The Russian Army has deployed the T-14 Armata, known as the tank of the future, on the battlefield in Ukraine, an official source reported today to the RIA Novosti agency.
"Russian troops have started using the latest Armata tanks to attack Ukrainian positions," the source explained. Of course, he added that "they are not participating in direct assault actions" and specified that these tanks have been equipped with additional protection "against anti-tank ammunition."
Since the end of last year, the Armata have been demonstrating their effectiveness at military sites in one of the two Donbas people's republics annexed by Moscow (Donetsk and Lugansk), he said. At the beginning of the year the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom had already reported on the possible deployment of the Russian T-14 in the neighboring country.
"Any deployment of the T-14s is likely a high-risk decision for Russia. In its eleven years in the making, the program has suffered from delays, planned fleet reductions, and reports of manufacturing problems," it reported.
According to independent sources, the production of the T-14 was postponed, but it would have resumed coinciding with the beginning of the war. London also opined that Moscow may find it difficult to adjust its logistics chain to the T-14s, which are larger and heavier than other Russian tanks, the deployment of which would then simply be a propaganda gesture.
The arrival of the Armata coincides with the supply of Western tanks and main battle tanks to kyiv, including German Leopards and British Challengers, while American Abrams will not land until the second half of the year.
Given the delays in the shipment of Western ammunition, Ukraine assures that it will not launch the expected counteroffensive until it receives the tanks, long-range missiles and artillery shells necessary for it.
According to its builders, the Armata surpasses its western counterparts in aspects such as the armored capsule that guarantees the safety of its crew and the 152-millimeter gun. It also has the ability to go virtually unnoticed by enemy radar and simultaneously control up to 40 ground targets and 25 air targets within a 100-kilometre radius.
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