As I reported elsewhere, the defense ministry signed a contract with UVZ for the first batch of 100 T-14 MBTs in September 2016. In 2015, then UVZ CEO Oleg Sienko announced that the Rusian Ground Forces would receive 2,300 Armata tanks before 2020. This date was later pushed back to 2025. However, it is unlikely that Russia will have the resources to mass-produce the MBT in such large quantities by that time, as I
explained elsewhere:
[T]his is far beyond the financial and production capacity of Russia. According to some estimates, Russia is only capable of building 120 new T-14s per year from 2018. There are currently around 20 T-14s prototypes operating with the Russian Ground Forces. It is [still] unclear whether the tank has already entered serial production.
Operational evaluation of the T-14 MBT is now set for 2019. The T-14 MBT is
expected to enter initial operational service with the 1st Guards Tank Regiment of 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division, garrisoned in Moscow and part of Russia’s Western Military District.
The T-14, an armored vehicle based on the “Armata” universal chassis system, is one of the world’s first battle tanks to feature an unmanned turret. The MBT’s main weapon system is a 2A82 125-millimeter smoothbore cannon, capable of firing high-powered munitions (10 shots a minute at an effective range of up to 7 kilometers). The 125-millimeter variant will be replaced with a more powerful 152 mm cannon in later versions.
The T-14 is first new MBT to be developed by Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
