T-14 Armata: Russia's Failed Super Tank Has a Bleak Future Back in 2010, the T-14 Armata was first conceptualized following the cancelation of the T-95 program. The Russian tank has a had quite a few problems to deal with.
by Maya Carlin
Russia's T-14 Armata Tank, Explained - Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is proving main battle tanks can play a critical role in modern warfare.
Now that Kyiv has begun to receive dozens of advanced tanks from the U.S. and its NATO allies, Moscow’s own dwindling arsenal is in even more trouble.
In the early days of the war, Russian forces heavily relied on Soviet-era armored vehicles to push into Ukraine’s territories.
Equipped with scores of foreign-imported anti-tank weaponry, however, Kyiv obliterated many of these older tanks. Russia finally deployed its “top-of-the-line” T-14 Armata MBT in the springtime.
Long touted by the Kremlin as the best of the best, the Armata reportedly is unmatched in its capabilities.
Despite these claims, the T-14’s tenure n the Ukraine invasion was short-lived, indicating the tank may not be the powerhouse that Russia would like the public to believe.
Introducing the Armata: Back in 2010, the T-14 Armata was first conceptualized following the cancelation of the T-95 program.
Manufacturer Uralvagonzavod based its Object 148 project on the T-95 at this time, and the Russian Army began cutting T-90 orders with the anticipation that the new MBT would replace it.
In 2015, the Armata made its first public appearance at the Moscow Victory Day Parade. During this celebration, one of the Armatas being paraded around experienced a system failure and needed to be towed away. It seems the tank’s lackluster performance history would only get worse over the years.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense and Trade revealed in 2020 that the T-14 had been combat-tested in Syria, indicating the tank was ready to be mass-produced.
Over a decade ago, Moscow claimed that more than 2,000 Armatas would enter service with the Russian military by 2020.
In reality, no more than a few dozen have been built as of last year.
How does the Armata compare to other MBTS? The T-14 does stand out when compared to previous Russian MBTs. In the Armata’s unmanned turret, crew members are positioned in a protected and separated compartment where survivability is much higher.
As detailed in Military Watch Magazine, “The tank’s frontal base armour protection of over 900mm, paired with Malachit explosive reactive armour and the AFGHANIT active protection system, provides an extreme degree of survivability. The T-14’s sensors and armaments are also highly prized and major improvements over those of older vehicles, with its Vacuum-1 APFSDS projectiles having an extreme penetrative capability considered sufficient to frontally penetrate any of the vehicles currently in the Ukrainian theatre.”
While advanced thermal sights may aid the Armatas to locate Ukraine’s armored vehicles at specific ranges, they don’t necessarily make the tank immune to Kyiv’s tactics.
When up against Ukraine’s arsenal of anti-tank weaponry, including the American-made FGM-148 Javelin and HIMARS, the T-90 likely doesn’t stand a chance.
Armament-wise, the Armata is theoretically more capable than its Soviet-era predecessors. The tank series is equipped with a 125mm 2A82-1M smoothbore gun and can carry 45 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, the main gun is capable of firing laser-guided missiles. A sophisticated hull fitted with a modular armor system made of composite and steel materials is more capable of fending off enemy fire.
Perhaps most significantly, the Armata’s sensors and armaments are far more advanced than older tanks.
The T-14 Armata’s short tenure in Ukraine was not successful Despite the Armata’s purported capabilities, the tank’s deployment to the Ukraine war was short-lived.
Back in April, the T-14 made its first appearance in the conflict. A video widely circulated at the time depicted one of these tanks firing on Ukrainian positions one month later, marking the tank’s first reported operation since February 2022.
According to the Russian state news outlet TASS, T-14s were pulled from Ukraine over the summer: "The Armata was actively used by the (SMD) in combat operations, a military source told the agency. Several units participated in battle to see how the tank would perform. They were then withdrawn from the front line. All the necessary tests of the T-14 tank are still ongoing.”
Obviously, the Armata was not performing up to standard. This is the only rational explanation as to why these tanks were pulled. Considering Russia’s rapidly dwindling armored vehicle stockpile, any additional MBTs should have been warmly welcomed by troops.
More than half of Moscow’s tanks have been destroyed by Ukraine since the onset of the war. Now that American M1A1 Abrams tanks will be joining British Challengers and German Leopard IIs to support Kyiv’s counteroffensive, Moscow’s armored corps will suffer further.
"Russia sucks." ---- Me, US Army (retired) 12B & 51B
Russian Admiral said, after the Moskva sank, "we have the world's worst navy but we aren't as bad as our army".
