The T-14 is not without its domestic critics within the Russian government as well. Efforts to further develop the Armata appear to have been negatively impacted by financial restraints brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. With an exorbitantly high price tag of roughly $3.7 million USD per Armata, it is not a surprise that Russia’s armed forces, which have struggled to balance procurement costs in the past, would hesitate to purchase T-14s at scale. The answer lies in the manufacturing and cost challenges that plague the Russian defense industry. With such strong on-paper capabilities, why hasn’t the tank been rushed to the battlefields of Ukraine? A variety of other advanced radar systems, radio and satellite communications equipment, and a GLONASS-based navigation system affords the crew significant information about its surroundings. Cameras attached to the exterior of the T-14 are designed to give the crew a full 360-degree view of the tank’s surroundings, while a digital firing system informs the crew’s targeting. Since the Armata’s crew of three tankers sit in a protected crew capsule to insulate them from enemy fire and the tank’s ammunition, the turret of the Armata is remote-controlled and its 2A82-1M smoothbore gun is serviced by an autoloader. The tank was unveiled for the world at the 2015 Moscow Victory Day parade, and since then has been presented as the cutting-edge future of the Russian tank corps. Given its theoretical capabilities, the T-14 would be an asset to Russian troops invading Ukraine if it had actually been brought to the battlefield. The Armata’s absence is particularly visible as fighting continues to rage in eastern Ukraine and Russia rushes to refit its armored formations as they are pummeled in combat there.
Why hasn’t Russia sent it to war in Ukraine? Despite being marketed as one of Russia’s most modern ground systems and its most sophisticated tank, Russia’s T-14 Armata has been remarkably absent from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with no official reason given by Russian officials. The T-14 Armata looks like one impressive and very advanced tank.
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