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No Analogue: Russia's Armata Tank Blasts Through West's Post-Soviet Expectations

© Sputnik / Eugene Biyatov / Go to the mediabankArmata T-14 during the rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow
Armata T-14 during the rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow - Sputnik International
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The creation of the state-of-the-art Russian T-14 Armata tank took the West off-guard, military expert Ivan Konovalov told Sputnik.

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In an interview with Sputnik, military expert Ivan Konovalov said that the West never thought that Russia's military-industrial complex would be able to create the advanced T-14 Armata tank.

His interview came after UK military intelligence said in a five-page report that the T-14 is the most breakthrough step in tank design in the last 50 years.

"Without hyperbole, Armata represents the most revolutionary change in tank design in the last half century," the report said, citing the vehicle's speed, radar systems and turret design.

Commenting on the matter, Konovalov told Sputnik that the West, especially the UK, was highly impressed by the fact that the Russian defense industry could develop, create and actually start mass-producing such a breakthrough tank.

"The West still remains in shock about the emergence of the T-14 Armata tank given that the West had repeatedly predicted that the Armata project would never be implemented and that the tank would be a 'soap bubble,'" he said.

According to him, the T-14's sophisticated characteristics set a new trend in tank construction. Konovalov said that "the West will have to either create the T-14's analogue or admit that they currently need no tanks on the potential battlefield."

"However, modern warfare once again confirmed the significance of the tanks, especially those equipped with a powerful protection system," he said, adding that the T-14 has the most advanced protection system in the world.

The Russian Defense Ministry unveiled its next-generation Armata tank at the May 9 Victory Day military parade in Moscow in 2015.

The Armata tank features sophisticated weaponry, a remote control turret and outer armor that explodes on impact to prevent shells from reaching the crew inside.

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The tank's interior features a capsule that keeps the crew isolated from ammunition and fuel, which can increase chances for the crew's survival if the tank is hit.

A digital control system directs the tank's movement, tracks targets and activates its defense systems, freeing the crew from routine tasks so they can focus on key combat functions.

Currently, the tank sports the standard 125-mm cannon, but, designers say, it could easily outfitted with a much more powerful 152-mm cannon in the future.

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