It seems that after the fighter of the fifth generation Su-57, in the near future the cross will be put on another newest development of the Russian military-industrial complex. And we are talking about the loudest project of recent years - the invulnerable and unparalleled T-14 tank “Armata”, which domestic propaganda has already managed to dismiss by the killer of “Abrams” and “Leopard”.
This sensational news today told reporters, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov. According to the official, such a decision was made because of the high cost of a promising vehicle, and instead of “Armaty”, the Russian military department will purchase modernized T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks. It is likely that in addition to the T-14, a similar fate awaits the newest wheeled infantry fighting vehicle "Boomerang", which Borisov also mentioned.
Such a statement seems doubly strange, because the impetus for the creation of "Almaty" was the unwillingness of the Russian military to purchase modernized Soviet vehicles, which the Ministry of Defense officials called obsolete. Now Borisov calls the practice of modernizing Soviet tanks "an effective solution" that helps Russia to oppose NATO on an equal footing.
Why did not the Armata fit?
Borisov believes that the task of completely re-equipping the army with new models of armored vehicles, including the main tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, is not worth it today. "Well, why all the armed forces flooded the Armaty, we have the T-72 in great demand in the market, everyone takes it, compared to Abrams, Leclerc, and Leopard, in price, efficiency, and quality, significantly is superior. The same situation with Boomerangs, he said.
Borisov believes that by going on the path of upgrading old equipment, Russia will be able to significantly save budget funds. The official believes that thanks to the use of modernized Soviet machines, the Russian army manages to perform the main tasks, having a military budget several times less than that of the NATO countries.
However, this approach is supported by a number of domestic experts. For example, the chief editor of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland" Viktor Murakhovsky believes that the main emphasis should be placed not on tanks, but on the development of military space forces and non-nuclear means of strategic deterrence. In his opinion, a serious military conflict with countries with modern armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons does not threaten us at the present time and in the foreseeable future. Murakhovsky believes that the existing machines of the Russian army are quite comparable in their characteristics to the military equipment of leading Western countries. On this basis, he predicts that there will be no serious purchases of “Almaty” in the coming years.
Recall that the newest tank T-14 "Armat" was first shown to the public during the May parade in 2015. The car received an uninhabited tower and the latest electronics systems. It should be noted that the Armata was conceived not just as the main battle tank, but as a universal platform, on the basis of which they wanted to create an entire line of combat vehicles, including heavy tracked infantry fighting vehicles, tank support vehicles and artillery installations.
It was planned that this combat vehicle will serve in the Russian army for 25-30 years. Domestic experts unanimously declared that “Armata” has no analogues in the world, however, its characteristics were highly appreciated abroad as well. The beginning of the serial production of "Almaty" is scheduled for 2019.
If the T-14 tank really does not go into mass production, it will put our propagandists in a rather difficult position. The situation that has developed around this war machine can be called real hysteria. And how it will now explain why this unique and unparalleled machine is not purchased by the Russian army is not clear.
