The T-15 Armata (Russian: T-15 Армата), with industrial designation "Object 149", is a Russian heavy infantry fighting vehicle first seen in public (initially with its turret covered) in 2015 during rehearsals for the Moscow Victory Day Parade. The T-15 concept of a heavy IFV is derived from design of the BTR-T vehicle (based on the T-55 chassis) that never entered military service. As of May 2023, the T-15 Armata has not entered service and the program status is unknown.

T-15 Armata
TypeHeavy IFV (HIFV)
Place of originRussian Federation
Service history
Used byRussian Ground Forces
Production history
ManufacturerUralvagonzavod
Produced2015–present
Specifications
Mass48 tons[1]

ArmorSteel and ceramic composite
1,200–1,400 mm vs HEAT[2]
Main
armament
Bumerang-BM remote weapon station turret with 30 mm automatic cannon 2A42, 9M133 Kornet-EM anti-tank missiles, and PKT 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun[3][4] with 500 rounds (AP/HE)[5] or DUBM-57 Kinzhal remote weapon station turret with 57mm BM-57 autocannon and Ataka-T anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM)[6] or AU-220M Baikal remote weapon station with BM-57, coaxial PKMT machine gun, and 9M120-1 Ataka ATGM missiles
EngineMultifuel diesel engine 12N360
1,500 hp
Payload capacity8 infantry (+3 crew)
Transmissionautomatic
Operational
range
550 km (340 mi)
Maximum speed 65–70 km/h (40–43 mph) (road)

Background

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The infantry fighting vehicle concept was first conceived of in the 1960s during the Cold War, where a confrontation between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries was expected to be dominated by tanks, so infantry required transport to sustain the pace of advance while having armament to fight tanks, and armor to withstand machine gun and artillery fire; the Soviet Union created the BMP-1/BMP-2 and the United States the M2 Bradley. While IFVs provided troops with heavier mounted firepower, the prevalence of anti-tank rockets and guided missiles made it uneconomical to protect them from such weapons. Post-Cold War, rather than maneuver warfare, most fighting took place in urban areas, such as what the Russians experienced in Grozny. While heavy losses can be tolerated in a near-peer conflict, the ease at which insurgent ambushes using anti-tank weaponry can inflict casualties by targeting IFVs has become an issue for IFV operators. In an effort to field better protected troop carriers, some countries have experimented with converting tank hulls to carry dismounted infantry, such as Israel with the Namer.[2]

The Russian T-15 is based on the T-14 tank hull, with its engine relocated to the front to accommodate a passenger compartment in the rear. This adjusted engine position provides additional crew protection against frontal attacks. Passenger capacity is estimated at between seven and nine troops. At 48 tons, the vehicle is slightly heavier than the T-90 main battle tank. It has a built-in entrenching blade and the T-14's numerous cameras and sensors.[2]

Design

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Armament

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A Russian Army Т-15 with module АU-220М armed with 57mm BM-57 autocannon.

The T-15 Armata can be fitted with:

Mobility

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Like the T-14, the T-15 is based on the Armata Universal Combat Platform, but unlike the T-14 it has its engine in the front.[5] It is powered by the new generation 1,500 hp multifuel diesel engine 12N360 coupled with a hydro-mechanical automatic transmission, has a combat weight of about 48 tons, a maximum road speed of 65–70 km/h (40–43 mph), an operational range of 550 km (340 mi), and a power-to-weight ratio of over 30 h.p./t.[1]

Protection

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Like the T-14, the T-15 is protected by reactive armour[4] and the Afganit (Russian: Афганит) active protection system. While the T-14 has its Afganit launch tubes at the base of its turret, the T-15 has them arrayed along the top sides of its hull.[5] It uses four soft-kill launchers to deploy smoke grenades that disrupt visual and infrared guidance systems, and five hard-kill launch tubes on top of the hull, compared to the T-14's ten hard-kill tubes on the turret which automatically turns to face a threat.[2]

The T-15 has "an unprecedented level of armor protection," including improved passive steel and ceramic composite plate armor and a slat armor cage at the rear. Its new Malakhit (Malachite) explosive reactive armour (ERA) is claimed to protect against ATGMs like the FGM-148 Javelin, Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP), 120 mm tank rounds like the German DM53/DM63, and American M829A3 armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS). In addition to hard-kill and soft-kill APS, the developer uses a special paint that significantly reduces the vehicle's infrared signature.[citation needed]

The floor is reinforced with an added armor plate to protect against land mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). It also has a radar jamming and deception system to detonate radio-controlled anti-tank mines, and an NBC protection system.[1]

Variants

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  • BMP-KSh: Command post variant, has the turret removed and replaced by additional power supply equipment.[9]

Operators

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  Russia

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "T-15 Armata HIFV to increase combat capabilities of Russian Land Forces 51008166". Army Recognition. 10 August 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Russia's T-15 Armata: Moscow's Fighting Vehicle of the Future? Archived 23 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine – Nationalinterest.org, 18 September 2016
  3. ^ a b de Larrinaga, Nicholas (22 April 2015). "New Russian heavy armour breaks cover". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b "T-15 (Object 149) heavy infantry combat vehicle". globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "New Russian Armor; First analysis: Armata". defense-update.com. 9 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Russian Bumerang IFV may be equipped with the Kinzhal module". Army Recognition. 9 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Tłumacz Google".
  8. ^ "Russia: Armata deliveries and orders announced – EDR Magazine". 24 August 2018. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018.
  9. ^ Russia has developed the BMP-KSh command post tracked armored based on Armata platform. Army Recognition. 19 January 2022.
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