Russia’s New Super Tank Gets Stage Fright in Red Square

There would have been a few red faces in Red Square on Thursday when Russia’s new state-of-the-art battle tank decided to stall.

As you can tell by the above video, the huge Armata T-14 stalled and presumably broke down as it took part in rehearsals for Saturday’s military parade that marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

According to Reuters, an official, via a PA system, said the stoppage was planned to show how battlefield recovery can be done.

Apparently, that got a few laughs from onlookers.

A tow away attempt proved unsuccessful, but eventually after 30 minutes, the tank was able to drive away on its own accord.

Despite the obvious footage, the producers of the Armata have denied that the tank broke down, reports AP in the New York Post.

The next generation fighting machine will be Russia’s first new main battle tank in 40 years.

It has automatic loading capabilities and a remote-controlled gun turret, says Reuters. Newly developed armor protects a 3-man crew who are positioned within a pod in the front of the tank.

Each Armata is estimated to cost around 400 million rubles ($8 million), and given Russia’s tough economic situation, you would think that would hurt a lot. Whether those types of costs are sustainable is another thing.

“At 400 million rubles, it is more expensive than a normal fighter jet,” said Alexander Golts, defense columnist and deputy editor of online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal. “It looks as if this tank is made of gold,” according to Reuters.

See the video below for more details on the Armata:

It will be a while till the tank sees any active service. It is still in development and won’t be ready for another five years. The Armata is part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to modernize Russia’s military, and its manufacturers boast that it will outfight any other type of tank.

All this comes at time of heightened international tension over Russia’s intentions in Eastern Europe and its support of pro-Russian separatists in the Ukraine.

See images below of the Armata and two other new military vehicles that took part in Saturday’s parade, which, according to Stratfor, was one of the largest military parades in Russian history.

www.visiontimes.com