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A Russian T-14 Armata in Red Square, Moscow in 2015. File photo: EPA-EFE

Russia’s new T-14 Armata battle tank debuts in Ukraine: RIA report

  • The state-of-the-art T-14 Armata battle tank includes an unmanned turret and other expensive features
  • The tank made its public debut at the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade, where one broke down in rehearsal
Ukraine war

Russia has begun using its new T-14 Armata battle tanks to fire on Ukrainian positions “but they have not yet participated in direct assault operations,” the RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday, quoting a source close the matter.

RIA said that the tanks have been fitted with extra protection on their flanks and crews have undergone “combat coordination” at training grounds in Ukraine.

The T-14 tank has an unmanned turret, with crew remotely controlling the armaments from “an isolated armoured capsule located in the front of the hull”.

The tanks have a maximum speed on the highway of 80km/h (50mph), RIA reported.

In January, British military intelligence reported that Russian forces in Ukraine were reluctant to accept the first tranche of the tanks due to their “poor condition”.

It also said that any deployment of the T-14 would likely be “a high-risk decision” for Russia, and one taken primarily for propaganda purposes.

“Production is probably only in the low tens, while commanders are unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat,” the British military said.

“Eleven years in development, the programme has been dogged with delays, reduction in planned fleet size, and reports of manufacturing problems.”

A Russian T-14 Armata tank drives through Moscow’s Red Square in 2015. File photo: AFP

The T-14 made its public debut at the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade, where one embarrassingly broke down and had to be towed away during rehearsal.

The Kremlin ordered production of 2,300 of the tanks by 2020, but this was later stretched to by 2025, according to Russian media reports.

The Interfax news agency reported in December, 2021, that the state conglomerate Rostec had started production of some 40 tanks, with an anticipated delivery after 2023.

Ukraine has been reliant on outdated Soviet-era tanks and appealed to the West for modern battle tanks, saying they are critical to its ground capabilities.

The United States in January promised 31 of its Abrams tanks while Germany committed Leopard tanks. Nato countries have promised to send 48 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

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