Where’s Armata?

Russia’s latest tank, the Armata, was notably absent from the parade practice — at least from what we can see.

Akin to the Kurganets, the Armata is supposed to be a totally new design to replace aging stalwarts, namely the T-72, T-80 and T-90 series of main battle tanks. Russian military officials said a year ago that they would display the Armata during the 2015 Victory Day parade.

But the tanks we see at the rehearsal are merely T-90U tanks. What happened? Perhaps the Armata simply isn’t ready, or maybe the Russians are keeping the new tank out of the public eye for as long as possible.

Curiously, another video of the parade includes previously unseen images of what could be the Armata. In the video, it outwardly looks like the same tank caught on a Russian dashcam video earlier this year. There’s no way to confirm the authenticity of the video … but if they’re hoaxes, they’re good ones.

If it is an Armata, the tank appears heavier and longer than the T-90, with seven road wheels instead of six.

The chassis appears to sit higher than the T-90. Modern tanks only have one hatch on the front of the hull — for the driver — but the Armata apparently has two hatches.

Armor on the front of the hull and sides appears modular, making it easier to replace. Slat armor, which prevents shaped-charge warheads from detonating directly on the tank, protects the engine compartment.

The Armata’s turret and main gun are also covered in a canvas tarp. But the turret is small and could be unmanned, with the main gun serviced by an autoloader. This reduces the overall profile of the tank, making it more difficult to hit.

The main turret appears to have an even smaller secondary turret, likely with a remote-controlled machine gun or grenade launcher.

The Armata is not the super-tank enthusiasts hoped for — a futuristic design sporting a 125-millimeter main gun, 30-millimeter autocannon and two machine guns. Like the Koalitsiya, the Armata could have been a more ambitious design that the Kremlin scaled back to more realistic levels.

Russia’s new armored vehicle designs are a major investment in military and economic security. Russia expects to spend $9.2 billion on 2,300 new Armata tanks alone. Rebuilding the rest of Russia’s armored vehicle arsenal might easily double that number.

Falling oil prices caused the Russian economy to falter, and arms exports are another major source of hard currency. However, Russian munitions have consistently been on the losing end of numerous wars, earning the weapons a stigma that has cut into arms sales.

A new line of armored vehicles could reinvigorate the Russian brand.

Whatever the future holds for these new armored vehicles, count on seeing them in the news for the next 40 years. If nothing else, perhaps you will see the vehicles — minus their canvas shrouds — during the Victory Day celebration in Red Square.