Russian news agency TASS has reported that Russia’s newest main battle tank the T-14 Armata will be withdrawn from combat in Ukraine ahead of modifications based on the results of its use as part of the so-called special military operation.
“The Armata tank was used several times in the combat zone in Ukraine. Based on the results of its use in a special operation, the vehicle is now being modified,” the agency’s interlocutor said, without specifying what exactly is planned to change.
TASS reported, the Russian group “South” used several units of the latest Russian tanks in its direction. The purpose of using the Armata was to test and observe how the vehicle would perform in real combat conditions. After this, the tanks were withdrawn from the front line.
In January 2023, UK Defence Intelligence stated that:
“Any T-14 deployment is likely to be a high-risk decision for Russia. Eleven years in development, the programme has been dogged with delays, reduction in planned fleet size, and reports of manufacturing problems”.
“Deployed Russian forces were reluctant to accept the first tranche of T-14 allocated to them because the vehicles were in such poor condition.”
“An additional challenge for Russia is adjusting its logistics chain to handle T-14 because it is larger and heavier than other Russian tanks.”
The report concluded: “If Russia deploys T-14, it will likely primarily be for propaganda purposes. Production is probably only in the low tens, while commanders are unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat.”
