Will Russia's Armata T-14 Tank Make A Difference On The Battlefield?

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Business Insider: Russia's Armata T-14 Tank Could Be Super Dangerous on the Battlefield (But There Is One Simple Problem)

A British Army intelligence report offers an alarmist assessment of Russia’s new T-14 Armata main battle tank. Most U.S. defense analysts, however, are much more measured in their analysis of the new Russian machines. While the T-14 will likely be an excellent tank when it becomes operational, it is not quite the “revolution” that the British claim it to be. Moreover, it is far too expensive to produce in mass numbers.

“Without hyperbole, Armata represents the most revolutionary step change in tank design in the last half century,” states a British Army intelligence report cited by The Telegraph.

But most U.S. assessments suggest that’s exactly what the British report is: hyperbole. As The Telegraph notes, the British intelligence document questions the U.K. Ministry of Defense’s current defense strategy, which does not call for Great Britain to plan for a new combat vehicle to replace its Challenger 2 main battle tank. “Are we on the cusp of a new technological arms race? Has an understandable focus on defeating the single threat of IEDs distracted Western military vehicle designers? Challenger 2 [the British tank], with life extension programmes, is currently due to remain in service until 2035. Is it time to rethink?” the report asks.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I agree .... it may be a great tank .... but the problem is the cost and the ability of Russian industry to manufacture this model in numbers that make sense. The claim that it will be years (a decade or two) before there are enough of them in the field to make a difference is .... from the Russian perspective .... sadly true.