Russia's Armata next-generation main battle tank to be equipped with a new missile

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Defence & Security News - Russia
 
 
Thursday, December 11, 2014 09:00 AM
 
 Russia's Armata next-generation main battle tank to be equipped with a new missile
Russia plans to create a new missile for its next-generation main battle tank Armata, said Tuesday in Moscow Oleg Bochkarev, Vice-President of the College of the Russian Commission for defense industry. "The new tank will have a new guided missile whose performance will be unexpected for our enemy," said M.Botchkarev when issuing Russia's national defence in the Moscow radio Stolitsa FM.
     
Futurist view of the Armata main battle tank
     
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced in early 2014 that the Russian ground forces' armored park and military equipment would be renewed at 70% by 2020. The Russian Army will notably be provided with Armata main battle tanks, Boomerang armored personnel carriers, Kourganets-25 infantry fighting vehicles and Taïfoun vehicles.

According to the Deputy Director General of the Russian arms export agency (Rosoboronexport) Igor Sevastyanov, the Armata tank is fitted with a remote weapon station turret and an automated control system. Moreover, the crew will be protected by an armored capsule. The Armata MBT will be armed with an externally mounted 125 mm smoothbore gun with 32 rounds of ammunition, according to the latest information. In addition to conventional ammunition, the 125 mm smoothbore gun will be able to fire a laser-guided projectile with a tandem high-explosive anti-tank warhead out to a range of at least 5,000 m. Secondary armament would consist of a 30 mm cannon and a 12.7 mm machine gun (MG).

Prime contractor is the UralVagonZavod Research and Production Corporation, which is the leading manufacturer of main battle tanks in Russia. The first deliveries to the Russian Armed Forces are scheduled for 2015, with a potential limited service entry with the Russian Army in 2016. A total of 2,300 MBTs are expected to be supplied by 2020. The new MBT is expected to be showed for the first time to the public at the 2015 Victory Day Parade in Moscow, said in October Russian Ground Forces Commander Colonel General Oleg Salyukov.