T14 Tank Ukraine - Sounds great, but they? Russian T-90M and T-14 Armata tanks rehearse for the Victory Day military parade. EPA-EFE/Yuri Kochetkov
Frank Ledwidge does not work for, consult with, own stock in, or receive funding from any company or organization that benefits from this article, and has disclosed no material affiliations other than his academic appointment.
T14 Tank Ukraine
Every year, the Victory Day parade on May 9 in Moscow showcases the latest in Russian weapons systems - and this year, of course, it was of special significance. Weapons look good on the parade ground - but how good are Russia's high-tech weapons on the battlefield?
Military Experts Question New Russian Tank Capabilities
As always at the Victory in Russia Day parade, tanks and armored vehicles took center stage. Most prominent among them was the T-14 Armata. Western analysts have pored over this system with some degree of apprehension since 2015, when the tank first appeared. It is a significant advance over all previous Russian tanks, which were and are adaptations of old Soviet designs.
The problem from the point of view of the Russian military is that there are very few such tanks available. Reliable Russian reports indicate that the show suffers from production and complexity issues and "is held hostage by many new technologies in it". As if technical problems were not enough, the company that manufactures the Army is in financial trouble.
If all goes according to plan - quite rare in any military procurement program - this tank will start full-scale production this year, too late for this phase of the war in Ukraine.
Other less formidable tanks also distinguished themselves, notably the various modernized versions of the T-72, which suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, mainly from anti-tank missiles supplied by the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries. . Slightly more worrying for Russian generals in the long run was the first reported loss in combat of the T-90M, the most formidable tank in Russian combat service today, which also appeared in the parade.
Russia Shows Off New Version Of Its Heavy Combat Vehicle
The Uran-9 unmanned combat field in Russia in May 2021. Reports from the field say these autonomous vehicles often fail to find their targets. EPA-EFE/Maxim Shipenkov
Walking past the tanks and several armored vehicles in the parade was the Uran-9 autonomous fighting vehicle. It is designed to operate unattended on roads or, in more difficult terrain, as a remotely controlled tank.
It also appears to have been tested in Syria, where there were serious problems with the remote control systems, which apparently were unable to find or hit enemy targets at a useful distance. The Uran-9 is likely a decade or more away from being an effective weapons system.
Moving away from the ground, the Victory Day air show was canceled due, it was said, to the weather - although it was clear and bright in Moscow that day. So we don't get to see Russia's "aerospace force," as it's called, in all its panoply. Then again, we haven't seen him as dominant as expected in battle.
Tanking Tanks During Ukraine Invasion Sign Of Russian Rot
As for more recent models, the Russian aerospace force appears to have used the Sukhoi Su-57, Russia's only stealth fighter, in combat at least once. This is the closest equivalent to the Lockheed F-35, America's top-of-the-line jet.
It is significant that the decision was taken to risk action as their slightly older but formidable siblings, the Sukhoi Su-34, and Su-35 - equivalent to the American F-15 and European Typhoon - took on surprising levels of casualties.
The greatest loss of manned aircraft was sustained by the Russian fleet of sophisticated and modern Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopters, which are similar to the US and UK Apaches.
Russian precision-guided missiles (PGMs), such as the Iskander-M ballistic missile on display in Monday's parade, do not seem to live up to expectations. A significant number fail to hit their targets or explode on contact.
T 14 Armata Mbt Main Battle Tank Technical Data Pictures Video
Equally worrisome for Russian planners is that, having fired over 2,000 PGMs, their supply is running low. As a US defense official said this week:
They have inventory problems with precision-guided munitions and they have problems replacing PGMs, and we believe that sanctions and export controls, particularly when it comes to ... electronic components, have had an effect on the Russian defense industry. base and its ability to restore PGM.
This is bad news for Russia in the medium to long term. As a result, Russia uses older munitions that are less reliable, less accurate and more easily intercepted.
Russian aircraft carrying the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile launched from the air during the 2018 Victory Day parade. VASIL KUZMICHONAK via Shutterstock
Captured Russian Tanks Not Subject To Taxes In Ukraine
One particular type of PGM has attracted special attention. Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic missiles have not been seen over Moscow this year, but were very visible at the 2018 Victory Day parade. A dozen hypersonic missiles were used against Ukrainian targets, initially in March, the first time such guns were fired in combat, and again this week in an attack on the city of Odesa.
These sound scary and are formidable weapons, but they are not really game changing, being more valuable in terms of presentation than tactics in a conventional war.
It is worth remembering that many ballistic missiles are hypersonic. The difference here is that Kinzhals have some maneuverability, which means they can't realistically be shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.
The fact that Ukraine's air defense and air force still exist is, of course, in part a testament to Russian operational failure as well as the Ukrainians' exceptional operational planning and foresight.
War In Ukraine: Hi Tech Russian Tank Left A Smoking Wreck
No amount of Russian high-tech magic, even if it worked as advertised, would have saved its army from the predicament it now finds itself in. Russia's problem is not the underperformance of advanced weapons. There are, at the very least, many recent Western examples of failed and exorbitantly expensive weapons designs. War is the most brutal testing ground - and every country loses a great deal of equipment in combat.
Russia's problems are conceptual, not technical, and are located at all levels of the war, from weak strategic leadership to the unprofessional nature of its soldiers, even before considering the skills, weaponry and motivation of Ukrainian troops. These problems are at the root of all Russian failure, not underpowered weapons, and it is because of them that Russia's army may be destined for defeat in the field. the US-built Javelin anti-tank weapons, perhaps due to a mix of innovative ambush tactics and strategic attacks at well-configured passes or intersections.
While most observers and weapons developers will likely stop using the word "obsolete" when it comes to tank warfare, but the Ukrainian success highlights the prospect that heavily armored tanks are indeed more vulnerable than one might have anticipated. ?
There may be something to this in the sense that anti-armor weapons are known to be quite effective, as Javelins were used successfully against Iraqi armor in Operation Iraqi Freedom and have a proven track record of being able to destroy armor. However, there are several crucial variables to consider, such as the relative condition of Russian tanks and the tactics employed by Ukrainian fighters.
Ukraine Russia War: रूस ने यूक्रेन में तैनात किए सबसे घातक T 14 Armata टैंक, जानिए इसकी फायर पावर
US Army infantrymen fire an FGM-148 javelin during a live combined arms exercise in Jordan, August 27, 2019.
Ukraine's apparent success with anti-armor weapons can to a great extent be greatly enhanced by successful ambush tactics and hit-and-run operations. For example, if Ukrainian soldiers armed with javelins strategically position themselves in canyons in hidden or obscure locations in urban environments or at tight intersections and "choke points", they are likely to succeed in quickly emerging to attack armored vehicles at close range.
This would increase the likelihood that Russian armored vehicles could be accurately targeted by Javelins and hit with greater accuracy and impact. For example, hitting a tank's ammunition bay or hitting other potentially more vulnerable areas can maximize damage to enemy tanks.
Yet another key variable may be the relative state of Russian tanks. While it would be quite significant if Russia used some of its advanced T-14 Armata tanks, Russian newspapers say they are not produced much. Russia is known to operate some upgraded T-90 and of course T-72 tanks, but the extent to which they have been modernized is unknown. Many of them could be operated with old armor protection or without any active protection system. These tanks will be more vulnerable, it seems. The 2022 assessment of the Russian Army's Global Firepower says that its Army operates 12,000 tanks, so it doesn't seem lacking in numbers, but it does seem that it would be meaningful to have an idea of how many of them are upgraded, modernized variants.
Flushed With Pride? Russia Outfitting New Tank With A Toilet
Russian T-14 Armata tanks head towards Red Square during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade to be held in Moscow's Red Square on May 9 to commemorate 71 years after victory in World War II, in Moscow, Russia , Thursday, April. 28th of 2016.
Finally, although many details are probably not available for security reasons, the
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