Russia's T‑14 Armata: A costly marvel that won't see battle
The T-14 Armata is a Russian battle tank first shown to the public during a military parade in Moscow in 2015. During this event, a rather embarrassing situation occurred when the tank broke down.
Manufactured at the Uralvagonzavod plant in Nizhny Tagil, the Russian authorities hailed the T-14 Armata as a modern, technologically sophisticated, and heavily armored military vehicle.
Equipped with several innovations - groundbreaking for Russian technology - the tank features an unmanned turret, a missile interception system, and other advancements to enhance the crew’s efficiency on the battlefield.
However, it turns out the tank has not been successful in front-line effectiveness nor from an economic standpoint.
The T-14 Armata was initially deployed near Luhansk in October 2022 for testing. It was also supposed to participate in the early stages of the offensive against Kyiv. By April 2023, the tanks had officially been sent to the front, only to be withdrawn by the summer. According to British intelligence, the condition of the T-14 tanks in Ukraine was very poor.
Actually, the T-14 Armata is somewhat too costly. Although it is functionally superior to existing tanks, its high price means the army is unlikely to deploy it – Sergey Chemezov, the head of Rostec, stated.
It is estimated that the T-14 Armata carries a price tag ranging from £4 million to around £7 million, making it significantly more expensive than its Russian counterparts - the T-90, T-80, and T-72 tanks. These tanks of the Russian army in Ukraine have already suffered substantial losses. Given this, Vladimir Putin's forces are likely to opt for the cheaper yet also less reliable T-90M models.
