According to a source, Russia’s newest tank T-14 Armata was spotted near the village of Midginskaya on October 8. According the source’s report, which has an attached photo, it is not possible to known whether the photo was taken at Luhansk or at some Russian training ground.
It should not be surprising however if Russia was to send the T-14s to Ukraine. In recent years, Moscow has often deployed new weapons technologies in real world combat scenarios. Only a few months back, Russia tested its weapons in Syria, so it will certainly not be surprising if it was doing so in Ukraine. In fact, Russia has tested its new weapon systems in Ukraine.
Following the attack on the bridge, Russia has demonstrated that it is ready to escalate militarily in Ukraine. The deployment of the T-14 Armata could be part of that effort. Already there are social media posts showing deliveries of T-90 tanks to the Western Military District in the last four weeks.
Further, Russia’s call for mobilization, announced on September 21, is another indicator that it aims to escalate the situation.
It is very likely that the T-14 in Ukraine will be used as a command tank for the other Russian tanks. In fact, this is one of the functional characteristics of the T-14.
Russia had announced the serial production of the T-14 in 2021. However, there is no information as to how many tank it has produced to date. While some sources claim that 10 units have been produced, others say 8.
According to Russian military analysts, the T-14 can withstand an attack by the American Javelin anti-tank missile thanks to its 900mm Malachit reactive armor. The crew of the T-14 is also protected since they are located in a separate structure in the tank.
One of the main differences between the T-14 and other Russian tanks is the ability to move on a given direction. The T-14 can move forward and backward at 70-80 km/h, claims Russian sources.
One of the reasons why many Russian tanks were captured by Ukraine precisely because of the inability of the crew to move the tank backwards beyond the already observed position.
The T-14 also relies on another type of high-explosive fragmentation projectile – the Telnik, which are completely new ammunition developed in recent years in Russia and are believed to be superior to the previous Vacuum-1.
Russia claims the T-14 to be the best tank in the world.
Previously, Moscow had claimed the T-90 and the T-90M to be the best in the world in its class, but it has already lost two tanks: while one was destroyed the other was captured and has been sent to the US for study.
