The 2023 India Airshow is being held in Bangalore, a city in southern India. All major arms exporting countries in the world, except China, are actively participating in the exhibition, showing hospitality to India, a well-recognized fat sheep in the international arms purchase market.
Recently, new news came out of the air show: Vladimir Drozhov, deputy director of the Russian Federal Agency for Military-Technical Cooperation, told the media that Russia is ready to share the technology of the T-14 Amata tank with India in order to serve India jointly. Development of new main battle tanks. This news made the Indian media excited again.
This statement mainly aims at the procurement plan of the Indian Army’s next-generation main battle tanks. On June 1, 2022, the Indian Ministry of Defense issued a request for information announcing that it will purchase 1,700 next-generation main battle tanks in phases starting before 2030. The Indian Army decided to purchase 354 light tanks at the end of last year, mainly to deal with China’s Type 15 light tanks in plateau areas.
At present, the Indian Army has a total of about 3,640 main battle tanks, including 122 “Arjun,” 2,418 T-72M1, and 1,100 T-90S, and there are also 1,100 old tanks of various types kept in warehouses. The main T-72M1 tank of the Indian Army is completely outdated, and the Russian-made T90 of the same series as the T90S tank did not perform well on the Ukrainian battlefield.
The Indian Army does not say it but understands in its heart that facing the People’s Liberation Army Army, they can only be beaten; as for the “Arjun” main battle tank made in India, it is a joke compared to the Brilliant Fighter, although the Indian media blows it up.
There is so much hype about what is “hanging the Chinese Type 99”, but the Indian Army just does not purchase on a large scale, which shows that they know that “Arjun” is not good for use.
What kind of advantages can India gain from Russia’s transfer of the technology of the T-14 “Amata” tank? It’s hard to say. Although the T-14 “Amata” tank has appeared for seven years and has a very powerful performance on paper, the Russian Army has not equipped it on a large scale.
At present, only more than 20 vehicles have been purchased for testing. The main reason is that its technology is not good enough. Mature, and under the sanctions of the West, there is a lack of advanced electronic components, making mass production difficult.
This time, Russia expressed its willingness to share the technology of “Amata” with India and “jointly” develop a new generation of main battle tanks for the Indian Army. The FA project finally successfully developed the Su-57 Fighter in the same gameplay.
Back then, India spent over 2 billion US dollars on the PAK-FA project in vain but got nothing. Of course, the Su-57’s technology is too high-end for Russia to be willing to transfer it, but generally speaking, tank technology is not that sensitive. It is estimated that Russia can come up with something real this time.
At the same time, India has no difficulty in purchasing Western components, and it may be able to help Russia sneak through secretly.
Let’s take a look at several technical highlights of the T-14 “Amata” tank:
One is the active defense system: the “Amata” tank uses the “Afghan Stone” active defense system, which can intercept incoming enemy shells or missiles within a distance of 15 to 20 meters from the tank. The system uses millimeter-wave radar to detect incoming targets, and it is said to use the AESA radar technology developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau for the Su-57 fighter jet.
However, even the Su-57 fighter jets have not been mass-produced, which may be because some necessary electronic components cannot be purchased in large quantities due to the Western embargo. The sighting and fire control system of the “Amata” tank also faces the same problem, and India does not have the problem of electronic components.
The second is the engine:
- The “Amata” tank uses a liquid-cooled four-stroke turbocharged diesel engine.
- The model is A-85-3, and the 12 cylinders are distributed in an X shape.
- The rated power is 1500 horsepower.
- The power can reach 1800 horsepower when accelerating or even higher.
The paper performance of this engine is quite advanced, but according to Russian media reports in 2020, this engine has many design flaws, and its performance is not up to standard. If this problem can be solved with the financial support of India, it will be a perfect deal for Russia.
The third is advanced artillery: the “Amata” tank uses a brand new 124mm 2A82-1M tank gun with newly developed ammunition. The muzzle kinetic energy is said to exceed the RH120 L55 120mm tank gun of Rheinmetall in Germany. Judging from Russian media reports, the maturity of this artillery should be the highest among the various subsystems on the “Amata” tank.
Of course, the advanced technology of the “Amata” tank is more than that. Its unmanned turret, carried drones, overall layout and other aspects are remarkable.
But in general, it is far-fetched for the “Amata” tank to be called the next-generation main battle tank. Its various technologies do not have many advantages over the various advanced main battle tanks in the world, and may even There is still some backwardness in informatization.