Enter T-14 Armata.

Officially, Russian Army started the combat use of newest tanks T-14 Armata against VSU positions. In the warm-up mode for now.

МОСКВА, 25 апр – РИА Новости. Вооруженные силы России начали применять новейшие танки Т-14 "Армата" для ведения огня по украинским позициям, сообщил РИА Новости информированный источник. "Российские войска начали применять новейшие танки "Армата" для ведения огня по украинским позициям. В прямых штурмовых действиях они пока не участвовали", - рассказал собеседник агентства.Он уточнил, что "танки Т-14 "Армата" в зоне СВО получили дополнительную защиту борта от противотанковых боеприпасов". Начиная с конца прошлого года экипажи Т-14 "Армата" проходили боевое слаживание на полигонах в одной из народных республик Донбасса, добавил источник. Впервые в боевых условиях танки "Армата" опробовали в Сирии. Основной танк Т-14 "Армата" разработан в Уральском конструкторском бюро транспортного машиностроения (входит в УВЗ). Особенность его компоновки — необитаемая башня, три члена экипажа находятся в изолированной бронекапсуле, расположенной в передней части корпуса. Танк имеет комбинированное многослойное бронирование, новую динамическую защиту "Малахит" и комплекс активной защиты "Афганит". Основное вооружение машины — 125-миллиметровая гладкоствольная пушка 2А82-1М, способная применять новые управляемые ракеты с дальностью восемь километров.

Translation:

MOSCOW, April 25 - RIA Novosti. The Russian Armed Forces have begun using the latest T-14 Armata tanks to fire on Ukrainian positions, an informed source told RIA Novosti. "Russian troops have begun to use the latest Armata tanks to fire on Ukrainian positions. They have not yet participated in direct assault operations," the source said. He specified that "T-14 Armata tanks in the NVO zone received additional protection side from anti-tank ammunition". Since the end of last year, the crews of the T-14 "Armata" have undergone combat coordination at training grounds in one of the people's republics of Donbass, the source added. For the first time in combat conditions, Armata tanks were tested in Syria. The main tank T-14 "Armata" was developed at the Ural Design Bureau of Transport Engineering (part of UVZ). The peculiarity of its layout is an uninhabited tower, three crew members are in an isolated armored capsule located in front of the hull. The tank has a combined multi-layer armor, a new dynamic protection "Malachite" and an active protection complex "Afganit". The main armament of the vehicle is a 125 mm 2A82-1M smoothbore gun capable of using new guided missiles with a range of eight kilometers.

Boy, military porn piles up with incredible speed as of lately. I wonder why, wink, wink;) I guess Russians prepare a warm welcome for German Leopards and British Challengers. Actually, RIA makes a slight mistake--2A82-1M has a range of 7 kilometers shooting ballistic munitions and 12 kilometers when using ATGMs, here (in Russian). Now recall all those rumors about Russians not being able to afford anything and T-14 being merely a show piece. Remember? 

Same was with SU-57, which is now being serially produced and used in air-to-air BVR combat with the score no Western fighter can even dream about. It is always the same in the West and it simply doesn't learn. In related news, now that it was officially confirmed, "military analyst" fanboys from You Tube and elsewhere should just stop their amateurish Clanciesque BS and retire. But they will not, because tomorrow is a field day for military porn masturbators. And as you know, all of them have graduate degrees in weapons design and military science... Nah, I am screwing with you))). But in the end Maverick and his indomitable F-14 are always at their service to alleviate a huge butthurt.

Here's the News(c).

Apart from a very sad news of Charlie Watts of Rolling Stones passing away-RIP Charlie-the day started with some "bang". 

1. Borisov confirmed that construction of SSGNs of project 885M Yasen will continue beyond the number which is under current contract (in Russian): 9 subs in the first batch, 4 of them already completed or nearing completion and 5 being under construction. Per my humble opinion--a very wise decision since Yasens' performance and modernization potential are impressive. 

2. Official contract for 3M22 Zircon is signed, immediately following the signing of contract for Kinzhals (in Russian), and that is everything one needs to know about the development of Zircon--it works. 

3. First batch of serial T-14 Armata MBT has been delivered to the army and deliveries will continue in 2022. Evidently they finished polishing the system. 

4. The rest... Will see in coming days. 

Meanwhile Russia, China, Vietnam, many others do real Olympics--tank biathlon. NATO and the US have been invited many times to take part--declined. 

Some say this is the most Russian thing ever. Well, Russians love tanks, no doubt about it. It is definitely fun for participants and spectators type of sport. I will try to learn more about this robot which is the sentinel for check points Robo-C (in Russian) later. I would hate to end up in situations like these:

You knew, didn't you, that this clip was coming, right? LOL. Damn, Ronnie Cox was always such a proverbial villain in all movies.   

Armata, Costs And Reality. Again....

When Main Battle Tank T-14 Armata debuted at Moscow's Victory Day Parade in 2015, let's be honest, it created a global media furor. No doubt, together with praises, a truck load of doubts was also dumped on Armata and the main of them all was the issue of costs. Few people argued with the fact that it is the most advanced tank in the world today, but what price? Initial speculations were that the cost will be so high that Russia as a whole may go bankrupt and dissolve after producing 5, 6....8 Armatas tops. Of course, how could it be any other way when "Russian scholars" (mostly from uber-liberal think-tanks, a euphemism for NATO shills) said so.  

Well, realities on the ground, however, are such that 20 Armatas are already serving with Russian Army's regular tank units and undergo what is called "troop trials", a term somewhat related to IOC: Initial Operational Capability. This is after a year since debut at the Red Square. To add insult to injury, or rub the salt into the wounds, of all kinds of Western Russia's ever ignorant "military experts", the CEO of famed Ural Vagon Zavod (Ural Train Cars Factory--yes, Russians love their military technologies pass as train cars or baby food) Oleg Sienko in his recent interview to National Defense magazine confirmed what many suspected all along, that Armata is exactly three times less expensive to produce than Abrams. That means only one thing: if to believe Abrams' (or Leopard's) cost to be $8.62 million, then Armata is $2,87 million. So, does it mean that Russian Army will receive planned 2300 Armatas by 2025 (initially it was stated to be 2020)? It sure as hell looks like it.      

               

Will there be delays, rescheduling, adjustments etc.? Absolutely! It already happened due to economic and geopolitical circumstances.  No state-of-the-art technology ever was procured without that and it is quite normal. But there is no doubt that Russia, yet again, was able to complete a full cycle--from R&D to procurement--of the cutting edge military technology which in the West would have cost....cough...F-35. This technological gap with the West will continue to grow, especially so if Putin will finally make a decision which a whole nation waits from him now. If not, somebody else, not Putin, will be making those decisions but that is a separate matter and a discussion. Meanwhile, Sukhoi T-50 (aka PAK FA) is getting ready to hit serial production in 2017, with new T-50 specific engines to be installed starting from 2018. 

It is not only inevitable but warranted to observe a somewhat peculiar reaction of Western MSM on a stream of real news from Russia. Behind this reaction (Russophrenia) is their never realized but, oh so palpable, "secret" desire to see Russia implode economically and Russians starve and crawl to the West on their knees. Yet, Russia somehow makes more money exporting grain than she does exporting weapons and now is world's leading exporter of wheat, still builds nuclear and diesel ice-breakers, produces micro-processors, launches satellites, builds nuclear power stations and, generally, is not willing to get scared. I guess this costs factor and ability to produce one of, if not the world's best weapons in quantities that deter any aggression is a huge part of the answer. In Russia it is always Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum and rightly so--this is reality of Russia's history.