The newest Russian Armata T-14 main battle tank will enter mass production later than expected, multiple sources have told Defence Blog.
The industry sources said that the delivery of new Armata tanks in serial configuration could be delayed until 2024 due to technological hurdles.
“During the tests, the tank revealed a number of shortcomings associated with the fire control system, which would require significant time to fine-tune the electronic components and subsequent tests,” said the source.
This past summer, Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister, Denis Manturov said that mass production of the T-14 Armata tank will begin in 2022.
“The [tank’s] state trials will come to a close next year. It will actively go into mass production from next year,” the minister said.
At the same time, Head of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec Sergei Chemezov said in December 2020 that serial deliveries of the latest T-14 ‘Armata’ tank to the Russian troops will begin in 2021.
The Armata is a heavy-tracked standardized platform serving as the basis to develop the T-14 main battle tank, the T-15 infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier and some other armored vehicles. The new Russian tank has had a long and somewhat tortured development, first prototypes were shown to the public for the first time at Red Square’s Victory Day parade on May 9, 2015.
The Russian Army initially planned to acquire 2,300 T-14s between 2015 and 2020.
Meanwhile, Chief of the Defense Ministry’s Main Automotive and Armor Department Major-General Alexander Shestakov said on Monday that the state trials of the latest Armata T-14 tank based on are set to be completed in 2022.
“This year, it has [Armata platform] entered its final stage. The tank’s state trials are due to be completed in 2022,” the general said in an article published by the Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on Monday.
Pursuant to the latest requirements, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers must operate as a multi-purpose combat vehicle, he pointed out.
“Now it must not only transport personnel and support them by fire in a battle but also to fight enemy armor and low-flying air targets. As compared to its predecessors, the vehicle must effectively cope with this task not only from the halt but also on the move and afloat. Armament remote control is a priority task,” the general explained.
In order to embrace all these firing tasks, combat vehicles with an unmanned combat module are being developed, he said.