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2023-01-01
T-14 Armata: Armed with Protective Design
It’s the robust components and innovative characteristics that has kept T-14 Armata, a new-generation main battle tank (MBT) developed by Russian company Uralvagonzavod (UVZ), ahead of most others in its category.
The tank was officially unveiled for the first time during the Moscow Victory Day Parade in May 2015.
Russia is one of the leading nations in the development of MBTs since the making of T-34 during the Second World War, and Russian T-14 Armata is considered one of the most revolutionary programmes of the recent years. UVZ began the development of this vehicle in 2009 basing its work on the previous T-95 project.
Currently a limited number of T-14 Armata are in service in the Russian Army, but the vehicle is expected to be introduced in larger numbers in the near future. Compared to previous Russian-made MBTs, T-14 Armata is designed to find a better balance between firepower, mobility and protection.
Compared to Western counterparts, legacy Russian MBTs (like T-64s, T-72s/T-90s and T-80s) lacked of protection and had poor ergonomics.
Unmanned Turret
The most innovative part of its design is the introduction of an unmanned turret. This solution gives the vehicle immense advantages on the overall protection, which is claimed to be comparable to that of the best Western MBTs — the latest evolutions of Abrams and Leopard 2.
The entire crew is seated in a well-protected citadel at the front of the hull, the unmanned remote controlled turret is on the middle while the power pack is on the rear.
The roof of the turret houses a meteorological mast, satellite communications, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), data link and radio communications antennae.
The T-14 is based on a modular combat platform, which can also serve as a basis for other armoured variants such as heavy infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and armoured personnel carrier (APC).
The tank is 1 m longer and higher than the T-90. It measures 10.8m-long, 3.5m-wide and 3.3m-high.
To increase its overall protection, the T-14 Armata is equipped with a complex active/passive defence system (hard kill/soft kill).
Weight Benefit
Another key element of the Russian vehicle is the limitation on the weight. T-14 has an estimated Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 48 tonnes, a value not very different from the MBTs actually in service in the Russian Army, and it constitutes a major advantage in the area of tactical and strategic mobility. Compared to 70 tonnes western MBTs the lightness of T-14 Armata means easy air, ship (especially landing ship), rail and road transportation.
The vehicle features a hybrid suspension system with a mix of hydro-pneumatic and torsion bars with seven wheels instead of the six wheels installed on the previous models. Thanks to its powerful engine, the T-14 has power to weight ratio of 31 HP/t, which is the highest value among modern MBTs.
Armata is credited with a top on-road speed of 80/90 km/h, considered an extraordinary performance for a MBT.
Well-Armed
The T-14 is armed with a new 125mm smoothbore main gun (2A82-1M cannon) but has been designed to be easily converted to the new 152mm (2A83 cannon). The 125mm 2A-82-1M gun is coupled with a new generation autoloader compatible with longer ammunitions.
For T-14 Armata, Russia developed a new gun barrel launched 3UBK21 Sprinter laser homing missile that can be used for anti-tank or anti-air (anti-helicopter) purposes. The vehicle is equipped with a Fire Control System (FCS) with gunner and commander day/night last generation sights. The performance of the main gun and stabilised servo associated with the day/night FCS ensures high first-round probability of hit even firing on-the-move to a moving target.
The tank is also fitted with a close distance camera system to ensure a situational awareness at close distances. An advanced modular passive armour in association with dual-reactive Malakhit protection system and active/ passive Afghanit protection system is integrated in the design of the vehicle right since the beginning.
Upgradation Efforts
In addition to the introduction of the T-14 Armata, Russian Army is carrying on with different programmes to upgrade T-72B, T-80B/U and T-90 legacy MBTs. The latest T-72 upgrades by Russian industries are T-72B3M/B4 fitted with Relkit ERA system.
The main features of the B4 variant are a new 1,130 HP (848 kW) diesel engine, an evolved FCS with Sosna-U day/night gunner’s sight and a new PK-PAN independent panoramic sight for the commander.
The latest evolution of T-80 is the T-80 BVM/T-80U1. The central feature of this upgrade is the integration of Malakhit protection system. As for the latest T-72B3/ T-72B3M, the T-80 BVM introduces an upgraded FCS with Sosna-U day/night gunner’s sight and a new independent panoramic sight for the commander.
T-90 AM74 is the most innovative upgrade of a previous generation Russian MBT since it is fitted with 2A82-1M 125mm gun of T-14 Armata with an autoloader modified to be compatible with Vacuum APFSDS kinetic energy round.
Crew Management
Placing the entire crew in the chassis, inside a citadel, as it is in the T-14 Armata, is a good way to optimise and maximise the protection level of the crew compartment without much increase in the overall weight. A decrease to only two-man crew is technically feasible with the step forward attained by vehicle electronics.
A two-man crew will probably have difficulties operating the vehicle for a long time and in a complex environment, such as in urban or high intensity operations, due to the immense workload, but that might be reduced thanks to the integration of helmet-mounted displays for the crew. This solution is already under development in the Israeli Carmel programme, as well as in the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) one.
The hull is divided into three compartments, a crew cab at forward, an unmanned remote controlled turret in the centre and a power-pack at the rear. The driver sits in the left, gunner in the middle and commander in the right inside a special armoured capsule. Entry and exit are provided through three hatches in front of the hull.
Self-protection
The hull is equipped with a modular armour system made of steel, ceramics and composite material. The low-silhouette of the tank avoids exposition of the parts to enemy fire, which significantly enhances the safety and survivability of the crew. For this purpose, particularly during explosions, the crew capsule is isolated from the automatic loader and ammunition.
The tank is anticipated to offer up to STANAG 4569 Level 5 protection. Its forward portion is covered with reactive armour, whereas the rear is fitted with bar armour to provide additional protection against anti-tank rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). The tank can also be hinged with additional active and passive armour.
The nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection, automatic fire suppression system and smoke grenade dischargers aboard the tank enhance the crew survivability.
All-round Vision
The commander and gunner are equipped with multispectral sights with visible scope, thermal channels, and laser rangefinders. The commander’s sight mounted on top of the turret offers a 360° field of view, while the gunner’s sight is fitted with a direct-vision periscope and a laser designator.
The wide-angle cameras fitted on the tank provide a full 360° all-round vision and situational awareness for the crew. The tank is also expected to carry electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) based laser warning receivers.
The T-14 is fitted with a computerised fire control system, which automatically formulates the fire control solution using the data from a muzzle reference system and a wind sensor mounted on the roof of the turret.
The tank is also equipped with a battlefield management system. The Armata T-14 is powered by an A-85-3A turbocharged diesel engine, which generates a power output of 1,200hp. The engine is coupled to a 12-speed automatic transmission.
The running gear includes seven dual rubber-tired road wheels on each side. The tank has a maximum cruising range of 500km.
Western Response
In response to the Armata, German Rheinmetall AG has developed a new 130mm L/51 tank gun, claiming it provides a 50 per cent increase in armour penetration over the 120mm L/55 in service with the Bundeswehr. Germany and France have joined forces to develop a “Main Ground Combat System” (MGCS) to compete with the technological advances of the Armata and replace both the Leclerc and Leopard 2 MBTs around 2030 .
Reference Text/Photo:By Vitaly V. Kuzmin
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