US and Europe admit to 'chasing' after Russia's 'Armata' tank
The Americans, and after them the Europeans, reluctantly admitted: the Russian concept of developing armored vehicles was correct.
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| T-14 "Armata" tank |
Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union and a decade of turmoil in the defense industry, Russian tank manufacturers have not only kept their traditions intact,(for example the T-90 tank versionexport), which also outperformed its main competitors.
The latest generation of Russian armored vehicles based on the "Armata" platform - the T-14 tank and the T-15 heavy BMP combat vehicle - have entered mass production and are gradually entering service with the Russian army.
"Armata" platform - new generation military equipment, capable of "central network operations"(eachcarmachine - a separate part of a cluster,real-time information exchangewith the rest ofsystemabout the situationdevelopmentson the battlefield). T-14 and T-15 use active and passive remote defense systems, reinforced steel hull, equipped with new weapons. And most importantly, all this modern equipment is placed in a machine weighing no more than 50 tons. Thus, war machines can be transported on modern means of transport (railway, heavy transport aircraft).Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US had an opportunity that they tried but failed. In 2011, American designers began developing the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (BMP) project. But they could not put the desired configuration into a machine weighing no more than 60 tons, so that the armored vehicle could be transported by military transport aircraft in service with the US Army. At the end of 2015, they reduced funding for the program.
Tank “Armata”
However, the parade in Moscow on May 9, 2017, in which the T-14 and T-15 participated, forced the Americans to return to this project, but now including tanks.
The US Army doesn't just want a new vehicle today, it wants it tomorrow, otherwise very soon, Russian armored vehicles will not let opponents survive in a real war. US Army Secretary Mark Esper said:"It was expected that the first two prototypes would be built by September 30, 2022. It was expected to cost $700 million for this purpose. Now the planned deadline will be at least a year earlier. We want to take a big step forward, moving forward to next-generation combat equipment. We need to move quickly, because I am looking at these countries(meaningto Russia and China), And I knew we needed to get there before them."
Meanwhile, the design of a new combat platform to replace the "Leclerc" and "Leopard-2" is also of interest to Europe.
The Europeans have more modest plans. They understand that they cannot get a new tank before 2030. Therefore, the concept of a new combat vehicle is currently being developed under the Main Ground Combat System 2030+ v (MGCS 2030+) program (“The basic ground combat system of the future after 2030”). In fact, this is a repetition of the “Armata” concept, but the Europeans plan to surpass the Russian tank in every respect. But by 2030 a lot will change. Russian designers are not in the habit of standing still, especially if the country’s leadership has the money and the desire to do so.So the new "arms race" in the world has begun. Russia is still in the lead, but the Americans are rushing to catch up, and the Europeans are gradually moving forward. Soon we will be able to assess the first results. It will certainly be interesting.
