(Washington, D.C) While it may at times be a challenge to sift through a lot of the hype and hyperbole surrounding Russia’s T-14 Armata tank, the war vehicle does appear to present a series of very significant threats to U.S. and NATO forces, should some of its reported attributes be accurate.
Multiple reports say the tank is lighter weight than an Abrams, weighing about 55 tons, as well as faster, meaning it can reach speeds up to 55mph compared with the Abrams top speed of roughly 45mph.
The T-14 is also listed to include other asset such as an unmanned turret, three-man crew, 12-round per minute firing range and 125mm smoothbore cannon. The platform is also reported to operate without a “fume extractor” and protect the 3-man crew with an armored capsule.
T-14 In Combat…
Over the years, the Russian T-14 has received a lot of press hyping its various attributes, yet it is not at all clear how much these technologies have been tested or place in actual war-like scenarios.
A news report from Sputnik several years ago reported that tank-maker Uralvagonzavod has developed a “remotely-detonated” 125mm shell for the T-14 Armata.
