The Russian military has leaked a video of it's most advanced T-14 Armata main battle tank on its way to Moscow for victory day parade this development could be considered bad news for the US military M1 Abrams tank. The "Armata" Universal Combat Platform is a Russian prototype of an advanced next generation heavy military tracked vehicle platform. The "Armata" platform is intended to be the basis for a main battle tank, a heavy infantry fighting vehicle, a combat engineering vehicle, an armoured recovery vehicle, a heavy armoured personnel carrier, a tank support combat vehicle and several types of self-propelled artillery under the same codename based on the same chassis. It is also intended to serve as the basis for artillery, air defense, and NBC defense systems.[6] Type Tracked Heavy Armored Vehicle Place of origin Russia Service history Used by Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Production history Designer Ural Design Bureau of Transport Machine-Building, Uralvagonzavod Manufacturer Uralvagonzavod Produced 2015[1] Number built 20[1] Specifications Weight 45-55 tons Crew 2[1] or 3[2] Armor 44S-sv-Sh[3] Main armament Depends on the variant, T-14: 125mm smoothbore 2A82 tank cannon, 2S35: 152mm gun[4] Secondary armament Depends on the variant, T-14: 30 mm cannon and 12.7 machine gun[5] Engine A-85-3A diesel engine 1,200–1,500 h.p. Transmission 8-speed automatic gearbox Speed 65–75 kilometres per hour (40–47 mph) Origin of designation[edit] The name designation of this tank (or more correctly "prospective family of heavy unified battlefield platforms" – "перспективный ряд тяжёлых унифицированных платформ поля боя") "Armata" is the plural of the Hellenic (Greek) word "arma"(άρμα), which means weapon and was an old Russian word for 14th century guns. This was wrongly transcribed as "Armada" by journalists on several occasions.[7][8][9][2] Development[edit] The Armata combat platform has been under design and development since 2009 by Uralvagonzavod headquartered in Nizhny Tagil.[2] Prototypes of heavy armored vehicles based on the Armata combat platform were presented at the defense exhibition Russian Arms Expo in Nizhny Tagil in September 2013.[10] In November 2014 trials of the 152mm 2S35 self-propelled gun variant were under way.[4] The first 24 vehicles of two different types are expected to be shown to the public in the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade[10][11][12] with a batch of 32 to be delivered to the Russian Land Forces during the same year.[13] State testing is scheduled to begin in 2016 and go on until the end of that year.[12] Russian media has previously stated that mass delivery will start in 2015[10] or 2016.[14] A total of 2,300 MBTs are expected to be supplied by 2020,[10][15] modernizing 70 percent of the Russian tank fleet.[10][16] Design[edit] Russian Lieutenant-General Yuri Kovalenko states that the "Armata" combat platform will utilize many features of the T-95 tank, of which only a few prototypes have been built. In the main battle tank variant, the ammunition compartment will be separate from the crew, increasing operational safety while the engine will be more powerful and the armor, main gun and autoloader will be improved. According to preliminary reports, the new tank designated T-14 will be less radical and ambitious than the canceled ‘Object 195’ or T-95, it will weigh less, therefore, become more agile and will be more affordable, compared to its more ambitious predecessors. Additionally, the Kurganets-25 tracked armored vehicle provides high degree of commonality with the new Armata tank. The Kurganets-25 will evolve into various models, gradually replacing BMP and BMD and MT-LB and other types of tracked armored platforms.[15] The Kurganets-25 will have modular armor that can be upgraded for specific threats, be armed with a 2A42 30 mm autocannon, and have four Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missile launchers.[16] The tank will have an unmanned, remotely controlled turret. It will be digitally controlled by a crewmember located in a separate compartment. It is believed that this would eventually lead to the development of a fully robotic tank.[17] Vehicles of the Armata platform will be equipped with the radar and other technologies found on the Sukhoi T-50 fifth-generation jet fighter. They include a Ka band radar (26.5-40 GHz) based on AESA radar. The devices should be ready by 2015.[18] The Armata will use a new type of lightweight armor designated 44S-SV-SH, developed by Steel Scientific Research Institute enterprise. This armor does not lose its qualities when used in extremely low temperatures, an indication of Russia's military interest in the Arctic.[19] The Armata tank will have a remote weapon station turret and an automated control system, with the crew protected by an armored capsule.

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