Surpasses All Tanks: Why the T-14 "Armata" is Compared to the F-22 Fighter, But the Russian Armed Forces Prefer the T-90

The newest Russian T-14 "Armata" tank (developed by the Ural Design Bureau of Transport Machine Engineering) is in service with the Russian Armed Forces, but it is not used in combat. There are a number of reasons for this, according to Sergey Chemezov, head of Rostec.

According to him, the T-14 "Armata" surpasses all existing tanks in terms of its technical characteristics, but it is expensive.

The "Armata" is expensive, so the army is unlikely to use it now. It's easier for them to buy the same T-90s

Sergey Chemezov

Experts Compare the T-14 Commander's Tank to the F-22 Fighter

Alexey Podberezkin, Director of the Center for Military and Political Studies at MGIMO, recalled that weapons such as tanks are constantly being modernized. He added that the famous T-34 was repeatedly improved during the Great Patriotic War.

Engineers were constantly inventing something new. This also applies to the T-14 "Armata". However, this tank is indeed too expensive, the expert emphasized.

This is a commander's tank, with the help of which a fairly large number of tanks are controlled - a battalion, or maybe more

Alexey Podberezkin

The use of such a tank is not practical now. Podberezkin compared the T-14 "Armata" with the expensive American fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter. He explained that one flight of the F-22 Raptor costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.

That is why Russia is focusing on the production of the T-90M "Proryv". At the same time, the development of the entire line of tanks is too expensive, they choose those tanks that are effective on the battlefield and can be mass-produced, Podberezkin summarized.

Tests of tanks of the Russian Armed Forces and heavy equipment at the Alabino training ground
Image source Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Tank for Reconnaissance, Target Designation, Battle Command

The T-14 "Armata" plays the role of a leader, said military political scientist Alexander Perendzhiev. It has an uninhabited turret, a universal tracked platform, as well as 11 subsystems that help the military perform a wide range of tasks, including controlling electronic warfare equipment, artillery and air defense.

In fact, various types of communication are integrated into the T-14 "Armata", including communication with drones and reconnaissance equipment. Thanks to this, the tank is excellent for reconnaissance, target designation, fire adjustment of self-propelled guns, T-90s and air defense systems. Another advantage of the T-14 is its ability to launch an onboard reconnaissance drone with a radar station.