accuracy of the T-14 radar is overkill for such a scenario, since the T-90MS will perform the final fine targeting of their infrared sights. However, the very implementation of such a scenario is much more important, since it allows the T-14, being the most valuable control vehicle, to evade contact combat, and, having entered into contact combat, not destroy its own tanks.

The concept of "network-centric warfare" leads to the massive introduction of robotics, so Uralvagonzavod announced that the T-14 will be remotely controlled, and by 2017-2018 prototypes of the T-14 without a crew and controlled by a robot with artificial intelligence. As the first stage in the creation of the "unmanned" T-14, the crew should be reduced to 2 people in the serial version of the tank, the vacated space is planned to be used for additional ammunition. Chinese information Agency Sina, commenting on this, notes that the T-14 can thus become a “combat droid”, automatically destroying detected targets without human intervention, where the operator issues only general tactical tasks. It should be noted that such modes of automatic destruction of all targets that did not respond to the “friend or foe” request have been working in air defense systems for many years, so the novelty of the technology is only in application for tanks.

Active protection complex Afghanit

The location of the cameras and radars KAZ Afganit on the tower of the T-14 tank

The Afghanit active protection complex (KAZ) has long-range threat warning radars, therefore it is also used for reconnaissance purposes. Afghanistan defense scenarios also include the integration of a fire control system for an aggressive fire response in the event of an attack on the protected armored vehicles. Including Afghanit controls the automatic rotation of the tower in the direction of the incoming ammunition to deploy more powerful armor and protective equipment in its direction, and most importantly, striking - according to the calculation of the ATGM.

Afganit's surveillance radio-optical radar consists of four AFAR panels of a pulse-Doppler radar and circular HD-cameras integrated with it in the far and near infrared range. Due to integration with infrared surveillance equipment, Afganit has increased resistance to electronic warfare and can also only be in passive mode with cameras turned on, but with the radar turned off for masking. The complex is safe for the surrounding infantry, as it is focused on disabling missiles more by means of smoke-metal curtains, an electromagnetic pulse from a stationary generator on an SOS diode and EMP grenades. To enhance the effectiveness of the camouflage curtains, the T-14 is equipped with stealth tools, such as thermal insulation of the hull and reduced visibility in the radio range.

Afganit has the ability to control a robotic machine gun to destroy incoming ammunition. Afganit can destroy even shells attacking armored vehicles due to additional 2x high-speed short-range Doppler radars made using PFAR technology and working on illumination from a constant source.

Complex of dynamic booking Malachite

The T-14 has a new version of dynamic armor, which can also be implemented on electronic control. At the moment, the developers have disclosed only the data that the Malachite VDZ is capable of breaking shells inside itself and reflecting heavy ATGMs. The safety of the VDZ for the tank and infantry is claimed by reducing the amount of explosive used by the VDZ to destroy ammunition.

Radar complex

AFAR radar N036B-1-01 created on the LTCC technology used for T-14 radars

The T-14 radar is used for reconnaissance of all types of targets from enemy armored vehicles to the identification of an ATGM flight. The radar itself is part of the Afghanit active defense system, although it can be used in offensive scenarios.

According to the terms of reference of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the purchase of the T-14, for the first time in the world, the tank will use an active phased array radar, made using the same technology as the fifth generation T-50 fighter - on low-temperature ceramics for the Ka-band 26.5- 40 GHz (LTCC technology). A feature of the AFAR technology at LTCC is the moderate cost of the radar and reliability. The AFAR radar consists of 4 LTCC panels on the tank turret and provides 360-degree target surveillance without radar rotation. In general, the radar resembles in design the four panels of the ELM-2133 radar from the Trophy active protection complex for the Merkava tank. The radar panels are also covered with bulletproof and anti-fragmentation screens. For quick removal and replacement protective screens or a damaged radar module, plastic loops are provided entirely.

AFAR T-14 radars are visible on the tank turret

The T-14 surveillance radar can simultaneously track 40 ground dynamic and 25 airborne aerodynamic targets at a distance of up to 100 km. Previously, manufacturers of radars for KAZ, before the release of Afghanit, even struggled with the target detection range, reducing the power and range of the radar as much as possible. In KAZ "Arena" a mode was built in to reduce the power of pulses as the ammunition approached. But all such measures as a whole turned out to be ineffective against ultra-sensitive antennas of electronic intelligence systems and, in particular, AWACS aircraft, which automatically calculated the positions of tanks at a great distance immediately after turning on the KAZ radars, even with a weak signal. In the T-14 concept, they decided not to fight this, but to make a disadvantage a virtue, that is, to increase the power of the radar, making it even more noticeable, but turning it into a means of reconnaissance of targets in a “network-centric war” scenario, for issuing targets for destruction in the first place other combat vehicles.

In addition to the four surveillance radar panels, the T-14 also has two ultra-fast response radars for short range. These radars are needed to trigger the destructive elements of the KAZ against shells (BOPS), as well as for the purpose of masking when the main T-14 surveillance radar is turned off, this technology is described in more detail in the section on the active protection complex. A surveillance radar of 4 panels controls the setting of multispectral curtains, and also performs the functions of reconnaissance of targets.

Infrared target detection complex

Turret of the T-14 tank with clearly visible infrared devices

On the turret with a machine gun mount there is a panoramic sight with independent rotation from the axis of the machine gun by 180 ° with a highly sensitive and high-precision infrared system with cryogenic cooling manufactured by the Kazan Optical and Mechanical Plant. The infrared camera is paired with a camera in the visible light spectrum and a laser rangefinder. Together with the machine gun mount, the panoramic sight can rotate 360°. The independent rotation mode of the sight and machine gun was first publicly demonstrated on April 2, 2016 during the T-14 tests. In general, the joint movement of the mechanics of the panoramic sight independent of the machine gun is classic and the same solutions can be seen in demonstrations from Raytheon.

Traditionally panoramic sights are used by tank commanders to locate target coordinates. In the case of a "network-centric tank" like the T-14, the panoramic sight, similar to the XM1209, is integrated with the tank's radar and the robotic mechanics quickly rotates the panoramic sight to examine in turn the targets detected by the tank's radar or by the circular infrared cameras described below. Thus, the coordinates of the targets are specified, the low resolution of the radar and the possible loss of contact with the radar target due to the use of electronic warfare are compensated.

The tank commander receives a map of the tactical situation on a computer monitor, on which the coordinates of the targets are superimposed, and gives commands to the gunner which targets to inspect or fire in more detail. The identified coordinates of ground and air targets are also broadcast from the T-14 to the ESU TZ command vehicle, which will select the means of destruction.

The infrared sight of the tank is designed for precise aiming of the gun at the target and is used as part of the fire control system described below, as well as for examining the target received from the tank commander by the gunner. Moreover, the gunner, using the touch screen, can, by pressing a finger on the image, specify the coordinates of the target, which is necessary for target designation on carefully camouflaged targets when the computer needs human assistance.

Since the device is automatically closed by armored shutters, it does not participate in the automatic continuous search for targets. The only non-electronic optical periscopes on the T-14 are available to the driver and tank commander for viewing for driving purposes. For driving at night, the driver uses a night vision device, as well as the tank’s LED headlights, which allow you to switch to infrared road illumination mode so as not to unmask the tank at night. Since the device is automatically closed by an armored cap, it does not participate in the automatic continuous search for targets.

Complex of circular target detection in infrared and ultraviolet spectra

Infrared surveillance camera T-14 with a lens made of crystalline germanium. Left tube hydrotreating

In T-14, in addition to optical devices, included in the FCS, is equipped with six HD-resolution cameras on the tank turret, which allows the crew to observe the situation around the tank 360 degrees without leaving it. The cameras are equipped with self-contained power supply and a system for hydro-cleaning optics from dust and dirt.

All-round HD cameras are connected to the Afghanit active protection system, allowing it to:

Work with the radar turned off

Avoid operation errors

Work in EW conditions

Determine the irradiation of the tank with a laser

Video cameras on microbolometers also allow you to find targets in the infrared range through fog and smoke, which is important given that the T-14 is heavily focused on blinding opponents with smoke screens. For example, the T-14, when surrounded by enemy infantry, can put a smoke screen around itself, making it invisible to grenade launchers, and shoot them from a machine gun mount according to IR devices.

Armament T-14 "Armata"

fire control system

The fire control system receives data for shelling targets from radio-optical means of detecting their coordinates, described above. To guide the armament of the tank, the ballistic computer also uses data from the following sensors mounted on the roof of the tank.

Own position of the tank from the GLONASS receiver and inertial navigation system
Gyroscopic sensors of the tank's angular orientation in space
Wind direction and speed sensor
Temperature and humidity sensor
Barrel bend sensor from heating

Gun T-14 "Armata"

The first copies of the tank were equipped with a 125-mm 2A82-1M smoothbore gun (in an uninhabited turret, with fully remote digital control), developed by Plant No. 9, which has the ability to fire on the move. In the presence of a sensor for bending the barrel from heating for accounting in ballistic calculations (fixed in a small container above the barrel). The range of hitting targets is up to 7000 meters and the rate of fire is 10-12 rounds per minute. The 2A82 gun has a 17% higher muzzle energy and 20% more accurate than the best NATO weapon on the Leopard 2 tank. A feature of the 2A82 autoloader is the ability to fire long ammunition up to 1 meter long, which is critical for armor-piercing sub-caliber shells of increased power, such as the "Vacuum-1" similar to the M829A3 for Abrams. Taking into account the fact that the T-14 will most likely be used in local wars against old tanks of third world countries, it is likely that the 2A82-1M will remain the main weapon due to the advantage of twice as much ammunition over other variants of the 152-mm caliber gun , which is likely to have a smaller number of copies of the T-14.

A part of serial copies of the T-14 will also be equipped with a 152-mm 2A83 gun. In February 2016, the military acceptance procedure for the T-14 began, including a version of the tank with a 152 mm gun. The 2A83 gun has an armor-piercing piercing projectile of more than 1000 mm, which obviously exceeds the armor of modern tanks, and therefore experts assess the gun as redundant relative to the most powerful 2A82-1M among tank guns in the world. For comparison, the latest modification of the M1A2 Abrams has a booking equivalent of BOPS ~ 900 mm (not to be confused with the equivalent of 1350 mm from monobloc ATGMs). US Department of Defense analysts in their report note that for the 152 mm gun, Rosatom is developing a new armor-piercing depleted uranium sub-caliber projectile, which allows destroying the strongest armored steel. Vyacheslav Khalitov, Deputy Director General of the Uralvagonzavod corporation, also noted that armor-piercing in the classical sense of the word is often not required for 152 mm shells, since kinetic energy the projectile is enough to tear off the entire turret of an enemy tank even without breaking through its armor. Projectile flight speed 1980 m / s due to the use of a number of new developments.

The tank can easily be re-equipped with a 152 mm gun, however, the 152 mm gun has the disadvantage of a smaller ammunition load compared to the 125 mm gun, however, it is possible to use a turret niche to carry additional ammunition.

T-14 "Armata" with a 152-mm gun

The original known regular shells of the Grifel family for the 2A83 gun, like any armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber shells were uncontrollable. However, since the 152-mm 2A83 gun was developed on the basis of the 2A65 gun, a modification of which is used in the 2S19 Msta-S heavy self-propelled guns, some experts suggested the possibility of using Krasnopol-type Msta-S guided projectiles. Lev Romanov noted that if guided missiles for the T-14 are created, they will, unlike the Krasnopol, be radio-controlled, taking into account the presence of a radar on the T-14. In general, the idea that the T-14 will be with a 152-mm gun and guided missiles scenarios of combat use are available, more like self-propelled guns, supported by Viktor Murakhovsky, who points out the effectiveness of the fight against infantry due to high-explosive fragmentation shells with remote detonation over its position, and calls the T-14 in such a scenario a “fire support tank”. The designers of "Uralvagonzavod" also note that the T-14 with a 152 mm gun turns into some kind of hybrid of a tank and a self-propelled artillery mount, therefore they call this version of the T-14 not a tank, but a "combat artillery vehicle"(BAM).

Experts' assumptions about the availability of guided projectiles for the T-14 were also confirmed by the statement of the specialized design bureau NTIIM, which announced the launch of the Trajectory test complex for new guided 152-mm projectiles for the T-14 and the Coalition-SV self-propelled guns, but the developers refuse to report them exact performance characteristics, noting only that these ammunition will have means of bypassing promising funds Air defenses capable of shooting down projectiles, and will also be capable of bypassing EW countermeasures, which indicates that this ammunition is not designed for tank duels, but for hitting highly protected objects like anti-aircraft missile systems or command posts that were within the reach of the T-14 during tank breakthroughs. Judging by the disclosure of data on the manufacturer's website, the T-14 guided projectiles will be corrected active-reactive, since the "Trajectory" is designed to monitor the jet engines of active-reactive projectiles. Active rockets are different long range, judging by the fact that test firing of T-14 guided missiles is carried out at a training ground converted for them for distances of 30-50 km, then this is probably the range of this precision-guided munition.

Missile weapons T-14 "Armata"

Like its predecessors, the T-14 will have the ability to launch missiles through the gun barrel using the next version of the Reflex-M missile system. The presence of the ability to shoot T-14 guided missiles confirms the report of experts from the US Department of Defense magazine OE Watch.

Viktor Murakhovsky also notes that the 152 mm caliber matches the Kornet ATGM and allows the use of its missiles, which have twice the longer range(10 km versus 5 km) and armor-piercing (1400 mm versus 850 mm) than 125 mm caliber rockets from Reflex-M. Also in the Kornet nomenclature is the 9M133FM-3 air defense missile, which significantly exceeds the capabilities of the Invar-M air defense missile for Reflex-M, which, although it can hit a hovering helicopter, the 9M133FM-3 range is twice as high (10 km) and , most importantly, this missile is specially designed to destroy air targets at an altitude of up to 9 km and aircraft at speeds up to 900 km / h. Many domestic experts advocate the 152 mm caliber precisely because of the ability to launch anti-aircraft missiles and perform air defense functions.

Note that there is no critical need to launch 152 mm missiles in the T-14, since the T-14 tank is designed to work in a tactical group with a heavy T-15 infantry fighting vehicle, which is already armed with the Kornet ATGM and is more effective in firing air targets from his anti-aircraft gun.

Machine gun armament

The machine gun armament consists of an anti-aircraft mount with a Kord machine gun, remotely controlled by a commander or gunner, and paired with a PKTM gun. The Kord anti-aircraft machine gun is mounted in its own robotic turret, integrated with the tank’s AFAR radar, thermal imagers and is capable of hitting even high-speed targets at a distance of up to 1500 meters, therefore, in addition to the air defense function, it is integrated into the tank’s active protection complex.

Tower armor

Presumably, the armor of the T-14 tower consists of the main armor and anti-fragmentation casing, the devices on the tower are located between the armor layers. The casing also protects the tank's instruments from fragmentation, high-explosive and bullet damage, and is also used to reduce radio visibility against the most advanced radar-guided ATGMs in various frequency bands. In addition, the casing of the tower, performing the function of the "Faraday Cage", is one of the means of ensuring the declared resistance of devices to an electromagnetic pulse. The casing is collapsible with the help of latches, which allows you to get quick access to the devices under it for the purpose of repair and maintenance. Some of the equipment on the turret, such as KAZ surveillance radars, can be quickly replaced in field conditions without disassembling the turret casing through plastic pull-out cables.

The T-14 probably used the storage of a part of the ammunition in the aft part of the turret, similar to the Leopard-2 and Merkava, which makes it possible to throw out an explosive wave with the help of lifting panels when the ammunition is detonated without serious damage to the tank, and also additionally cover the separation of the MTO from ATGMs attacking in tank roof. It is quite possible that a supply of long BOPS of increased power "Vacuum-1" is stored in the aft part of the tower, which, due to their meter length, may not fit into a floor carousel with other shells. Sources confirm that in the aft part of the T-14 turret there is a spare ammunition load for a machine gun. At the same time, it is stated that there is a special robot for reloading a machine gun with this ammunition load without the need for the crew to leave the tank.

An analysis of the first experiments with uninhabited towers as "Object 477" can give some idea about the main armor of the T-14 turret on the casing.

Hull armor

T-14 uses common elements of passive armor for the Armata platform:

Frontal composite armor impenetrable for modern ATGMs up to 150mm caliber and BOPS up to 120mm caliber

MTO compartment, ammunition compartment and fuel compartment are isolated from each other by armored bulkheads

Additional fuel tanks are protected from fire by an open-cell filler, and are also protected by armor and an anti-cumulative screen

stealth tools

T-14 uses common stealth tools for the Armata platform in infrared, radio and magnetic observation ranges:

The body is thermally insulated from the inside
There is an exhaust mixing system with cold air
To reduce radio visibility, flat reflective edges were used in the hull design
Painting the T-14 reduces the heating of the tank in the sun and has radio absorbing properties
There is a system of distortion of the magnetic field of the tank

System for mixing exhaust with cold air and simulating exhaust holes to disorient ATGMs with IR seeker like Javelin

Engine and active suspension

T-14 uses a common engine and active suspension for the Armata platform with the following characteristics

Engine with automatic transmission and variable output from 1200 to 1800 hp provides movement up to 90 km/h and range up to 500 km
The active suspension provides a radical reduction in tank sway on the move, which increases the accuracy of shooting on the move and the speed of movement along
rough terrain
The CICS of the tank controls the engine, transmission and active suspension devices, automatically making decisions on tank maintenance and giving voice commands to the crew

Comparison of the T-14 "Armata" with other tanks

When comparing the T-14 with NATO tanks, it should be noted that the general analytical agency FMSO under the US Department of Defense in its report notes that the T-14 is the next generation tank in relation to the existing ones. As FMSO analyst Charles Bartlez notes in this report, the T-14 has a number of advantages over existing NATO tanks: long-range radar, active suspension, which increases the speed and accuracy of the tank, frontal armor, impenetrable modern missiles and projectiles, and active system protection capable of intercepting even shells.

At the moment, only two tanks in the world are supplied with a standard active defense system equipped with an AFAR radar with the function of automatically calculating the position of a rocket or projectile fired at a tank: the T-14 and the Israeli Merkava tank. Although the frontal armor of the Merkava is weaker than that of the T-14, but the engine located in front of the tank guarantees the protection of the crew, however, at the cost of losing the tank's mobility. The active protection of both the Merkava and other promising NATO tanks is not able to reflect shells.

The opinion of the officers of the British General Staff that the main combat Challenger tank 2 cannot penetrate the T-14's defenses with its gun and therefore needs to be replaced.

The Die Welt newspaper published information from the conclusion of the German Ministry of Defense on the need to urgently replace the Leopard 2 in connection with the advent of the T-14 Armata, which led to the creation of a Franco-German joint tank concern. The press reports that the main motive for the fears of the German military coincides with the British, namely the inability of the Leopard 2 to break through the protection of the T-14.

Chinese tank builders claim that their VT-4 is superior to the Armata T-14, but as an argument, they suggest that their transmission implementation is better. At the same time, the PRC government has shown interest in purchasing T-14s.

According to the Polish media, the T-14 surpasses all tanks in the world in terms of its combat power.

It should be noted that the comparison of the T-14 with other tanks goes beyond just tables with performance characteristics. The National Interest magazine, in comparing the T-14 and Abrams, notes that the T-14 has many protective technologies that are not only in the Abrams, but in no other tank in the world. However, the expert believes that after completing the upgrades, Abrams will be able to hit the T-14. The expert considers that the key criterion is not even the protective or attacking means of the T-14 and Abrams, but the ability of the tank to see its opponent earlier, that is, the ability of radars and stealth technologies, since the one who was able to see the opponent first, according to the expert, will win the battle .

Second key criterion, according to the National Interest expert, is the ability of the Russian military-industrial complex to produce a sufficient number of T-14s in the conditions of the economic crisis. The experts at the National Interest are backed by prominent economist Rick Smith, who notes that the Pentagon failed with the Future Combat Systems program, trying to create a tank platform like the Armata, and spending $16.1 billion on research. The US military realized they needed another $300 billion and couldn't afford it. However, economically, the Almaty program looks, according to Smith, not so expensive.

The release of the T-14 itself requires expanding the comparison criteria TTX tanks due to new technologies in a new generation tank:

It is required to take into account not just the speed of the tank on the highway, but the speed of the tank over rough terrain, which, due to the active suspension of the T-14, reaches 90 km/h, which is a record, and the accuracy of shooting should not seriously suffer from moving over rough terrain.
The presence of an AFAR radar for detecting threats and targets is becoming an indispensable attribute of a modern tank.
A modern tank should have various stealth technologies in the infrared, radio and magnetic ranges.
A modern tank should have not just stealth technology like visibility reduction, but “dynamic signature change” technologies in the infrared, radio and magnetic ranges to block tank recognition systems among interference and traps using a signature library.
A modern tank should have the means to automatically deploy not just smoke screens that are transparent in the infrared and radio ranges, but to automatically deploy multispectral curtains that are opaque in the infrared and millimeter ranges.
What is required is not just the presence of an active defense complex, but the ability of active defense to repel not only missile attacks, but also shoot down sub-caliber armor-piercing shells.
It requires not just an anti-aircraft machine gun, but a high-precision robotic anti-aircraft installation capable of shooting down missiles and even shells according to the AFAR radar.
A modern tank should be equipped with electromagnetic weapons at least against missiles.
The frontal armor of the tank must exceed 1000 mm equivalent.
The dynamic armor of the tank should be virtually invulnerable to hand grenade launchers and with a high probability of repelling attacks by heavy anti-tank missiles with tandem warheads.
The turret of a modern tank should require not just breaking through the armor, but serious destruction to disable the turret. Ammunition designed to hit the loader and gunner with small fragments in the turret should be ineffective against a modern tank.

Comparison of dimensions T-14 and T-90

Purchases of T-14 "Armata" for the Russian Armed Forces

The manufacturing plant stated that as of 2015 the cost of the tank is 250 million rubles. Due to the depreciation of the ruble and the use of components of Russian origin, the T-14, despite more powerful equipment than Western tanks, costs 1.5-2 times cheaper. According to the director of Uralvagonzavod, Oleg Sienko, the company received an order for the production of 2,300 copies of the T-14 until 2020, but in the event of a reduction in the military budget of the Russian Federation, the plan can be expanded until 2025. According to expert Viktor Murakhovsky, financing of the T-14 project will be a priority for the Russian Defense Ministry, even to the detriment of other projects, since it is obvious that possible local wars in which Russia may take part will be in the nature of land battles near its borders.

This point of view is supported by analysts of the US Department of Defense FMSO, who point to the repeated mention in the analytical report on the State Arms Program of the Russian Federation on the effectiveness of arms procurement, issued for public council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Scientific and Expert Council under the Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation on Defense, analyzes of lessons from armed conflict in eastern Ukraine with conclusions about the need for mass purchases of T-14 tanks. It is assumed that “the deployment of mass purchases of brigade sets of Armata tanks should become one of the main directions of the State Armaments Program of the Russian Federation ... The Armata platform, as providing a qualitative superiority over any modern tank should be considered as an absolute priority program for supply to production and purchases. At the same time, given the lack of the budget of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, it is proposed to aggressively increase purchases of ground weapons, while reducing purchases of the Navy, including the new Yasen-M nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, any analogues of the Mistral large landing craft and others.

In April 2016, the media reported on the order of a limited batch of 100 tanks for military trials. A batch of 100 test tanks will allow us to detect possible flaws, as well as give engineers tasks to improve some characteristics. Already, the military is putting forward demands for strengthening the engine to 1500 l / s and increasing the caliber of the gun to 152 mm. In the future, it is possible to create a tank-robot based on this tank, operating without placing a crew in it.

Export

The export of tanks based on Almaty is possible after meeting the needs of the state defense order. Uralvagonzavod said that in order to obtain permission to export the T-14, the secrecy stamp would be removed from it in the future.

Interest in the tank was shown by India, China, Egypt and the countries of Southeast Asia.

Purchase of 1000 T-14 tanks by India is possible. The Thai Ministry of Defense is considering the purchase of the T-14 in connection with the termination of the contract for the purchase of the Ukrainian Oplot tank, but the T-90S will most likely be purchased, as the Thai military is looking for offers in the lower price category of tanks.

National Interest, after interviewing experts, received a positive opinion on the export prospects of the T-14 on the following reasoning:

The modularity of the Armata allows you to quickly create different export configurations of the T-14 for the specific needs of different customers, flexibly vary the price in various configurations and provide customers with rich modernization prospects
The emphasis on crew security will certainly attract the military as customers
Own Chinese and Indian tanks are in fact only the modernization of the tanks of the 1980s, and new options for modernization are criticized by the military in terms of reliability and combat effectiveness.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the T-14 "Armata"

Combat weight, t…………………………48
Layout scheme………………………… “monitor”
Crew, people………………………….3

Developer…………………………UKBTM
Manufacturer…………………………Uralvagonzavod
Years of development…………………………2009 - n/a
Years of production…………………………since 2015

Type of armor…………………………Combined multilayer
Active defense………………………… “Afghanit”
Dynamic protection…………………………"Malachite"

Armament
Caliber and brand of gun…………………………125-mm 2A82-1M
Type of gun…………………………Smoothbore gun
Gun ammunition…………………………45 shells (32 in AZ)
Machine guns…………………………1 × 12.7 mm Cord; 1 × 7.62 mm PKTM+

Engine power, l. from………………………….1500
Highway speed, km/h…………………………70-90
Cross-country speed, km/h…………………..40-60
Range on the highway, km…………………………500
Specific power, l. s./t…………………………31
Suspension type…………………………Active

How are things going with the release of the T-14 today?

T-14 "ARMATA"

Back in March 2017 due to severe financial position, into which the enterprise led by him fell, the powers of Oleg Sienko were terminated ahead of schedule. And the number of T-14 tanks built here is not yet counted in thousands, but only a few dozen vehicles. There were 12 tanks in the first pilot batch (they passed through Red Square in 2015), after which another hundred tanks were ordered for “military trials”.

In 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin stated that the tests of the T-14 Armata tank would end in 2018, and from the next 2019, its experimental military operation would begin (this, apparently, was intended for the aforementioned batch of hundreds tanks). Later, in February 2018, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov (since March 2018, Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Industrial Affairs), confirmed that the Ministry of Defense has a contract for the supply of two battalions of T-14 tanks for testing. More detailed information Deputy Minister of Defense Alexei Krivoruchko spoke at the Army-2018 forum: “... today a contract has been signed for 132 T-14 and T-15 vehicles. We will receive the first nine cars already this year, production cars. By the end of 2021, the contract will be completed.”

T-14 "Armata"

This means that by 2022 the Russian army will have only about a hundred T-14s at its disposal, and, accordingly, we are no longer talking about thousands of Armats. These tanks, most likely, will be sent to one of the heavy brigades (type B), in which the states are supposed to have tanks on the heavy Armata platform (73 units) and heavy infantry fighting vehicles.

The temporary freeze on the start of large-scale production of the T-14 is also confirmed by other statements by those responsible for the "defense" who noted that the T-14 "Armata" tank is "too expensive for mass purchases." So on July 30, 2018, Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Industrial Affairs Yuri Borisov noted: “The Russian army does not have a great need for Armata tanks, and the current needs are covered by the modernization of the existing military equipment... We do not have a special need for this, these models are quite expensive in relation to the existing ones. ... if the existing armored vehicles, in particular, the updated T-72, were inferior to a potential enemy, we would promote the purchase of new weapons. But they are not inferior, which means there is no need to buy something.

As for the cost of the T-14, there are no exact figures yet, of course. According to Oleg Sienko, the general director of Uralvagonzavod, referring to 2015, the cost of one T-14 Armata tank was a little over 250 million rubles (at the then rate of about 3.7 million dollars), although some experts estimated it at 8 million million dollars. According to later information, the cost of the Armata tank should be about 4 million dollars (this is 2 million cheaper than, for example, the German
"Leopard" or the Israeli tank "Merkava", and the French "Leclerc" in general pulls at 8.5 million dollars), but the military was counting on the reduction in the cost of T-14 tanks by 2020.

T-14 "Armata"

In the last month, the topic of possible deliveries of the T-14 for export has been rather lively discussed in the media. As reported by the Indian information edition The Economic Times, India is considering purchasing T-14 Armata tanks to replace obsolete T-72 modifications as part of the Multipurpose Future Ready Combat Vehicles program. At the same time, the announced sum of the probable agreement at 4.5 billion dollars (with an estimated volume of 1770 tanks) indicates that the information about the export of "Armata" is unlikely to be true. If you believe the information in the Indian media, Delhi plans to pay a little more than $2.5 million for one tank, while even on the domestic market the price of the Armata exceeds $3.7-4 million.

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Tanks T-14 "Armata" / Photo: www.soyuzmash.ru

After the closure of the T-95 and Burlak projects, one gets the feeling that a promising tank in the post-Soviet space will never be created. But in 2015, at the Victory Parade, products based on the Armata platform were presented to the general public - a new generation T-14 tank and a heavy T-15 infantry fighting vehicle with a front-mounted MTO. With the advent of the first shots of the "Armata", a lot of speculation appeared about this tank. Someone gave it embellished qualities, someone called it plywood and invented non-existent flaws. Material about layout features, protection, mobility and firepower new Russian tank "Armata". Photos and descriptions of crew jobs and their equipment are provided. Opinions are given about the advantages and disadvantages of the new tank. given history reference on the development of promising tanks on the territory former USSR starting from the 70s.

T-13 "Armata" / Photo: btvt.info

Background

The development of a new (third post-war) generation tank began in the USSR a little later than the creation of the new main tank T-64A in the 70s. Leningrad, Chelyabinsk and, later, Kharkov designers participated in the work called "Theme 101".

A number of projects have been implemented, both with traditional and new layouts, most of which remained on the drawings or in the form of layouts.

Tanks with traditional solutions, such as "Object 255" and "Object 480" did not provide a significant advantage over the upgraded versions of the T-64A, T-72 and the tank with a gas turbine engine. Tanks with a new layout (Object 450) required a long search for both layout solutions and the creation of fundamentally new components.

In the late 70s and throughout the 80s, the Kharkov Design Bureau was chosen as the lead one on the topic of creating a promising tank of the 90s. These events are considered from the point of view of one of the developers of the tank, responsible for its electronic component - The last breakthrough of Soviet tank builders (diary of a participant in the development of the Boxer tank). Variants of the layouts considered in the 80s are considered in the material - Tanks "Rebel", "Boxer", "Hammer" (object 490, object 490A, object 477).

The development of a promising tank was never completed until the collapse of the USSR.

The design bureaus remaining in Russia set about creating a promising tank based on the existing backlog. Of the most advanced, we can mention the Leningrad Object 299 (JSC "Spetsmash"), which had a very bold layout. Which, along with objective reasons characteristic of the 90s, prevented its implementation.

The Omsk Object 640 "Black Eagle" was also a project with very ambiguous advantages, which is why it was chosen for demonstration (VTTV 1997) and even moved abroad.

Nizhny Tagil (UKBTM) had a project for the evolutionary development of the T-72, which did not give significant reasons for replacing the T-72 in production, since the solutions incorporated in it could also be implemented during modernization.

With the improvement of the economic situation, work has intensified. Here, as in the 70s, two projects were implemented, one of them with a high technical risk, the other with traditional and less risky solutions. The first is the Nizhny Tagil Object 195 "T-95" (JSC "UKBTM") and the second Omsk project Development of a unified combat compartment, the theme "Burlak" (JSC "KBTM").

In 2009, the closure of these projects was announced.

At the beginning, one gets the feeling that a promising tank in the post-Soviet space will never be created.

But in 2015, at the Victory Parade, products based on the Armata platform were presented to the general public - a new generation T-14 tank and a heavy T-15 infantry fighting vehicle with a front-mounted MTO.

With the advent of the first shots of the "Armata", a lot of speculation appeared about this tank. Someone gave it embellished qualities, someone called it plywood and invented non-existent flaws.

Layout

The scheme with the concentration of the crew in front of the hull requires maximum automation of the control of weapons installed in the fighting compartment, creating a number of technical difficulties. Such a scheme is of interest due to the great opportunities for enhancing the protection of the crew, including from weapons of mass destruction, as well as the improvement in the conditions for the interaction of personnel.

When placing 3 crew members shoulder to shoulder, as is done, the crew is accommodated in fairly comfortable conditions. But at the same time, it is not possible to realize sufficient protection of the onboard part of the crew compartment. Even with a reduction in the width of the space allocated for each crew member from 70 to 60 cm, the opportunities to provide protection during shelling in the side areas are minimal. At the same time, the railway dimensions do not allow increasing the width of the hull.

Such a scheme has been considered more than once, since the 70s in different countries, but did not find application in tank building with the exception of experimental models, such as the American FTTB.

Crew capsule. The driver's seat is on the left along the tank / Photo: btvt.info

The display complex of the driver (DKMV) installed on the tank is designed to replace the pointer instrumentation and provide solutions for control tasks, monitoring the operation, operational technical diagnostics of chassis systems and assemblies and issuing recommendations for the operation of the facility.

Gear shifting is carried out by buttons on the steering wheel. Most important information about the parameters of the movement is displayed directly on the remote display on the steering wheel. The monitor displays an image from a front-view thermal imaging device located on the upper part of the nose assembly of the hull.

Video viewing device and block of control buttons/ Photo: btvt.info

View of the driver's seat from the gunner's seat, located in the center of the crew capsule/ Photo: btvt.info

PMF-5.0 monitors with LCD panels high definition from a series of multifunctional panels "5". On the left in the photo is the gunner's console/ Photo: btvt.info

Products PMF-5.0 (5.1) have an extended set of interfaces, including a touch panel with a multi-touch function, etc.

Development of the Instrument Design Bureau (UKBP), which is part of the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern.

The information management system displays information about the state of weapons systems, security, mobility, etc.

Informational messages are displayed on the screen below, critical messages are shown in red, important ones in yellow, regular ones in white.

View of the commander's and gunner's positions. Commander panels (3) right side/ Photo: btvt.info

They display video information from external sources, synthesized video information of devices (TV cameras, sighting systems), information exchange, issuance of navigation cartographic information, as well as input and transmission of information to control the main systems of the tank. The control panels are installed under the panels, the gunner and the commander have similar devices.

Photo: btvt.info

The devices are manufactured in the Russian Federation and are unified for the entire line of promising ground vehicles (Armata, Kurganets, Boomerang). Devices are still manufactured and assembled by hand, but their reliability is growing.

It is on these devices that tank control is based.

Photo: btvt.info

Commander's place. A visual overview of the terrain is carried out through three viewing devices. The main information is supposed to be received through the TV cameras located along the perimeter of the tank and a multi-channel panoramic sight-surveillance device.

Such a decision can be called very bold, especially for ground vehicles, where conditions are much more severe than in aviation. On the right is the AVSKU-E control panel (intercom, switching and control equipment). Under the control panel is an optical sensor of the fire-fighting equipment system (OD1-1S). The installation of optical sensors and high-speed cylinders in the fighting compartment ensures fire detection and the release of fire extinguishing composition in no more than 150 ms. Such sensors are installed around the entire perimeter of the capsule.

View of the back of the crew capsule. Visible ventilation and air conditioning systems/ Photo: btvt.info

Photo: btvt.info

Despite many digital innovations, some traditions in post-Soviet tank building are unshakable, for example, not very accurate welding seams.

Comfortable seats are a big step forward compared to the tanks of the previous generation.

Protection

The layout of the "Armata" is similar to that worked out on the "Object 195". Increased crew security is achieved by transferring the crew jobs located in the turret to a highly protected nose module of the hull, the protection mass of which can be increased by the amount of the reduction in the turret defense mass, due to a decrease in its dimensions and internal volume intended for crew jobs.

Improving the security and survival of the crew in the module is achieved by reducing the total area of the internal surfaces of the control module (compared to the habitable compartment of tanks of the classical layout).

The weapon module is separated from the transverse bulkhead control module, which reduces the likelihood of hitting the crew in the module.

The fire and explosion safety of the module and the survival of the crew are achieved by the complete separation of the crew's workplaces from the sealed volume of fuel and from the ammunition load.

Schematic representation of the general layout of the T-14 "Armata" tank (similar to the T-95) /Image btvt.info

The advantage indicated by the authors of the patent, along with the above, has one more drawback - insufficient protection of the tower. They will come to this question, as did the developers of the promising Soviet-era tank - the Hammer, the Note.

The tank protection complex includes combined and dynamic protection installed in the front part of the hull with the crew capsule.

Also, dynamic protection is installed on the sides of the hull (up to the engine compartment). In front, the caterpillar branches are blocked by the DZ, which is especially important when placing the crew in the hull. In the front part of the side of the hull, the DZ blocks are made folding for ease of maintenance of the undercarriage. In general, the solutions for installing DZ are reminiscent of its installation on the Nota tank (KMDB).

The turret is covered with super-dynamic protection, and the DZ is also installed to protect the capsule, including hatches. Part of the side of the hull in the MTO area is covered with lattice screens.

Photo: btvt.info

DZ covers both the upper and lower parts of the nose assembly of the hull. Externally, the DZ is similar to that installed on the T-95. the working surface of the thrown plate is significantly increased.

The technical requirements for a promising tank, set back in the days of the USSR, required protection from above against cumulative ammunition with an armor-piercing ability of 250-300 mm. Despite the small size of the roof and hatches, which is clearly visible in the photographs, it can be assumed that this requirement is met.

The most important feature of the tank is the use of a set of means to protect against high-precision weapons. They include an active protection complex that provides cover in the range of 120 ° in the direction of the tank turret and a complex for setting up multispectral curtains and a complex of laser and UV radiation indicators installed along the perimeter of the turret.

In order to fire false IR and RL targets quickly and accurately in the direction of the means of attack from wherever it flies up, without turning the turret, the use of rapidly turning grenade launchers is required.

Thus, protection from attacking ammunition in a horizontal projection is provided by the KAZ and the jamming complex (in two rotary installations on the tower). And from the attackers from above - a jamming complex (in two fixed installations directed upwards).

An anti-mine electromagnetic protection system is also installed.

Tank protection complex from WTO/ Image btvt.info

Along the perimeter of the tower are indicators of laser irradiation and ultraviolet radiation(missile launch detection system). Under the front indicators of irradiation and missile launch, there are radars with headlight detection and target designation KAZ. On the roof of the tower, a system for launching multispectral interference in rotary and fixed installations.

Irradiation and launch indicators in the photo and during the demonstration at the parade are covered with shutters. Next to the block of indicators of the TV camera of the front and side view/ A photo: btvt.info

KAZ launchers are installed under the radar block. KAZ "Afganit" is the development of the "Drozd" system. This development of TsKIB SOO dates back to the 80s. The difference from Drozd is the possibility of correcting the fired counter-munition in azimuth (~ 0.5 m) and vertically (± 4 °). The complex has the ability to destroy anti-tank missiles attacking a target in flight, but does not protect against attackers from above

Photo: btvt.info

To reduce the visibility of the tank, a light casing with optimal geometric characteristics is installed on the turret. to reduce visibility in the radar wavelength range.

Side view of the T-14 Armata, in the central third of the hull, DZ blocks are installed optimized for protection against cumulative warheads at an angle of impact close to normal / A photo: btvt.info

Part of the side of the hull in the MTO area is covered with lattice screens /Photo: btvt.info

Fuel barrels are visible. At the parade in Moscow, "Armata" were without them. Apparently they think it's not fashionable.

Firepower

The tank is equipped with a 125mm high-powered 2A82-1M cannon. Judging by the patents, the gun can use both regular shots and newly developed shots with an increased powder charge. Ammunition 40 shots (of which 32 in the automatic loader, 8 - transportable). The AZ ideology has been retained from the "Object 195", but the small 152 mm ammunition load has been increased to an acceptable value.

7.62mm PKTM machine gun in a remotely controlled installation on a platform combined with a panoramic sight-surveillance device. Ammunition 2000 rounds in a continuous belt.

The absence of a machine gun coaxial with a cannon is a strange and undoubtedly wrong decision. This will lead to an increased consumption of ammunition by the gunner on targets that do not correspond to 125 mm shells, to distract the commander from observing the battlefield when using a single machine gun. Some justification for this may be in the form of an automated ammunition load increased by 10 shots compared to the T-72. The 30 mm automatic cannon, as was the case on the Molot and T-95, is also missing.

Scheme AZ uninhabited tower/ Image btvt.info

Projectiles and charges are arranged vertically. The conveyor is raised above the bottom of the hull to prevent jamming when the bottom deflects (undermining a mine).

The idea of installing such a gun arose long ago, back in the late 70s (D-91T) and continued in the future, including the "Object 187". In terms of its potential, it is 30% higher than the regular one.

It is known that shots of increased power 3VBM22 with BPS 3BM59 "Lead-1" and 3VBM23 with BPS 3BM60 "Lead-2" with L = 740 mm have increased armor penetration by 100-150 mm. Improved BPSs designed for the "Armata" are likely to reach levels in excess of 800mm (450/60°). EFFECT: possibility of using both regular ammunition and newly developed ammunition of increased power is provided.

Whether the truth is reached is an open question, all these topics have been underway for more than two decades. So the same "Lead-1" and "Lead-2" have been formally part of the ammunition load of the modernized T-72BA, T-80UA, T-80UE1 since 2004.

To combat infantry, a shot 3VOF128 "Telnik" -1 was developed (Completion R & D- 2014) The projectile has a trajectory gap on approach to the target (at a preemptive point) with the target being hit by the axial flow of the GGE; trajectory gap over the target with the defeat of the target by a circular field of hull fragments; shock ground break with installation for instantaneous (fragmentation) action; shock ground break with installation for high-explosive fragmentation action (small deceleration); shock ground break with a setting for a penetrating high-explosive action (large deceleration).

Armament stabilizer 2E58 - electromechanical with electric drive for vertical and horizontal guidance. It has reduced power consumption, increased accuracy and less fire hazard.

The UUI-2 transceiver is installed at the base of the barrel. Provides automatic measurement of barrel bending during firing./ Photo: btvt.info

Engine power 1200 horsepower. According to the developers, there are opportunities for forcing up to 1500-1800 hp. in perspective.

The total capacity of the fuel system of the tank is 2015 liters with two connected barrels. Of which in indoor and outdoor fuel tanks tank 1615 liters, the fuel is partially placed inside the hull (816 liters), the rest is in the fuel tanks on the fenders in the rear of the hull.

The transmission is mechanical with a planetary central gearbox with automatic shifting. The built-in reverser can provide an equal number of forward and reverse gears, which is important when unifying the chassis with the rear and front MTOs. The cooling fan drive is two-stage controlled.

The damping characteristic of the hydraulic shock absorber is speed, that is, it represents the dependence of the resistance force on the speed on the lever. The kinematic connection of the hydraulic shock absorber with the suspension is designed to provide a gear ratio of the vertical speed of the track roller of the caterpillar mover of the tracked vehicle to the speed of movement of the hydraulic shock absorber lever 0.15 ... 3.5 with an increase at the end of the track roller travel.

EFFECT: increased progressivity of suspension characteristics of the suspension system and smooth running of tracked vehicles weighing up to 55 tons.

/ Image btvt.info

Project evaluation

The positive side of the project is that it was nevertheless implemented, to a greater extent than any of the existing promising tank projects in the post-Soviet space after the creation of the T-64 tank.

Positive for the industry in the Russian Federation is the development of new technologies (touch panels), a new element base in tank control systems (IMS, FCS, etc.), the development of which can become a serious impetus to the development of the electronics industry.

Sufficient attention has been paid to the complex protection of the tank - KOEP, KAZ, DZ, etc.

Ergonomics meets modern requirements.

The negative features of the tank stem from the choice of its layout, these are the impossibility of providing a sufficient size of the side armor of the capsule due to the placement of the crew shoulder to shoulder, the vulnerability of the turret from the fire of modern automatic guns, the lack of a visual channel of the commander and gunner sights, the impossibility of providing all-round visibility from the commander's seat. Exhaust on both sides increases the IR visibility of the tank.

Of the removable shortcomings, the absence of a machine gun coaxial with a cannon can be noted. And the sight-understudy gunner.

And most importantly, what else can be added, the tank is being tested, a small number of them have been released at the moment. Most of the systems installed in "Armata" have not yet been sufficiently mastered, it will undoubtedly take a long time to cure "childhood diseases". So to be or not to be "Armata" time will tell.

MOSCOW, edition "Tank power. Steel and fire"
12

Tank T-14 "Armata" latest news of 2017

Tank T-14 Armata – video

As part of the state armaments program, a state order has been placed for the manufacture of 2,300 T-14 tanks until 2020-2025. In 2015, a pilot batch of 20 tanks was made. In 2016, mass production of tanks began, which is not planned to be reduced even in times of crisis. At the same time, the procedure for military acceptance and elimination of shortcomings was launched.

The T-14 has a GLONASS navigation antenna protected from electronic warfare and a radio communication system, which is described in more detail in the article on ESU TK.

Since the T-14 radar is declared in the Ka-band, this means that it has a theoretical accuracy of up to 5 arc minutes (0.08 °). In practice, for similar radars like Credo-1E, it is possible to achieve an accuracy of about 10 meters in range and 0.1 ° in azimuth. The T-14 panoramic infrared sight with independent rotation can refine the azimuth of the detected target with even greater accuracy, as was done on a similar XM1209 machine in the Future Combat Systems program. However, even without taking into account the refinement of target coordinates by optical methods, the radar allows you to effectively correct the fire of self-propelled guns following the T-14, and in general, conduct your own fire with high-explosive fragmentation shells quite effectively. Indeed, the radar, with an accuracy of 0.1 ° at 6 km, can give out coordinates with an accuracy of about 10 meters. At 10 km, the error will be about 17 meters, which is enough to shell infantry and lightly armored vehicles from self-propelled guns with 152 mm shells. Note that even small Doppler radars also see well the explosions of shells on flying fragments, so they can be used to correct artillery fire, reporting an amendment to the shooting. An important fact is that even having specified the azimuth using the panoramic sight, the tank commander may not use the laser rangefinder and the target will not be able to take self-defense measures like a smoke screen.

The concept of "network-centric warfare" leads to the massive introduction of robotics, so Uralvagonzavod announced that the T-14 will be remotely controlled, and by 2017-2018 prototypes of the T-14 will be produced without a crew and controlled by a robot with artificial intelligence. As the first stage in the creation of the "unmanned" T-14, the crew should be reduced to 2 people in the serial version of the tank, the vacated space is planned to be used for additional ammunition. The Chinese news agency Sina, commenting on this, notes that the T-14 can thus become a “combat droid”, automatically destroying detected targets without human intervention, where the operator issues only general tactical tasks. It should be noted that such modes of automatic destruction of all targets that did not respond to the “friend or foe” request have been working in air defense systems for many years, so the novelty of the technology is only in application for tanks.

Active protection complex Afghanit

The location of the cameras and radars KAZ Afganit on the tower of the T-14 tank

Complex of dynamic booking Malachite

Radar complex

AFAR radar N036B-1-01 created on the LTCC technology used for T-14 radars

According to the terms of reference of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the purchase of the T-14, for the first time in the world, the tank will use an active phased array radar, made using the same technology as the fifth generation T-50 fighter - on low-temperature ceramics for the Ka-band 26.5- 40 GHz (LTCC technology). A feature of the AFAR technology at LTCC is the moderate cost of the radar and reliability. The AFAR radar consists of 4 LTCC panels on the tank turret and provides 360-degree target surveillance without radar rotation. In general, the radar resembles in design the four panels of the ELM-2133 radar from the Trophy active protection complex for the Merkava tank. The radar panels are also covered with bulletproof and anti-fragmentation screens. Entire plastic loops are provided for quick removal and replacement of protective shields or a damaged radar module.

AFAR T-14 radars are visible on the tank turret

Infrared target detection complex

Turret of the T-14 tank with clearly visible infrared devices

Complex of circular target detection in infrared and ultraviolet spectra

Infrared surveillance camera T-14 with a lens made of crystalline germanium. Left tube hydrotreating

The T-14, in addition to the optical instruments included in the FCS, is equipped with six HD-resolution cameras on the tank turret, which allows the crew to observe the situation around the tank 360 degrees without leaving it. The cameras are equipped with self-contained power supply and a system for hydro-cleaning optics from dust and dirt.

All-round HD cameras are connected to the Afghanit active protection system, allowing it to:

Work with the radar turned off
Avoid operation errors
Work in EW conditions
Determine the irradiation of the tank with a laser

Armament T-14 Armata

fire control system

Own position of the tank from the GLONASS receiver and inertial navigation system
Gyroscopic sensors of the tank's angular orientation in space
Wind direction and speed sensor
Temperature and humidity sensor
Barrel bend sensor from heating

Gun T-14 Armata

The first copies of the tank were equipped with a 125-mm 2A82-1M smoothbore gun (in an uninhabited turret, with fully remote digital control), developed by Plant No. 9, which has the ability to fire on the move. In the presence of a sensor for bending the barrel from heating for accounting in ballistic calculations (fixed in a small container above the barrel). The range of hitting targets is up to 7000 meters and the rate of fire is 10-12 rounds per minute. The 2A82 gun has 17% more muzzle energy and 20% more accuracy than the best NATO gun on the Leopard-2 tank. A feature of the 2A82 autoloader is the ability to fire long ammunition up to 1 meter long, which is critical for armor-piercing sub-caliber shells of increased power, such as the "Vacuum-1" similar to the M829A3 for Abrams. Taking into account the fact that the T-14 will most likely be used in local wars against old tanks of third world countries, it is likely that the 2A82-1M will remain the main weapon due to the advantage of twice as much ammunition over other variants of the 152-mm caliber gun , which is likely to have a smaller number of copies of the T-14.

A part of serial copies of the T-14 will also be equipped with a 152-mm 2A83 gun. In February 2016, the military acceptance procedure for the T-14 began, including a version of the tank with a 152 mm gun. The 2A83 gun has an armor-piercing piercing projectile of more than 1000 mm, which obviously exceeds the armor of modern tanks, and therefore experts assess the gun as redundant relative to the most powerful 2A82-1M among tank guns in the world. For comparison, the latest modification of the M1A2 Abrams has a booking equivalent of BOPS ~ 900 mm (not to be confused with the equivalent of 1350 mm from monobloc ATGMs). US Department of Defense analysts in their report note that for the 152 mm gun, Rosatom is developing a new armor-piercing depleted uranium sub-caliber projectile, which allows destroying the strongest armored steel. Vyacheslav Khalitov, Deputy Director General of the Uralvagonzavod corporation, also noted that 152 mm shells often do not require armor-piercing in the classical sense of the word, since the kinetic energy of the shell is enough to tear off the entire enemy tank turret even without breaking through its armor. Projectile flight speed 1980 m / s due to the use of a number of new developments.

T-14 Armata with 152 mm gun

The initial known standard projectiles of the Grifel family for the 2A83 gun, like any armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles, were unguided. However, since the 152-mm 2A83 gun was developed on the basis of the 2A65 gun, a modification of which is used in the 2S19 Msta-S heavy self-propelled guns, some experts suggested the possibility of using Krasnopol-type Msta-S guided projectiles. Lev Romanov noted that if guided missiles for the T-14 are created, they will, unlike the Krasnopol, be radio-controlled, taking into account the presence of a radar on the T-14. In general, the idea that the T-14s will be equipped with a 152-mm gun and guided projectiles will have combat use scenarios that are more reminiscent of self-propelled guns, and is supported by Viktor Murakhovsky, who points out the effectiveness of the fight against infantry due to high-explosive fragmentation shells with remote detonation over its position, and calls the T-14 in such a scenario a "fire support tank". The designers of "Uralvagonzavod" also note that the T-14 with a 152 mm gun turns into some kind of hybrid of a tank and a self-propelled artillery mount, therefore they call this version of the T-14 not a tank, but a "combat artillery vehicle" (BAM).

Experts' assumptions about the presence of guided projectiles for the T-14 were also confirmed by the statement of the specialized design bureau NTIIM, which announced the launch of the Trajectory test complex for new guided 152-mm projectiles for the T-14 and the Koalition-SV self-propelled guns, but the developers refuse to report them accurate performance characteristics, noting only that these ammunition will have the means to bypass advanced air defense systems capable of shooting down projectiles, and will also be capable of bypassing electronic warfare countermeasures, which indicates that this ammunition is not designed for tank duels, but for defeating highly protected objects like anti-aircraft missile systems or command posts that were within the reach of the T-14 during tank breakthroughs. Judging by the disclosure of data on the manufacturer's website, the T-14 guided projectiles will be corrected active-reactive, since the "Trajectory" is designed to monitor the jet engines of active-reactive projectiles. Active-rocket projectiles have a long range, judging by the fact that test firing of T-14 guided projectiles is carried out at a training ground converted for them for distances of 30-50 km, then this is probably the range of this precision-guided munition.

Missile weapons T-14 "Armata"

Like its predecessors, the T-14 will have the ability to launch missiles through the gun barrel using the next version of the Reflex-M missile system. The presence of the T-14's ability to fire guided missiles is confirmed by the report of experts from the US Department of Defense magazine OE Watch.

Viktor Murakhovsky also notes that the 152 mm caliber matches the Kornet ATGM and allows the use of its missiles, which have twice the range (10 km versus 5 km) and armor-piercing (1400 mm versus 850 mm) than the 125 mm caliber missiles of " Reflex-M". Also in the Kornet nomenclature is the 9M133FM-3 air defense missile, which significantly exceeds the capabilities of the Invar-M air defense missile for Reflex-M, which, although it can hit a hovering helicopter, the 9M133FM-3 range is twice as high (10 km) and , most importantly, this missile is specially designed to destroy air targets at an altitude of up to 9 km and aircraft at speeds up to 900 km / h. Many domestic experts advocate 152 mm caliber precisely because of the ability to launch anti-aircraft missiles and perform air defense functions.

Machine gun armament

Tower armor

An analysis of the first experiments with uninhabited towers as "Object 477" can give some idea about the main armor of the T-14 turret on the casing.

Hull armor

T-14 uses common elements of passive armor for the Armata platform:

System for mixing exhaust with cold air and simulating exhaust holes to disorient ATGMs with IR seeker like Javelin

Engine and active suspension

T-14 uses a common engine and active suspension for the Armata platform with the following characteristics

Engine with automatic transmission and variable output from 1200 to 1800 hp provides movement up to 90 km/h and range up to 500 km
The active suspension provides a radical reduction in tank sway on the move, which increases the accuracy of shooting on the move and the speed of movement along
rough terrain
The CICS of the tank controls the engine, transmission and active suspension devices, automatically making decisions on tank maintenance and giving voice commands to the crew

Comparison of the T-14 "Armata" with other tanks

When comparing the T-14 with NATO tanks, it should be noted that the general analytical agency FMSO under the US Department of Defense in its report notes that the T-14 is the next generation tank in relation to the existing ones. As FMSO analyst Charles Bartlez notes in this report, the T-14 has a number of advantages over existing NATO tanks: long-range radar, active suspension, which increases the speed and accuracy of the tank, frontal armor that is impenetrable by modern missiles and projectiles, as well as an active protection system. capable of intercepting even shells.

The opinion of British General Staff officers that the main battle tank Challenger 2 cannot penetrate the protection of the T-14 with its gun and therefore needs to be replaced.

According to the Polish media, the T-14 surpasses all tanks in the world in terms of its combat power.

The second key criterion, according to the National Interest expert, is the ability of the Russian military-industrial complex to produce a sufficient number of T-14s in the conditions of the economic crisis. The experts at the National Interest are backed by prominent economist Rick Smith, who notes that the Pentagon failed with the Future Combat Systems program, trying to create a tank platform like the Armata, and spending $16.1 billion on research. The US military realized they needed another $300 billion and couldn't afford it. However, economically, the Almaty program looks, according to Smith, not so expensive.

The release of the T-14 itself requires expanding the criteria TTX comparisons tanks due to new technologies in a new generation tank:

It is required to take into account not just the speed of the tank on the highway, but the speed of the tank over rough terrain, which, due to the active suspension of the T-14, reaches 90 km/h, which is a record, and the accuracy of shooting should not seriously suffer from moving over rough terrain.
The presence of an AFAR radar for detecting threats and targets is becoming an indispensable attribute of a modern tank.
A modern tank should have various stealth technologies in the infrared, radio and magnetic ranges.
A modern tank should have not just stealth technology like visibility reduction, but “dynamic signature change” technologies in the infrared, radio and magnetic ranges to block tank recognition systems among interference and traps using a signature library.
A modern tank should have the means to automatically deploy not just smoke screens that are transparent in the infrared and radio ranges, but to automatically deploy multispectral curtains that are opaque in the infrared and millimeter ranges.
What is required is not just the presence of an active defense complex, but the ability of active defense to repel not only missile attacks, but also shoot down sub-caliber armor-piercing shells.
It requires not just an anti-aircraft machine gun, but a high-precision robotic anti-aircraft installation capable of shooting down missiles and even shells according to the AFAR radar.
A modern tank should be equipped with electromagnetic weapons at least against missiles.
The frontal armor of the tank must exceed 1000 mm equivalent.
The dynamic armor of the tank should be virtually invulnerable to hand grenade launchers and with a high probability of repelling attacks by heavy anti-tank missiles with tandem warheads.
The turret of a modern tank should require not just breaking through the armor, but serious destruction to disable the turret. Ammunition designed to hit the loader and gunner with small fragments in the turret should be ineffective against a modern tank.

Comparison of dimensions T-14 and T-90

Purchases of T-14 "Armata" for the Russian Armed Forces

This point of view is supported by analysts of the FMSO of the US Department of Defense, who point to the repeated mention in the analytical report on the State Arms Program of the Russian Federation on the effectiveness of arms procurement, issued for the public council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the scientific expert council under the State Duma Committee on Defense, analyzes of lessons from the armed conflict in the east of Ukraine with conclusions about the need for mass purchases of T-14 tanks. It is assumed that "the deployment of mass purchases of brigade sets of Armata tanks should become one of the main directions of the State Armaments Program of the Russian Federation ... The Armata platform, as it provides a qualitative superiority over any modern tank, should be considered an absolutely priority program for delivery to production and purchases." At the same time, given the lack of the budget of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, it is proposed to aggressively increase purchases of ground weapons, while reducing purchases of the Navy, including the new Yasen-M nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, any analogues of the Mistral large landing craft and others.

Export

Interest in the tank was shown by India, China, Egypt and the countries of Southeast Asia.

National Interest, after interviewing experts, received a positive opinion on the export prospects of the T-14 on the following reasoning:

The modularity of the Armata allows you to quickly create different export configurations of the T-14 for the specific needs of different customers, flexibly vary the price in various configurations and provide customers with rich modernization prospects
The emphasis on crew security will certainly attract the military as customers
Own Chinese and Indian tanks are in fact only the modernization of the tanks of the 1980s, and new options for modernization are criticized by the military in terms of reliability and combat effectiveness.

The performance characteristics of the T-14 Armata

Crew, people: 3
Developer: UKBTM
Manufacturer: Uralvagonzavod
Years of development: 2009-2014
Years of production: 2014 - present
Layout scheme: carriage with an uninhabited tower

Weight T-14 Armata

Armor T-14 Armata

– Type of armor: Combined multilayer
- Active defense: "Afghanite"
- Dynamic protection: "Malachite"

Armament

- Caliber and brand of gun: 125 mm 2A82 or 152 mm 2A83 on request
- Type of gun: Smoothbore gun
– Gun ammunition: 45 shells
- Machine guns: 1 × 12.7 mm Cord. 1 × 7.62 mm PKTM

Engine T-14 Armata

- Engine power, l. s.: Varies depending on forcing 1350/1500/1800

Speed T-14 Armata

— Highway speed, km/h: 80-90
- Range on the highway, km: 500
- Specific power, l. s./t: 31
– Suspension type: Active

Inside T-14 Armata

The international military-technical forum "Army-2019" began its work in the Moscow region. total area exposition is about 165 thousand square meters. m. For the first time on the forum you can see a self-propelled artillery piece(SAO) 2S42 "Lotos", developed for the Airborne Forces and the Marine Corps. Also at the exhibition will be shown a promising infantry fighting vehicle T-15 with a combat module "Dagger", the robotic complex "Uran-9", anti-aircraft missile systems "Tor-M2DT" and S-350 "Vityaz".

At the international military-technical forum "Army-2019" will be presented prototype heavy infantry fighting vehicle T-15. This was reported Russian minister Defense Sergei Shoigu. The latest BMP is unified with the third-generation T-14 tank and is based on the Armata tracked platform. Experts call domestic car the most secure and powerful in its class. The main weapon of the T-15 is the 57-mm Kinzhal combat module, capable of hitting both ground and air targets at long distances.

At 10:00 a.m., a parade began on Red Square in Moscow in honor of the 74th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. It was attended by about 13 thousand military personnel and more than 130 units of wheeled and tracked vehicles, including the legendary soviet tank T-34, as well as modern weapons - the T-14 Armata tank, the Terminator BMPT, the Yars mobile ground missile system and others. RT broadcast live the preparations for the parade.
The Russian Defense Ministry has published the program for the May 9 Victory Parade in Moscow. It is known that T-14 "Armata" tanks, advanced armored infantry vehicles "Kurganets-25" and "Boomerang", tactical and strategic missile systems. Traditionally, he will lead the T-34-85 column. If weather conditions allow, aviation will fly by - several groups of helicopters, transport workers, fighters and bombers. Planned and imitation of refueling in the air. Also on the portal of the mayor of Moscow there is a list of streets that will be closed during rehearsals on April 29, May 4 and 7.
At the IDEX 2019 exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the designers of the Russian concern Tekhmash demonstrated new "smart" fuses for shells jet systems salvo fire(MLRS). Detonators are capable of detonating the ammunition at a given point in the trajectory. A similar technology will be used in the new Russian AGS-40 Balkan grenade launcher. It is reported that engineers are already working on next-generation projectiles - completely "intelligent" devices that can, without the help of an operator, calculate the optimal flight range and explode in desired point. "Smart" ammunition is planned to equip Russian tank T-14 "Armata". Experts note that this technology can bring conventional weapons closer to the level of accuracy of tactical nuclear weapons.
Over the past six years, the number of modern weapons. This is reported by the newspaper "Red Star" with reference to the Ministry of Defense. The share of new and modernized equipment in the strategic nuclear triad increased from 37% to 81%, in the Aerospace Forces - from 30% to 73.9%, in the Navy - from 52% to 61.9%, in the Ground Forces - from 15% to 45.8%. Quantity cruise missiles in the army increased 30 times due to the supply of Iskander-M and Caliber complexes. Such impressive performance was achieved thanks to improved interaction between the Ministry of Defense and the military-industrial complex. According to experts, the increase in the share of professional personnel and civilian specialists in the Armed Forces played a positive role.
India is considering purchasing 1,770 advanced combat vehicles (FRCVs) to replace aging military equipment, in particular T-72 tanks, with the Russian T-14 Armata tank being the main contender for New Delhi.
Russian engineers have developed a relatively inexpensive remotely detonated munitions control technology. This was reported CEO Moscow NPO "Pribor" Yuri Nabokov. Projectiles explode at a certain point in the flight without touching an obstacle or target. This allows you to more effectively hit manpower, armored vehicles, tanks, drones and small targets. Ammunition of this type will be tested in 2019 and will be included in the arsenal of the latest combat vehicles. Russian army. What benefits will Armed Forces RF, this technology is in the material RT.

Tank T-14 "Armata" - video

Active protection complex Afghanit

Complex of dynamic booking Malachite

Radar complex

Infrared target detection complex

Complex of circular target detection in infrared and ultraviolet spectra

Armament T-14 "Armata"

Gun T-14 "Armata"

Missile weapons T-14 "Armata"

Machine gun armament

Tower armor

Hull armor

stealth tools

Engine and active suspension

Comparison of the T-14 "Armata" with other tanks

Purchases of T-14 "Armata" for the Russian Armed Forces

Export

Tactical and technical characteristics of the T-14 "Armata"

Tank T-14 Armata – video

Active protection complex Afghanit

Complex of dynamic booking Malachite

Radar complex

Infrared target detection complex

Complex of circular target detection in infrared and ultraviolet spectra

Armament T-14 Armata

fire control system

Gun T-14 Armata

Missile weapons T-14 "Armata"

Machine gun armament

Tower armor

Hull armor

Engine and active suspension

Comparison of the T-14 "Armata" with other tanks

Purchases of T-14 "Armata" for the Russian Armed Forces

Export

The performance characteristics of the T-14 Armata

Inside T-14 Armata

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