Russian super tank Armata is equipped with 'killer' gun

The power of Russia's super tank Armata will increase significantly when equipped with the barrel of the 152 mm Koalitsia self-propelled gun, known as the "tank killer".

TankT-14Russia's Armata with 125 mm smoothbore gun. Photo:Sputnik

On February 28, Mr. Viatcheslav Khalitov, Deputy Director of the Uralvagonzavod weapons factory, said that the Russian army is testing 20 tank models.T-14Armata and the first T-15 armored vehicles before being officially assigned to the army in early 2017, according toSputnik.

Accordingly, to enhance the combat capabilities of the T-14 Armata, Russian military engineers have decided to equip this tank model with a 152 mm gun barrel, which is installed on the Koalitsia self-propelled guns, known as the "tank killer" of the Russian army. Current Armata tank models use a 125 mm smoothbore gun barrel.

Koalitsia is a completely new Russian self-propelled gun equipped with an automatic aiming system. It is a thermo-electro-chemical gun, using materialsspecialas explosives instead of conventional gunpowder. The cannon is detonated by an electric pulse. The shell is fired by the force of gas pressure and electromagnetic propulsion. This feature gives the Koalitsia cannon a range 50% longer than conventional cannons.

According to the manufacturer Uralvagonzavod, Koalitsia is capable of accurately hitting targets from a distance of 70 km, and the shells are capable of penetrating a meter-thick steel layer.

After installing this gun barrel, the T-14 Armata tank will be able to track and lock on 40 ground targets and 25 flying targets from a distance of 10 km. In addition, the T-14 can shoot down anti-tank missiles and enemy combat helicopters.

Koalitsia 152 mm self-propelled gun. Photo: Sputnik

Armata is a Russian main battle tank (MBT) project. The tank has been in development since 2011, andpThe prototype was unveiled in 2014. The first 12 T-14s were built for the 2015 Moscow Victory Day parade. The full-fledged Armata tanks will be delivered in series between 2017 and 2018.

According to the military information site Military Today, the Armata will be the trump card to replace Russia's outdated T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks. Equipped with highly automated systems, a typical Armata will likely be operated by a crew of two. If this information is correct, the Armata will be the main battle tank with the smallest crew ever.

According to VNE