Armata soon to be in service.

[Vanir Ausf B]

Minor update. Without any numbers or dates this doesn't tell us much except that units may begin receiving completed machines soon.

Asked recently if the Armata main battle tank would be among the projects that the Kremlin would put on hold as Moscow reduces its defense outlays as oil revenues suffer, Sergei Chemezov, chief executive officer of the Rostec state corporation, told the Wall Street Journal that only new developmental efforts would be halted. “That’s already in serial production,” Chemezov said, when asked specifically about the Armata.

According to Chemezov, the Kremlin has decided that projects that have are well into their development will be continued. “You can’t quit when you’re halfway there,” Chemezov told the Journal. “Money has already been invested, and if we stop without finishing, then that will be lost money. Everything that has been started will be finished, and money will be allocated to it.”

Surprise: Russia's Lethal T-14 Armata Tank Is in Production

 

[L0ckAndL0ad]

Minor update. Without any numbers or dates this doesn't tell us much except that units may begin receiving completed machines soon.

Surprise: Russia's Lethal T-14 Armata Tank Is in Production

 

Load of bull, I say. Playing with words/terminology. What is true is that they've just produced 22 freshly new BMP-3s (in standard configuration). There's a vid, that also shows Kurg-25s, and the factory does indeed looks miserable, as per all the talks about bankruptcy. As I've predicted, the order for new BMP-3s is more of an attempt to let the factory stay afloat than anything else.

[Battlefront.com]

Load of bull, I say. Playing with words/terminology.

That makes sense.  Defense contractors always make statements designed to put pressure on the government to not cut back on funding, orders, or anything else contrary to the contractor's wishes.  Which is why contractors are not great sources for reliable information, no matter what nationality they are.

For Armata to be in "serial production" beyond the test units, the Russian MoD would basically be abandoning it's already shortened R&D period.  That would be a disaster for sure.

 

What is true is that they've just produced 22 freshly new BMP-3s (in standard configuration). There's a vid, that also shows Kurg-25s, and the factory does indeed looks miserable, as per all the talks about bankruptcy. As I've predicted, the order for new BMP-3s is more of an attempt to let the factory stay afloat than anything else.

Yup, that was a good call.  The Russian government is going to have to keep the factory open one way or another.  If the factory closes the workers disperse, the machinery is not properly "mothballed", and necessary repairs to the infrastructure (like roofs, boilers, etc.) go untouched while Mother Nature continues to do her thing.  Very, very difficult, slow, and expensive to restart the factory once closed.  Far cheaper to keep a minimum amount of work going to keep at least a cadre of workers occupied.  But long term, the Russian state is going to have to do something significant about this problem.  My guess is it will nationalize the factory and fund it from tax revenue.

Steve

[BTR]

100 T-14's have been contracted by Ru MoD. I am not sure if this contract includes the already delivered 20 army trial vehicles, but I have a strong suspicion that it does. 

Edited April 20, 2016 by BTR

[Tank Hunter]

I know it's RT but can we have this version of the Armata in the game. 

https://www.rt.com/news/340142-super-tank-armata-robot/

Autonomous with a built in UAV and a 152mm gun. ☺ 

Edited April 23, 2016 by Tank Hunter

[Sublime]

Im all for it. As long as we include other realistic choices like space lobsters and nazi doomtrooper zombies.

[Abbasid111]

Armata only after the Oplot bug is fixed!

[Haiduk]

This is interview with general director of "Uralvagonzavod" about "Armata" perspectives: http://ria.ru/interview/20160418/1414147290.html 

 in Russian, so summary:

- sanctions against Russia impede production of Armata - no new machinetools and technologies.

- 152 mm gun is possible variant, but now T-14 will has 125 mm 2A82 gun

- no new 125 mm APFSDS "Grifel" for 2A82 gun.

- 1350 hp engine on current Armata prototype. 1500 hp in plans. 1800 as forced variant.

- serial production will start in 2017. Probably. If MoD will give money.

- but no qualified workers and engineers for serial production. Need 5-6 years in order to teach them.

 

Edited April 23, 2016 by Haiduk

[Thewood1]

Wow...who would have guessed at that stuff...

[Wicky]

3 hours ago, Sublime said:

Im all for it. As long as we include other realistic choices like space lobsters and nazi doomtrooper zombies.

 https://blog.firedrake.org/archive/2015/12/Ithacus_and_SUSTAIN.html

 Bring on the Rocket Commandos - 1200 of em as reinforcements!! 

[Sublime]

Id also like to argue citing Pravda as my source that Sov- er Russ infantry shud be tougher than Western troops. Years of genetics from Homo Sovieticus should have a telling effect.

[panzersaurkrautwerfer]

4 hours ago, Haiduk said:

This is interview with general director of "Uralvagonzavod" about "Armata" perspectives: http://ria.ru/interview/20160418/1414147290.html 

 in Russian, so summary:

- sanctions against Russia impede production of Armata - no new machinetools and technologies.

- 152 mm gun is possible variant, but now T-14 will has 125 mm 2A82 gun

- no new 125 mm APFSDS "Grifel" for 2A82 gun.

- 1350 hp engine on current Armata prototype. 1500 hp in plans. 1800 as forced variant.

- serial production will start in 2017. Probably. If MoD will give money.

- but no qualified workers and engineers for serial production. Need 5-6 years in order to teach them.

 

I'm not shocked if it's true.  It's a very ambitious program to say the least, and a lot of those certainly lean towards the sort of economic-industrial problems that got handwaved earlier in this discussion.  

[antaress73]

There is nothing in that interview saying that the Grifel 125mm round will never be. He said that it is in testing and are hoping it will be available soon. 

 

Also, when talking about production tools and technology, he said there were problems but not for armata specifically. He was talking about the defense industry in general. But that they are finding alternatives and that they hope it will solved by 2020

 

 

 

[Vanir Ausf B]

Reading that article through Google Translate is as amusing as it is baffling.

 

Quote

125 Cannon - Gun high power. We hope that soon under the new gun ammunition appears. According to its potential it is 30% more perfect than the previous. For example, the internal bore doping can increase the number of shots without replacement for repair.

This machine punches a wall, jumping from a springboard from which a car is broken.

 

Edited April 24, 2016 by Vanir Ausf B

[panzersaurkrautwerfer]

3 hours ago, antaress73 said:

There is nothing in that interview saying that the Grifel 125mm round will never be. He said that it is in testing and are hoping it will be available soon. 

 

Also, when talking about production tools and technology, he said there were problems but not for armata specifically. He was talking about the defense industry in general. But that they are finding alternatives and that they hope it will solved by 2020

True, but it's still a far cry from Armatas replacing all Russian tanks in the near term.  It also seems to undermine the point of universal platforms if the fielding is going to be protracted.  

2020 seems ambitious, the sanctions are unlikely to go away soon, workforce training will still take time, and now it sounds like there's going to be an interim Armata, which makes sense (see M1/M1IP for a good example of withholding some upgrades to ensure a better tank now vs a perfect tank later), but will complicate a final fielding (and add another tank design to the Russian maintenance system).

 

 

42 minutes ago, Vanir Ausf B said:

Reading that article through Google Translate is as amusing as it is baffling.

It is frankly amazing.

[LukeFF]

On 4/24/2016 at 7:05 PM, Vanir Ausf B said:

This machine punches a wall, jumping from a springboard from which a car is broken.

Sig worthy

[L0ckAndL0ad]

On 20.04.2016 at 0:40 PM, BTR said:

100 T-14's have been contracted by Ru MoD. I am not sure if this contract includes the already delivered 20 army trial vehicles, but I have a strong suspicion that it does. 

This information was known a year ago, actually. I did post it in this very same thread. The initial order is ~100 of each chassis type (for Armata = T-14+T-15+T-16), or, in other words, "бригадный комплект" - a brigade compliment.

On 23.04.2016 at 2:09 AM, antaress73 said:

There is nothing in that interview saying that the Grifel 125mm round will never be. He said that it is in testing and are hoping it will be available soon. 

 

Also, when talking about production tools and technology, he said there were problems but not for armata specifically. He was talking about the defense industry in general. But that they are finding alternatives and that they hope it will solved by 2020

Yeah, what Haiduk wrote is kinda not what the article actually says. Bias or just reading diagonally?

But the article is pointless anyway. Listening to the talking heads is no good.

[Haiduk]

Heh... "Grifel" APFSDS "testsing"="no IN PRESENT TIME IN SERVICE" (this I mean). And these tests can last ...em... long time. How much time Svinets-2 was adopting ? In first time its data were posted on Otvaga-2004 as far as 2012, when some period of design and test works already were completed. And only in past year was funded the order for these ammunition. According to such tempo, new Grifel will come through several years... 

Edited May 8, 2016 by Haiduk

[antaress73]

found this: http://nationalinterest.org/print/blog/the-buzz/russias-dangerous-t-14-armata-tank-ready-war-next-year-15805

 

first deliveries in 2017. BUT we dont know much about the tank"s specs so unlikely to be in a module anytime soon. Educated guesses would likely be wrong and belittle the tank so I personaly would prefer no Armata until we have a good and accurate idea about its performance.

Edited May 12, 2016 by antaress73

[sburke]

Armata goes into service but crew unable to enter tank....... is this what we can expect?

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-autos-idUSKCN0Y328W

[Jotte]

Anyone able to make out what Putin et al are saying in the video? They look rather amused by it all. 

[John Kettler]

sburke,

It says "pickup truck" not "tank." A considerable difference, I'm sure we'd all agree. From the Reuters article above.

(Fair Use)

"The Kremlin leader was being shown an array of military vehicles parked outside his residence in the southern resort of Sochi, including a Russian-made UAZ Patriot pick-up truck equipped with heavy machine guns.

When Putin tried to open the front passenger-side door, it would not budge, according to a Reuters reporter at the event."

Regards, 

John Kettler

[sburke]

7 hours ago, John Kettler said:

sburke,

It says "pickup truck" not "tank." A considerable difference, I'm sure we'd all agree. From the Reuters article above.

(Fair Use)

"The Kremlin leader was being shown an array of military vehicles parked outside his residence in the southern resort of Sochi, including a Russian-made UAZ Patriot pick-up truck equipped with heavy machine guns.

When Putin tried to open the front passenger-side door, it would not budge, according to a Reuters reporter at the event."

Regards, 

John Kettler

Dude it was a joke. I think I kind of knew it wasn't a tank.  (Fair use) everybody thinks they have a sense of humor even if they don't. 

[antaress73]

Concerning a family expansion or module/vehicule pack for CMBS on the russian side:

 

I would like to see the Kurganets-25, Boomerang series vehicules (they should start appearing later this year in real life). Stats about them should be appearing soon (much earlier than Armata). I believe the Russians will put the emphasis on them as they are lacking in the IFV sector.

T-72B3M (with panoramic sight for the commander). All new upgrades of the T-72 to the B3 standard will now have the panoramic sight and existing ones may be upgraded again. Considering how much spotting is important in modern warfare, it would give that tank a real boost.

stuff like that Tiger with the quadruple Kornet launchers.

 

 

 

[John Kettler]

antaress73,

If they actually manage to field them, then I'd love to see some included at some point. I agree that having a panoramic sight would be a great help to upgraded T-72s. You are 4 ATGMs shy on the Tigr Kornet, since it has dual quadruple mounts which appear to have independent traverse controls. Theoretically, this means it can perform to separate engagements simultaneously.

Regards,

John Kettler