How Smart Will the Armata's Smart Munitions Be? 'Really Smart'

On Monday, Tekhmash, the Russian defense firm developing shells for the Armata T-15 and Kurganets-25 infantry fighting vehicles, announced that new 'smart ammunition' will be created for the armored vehicles by 2018. Speaking to Sputnik, military writer Viktor Baranets took note of the expected features of these smart shells.

Speaking to RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the IDEX-2017 defense exhibition in the UAE on Monday, Tekhmash director Sergei Rusakov said that new smart munitions for Russia's Armata Universal Combat Platform-based armored vehicles would be ready starting in 2018, the same year that the mass rollout of the T-14 next-generation main battle tank is expected to start.

The company earlier announced that preliminary testing was underway for new smart rounds for the 57mm Au-220M Baikal remotely operated turret, which can be mounted on the Armata T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle and the Kurganets-25 family of IFVs, as well as the Bumerang amphibious armored personnel carrier, another new Russian armored vehicle.

Speaking to Radio Sputnik about the news, retired army colonel and military observer Viktor Baranets explained the concept behind these so-called smart munitions.

"Smart munitions are shells which are highly accurate and, to some extent, capable of 'thinking'," the expert noted. "For example, the Armata T-15 is equipped with the Afghanit active protection system, which detects flying projectiles and automatically prevents them from reaching the vehicle, either shooting them down or blowing them up. This is active defense."

"But the Armata can be used not only as a tank gun, but also as a rocket launcher to launch projectiles, which can themselves select their target while simultaneously taking account of a variety of factors," Baranets added. "During the flight toward the target, this round takes into account temperature, wind strength, distance, the target's speed, etc."

In addition, the expert explained that one of the main tasks before the makers of smart munitions today is the creation of defensive systems for the shells themselves. "Along with the creation of highly precise smart munitions…electronics engineers are also furrowing their brows trying to figure out ways to create a system that can prevent enemy jamming of a round's 'thinking' while it flies toward its target," Baranets said.

Of course, "the real level of protection, and the capabilities of these weapons can be demonstrated only in real battle," the expert noted. Accordingly, "in Syria, we did not lose any time in vain. For our equipment, the fight against terrorism has also become a very serious 'exam administrator'. Moreover, many conclusions have already been made to make these weapons even more effective," the officer concluded.