[The World Through Weapons] Why Is the Russian Armata, the Invincible Tank, Not Being Delivered?

The T-14 Armata tank, first unveiled at the Victory Day parade commemorating the end of World War II in May 2015
[Image source=Russian Ministry of Defense website/mil.ru]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Interest is growing both inside and outside Russia over whether the delivery of the T-14 Armata tank, known as Russia's invincible tank, will finally begin after five years. Originally, when it was first unveiled in 2015, the Russian government boldly promised to deploy 2,300 units in active service by 2020, but not a single tank has yet been delivered to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

According to Russia's TASS news agency, earlier this month, Uralvagonzavod (UVZ), Russia's largest tank manufacturer, announced that deliveries of the Armata tank to the Russian Ministry of Defense would begin this year. The Armata tank is also scheduled to appear at the Victory Day parade on May 9th this year, commemorating Russia's victory in World War II. It is expected to participate alongside the T-34 tank, which was the mainstay of victory during World War II.

However, since its first appearance on May 9, 2015, the 70th anniversary of the World War II victory, the Armata tank, which was supposed to have 2,300 units deployed by 2020, has yet to be delivered even once to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Testing continues, but due to the extensive advertising so far, other countries considering importing Russian tanks are also eagerly awaiting the start of deliveries.

The T-34 tank, regarded as the tank that led the Soviet Union to victory during World War II
[Image source=Uralvagonzavod official website/http://uralvagonzavod.ru]

The Armata, as claimed by the Russian government, is truly an invincible tank on Earth. The entire chassis is equipped with stealth capabilities, making detection difficult, and it is said to be able to withstand any anti-tank weapon attack. Between two steel plates, there is an explosive material that causes incoming shells to detonate on impact without penetrating the tank. The turret is unmanned and can detect enemy tanks from 12 km away and destroy them immediately, and it is claimed that it can detect and destroy anti-tank missiles or rockets instantly.

Additionally, it can run at speeds of up to 90 km/h with a target detection range exceeding 5 km. It operates alongside drones, providing anti-air capabilities, and the main gun's accuracy is said to be about 20% higher than that of the existing T-90 tank. On paper, it is an astonishing tank, but deliveries have not been made. The Russian Ministry of Defense and UVZ announced that they ordered 100 units in 2017, including an initial batch of 20 and an additional 80 units, but even the initial batch has yet to arrive.

The Russian government has expressed frustration for over two years. In July 2018, there were even talks of canceling the Armata contract and instead purchasing more of the older T-72 tanks. The argument was that buying cheaper, more readily available older tanks would be more beneficial to military strength than an expensive tank with an uncertain deployment timeline. Nevertheless, the existing delivery contract with the Ministry of Defense was maintained, and UVZ is pushing hard to speed up development, but the situation remains difficult.

The T-72 tank, with nearly 10,000 units delivered solely in the former Soviet Union. It is famous as a bestseller tank sold worldwide, including Eastern Europe and the Middle East. [Image source=Russian Ministry of Defense website/mil.ru]

The biggest problem with the Armata is that it is suddenly larger than existing Russian tanks and weighs 50 tons, and when trying to reach speeds of 90 km/h, the engine breaks down quickly. To maintain maximum speed, the engine must be pushed to its maximum output of 2,000 horsepower, but this drastically shortens the engine's lifespan. When used at a normal power level of about 1,200 horsepower, it can last around 10,000 hours, but at maximum output, the lifespan is reduced to one-fifth.

In fact, the advantage of Russian tanks over Western tanks from the US or Germany has traditionally been their smaller size, lighter weight, and faster mobility in terms of main gun, size, and firepower. However, the Armata breaks from this tradition and has become larger like Western tanks. A high-power diesel engine was installed accordingly, but since the Russian military has no experience with such large high-power engines, it has been difficult to produce a finished product. Moreover, with the ongoing decline in oil prices, there have been continuous demands to reduce production costs, causing further delays in delivery.