Russia has developed many weapons development programs methodically. Source: people.com.cn. New weapon development direction Russia launched the first version of the “Russian Weapons Development Program” in 2010 and version 2.0 in 2017. It is planned that version 3.0 will be released by the end of this year. According to Russian media, this program mainly provides follow-up information on the development of weapons and equipment of the Russian army, and is considered a “indicator” for the development of weapons and equipment in the country. . The 2010 version of the “Program” indicates that the Russian military will prioritize the development of nuclear and air defense as well as anti-missile forces, as well as the development of communication command systems and situational awareness. advanced. Under the guidance of this concept, the modernization level of the nuclear forces of the Russian army has been significantly improved, in which the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile regiment has been reorganized, centered The air defense and anti-missile group with the core of the S-400 gradually became the main air defense force. In addition, by 2015 the Russian Army had built a modern command and control system. Version 2.0 of the “Program” revised and supplemented the content of the previous version, proposing to “accelerate the upgrade and transformation of nuclear deterrence” and “ensure that weapons development and equipment of the Russian army in the leading position in the world, and modernization of conventional weapons accounts for more than 70%”. Speaking at a Defense Ministry meeting at the end of 2020, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said that the Russian military-industrial complex has completed more than 97% of the research, development and production tasks in the “Chapter” program”, all the armed services of Russia have basically completed the goal of weapons procurement. The Russian Ministry of Defense is currently conducting research and preparing to launch the official 3.0 “Program” later this year. Russian media revealed that Moscow has focused on cutting-edge technologies and new concept weapons to ensure that it has a dominant position in the high-tech sector. According to reports, Russia is actively preparing a new version of the “Program” and has listed advanced weapons as the focus of development, with the intention of laying a solid foundation for weapons development, respond to increasingly complex security challenges. Weapons of the future In the new version of the “Program”, Russia will continue to promote the development of nuclear and conventional weapons, while focusing on research into artificial intelligence, robotics, hypersonic weapons and weapons. attack based on new physics principles. As of 2020, the modernization rate of the Russian army’s conventional weapons has reached 70.3%, and the modernization of the nuclear forces has reached 86%. According to the plan, the Russian services will continue to promote the modernization of weapons and equipment at a rate of 2% to 3% annually. Currently, in Russia’s hypersonic arsenal, in addition to the Avangard and Kinzhal missiles that have been put into operation, the Poseidon unmanned rolling device and the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile have also entered the test phase. Russia’s “torpedo” Poseidon scared the whole world. Source: people.com.cn. In addition, Russia recently revealed plans to design light vehicles carrying hypersonic munitions, such as glide bombs, and has continuously developed asymmetrical strategic balancing measures. In the next 10 years, heavy drones represented by “Altius” and “Hunter” will become the mainstay of Russia’s aerospace forces. Many new electronic warfare systems will also become the core of Russia. According to Russian military experts, the new “Program” will introduce “plans for the development of weapons and equipment in the complex climate of the Arctic”. Many difficulties await Some analysts believe that the new Russian version of the “Program” is promising, but will face certain difficulties in the implementation process. On the one hand, the modern technology of the Russian army still has shortcomings, which will be difficult to make up for in the long run, on the other hand, the defense budget of the Russian army is decreasing year by year, which is not suitable for the “stability and ongoing financial support” is suggested in the “Program”. In addition, under the technological blockade of the West, Russia is still struggling to research avionics components, liquid crystal displays, stealth materials and large-scale drones. . In fact, many new weapons and equipment, including the T-14 tank and the Su-57 fighter jet, were short on funding, causing the production time to be continuously extended. In addition, due to the influence of the budget and other strategic plans of the Russian military, there have been many adjustments, such as the program to build a new aircraft carrier.

The Russian army has put into service T-14 Armata tanks since 2014. This will be the main battle tank (MBT) of the new generation of Russia, which is promised to be produced in large numbers. The amount of T-14 built is still negligible, but the T-14 is still much more successful than the T-95. Russia had ambitions to design a new tank that outperformed all of the most capable Western tanks, as well as any previous Soviet tanks, but the T-95 program was unable to outdo it. from the test phase. The origin of the T-95 main tank actually dates back to the Soviet era, when Moscow attempted to find a new main battle tank to replace the aging Soviet armored fleet. Those efforts continued as the Russian military inherited the majority of Soviet tank storage, including the main T-80 tanks produced by the Omsktransmash factory and the T-72 tanks built by Uralvagonzavod. . Russia continued to produce the T-90, at which time the T-90 was considered the main battle tank of Russia before a more modern tank could be produced. And the two tank factories are racing to develop a new type of MBT. The Omsktransmash factory started with a Black Eagle tank, which was essentially born from the T-80 but had a multi-chamber design. However, the performance of the T-80 in the First Chechen War was very lackluster. The Moscow government lost faith in the Black Eagle tank program and with the lack of funding the Black Eagle tank program was canceled in 2001, after which the Omsktransmash company quickly went bankrupt. While the Black Eagle is not impressive, the Uralvagonzavod plant is still working on the MBT in the Object 195 program. First reported in 1995, it was not officially recognized by the Russian military until 2000. The goal of the T-95 program is to create a tank equipped with more powerful weapons, including a 152mm main gun that can fire conventional ammunition as well as guided missiles, while providing better protection for The crew of three people, which includes a commander, gunner and driver. The tank is designed with the concept of a remote unmanned turret, equipped with an automatic loader for the main gun. In addition, the tank also has a panoramic periscope with thermal cameras, allowing the commander to scan the targets and then assign aiming and firing to the gunner. In terms of size, the T-95 is said to be larger than previous MBTs, and is similar in size and weight to Western tanks such as the British Challenger 2, Germany’s Leopard 2A7 and America’s M1A2 Abrams. . Especially the remote control turret design and the heavy gun are features found in the T-14 Armata, so it is clear that the T-95 is ahead of its time. However, only a handful of T-95 prototypes were built, by 2011 the program was halted and Russia switched to the production of the main Armata tank. The T-95 may be an early proof of concept for the T-14 Armata with its unmanned turret and crew compartment hull. However, it is likely that the 152mm cannon is overkill as the T-14 is still equipped with the traditional 125mm cannon. The question now is whether the T-14 will actually get past the T-95, but at least look at the T-14 now through its prototype stage and that’s what the T-14 does. than the Black Eagle or T-95 tank. Photo source: BMDP. Is Russia’s T-14 Armata the model of the future for all major battleships? Source: ArmiesPower.

Burlak (named after the famous Russian river tug prior to the 20th century) is a program spanning 2005-2009 by the KBTM design bureau in Omsk, tasked with developing a modern combat turret for Modular two-man (commander and gunner), which can be used on a variety of main battle tank (MBT) chassis, including the T-72, T-80 and T-90 series, to replace the to replace the MBTs in the Soviet era in 2025. It is the result of a competition between KBTM Omsk and Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) and KBTM Omsk won by its lower cost estimate; using a lot of experience from previous development programs (most notably from the tank codenamed the Black Eagle); At that time, KBTM Omsk was in financial trouble and the program was actually a government subsidy to keep it going. The Burlak turret was developed in the 2010s to utilize the T-72, T-80 and T-90 chassis; Source: aw.my.games A unified turret was developed, including a new automatic reload mechanism for the main gun from an internal turret rack (the T-72/90 and T-64/80 series do not have the same reload mechanism This design will remedy that, eliminating the need to manufacture spare parts and maintain two different types of systems at the same time). The turret was essentially the same as the T-90A, except that it had a large frame with explosive reactive armor (ERA), which was different from the conventional Russian Kontakt-5 design. The ERA panels protrude from the bottom to the top instead of from top to bottom, creating a very special look that is hard to confuse with any other design. The armor is also highly modular and easy to replace in combat, or even upgraded to more efficient ERA designs coming in the future. ERA installed is a system called Kaktus. The turret will be divided into three separate compartments (for the gunner, commander, and gunner), increasing protection without increasing any size and with a minimal increase in mass. Additional protective measures include the option of installing an Active Protection System (APS) for Shtandart hard destruction from Object 195 and a smoke grenade launcher. The automatic loading mechanism is located outside the combat compartment; Any fires or explosions will not damage the interior of the vehicle or put the crew at risk. All mechanisms are housed in the turret to ensure the turret can be used on a variety of hulls. A Burlak prototype on a T-72B chassis was built and tested in the late 2010s; Source: aw.my.games The turret was intended to be equipped with a 125 mm 2A46M-5 smoothbore gun (the same type used on the T-90A after 2005) and designed to mount modern optical equipment (also from the T-90MS or even T- 80BVM); The remotely controlled 12.7 mm Kord anti-aircraft gun is located on the right side of the turret. The commander has a panoramic view system at his disposal. The design was overpowered from 2008-2009 and the appearance of the turret caused quite a stir at the time, especially in Ukraine, where many experts loudly accuse Russia of copying armor. -module from BM Oplot. The T-90A Burlak has a rack with two special ammunition types where both rounds have separate reload timers. In terms of portability and other parameters, the T-90A Burlak will perform almost the same as the standard T-90A. With a weight of 49.5 tons (this is an extremely important requirement due to the limitations of Russian transport aircraft), it will be powered by a 1,130 horsepower engine and a top speed of 65 km / h. At least one prototype was built and tested on a T-72B chassis in 2008 or 2009, although there are significant differences from previous drawings and patents. At the time, the Omsk Design Office, facing long term financial difficulties, was finally incorporated into UVZ. UVZ has two competing projects more or less at the same time – the Burlak program and its own variants of the T-90M Proryv-2, namely the T-90MS. Under these circumstances, the Burlak project was not considered feasible; At the end of 2009, the program was stopped. T-14 Armata alternative candidate? In June 2015, the Russian Government announced that the Armata is designed to replace the older T-72B3 and T-80 tanks in Russian Ground Forces equipment. Moscow plans to build 2,300 Armata vehicles by 2020, enough for about eight divisions of tanks and motorized infantry. Equipped with new engines, dual-reactive armor, lower radar cross-sections and the Afghan active defense system, NATO sees Armata as a formidable new threat. When the Armata program faced some difficulties, Burlak was a good candidate to replace the T-14 Armata because it was more affordable and easier to manufacture, while the combat performance was almost comparable; Source: reddit.com But despite many efforts, the Armata project ran into financial and technological difficulties that slowed development. Today, the Russian Army does not have Armata tanks, deliveries are promised later this year. A Russian military blog that recently discovered the Burlak tank design, which appeared to have lost to Armata in the late 2000s, would be an interesting compromise to make use of the old tank stock and existing tank technology gives Russia an almost as good a vehicle as Armata. The T-80 was considered a failure, as its gas turbine electric motor was unreliable, but Russia built around 3,000 T-80s, and hundreds (if not thousands). Among them are still being stockpiled across the country. A new and refurbished dynamic complex could become a spacious home for the Burlak turret. Can Burlak replace Armata in Russian tank divisions? One feature that makes the Burlak more affordable and easier to manufacture than the Armata is its use of the T-80 tank frame. The Burlak is also armed with powerful weapons, and its lower cost and reduced risk certainly make it attractive. And while the Burlak will not have the same body protection as the Armata, the explosive reactive armor plates and the Afghan active protection system can help make a difference. It is worth noting that the appearance of the tank turret underwent a number of changes, which shows that the Burlak program has received a new step in development. Such an upgraded tank would lack some of the T-14’s advanced features, but it would certainly be more affordable, while Russia could quickly produce hundreds. Having still good modernized tanks seems more appealing than waiting for a few more advanced T-14s to show up.