Why the Russian T-14 Armata tank is missing in the Ukraine war

Summary and key points: The T-14 Armata, Russia’s newest main battle tank, has been conspicuously absent from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, even as the country records significant tank losses. The tank briefly appeared on the front lines last year but was then withdrawn, raising doubts about its effectiveness.

-Officially, the Kremlin cites the high value of the tank as the reason for its limited use. However, the T-14’s debut in 2015 and subsequent public appearances were marred by problems.

– Equipped with advanced features such as a 125mm smoothbore gun, reinforced armor, and an integrated reconnaissance drone, the Armata represents a significant investment in Russian military technology. However, its practical utility has not yet been proven, raising doubts about its effectiveness in actual combat.

Russia’s T-14 Armata tank: overrated and below average?

Like many of Russia’s latest military systems, the T-14 Armata has failed to live up to expectations.

According to Kremlin officials, the country’s newest battle tank is a resounding success. However, the fact that the armored vehicle is not being used in the ongoing war in Ukraine suggests that the Russian armed forces are not quite as confident in its capabilities.

The Armata saw a brief stint on the front lines last year, when the forces of Russia’s Southern Military District were equipped with these tanks for combat operations. According to state media, this delivery was the first combat test of the T-14. Ultimately, these valuable new armored vehicles were withdrawn from the conflict altogether.

Given Moscow’s huge tank losses during the invasion, the Armata’s withdrawal is remarkable. The performance of the new series of tanks was clearly not up to standards.

What the Kremlin says about the T-14

In March, the CEO of Moscow’s state-owned defense company Rostec said the Armata was withdrawn from the front because it was “too valuable.” Sergey Chemezov added: “The Armata is generally a bit expensive. In terms of functionality, of course, it is far superior to existing tanks, but it is too valuable, so the army is unlikely to use it now. It is easier for them to buy the same T-90s.”

While the Kremlin is certainly struggling under the economic strain of sanctions and an ongoing war, it is nonetheless illogical that Russia would not deploy a supposedly superior armored system to overwhelm Ukraine’s defenses. Moscow has lost at least a few thousand main battle tanks since February 2022. The use of armored vehicles in war has proven indispensable, making these losses an even bigger problem for Moscow.

Introducing the Armata

The Armata’s problems date back to its debut in 2015. During the annual rehearsal of Moscow’s World War II Victory Day parade, one of the T-14s on display suddenly stopped in Red Square. While Russian officials were quick to dismiss the incident as deliberate, the tank’s first public appearance clearly did not go according to plan.

Over the next few years, some Armata tanks continued to appear at Victory Day parades. In 2020, state tests of the tank began, and Kremlin officials claimed that the T-14 had been combat-tested in Syria. However, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, production of the Armata was halted.

Because the Armata rarely appears, public information about its specifications and capabilities is limited. However, the Russian main battle tank appears to offer its crew members an improved chance of survival. As detailed by Military Watch Magazine, “The tank’s frontal armor of over 900mm, coupled with Malachite explosive reactive armor and AFGHANIT active protection system, offers an extreme level of survivability. The T-14’s sensors and weapons are also highly regarded and represent a significant improvement over those of older vehicles, with its Vacuum-1 APFSDS projectiles having extreme penetration power, considered sufficient to penetrate any of the vehicles currently deployed in the Ukrainian theater of operations head-on.”

The Armata is reportedly equipped with a 125mm 2A82-1M smoothbore gun with an automatic loader. The tank can fire a new laser-guided missile based on the technology of the 9K119M Reflex-M guided missiles. The tank can also fire Vacuum-1 APFSDS projectiles and is equipped with improved observation and fire control systems.

Perhaps most interesting is the T-14’s integrated reconnaissance drone, which is said to help detect and target positions over long distances with high precision. The exact specifications are not known, but the concept suggests that Moscow is continuing to put its limited resources into the further development of its new series of tanks.

Russia’s T-14 Armata may have been a failure in practice so far, but the main battle tank adds value to Russia’s lackluster tank fleet. Time will tell whether or not Moscow moves its most modern tank series to the front lines.

About the author: Maya Carlin, defense expert

Maya CarlinA national security writer for The National Interest, she is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has been featured in numerous publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

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