In mid-April, the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, publicly announced that the new Russian T14 Armata main battle tank was in use in Syria. Among other things,ESuT.dereported.
However, the purpose of sending the most modern Russian tank remained open. For climate or functional tests, Syria offers no advantages or special features compared to the possibilities in Russian test areas. The deployment in Syria requires the complex development of our own logistics to ensure the operation of the highly complex weapon system. The great interest of all opponents - both the fighters in Syria and the secret services - to take control of the new technology for reasons of prestige alone makes additional security measures necessary.
Auch der taktische Zweck kann in Zweifel gezogen werden, ist doch der Armata vor allem für den Kampf gegen stark gepanzerte Ziele ausgelegt, die in Syrien eher selten sind. Nicht einmal als Verkaufsschau kann man den berichteten Einsatz deuten, da die bisherigen Käufer größtenteils russischer Wehrtechnik akzeptable Leistungsfähigkeit zu geringen Kosten suchen. Der Stückpreis des Armata wird auf dem Niveau westlicher Kampfpanzer vermutet. Auf dem westlichen Markt hat der Armata schon aus politischen Gründen keine Chancen.
From the point of view of Western analysts, what remains is the attempt to produce a success report in order to conceal the constant delays and problems with the introduction of the pre-series vehicles into the troops.
Rolf Hilmes
The cover photo shows the T14 from 2016. (Photo: Markus Werren)
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