Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Russia's T-14 Armata Main Battle Tank Full Concept



Remember all the fan art that came out for the PAK-FA?  The same for the J-20?

Even if this is fan art, the reality of the situation can't be underestimated.  If the Russians are about to develop, field and sell a new tank that is better or even equal to the best in the West then we're looking at a renewed arms race.

They will have effectively thrown a monkey wrench into current Western armored thinking.

The days of light weight wheeled vehicles could be over almost as soon as it began.  Additionally if they're able to sell enough of them then suddenly expeditionary forces that are focusing on lightly armored vehicles come under threat.  Add a new armored threat to widely dispersed anti-air missiles and suddenly the idea of playing "hey diddle diddle" until you meet opposition and then calling air strikes is over.

We better be prepared to adjust accordingly.

19 comments :

  1. when the last time a small expeditionary force (assuming USMC) encountered enemy with heavy armour support and modern weapons ?

    facing a determined and clever / fanatical enemy , or enemy that cleverly used deception , Suicidal IED attacks, infiltrators..

    Remember history :

    "VC BATTER ARMORED SUPPLY COLUMN"
    ===============================
    by Peter ARNETT

    VAN TOUNG, Vietnam (AP)
    --The mission of Supply Column 21 was simple: get to the beachead, resupply a U.S. Marine company and return to the Seventh Fleet mother ship anchored one mile out in the bay. The Marine supply group figured they had an easy run. They had heard that line companies landed earlier Wednesday were getting heavy fire from Viet Cong positions on the peninsula. But Supply Column 21 was a formidable force made up of five steel-shod "amtraks"--35-ton amphibious vehicles--to carry the food and ammunition, and two M-48 tanks to escort them when they arrived on shore.

    The Viet Cong would hesitate to tangle with this, the men told themselves as they surged toward the beachead. They didn't know it at the time, but the biggest battle of the war was shaping up. This group of 30 men was to become deeply involved in one of the most vicious encounters of the war. Supply Column 21 fulfilled only one of its objectives. It got to the beach. It did not resupply the Marine company, and it did not return.

    The paths that led the column to its destruction were paved more with confusion than anything else. First, they failed to locate the company, so they set out to look for it. The Amtraks, once out of the water, were unwieldy. They flopped from one rice paddie to another, calling at one battalion then the next. No one seemed to pay attention to it. This proved fatal. At 11 a.m. Wednesday, Supply Column 21 was about 400 yards ahead of the nearest line company. They were deep in Viet Cong territory. Suddenly, they were deeply in trouble.

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    1. are you spastic? a supply column getting ambushed is so far removed from the scenario that i'm talking about it isn't even funny.

      geez. i'm really trying to be patient but your stupidity when it comes to basic military subjects is becoming annoying.

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    2. that supply column was a part of the so called 'expeditionary force' at that snapshot of time in vietnam , and it got wiped out by a willy and determined enemy with no armour.. can you imagine a modern expeditionary force , wheeled or tracked of both , against an enemy with heavy armour and anti air capability ?

      as for the enemy attacking supply column of expeditionary force , isnt that really basic military thinking ? attacking your opponent's logistical lines ?

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    3. no. perhaps i wasn't as clear as i thought i was in the scenario. i'm talking about a forcible entry situation...not a police action, fighting an insurgency mess that Vietnam was. i don't know the history on the story that you have posted but that would appear to be an intelligence, leadership failure. i'm talking hitting the beach against China and having to face their Marine Corps and Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Divisions without airpower being able to provide support....or once on the beach and driving to the objective again facing a situation where airpower isn't able to help out when you run into a strong point.

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    4. i hope not ever against china.. it would be blood bath for both sides

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    5. @i hope not ever against china.. it would be blood bath for both sides@
      China is the main economical and political rival of the West. The Russian bear sits in the lair and sucks in economical issues. Economy rules.
      In "blood bath" wars traditions play one of the main roles. China is weak in terms of miltary traditions (instead of the West who is premanently in wars). So my bet is on the West. The main scenario at my take - China after 5-10 years of proxy and hybrid war will fall apart. Then Solomon's bubbies will apear.

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    6. i doubt china would fall apart in that kind of conflict , and remember 2 can play the game , who said china cant play the proxy war move against US , with overt or covert support by russia ? as dor west military tradition , which one you think will help them ? their habit of fighting low tech enemies or their police actions that skewed their military focus ?

      it is more probable to see US military got the shock of their life when they face near peer / peer enemy like china.. The western military total dependence of air power and satellite will be be contested like never before, and the years of fighting barely armed guerillas will be their undoing, in expecting easy victories..

      sorry to say, conflict against china will destroy US politically , only madness would lead US to seke groundwar in china... proxy war or hybrid war against china ? no sane asian leader would agree to become US proxy ipagainst china..

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    7. you underestimate the US in two important areas. space and classified programs. if we're selling stealth to allies what do you think we have in black programs! Aurora is rumored, lasers too. we do know we have a stealth helicopter and we have the X-37 spending months in space. additionally remember star wars? the program was supposedly canceled but i'm betting it was taken into the black program space.

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  2. This turret layout makes no sense to me. First of all it looks like it has some big shot traps (0:16 sec mark). second, I don't see how that turret can hold all the ammo for three different caliber guns,I really don't see how you are going to manage to load, reload, or unload them all. Must be fun emptying brass at the end of the day. Finally, Its nice that the secondary guns can elevate to engage rooftop or mountain side targets, but its unfortunate that the guns can't traverse independent of the turret. My two bits- The Ultra-marines called: they want their light-recce scout vehicle back.

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    1. Kirby, thats Pure fan art worked using ideas from some real tanks Russian and Eastern European for example the guns on the side of the turret are modified from the Slovakian Moderna version of the T72M1 Which mounts dual 20mm. Whoever did it though modified the Commanders side gun into a YAK-B 12.7mm Gatling gun well keeping the loaders side a Chain gun. in there version it's presumably a larger caliber than the Moderna. the hull looks to be based on the T90 which makes sense as most Russian tanks are improvements on its direct predecessors. the Square box around the barrel that runs from the Manlet halfway to the muzzle I think was taken from the Pl01 concept tank from Poland. well the Rounded turret face seems to be from the black eagle concept tank. Overall shape is definitely inspired by the Merkava 3/4 note that there are two hatches on the hull behind the glacis plate and under the turret. this is supposed to be where the crew resides. as the turret is supposed to be unmanned. but it's a little bit of a odd choice by the designer, I say that as there is really no reason to do that, At least no reason if you are the Russians Plenty if you're not.Remember the Russians use a Different method of ammo storage then the west. this method is based around the autoloader being under the turret and storing it's rounds in a Carousel under the floor of the Turret fighting compartment this has been a standard feature of Russian production tanks since T64. the only break was the Black eagle prototypes which used a Abrams style ammo storage.
      Every report I have ever seen says the Russian Maker is Uralvagonzavod who favors the storage under the turret.

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    2. Fan art but based on a scale model manufacturer presented on an arms expo , and yes it featured external canon.

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  3. I think a more realistic take on the Armata
    http://www.armyrecognition.com/january_2015_global_defense_security_news_industry/new_generation_russian_main_battle_tank_armata_will_be_shown_at_2015_parade_and_tested_in_2016_02011.html
    Russia plans to replace 70% of their Armor by 2020
    But Russia is not the only one building up.
    http://www.armyrecognition.com/january_2015_global_defense_security_news_industry/chinese_army_pla_has_doubled_the_size_of_its_amphibious_mechanized_infantry_division_amid_0601152.html
    The PLA Marines are building up and if they move they are heading right at American Treaty allies.

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  4. This is Russia's FRES/FCS monent. The question to be asked here is the same one asked back then with the other 2 programs........how ambitious do you want to be ? Ambition coupled with recources and money will turn into R&D and tech. and once the weapon is complete.....Logistics and doctrine and other support elements.

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    1. Completely agree. Only time will show - have we enough ammuntiotion for this ambition, or not.

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    2. Russia has plent of ammunition and ambition......lol....we all know it.

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    3. @Russia has plent of ammunition and ambition.@
      And thieves with idiots too. Story with GLONASS shows it very clear.

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  5. offtopic: interesting vid of Abrams' usage against ISIS light groups
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeUOkRlFs4Y

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    1. where's the infantry protecting the tank ? i thought it is SOP for armour to have infantry protection especially in urban setting ? and that 2 wheeled humvee , did the iraqi forgot their front wheels and engines ??? (/SARC)

      to add information on why ISIS is so effective against conventional military :

      http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/urgent-isis-seizes-3rd-largest-military-base-western-iraq-takes-tanks-heavy-weapons-supplies/

      The military sources said that “the organization ISIS attacked the army base in Hit, the third largest military bases in western Iraq, from several axes, and carried out a series of suicide attacks on the walls of the base by car bombs, as well as a missile attack lasted about an hour which led to the storming of the base after the withdrawal of the army from it. “

      In a related context, lieutenant colonel, Rahim Aljughaifi said that “ISIS have seized the contents of the base and the training camp, including tanks, heavy weapons, munitions and stores, as well as spare parts and different military supplies,” adding that “the army had requested help of the international coalition during the attack on the base, but the latter did not respond’, asserting the control of ISIS on the three towns surrounding the base.”

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    2. @where's the infantry protecting the tank ?@

      Tanks on the bridge - the "best" ant-RPG tactic I know)))))

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