Russian Armed Forces to receive 100 Armata tanks by 2020 - Defense Ministry
KUBINKA. Aug 24 (Interfax) - The Russian Armed Forces will receive 100 brand-new T-14 Armata tanks within the next few years, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said, answering a question from Interfax during the Army 2017 forum on Thursday.
"We have a contract for 100 tanks which will be delivered to us before 2020," he said.
The Defense Ministry will not expedite large-scale purchases of Armata tanks for now, Borisov said.
Modified T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks have enormous upgrade potential, and the Defense Ministry will be guided by the "principle of reasonable sufficiency," he said.
The Armata and another two prospective armored hardware platforms, Kurganets-25 and Bumerang, are undergoing trial use, Borisov said.
These three platforms "will determine the development tendency of all mechanized hardware within the next few decades," he said.
"These items are now undergoing a trial run. We are looking at all of the advantages and shortcomings of these products in real conditions in order to subsequently transition to their serial production," Borisov said.
The Armata universal heavy tracked platform was designed by Uralvagonzavod as a platform for a main battle tank, a heavy infantry fighting vehicle, a tank support combat vehicle and an armored repair and evacuation vehicle.
The Bumerang, a product of the Military Industrial Company, is a universal wheeled platform designed to carry an armored personnel carrier, a combat engineering vehicle or a medical vehicle.
The Kurganets-25, designed by the Tractor Plants Concern's military division, which is a part pf the Rostec state corporation, is a universal tracked platform for an infantry fighting vehicle, a tracked armored personnel carrier and an armored maintenance and recovery vehicle.
The Tekhmash Concern, a part of Rostec, said earlier that tests of new artillery ammunition equipped with a smart remote detonation system and intended for armored hardware using these three prospective platforms had been launched.