According to a report by the RIA state news agency on Tuesday, Russia has begun using its new T-14 Armata battle tanks to fire on Ukrainian positions. The report cited a source close to the matter and stated that the tanks have not yet participated in direct assault operations. 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 the 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 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour.
However, 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.
‘Eleven years in development, the programme has been dogged with delays, reduction in planned fleet size, and reports of manufacturing problems.’ The Kremlin ordered production of 2,300 of the tanks – first unveiled in 2015 – 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.
As the situation develops, it remains to be seen how effective the T-14 tanks will be in actual combat situations.
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