2022: MEET RUSSIA'S T-14 ARMATA, THE FOURTH GENERATION AND FASTEST BATTLE TANK IN THE WORLD 

Did you know that Russia's new main battle tank, the T-14 Armata which comes at the price of $3.7million is an excellent tank sitting at the cutting edge technology?

Before the Russia's T-14 Armata, Germany's Leopard 2A7 was the deadliest main battle tank that existed. In multi-national training, the weapon performs better than the US M1A2 SEP, the British Challenger 2, and the French Leclerc. The greatest features of the tank are its powerful weapons, its high-tech fire control system, and its mobility. Besides that, Leopard 2A7 comes with the most modern electronics on the planet.

But enter the Russia's T-14 Armata, described as the next-generation (or fourth-generation) main battle tank, which is an all-new tank that incorporates the very best of Russian engineering. While much is still unknown and unproven on the Russian T-14 (like readability and production numbers), it is clear that this is a very advanced tank that may actually out-class anything the Western armies have with their older modernized third-generation tanks. This is because the militaries of the Western countries haven't designed an all-new tank since the Cold War—they've just been happy to upgrade their older tanks.

Below are 10 reasons as compiled by Aaron Spray on hotcars online as to why the Russia's new main battle tank is something to worry about, in comparison to M1 Abram's battle tank, the most predominant ground-based fighting machine in the U.S. military.

1] FOURTH-GENERATION

Main Battle Tanks around the world are classified into different generations. These range from the first generation tanks soon after the Second World War to the new fourth-generation tanks today. The T-14 Armata tank is designed from the ground up as a fourth-generation tank. The M1 Abrams by contrast are third-generation tanks. While many of the Abrams tanks have been upgraded with fourth-generation technology (like the M1A2 Sepv2 etc.), they are operating with the restraint that they are working from a third-generation platform.

2] POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO

The T-14's engine is a 1,500-2,000 horsepower diesel engine, this compares to the Abrams' 1,500 horsepower turbo gasoline engine that has to power a much heavier tank. That means that the T-14 Armata has the power to weight ratio advantage. The T-14 has a ratio of 31 horsepower per tonne, while the Abrams ranges (depending on the variant) from 26.9 hp/t to 23.8 hp/t.

3] DIESEL FUEL POWERED

The T-14's engine is diesel-powered and boasts a longer range than the Abrams which uses a gas-guzzling turbocharged gasoline engine. While the Abrams' engine has proven itself reliable, it's a terrible gas guzzler and the US military is working on replacing it with a more fuel-efficient diesel-powered engine. Supplying copious amounts of fuel to the tanks on the battlefield is one of their key Achilles' heels.

4] SPEED - 50-56 MPH

The T-14 Armata is now much faster than its Abrams counterpart. While the T-14 has an estimated top on-road speed of between 50-56 miles per hour, the Abrams tanks have been getting slower. The M1A1 Abrams had an on-road top speed of 45 miles per hour, with the M1A2 that has now dropped to 42 miles per hour. Mostly due to the increased weight of its upgrades.

5] THREE-PERSON CREW

The Russians have eliminated the need for a four-man tank, the Armata only requires a three-person crew to run and operate. They now have an automatic loader which the Abrams does not have. Additionally, the crew in the T-14 Armata are now much better protected than in other older Russian tank designs.

6] OPERATIONAL RANGE - OVER 500 KM

The T-14 Armata's operational range is over 500 km or 310 miles, which is greater than the upgraded Abrams' M1A2 operational road range of around 265 miles or 426 kilometers. Operational range is very important as while the tanks are heavily defended, the fuel truck most certainly isn't. That poses a soft target and without fuel, the tank is little more than a heap of metal in the danger zone.

7] ACTIVE PROTECTION SYSTEM (APS)

All the T-14 Armata tanks come equipped with Afghanit — Russia's new active protection system. It includes a radar with which to detect, track and then intercept incoming shells and other threats. Only those Abrams tanks with the latest upgrades are now fitted with an active protection system - the Israeli-made Trophy system. That means it is also more advanced than many American tanks.

8] NEW MAIN GUN

Tank guns are very complicated pieces of technology, and they don't get upgraded and replaced very often. In fact, the first M1 Abrams tanks were originally fitted with a British gun. The T-14 sports the all-new 2A82-1M 125 mm (4.92 in) smoothbore cannon, replacing the older 2A46 125 mm gun of previous Russian and Soviet tanks. This cannon is more powerful than its Western counterparts like the German Leopard 2's Rheinmetall 120 mm gun.

9] PRICE - $3.7 MILLION

While being at least as good as the latest variants of the Abrams, the Armata's price point is far cheaper at about $3.7 million. This compares to the Abrams' unit cost of around $9 million! While typically American military equipment may cost more than its Russian counterpart, it is normally more capable and of better quality. That would not seem to be the case when it comes to the T-14 Armata.

10] WEIGHT - 55 TONS

Weight is an important factor of any main battle tank. They need to be maneuverable and fast on the battlefield and to accomplish that, weight needs to be kept to a minimum. The T-14 Armata comes in at only 55 tons. The latest variants of America's M1 Abrams tanks like the M1A2 SEPv2 now weigh a hefty 64.6 tonnes — while they originally weighed 54 tonnes. The M1 Abrams upgrades are constantly adding to its weight.

Source:

https://www.hotcars.com/russias-main-battle-tank-t-14-armata-has-everyone-worried/#fourth-generation