Special Future Analysis: The Russian Military in 2030? The Threat?

By Kyle Mizokami

The Russian Army needs new equipment, and needs it fast.

A lagging Russian economy throughout the 1990s and 2000s kept defense spending low. As a result, Moscow has long relied on inherited equipment from the old Soviet Union. Unfortunately, like many inheritances, that of the Russian Armed Forces is rapidly running out. The newest equipment is now nearly thirty years old, and despite upgrades such as the T-72B3 [3], fresh equipment is urgently needed.

A new generation of tanks, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles has been promised, but given Russia’s economic downturn and Western sanctions, will they ever enter service? Here’s an optimistic picture of what might equip the Russian Army in 2030.

This story was originally published by The National Interest

(This first appeared in 2016).

T-14 Armata Tank

Set to enter service with the Ground Forces by 2018, the new Armata main battle tank is a huge leap forward, incorporating a whole slew of new technology. Armata has a new modular armor system, unmanned turret, active and passive protection systems, digital tracking system and is allegedly coated with a stealth paint making it “invisible” to radar.