Thursday, May 7, 2015

Is Russia's New Armata Tank The Best In The World?

A Russian serviceman holds a red flag onboard a T-14 Armata tank after it stopped during a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Red Square in central Moscow, May 7. Grigory Dukor / Reuters

Matthew Bodner, Moscow Times: Could Russia's New Armata Tank Be the Best in the World?

Rolling through Red Square to the tune of patriotic war hymns, Russia's new battle tank, the Armata T-14, will surely steal the show on Saturday during Moscow's blowout celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

But despite the pomp and circumstance of its unveiling, experts said that the massive new tank, hailed by Russia's media as one of the best combat vehicles in the world, is hardly a revolution in warfare.

The Armata may be more effective and safer than Russia's Soviet-era tanks, but in its current version it is hardly a vast leap ahead in tank design, according to Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a defense think tank.

"The Armata is certainly not a game changer," said Ben Moores, a senior analyst at international defense consultancy IHS. Rather, the new tank is "just a more modern and effective vehicle than previous Russian tanks," he said in e-mailed comments.

WNU Editor: The Armata tank's specifications are here .... Russian third generation Armata Tank Specifications (NEXT Big Future)

More News On Russia's Armata Tank

Why America Should Really Fear Russia's Armata T-14 Tank -- Nikolas K. Gvosdev, National Interest
Russia Unveils Its Groundbreaking New Tank -- Stratfor
Russia Armata T-14 Tank Said to Be Faster Than a US Abrams -- Newsmax
Revealed: Russia’s Deadly New Tank Force -- The Diplomat
Armata Tank Leaves Western Readers Awe-Struck, Causes Heated Discussion -- Sputnik
Putin’s Got a Cool New Tank: How Many Can He Afford? -- Rob Garver,The Fiscal Times
Russia beat Hitler with tanks. Now it’s showing off the tank of the future. -- Washington Post

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