Tanks in the Special Military Operation: The "Armata" Project Fails, T-72 and T-80 Prove Their Worth

What is the current state of the Russian armored forces, and how will they develop in the future?

Author: Alexei Mikhailov

In early June, the Russian Ministry of Defense received a new batch of modernized T-80BVM tanks. These tanks were produced by the Omsk Transport Machine Building plant, which belongs to the Ural Vagon Zavod conglomerate. The upgraded "80s" tanks are equipped with new dynamic armor, a drone defense system, and an electronic warfare station.

This is one of the many batches of tanks that the Russian Ministry of Defense has received this year, with armored vehicles being delivered at least once or twice a month.

Meanwhile, Western experts claim that Russia's large-scale tank production is about to end, and the equipment produced during the Soviet era has been exhausted, while the actual number of newly produced combat vehicles is only in single digits.

Certainly, foreign military analysts' assessments are far from the facts. However, it is interesting to see what changes have occurred in the Russian tank forces during the special military operation and how they will develop in the future.

Returning to the "Old Look"

The first project for equipping the Russian Armed Forces with modern ground weapons and military equipment was formulated during the "New Look" reforms in the early 2010s. At that time, the proportion of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in the army was decreasing.

The reform focused on wheeled vehicles, including "wheeled tanks." For example, the Russian Ministry of Defense even studied the Italian "Centaur" armored vehicle.

In 2013, Russia decided to abandon the "New Look" reform, and in 2015, a new equipment system was adopted, in which tanks played an important role.

These combat vehicles were also intended to supplement the airborne troops and marines, in addition to regular units and formations.

Furthermore, "tracked vehicles" were equipped with battalions and divisions prepared to operate under harsh climatic conditions (including the Arctic region).

The resurgence of the importance of tanks is largely related to the position of General Valery Gerasimov, who graduated from the Kazan Tank Command School and the Armored Forces Academy, and spent most of his career commanding tank units and formations.

What was the tank equipment system of the Russian Armed Forces at the beginning of the special military operation?

Tank companies in motorized rifle regiments and brigades were equipped with so-called "infantry-type" T-90 and T-72 tanks, which had additional dynamic protection armor.

This is because these vehicles directly support infantry operations on the battlefield, so their speed is slower, and they perform minimal mobility to avoid hindering the fast-moving infantry and infantry fighting vehicles. This means that these "tracked vehicles" would be attacked by a large number of anti-tank missiles, and the enemy would conduct concentrated fire.

Photo: T-90 "Armata" Tank

The first units to be equipped were T-72B3M tanks, which can be easily distinguished from ordinary T-72 tanks by the built-in "Relikt" dynamic protection system (including flexible external modules and counter-shaped grid).

Later, gas turbine-powered T-80BVM tanks were added to the "infantry-type" vehicle series. They were designed for units and formations operating in cold conditions. When the thermometer drops below -20 degrees, gas turbines start and run much more stably than conventional diesel engines.

Photo: T-80BVM Tank

The "BVM type" is not much different from the T-72B3M, which also has the "Relikt" protection system and additional grating. However, some vehicles have simplified dynamic armor, with steel armor plates installed on the turret instead of dynamic protection modules.

Initially, the existing T-90s in the Russian Armed Forces were also included in the "infantry-type" category, but later it was decided to create a separate improved version for the T-90 - the T-90M "Breakthrough," which also enhanced its protective capabilities and used remote-controlled machine gun systems.

Tank regiments in motorized rifle divisions were equipped with T-72B3, and tank divisions and independent brigades were also equipped with the same vehicles.

At the beginning of the special military operation, there were four such units: the 4th Guards Kanteevsky Tank Division, the 90th Tank Division, the 47th Tank Division that was being formed, and the only 5th Tank Brigade.

Photo: T-72B3 Tank

Different from the B3M, the ordinary "B3 type" does not have strong protection; it does not have "Relikt," but rather a more outdated and simpler "Contact-5."

For such equipment, the main consideration is high mobility and the ability to conduct long-distance rapid marches, and these "tracked vehicles" are not intended to participate in full-scale infantry battles.

Additionally, tank divisions and brigades were planned to be equipped with ordinary T-90 tanks that had not been upgraded to the "Breakthrough" level.

The Ministry of Defense does not intend to modernize all these tanks, but rather to keep several battalions of ordinary "90s" tanks in the units, while the rest are sent to factories to be upgraded to the "Breakthrough" type.

It is particularly worth mentioning the armored equipment of the 4th Guards Tank Division, whose two tank regiments are the only units in the Russian Armed Forces equipped with gas turbine T-80U tanks, hence the unit is humorously called the "Reaction Force."

Photo: T-80U Tank

Because of their long range and speed, the "Kanteevtsy" can conduct rapid marches of hundreds of kilometers, so the division can quickly move from one direction to another. When this division is deployed to break through the enemy's lines, it can destroy the enemy's rear within a few hours.

Paratroopers and Super Tanks

It is also interesting to choose "tracked vehicles" for the marines and paratrooper forces. The marines chose the Arctic version of the T-80BVM tank.

This is because the main force of the Black Sea forces should operate in the Arctic and Far East regions, and in addition, the "infantry-type" BVM tanks can effectively support the marines in seizing landing grounds and attacking enemy positions.

The paratrooper headquarters, on the other hand, chose the ordinary T-72B3 to equip two paratrooper assault divisions, as the "assault" units and detachments are expected to require speed and mobility, and the paratrooper infantry will not get involved in prolonged close combat.

The World of "Armata"

It is necessary to talk separately about the status of the T-14 "Armata" tanks in the combat order of the units. These tanks were supposed to become a universal equipment, capable of performing both the tasks of an "infantry-type" support tank and the tasks of a classic "tracked vehicle."

Therefore, they combine high mobility, long range, and powerful weapons and protection capabilities.

However, in fact, until February 24, 2022, the Ministry of Defense had not yet perfected the concept of using the "Armata," and experimental exercises were supposed to be conducted based on the 1st Guards Tank Regiment of the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motorized Rifle Division.

But due to delays in the production of the "Armata," the "Tamans" received T-72B3M, and it can be imagined that this replacement was far from equivalent.

At the same time, the regiment was reorganized according to a unique structure in the Russian Armed Forces, for example, its structure did not include a motorized infantry battalion, but only one (¡) infantry platoon, which was expected to be equipped with the T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle. Since the heavy infantry fighting vehicle has powerful firepower and protection, such a number of motorized infantry is sufficient.

During the special military operation, the 1st Guards Tank Regiment participated in the battle with the "Armata" structure, and this structure had not even been experimentally verified.

Note: "Turtle"

It can be seen that the plan to expand the tank forces was ambitious, but implementation was delayed. In addition, at that time, the Russian Armed Forces were expanding - forming new units and formations, and existing brigades were also expanding into divisions.

Therefore, new armored equipment could not meet all needs, and personnel could only get older "tracked vehicles." For example, the motorized rifle battalion of the 2nd Tamanskaya Division still used old T-72B3 obtained during the "New Look" period. In early 2020, they were supposed to receive the "Breakthrough" type, but the latter was used for the experiments of the 1st Tank Regiment.

In the 150th Motorized Infantry Division, one of the tank regiments was even equipped with T-72B tanks produced in the 1980s, some of which even lacked guided weapons and were equipped with the old "Contact-1" dynamic armor, which was called "Turtle" due to its special appearance.

In the 90th Tank Division, the tank regiment's equipment included not only "Turtle" B-type tanks but also T-72A, some of which were produced in the late 1970s.

The equipment of the paratrooper and marine tank units was more uniform, but the Black Sea forces also encountered difficulties. For example, the marine battalion deployed in the Caspian Sea received T-62 tanks at the beginning of the special military operation, although they were modernized versions with dynamic protection and additional armor.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521977057585201683/

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