Russia unveils photos of its new Armata battle tank

Europe, News April 21, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Russian Defense Ministry releases images of brand new Armata tank

The Russian military has released its first official picture of the new “Armata” Universal Combat Platform that will form the base of its main battle tank.

The pictures come as part of the preparations for the Victory Day parade on May 9 in the Russian capital. Among the over 100 vehicles that will drive through the streets of Moscow during this year’s event, there will be ten T-14 battle tanks that are built on the “Armata” platform.

Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has called for the plan to be scaled back, while Moscow-based Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) has called the rearmament strategy an outdated Soviet approach.

“The modern Russian economy just doesn’t generate enough resources to finance the current 2011-2020 rearmament program,” CAST said in a report. “This seriously reduces the ability to efficiently renew the Russian armed forces’ equipment.”

The rearmament plan has remained a priority for President Vladimir Putin, with military spending staying as planned, despite 10 percent budget cuts in most other areas. Defense spending accounts for a third of the overall budget in Russia, while the economy is expected to contract by as much as 4 percent, amid a down oil market and conflict in Ukraine.

The Armata T-14 tanks will be a star attraction of the celebration in 26 cities across Russia to mark the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, according to reports.