Armata: Russian ‘Supertank’ Barks More Than Bites

What does the hard-spot of the Russian defence industry look like?

Russian propagandists reacted nervously to Western supplies of еру Leopard and Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

Russian media are trying to interrupt the news, which will radically change the situation on the battlefields in Ukraine with stories about the Armata "supertank".

The Charter97.org website looked at what is known about the Russian "wunderwaffe" and how Western experts assess it.

They are riding the polygons only as propaganda vehicles

It has been suffering from delays during the eleven years of its development, as well as reductions in planned numbers and reports of production problems.

The newest tank T-14 Armata was disgraced at its first appearance in public during the rehearsal of the Victory Parade on Red Square in 2015. The tank stalled and stood for the entire parade.

British intelligence reports that a small number of the Armata tanks have recently entered the Russian forces, but there they were accepted "without enthusiasm", as the vehicles are "in poor condition".

“It is unlikely that any deployed T-14 tanks will meet the usual standards for the new vehicles to be considered combat-ready,” the British Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The Armata as a project was able to appear due to the fact that once Russia could receive modern Western technologies. According to military expert Oleh Katkov, Russia promised to develop about 1,500 units by 2020. The aggressor had such plans when it maintained good relations with Europe. The Armata tank used a significant part of the French components. Such developments ceased after 2014 and the imposition of sanctions.

“Therefore, they are stalling and riding around the landfills solely as propaganda machines. They are riding and riding but can't reach Ukraine, maybe they are just skidding on the way,” the expert noted.

The lack of quality components exposed a number of problems with the Russian tank. Military analysts draw attention to problems with the power unit, transmission and sighting system of the T-14.

A number of experts also doubt the effectiveness and viability of an uninhabited tower controlled only by electron-optical means. If the power system or its elements fail (for example, from a blow - a projectile, an explosive wave, during an explosion), the tank is completely disabled. Also, experts note that placing ammunition in a carousel can lead to a very dangerous situation if the ammunition explodes when it hits the tank.

Rogozin assembled it from Lego

A special place in the assessments of specialists is occupied by the manufacturability of the Russian army, specifically the Armata tanks. So the colonel of the reserve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleh Zhdanov believes that most of the Russian army turned out to be fake.

“There is nothing serious, constructive, new or high-tech. Only the parade detachment, visible on Red Square,” said Mr Zhdanov.

“The Russians, including their vaunted T-14 Armata, have no chance in a collision with the Leopard 2 tanks,” said Polish General Waldemar Skrzypczak.

Thomas Theiner, an Italian military analyst who specializes in ground forces and NATO artillery systems, noted the power of the Leopard tank guns, which are capable of destroying the reinforced armour of the most modern Russian Armata tanks.

“This is the best world tank, the Armata. As for me, I think Rogozin assembled it from Lego,” says Russian public and political figure Leonid Gozman.

Even the former leader of Russian militants in the Donbas, Igor Girkin (Strelkov), who reacted emotionally because of the supply of the Abrams tanks to Ukraine, is dissatisfied with the Armata.

The war criminal noticed that these tanks at least exist, unlike the Russian one. “For one simple reason: the Armata tanks do not exist in nature. They have remained a work of folklore of the Ministry of Defence, despite ten years and a lot of money spent on their development,” Girkin said.

A symbol of corruption

The word "Armata" has become a household name today. This is a real symbol of corruption in the Russian Ministry of Defence, which is headed by Sergei Shoigu.

Divisions of the Armata tanks were supposed to enter the Russian troops by 2020. However, the Russian army entered Ukraine with old vehicles and with paper maps in 2022.

After a series of defeats and mass mobilization, untrained soldiers began to receive vehicles from the Second World War. The Kremlin also had to beg for weapons from Iran and North Korea, and the Russian military began to use Belarusian prisons to sew uniforms in.

The British Ministry of Defense noted that if Russia sends the Armata tanks to Ukraine, then this will be done primarily for propaganda purposes. In the meantime, the Russians will have to use the old T-72s.

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