Photo: Vitaly Kuzmin
Perhaps never before in the history of armored warfare has such a fuss been kicked up about a vehicle produced in so few numbers as the Russian T-14 Armata main battle tank. Regardless of what side of the pro vs. anti-Russia camp you sit on, the internet at large has been at each other's throats about what aspects of Russia's newest MBT are legitimate and which are thinly-veiled propaganda. Meanwhile, the Russians themselves have been hard at work recently, attempting to market their shiny, new tank to markets outside Russian soil.
As first reported by the EurAsian Times, the Russian Armed Forces' latest technology exhibition held between Aug. 14th and the 20th around Moscow was a prime opportunity for the T-14 to strut its stuff in front of personnel representing seven different countries and 85 non-domestic companies and contractors. For a tank with so many of its finer points hidden behind highly-classified status within the Kremlin, such an event was a prime opportunity for parties outside Russia's sphere of influence to get an up-close look at what Uralvagonzavod has to offer. Though it might seem counterintuitive to assume non-Eastern European countries would want anything to do with a Russian main battle tank, the reality is not what you think.
Plenty of countries outside of Russia's physical sphere of influence have employed their tanks, aircraft, and other weapons in the past. Most notably, India and Russia had maintained relatively cordial relations regarding military hardware up until the ongoing military occupation of Ukraine by the Russians beginning in 2022. Iconic Russian main battle tanks like the T-72, the T-90, and the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle became stalwarts of the Indian army after the United States began favoring Pakistan in international affairs during the late 20th century.
Meanwhile, other nations, like Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, and Mongolia, are among those that still use ex-Soviet T-72s in their arsenals. But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and possibly even well before this time, many of these nations are now ideologically opposed to the Russian Federation on principle alone. In the case of Finland especially, recently made a member-state of NATO, the chances of most of these nations even considering fielding a military contract from Russia, let alone for a Russian main battle tank, seems like a pie-in-the-sky fantasy situation rather than something that could take place in 2023.
In any case, Russian State media has purported that the T-14 won't be ready for full-scale production outside of a handful of prototypes until at least 2025 at the earliest. Depending on which way the war in Ukraine might wind up, whether the Russian Federation will exist in the state that it does today in that amount of time is something that gets more and more dubious as each month passes. Like most things involving Russia these days, all roads to the T-14 Armata are about to pass through Ukraine first.
Plenty of countries outside of Russia's physical sphere of influence have employed their tanks, aircraft, and other weapons in the past. Most notably, India and Russia had maintained relatively cordial relations regarding military hardware up until the ongoing military occupation of Ukraine by the Russians beginning in 2022. Iconic Russian main battle tanks like the T-72, the T-90, and the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle became stalwarts of the Indian army after the United States began favoring Pakistan in international affairs during the late 20th century.
Meanwhile, other nations, like Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, and Mongolia, are among those that still use ex-Soviet T-72s in their arsenals. But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and possibly even well before this time, many of these nations are now ideologically opposed to the Russian Federation on principle alone. In the case of Finland especially, recently made a member-state of NATO, the chances of most of these nations even considering fielding a military contract from Russia, let alone for a Russian main battle tank, seems like a pie-in-the-sky fantasy situation rather than something that could take place in 2023.
In any case, Russian State media has purported that the T-14 won't be ready for full-scale production outside of a handful of prototypes until at least 2025 at the earliest. Depending on which way the war in Ukraine might wind up, whether the Russian Federation will exist in the state that it does today in that amount of time is something that gets more and more dubious as each month passes. Like most things involving Russia these days, all roads to the T-14 Armata are about to pass through Ukraine first.
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