Armor experts sceptical over T-14 ‘invisibility’ claims

Armour specialists from both Russia and the United States are sceptical of recent claims made by the enterprise that produces Russia’s new T-14 Armata MBT that the tank is essentially “invisible” to radar.

The claim was made by the director of the Nizhi-Tagil-based UralVagonZavod (UVZ) plant, Vyacheslav Khalitov, on Ekho Moskvy radio on 3 July.

“We essentially made the invisible tank,” said Khalitov. He also elaborated on the tank’s internal arrangement, stating that key “emitters” that normally make other tanks vulnerable to current-generation anti-armour weapons are fitted as far as possible into the interior of the Armata to reduce its infrared (IR) signature.

About the tank’s own radar signature, Khalitov said the T-14’s hull is coated with special radar-absorbing paint and other materials and appliqués that make it difficult to be detected.

However, US specialists with many years of experience in the design of current-generation armour and Russian experts on former Soviet programmes that were designed to reduce AFV signatures both expressed doubts.

Russia plans to form new 1st Tank Army and 20th Combined Army by December 1

In the Western Military District, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to create a new tank army by December 1 and another, 20th combined army, will in fact be formed anew. As a senior source at Russia’s General Staff told TASS earlier, most of the units that have been organic to the 20th combined army are being transferred to a newly-created tank army and will have to be replaced by new ones.

The 1st Tank Army will incorporate the Tamanskaya Mechanized Infantry Division and the Kantemirovskaya Tank Division, as well as the 27th Sevastopolskaya Mechanized Infantry Brigade and the 6th Tank Brigade.

“Reformatting the 20th Combined Army, which has been stripped of most of its combat units, is a more complex task,” the source said. “At the moment it has incorporated the 9th tank brigade in Nizhny Novgorod. Other tank and mechanized infantry brigades for that army are being formed.”

The 1st and 20th armies will have one reconnaissance and one air missile brigade, as well as a logistics brigade, missile and artillery units a helicopter regiment and other units, including reconnaissance and attack drone units. Both will be armed with new generation armoured vehicles – Armata platform-based tanks and the mechanized infantry combat vehicle Kurganets.

Another tank army will be formed near Moscow by December.

“This work is already in progress,” a source at the General Staff said. “Research is underway into the locations of control centres and the combat potential and strength of the units. No official documents for creating a second tank army have been signed yet, though,” the official added.

Earlier, Airborne Troops Commander Vladimir Shamanov said that on the basis of Russia’s paratroops a rapid reaction force was to be created. The force would have a dual capability of operating on its own or in combination with ground troops.

“We have plans for building up the strength of our airborne and airborne assault divisions to three regiments,” Shamanov said. A source at the General Staff told TASS the strength of airborne troops would grow from 45,000 officers and men to 60,000.

A Few Armata Updates T-15/T-14

Photos of Russian Soldiers posing on the T-15.

Spectator was kind enough to take a video of a T-15 Parking.

UralVagonZavod claims to use “radar absorbing paint” and other stealth features on Armata

Russia’s new Armata tank is not only the best in the world, it is also invisible to radars, the deputy director of its manufacturer, UralVagonZavod, said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station late Monday.
“We essentially made the invisible tank,” Vyacheslav Khalitov said, adding that other easily detectable components of the tanks were placed deep within the tank to better mask its infrared signature — heat emissions generated by the tank that are easily seen by special optical equipment.
Russia unveiled the Armata tank to much fanfare in May as part of this year’s blowout Victory Day celebrations, which marked the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The tank has been paraded as an unrivaled, modern design by its manufacturers and the Russian press.
Already touted as exceptionally deadly, the tank was designed with special stealth technologies, said Khalitov. In particular, the tank’s hull features special radar absorbing paint and materials that make it resistant to rapid detection by radar, he explained.
If the tank is seen, it boasts a heavy “Ural armor” and electromagnetic defenses that confuse incoming guided projectiles — a type of defense known as softkill measures. The tank also sports what is known as a hardkill system — explosive plates layered on the hull of the tank that explode outward to destroy incoming projectiles.
In order to further boost the tank crew’s survivability, Armata features a modular internal layout that separates the crew cabin from the gun and ammunition storage compartment. This in theory would allow the crew to survive a shot that detonates the tank’s ammunition.
Although UralVagonZavod has gone out of its way to promote the features of its new tank — the first designed by Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union — it still has not entered serial production.
The first batch of Armata tanks was handed over to the military for testing this year, and procurement deals will be finalized later, with serial production expected to begin in 2017 or 2018. President Vladimir Putin has promised to buy up to 2,300 of the new tanks for the Russian military.

If the Armata’s stealth technology functions properly remains to be seen. These are just prototypes and have not been proven as we all saw at the Victory Day Parade.

The genetic code “Armata T-14”

http://imgur.com/MyjHT8a

T-14 “Armata” on May 9th parade 2015.
Source: Reuters

Such a tank, as the T-14 “Armata” appears once in a hundred years

History of weapons – one of the most fascinating chapters in world history. And it’s not just the abundance of dramatic collisions associated with the birth of new for its time weapons systems. History teaches us that often rise and fall of entire civilizations are not associated with other than the emergence of new chariots, bows, swords and armor. The fact remains that we still live in a world where many, if not all, decides to military force as the highest expression of the power of the state. Err in this respect is very dangerous. No wonder the country that considers itself the most free, and have the most advanced armed forces. Especially interesting to watch how the story is going on before our eyes: a speech about the latest Russian tank T-14 “Armata”, made in the workshops of Uralvagonzavod, one of the partners of VTB Bank. Among the contemporaries of the T-14 has no analogues. But what it will take place among the most outstanding military vehicles of the past? Here are the main protagonists of this story.

 

Mark I. The first in the family

 

Mark I – the first tank, proven in combat. It happened September 15, 1916 at the Battle of the Somme in France. Of the 49 tanks to the front lines have reached only 35, five more are stuck in a swamp, and nine were broken in the course of the attack. However, 18 of the remaining iron fighters have advanced deep into the German defense for five kilometers, with the loss of the attackers were in 20 times less than the usual occurrence.

 

Value Mark I was not even in the fact that he first came into the bout. His views and practical possibilities it has made such a strong impression on the military experts of all countries, the future of armored troops who have little doubt. Actually, from this model and gave the name of the new weapon. For the purposes of secrecy British counterintelligence spread the rumor that the Russian Party in Britain has ordered tanks (in English – tank). On the sides of the iron monsters even written in Cyrillic “Caution. Petrograd. “Interestingly, in the Russian novelty was first named in a literal translation – the tub. It remains to be glad that in this case the name did not stick.

 

Renault FT-17. Classics of the genre

 

Designers are not immediately able to find the optimal layout for the new weapon. The first British tank Mark I was a diamond that allows to overcome serious obstacles, but forced armament placed in the side sponsons. The first German tank A7V resembled a rail car on the tracks. The Italians made a double-decked ship overland Fiat 2000 with a crew of 10 people. The first Russian project – “Tsar Tank” Lebedenco – generally like a giant gun carriage for the cannon. Only in 1917, the French designers have to guess the appearance of the combat vehicle. Renault FT-17 was the first tank with a cannon in the turret, which rotates 360 degrees, with the office in front, fighting compartment in the center and rear engine. This arrangement has become a classic. FT-17 was so successful that remained in service with many countries before the Second World War. A copy of the tank, founded in 1920 at the Sormovo factory in Nizhny Novgorod under the name “Freedom Fighter Comrade. Lenin “, was the ancestor of the domestic armored forces.

 

M1928. Gift from America

 

For a long time one of the major problems of tanks remained low speed over rough terrain. Combat vehicles of the 1920s crawled instead of flying into battle. The situation changed after the American constructor John Christie invented the original scheme independent suspension. It allowed the tank to move even without tracks – on rubberized rollers. Another feature designs Christi – aspiration have frontal armor plates at an angle to the vertical, thereby increasing the probability of ricochet projectiles. All these advantages of the fastest in the world rated by Soviet specialists. Draft Christie tank was purchased by the Soviet Union in 1930, and based on it created a series of BT (fast tanks) – BT-2 BT-5 and BT-7. The last of them in 1939, equipped with a diesel engine aircraft of type B-2, which was subsequently installed on all Soviet medium and heavy Tacna up to T-62. Thus, in the USSR, to combine all the elements that helped to create the legendary T-34.

 

T-34. Tank Victory

 

Russian Main Battle Tank T-14

The Russian Company Uralvagonzavod is responsible for the design and development of the new Russian main battle tank MBT Armata T-14 for 2013 with the delivery of the An artist concept view of the new Russian tank. The Russian Army is planning to begin modernize its armored and mechanized forces beginning in 2015 On the 12th of June, Ukrainian officials report that 3 main battle tanks and several armoured vehicles crossed the border at the Dovzhanskyy border crossing, which Pages in category “Main battle tanks of Russia” The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total. This list may not reflect recent changes .

Despite advances in armor-defeating systems, the Main Battle Tank remains the symbol of every modern army’s true strength on the battlefield.This is a list of main battle tanks, and other vehicles serving that role, in active military service with countries of the world. A main battle tank (MBT) is the T-90MS main battle tank data sheet specifications information description pictures photos images intelligence identification intelligence UralVagonZavod Russia ‘Flying tank’ premiere: Russia unveils new T90-MS in India Russian arms producers have presented the most up-to-date exportable version of the T-90 main I wrote about a new Russian main battle tank (MBT) more than a year ago, the T-95, in a blog headlined ” New Russian battle tank: it’s beginning to look a lot like The Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s T-14 main battle tank (MBT), based on the Armata universal combat platform and unveiled on the Victory Day parade on May 9, may

New Russian 1st Tank Army unit will be equipped with T-14 Armata MBTs and Kurganets IFVs

The Russian Defense Ministry plans to create a new tank army in the Western Military District by December 1, a senior source at Russia’s General Staff has told TASS. Major-General Alexander Chaiko has been appointed commander of the 1st Tank Army. Before, he was in charge of the 20th Army. The latter’s new commander is Major-General Sergey Kuzovlyov (previously chief of staff of the 58th Combined Army).

New Russian-made main battle tank T-14 Armata

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Armata to be showcased at arms expo

International Business Times is reporting that the new Russian T-14 Armata tank will be showcased in September at the Russia Arms Expo in Nizhny Tagil.  The expo will run from September 9 through 12, with the Armata being on display on the second day.  According to the article, the manufacturer of the Armata noted “As for the demonstration of the Armata, we’ll certainly show it. This will be either a closed show or Armata will be placed behind a glass anti-glare contour.”  The expo will run Sept. 9 to 12. Previous expos have featured 20,000 visitors, 470 exhibitors and delegations from 40 countries. The Armata tank, which had long been cloaked in secrecy, will likely be a major draw.

Full Article here.

General Defense Ministry opposed manning of Armata with conscripts

Head of the Main Directorate of Combat Training Defense Ministry, Lieutenant-General Ivan Buvaltsev said that to manage the latest T-14 “Armata” Soldiers must be professional rather than conscripts.

“I stand by that statement” for the Armata “We don’t want conscripts. One example that the Armata stalled was on
May 7 during the final rehearsal of the Victory Parade Tank “Armata”, driven by a crew of conscripts, stopped at the Red Square. Deputy Prime Minister, chairman of the board of the Military-Industrial Commission, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the cause of the incident was the human factor: “It’s not the technique failed, and the relationship between technology and man was broken. Do not press the button, so to speak.

Armata supercharged T-14 coming soon

The second day of the exhibition RAE 2015, Russia will introduce products for the Department of Defense, including the T-14 Ultra Armata.

On 27 July 2015, Director of the Institute of Metal Testing (NTIIM) Nikolai Smirnov said super tank T-14 Armata will appear on the second day of Russian Arms Exhibition 2015 (RAE 2015) will take place in January 9 in Nizhny Tagil Urals province.

“The combined launch of military equipment will take place on the first day of the exhibition RAE 2015. New products for DOD, including ultra Armata tank will appear on Monday.

It is the traditional day for companies to introduce their new products, including the weapons are in production, “Chief Smirnov told a press conference at the press center of the news agency Tass Urals province.

T-14 supercharger and infantry fighting vehicles, heavy T-15 parked in the yard prepared for Day parade.

For the first time, supercharger Armata was launched today on the occasion of the parade in Red Square on May 9th, Moscow.

Earlier, during a rehearsal date 5 May, the Russian Defense Ministry displayed 7 tanks – planned new launches in 9 May day parade.Overall image supercharged T-14 has answered long speculations.

The Western military experts comment, supercharger T-14 outperformed American M1A2 tank, the Leopard-2A7 of Germany and Chellenger-II of England.

Britain’s Telegraph newspaper commented that the new Russian tanks can “terminate military technological superiority of the West since the Cold War ended.”

Jane’s Defence Weekly wrote also its projects Armata’s new design, the most significant change in the Armoured Fighting Vehicle Russia since the decade of 60-70.

Meanwhile, the Army Times, the newspaper of the US military, acknowledged the tank T-14 has more “maneuver, firepower than the American M1A2”.