T-15 Armata

T-15 Armata
Russian Army T-15 in the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade
Type	Heavy IFV
Place of origin	Russia
Service history
Used by	Russian Ground Forces
Specifications
Weight	48 tons
Armor	Steel and ceramic composite 1,200-1,400 mm vs HEAT
Main armament	2A42 30 mm auto cannon with 500 rounds (AP/HE)
Secondary armament	7.62 mm coaxial PKT, Kornet-EM
Engine	Multifuel diesel engine 1,500 hp
Payload capacity	9 infantry (+3 crew)
Transmission	automatic
Operational range	550 km (340 mi)
Speed	65–70 km/h (40–43 mph) (road)

External video

T-15 (at 28 seconds) during night time rehearsal of the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade.

The T-15 Armata (Russian: T-15 Армата), with industrial designation "Object 149", is a Russian heavy infantry fighting vehicle first seen in public (initially with its turret covered) in 2015 during rehearsals for the Moscow Victory Day Parade. The T-15 is expected to replace the BMP-2 and MT-LB based platforms of the Russian Ground Forces.

The infantry fighting vehicle concept was first conceived of in the 1960s during the Cold War, where a confrontation between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries was expected to be dominated by tanks, so infantry required transport to sustain the pace of advance while having armament to fight tanks and armor to withstand machine gun and artillery fire; the Soviet Union created the BMP-1/BMP-2 and the United States the M2 Bradley. While IFVs provided troops with heavier mounted firepower, the amount of anti-tank rockets and guided missiles made it impractical and uneconomical to protect them from such weapons. Post-Cold War, rather than maneuver warfare, most fighting took place in urban areas, such as the battles for Grozny by Russia. While heavy losses could be tolerated in a superpower war, insurgent ambushes with anti-tank weapons easily killing whole squads at once by destroying their IFV have become unacceptable. In an effort to field better protected troop carriers, some countries have experimented with converting tank hulls to carry dismounts.

The Russian T-15 is based on the T-14 tank hull, with its engine relocated to the front to accommodate a passenger compartment in the rear, which adds the engine as a type of shield against frontal hits; passenger capacity is estimated at between seven and nine troops. At 48 tons, the vehicle is slightly heavier than the T-90 main battle tank. It has several features, including a built-in entrenching blade and the T-14's numerous cameras and sensors.

The T-15 features the Bumerang-BM (Epoch) remote control turret with its 2A42 30 mm auto cannon, a 7.62 mm coaxial PKT and a bank of two Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missiles on both sides. Also in development is the AU-220M Baikal remote turret that features the AK-257 57 mm semi-automatic naval gun and the 9M120 Ataka anti-tank missile.