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Russian-made main battle tank T-14 Armata protected with new generation of ERA armor TASS 10402161

Military Defense Industry Technology - Russia

Russian-made main battle tank T-14 Armata protected with new generation of ERA armor.

The new Russian T-14 Armata main battle tank (MBT) is equipped with a new-generation ERA armor, according to a source in JSC Tractor Plants. The ERA was developed by NII Stali (a subsidiary of Tractor Plants). "It (the new ERA) can be described as an innovative one. Its specifications exceed those of Contact-1, Contact-5 and Relict", said the source. He didn't provide further details, saying only that the ERA has "no known world analogues".

The new ERA armour of Russian made T-14 Armata can resist to the anti-tank gun shells adopted by the NATO countries, including the state-of-the-art APFSDS DM53 and DM63 developed by Rheinmetall

The source said that the new armor's resistance to armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot rounds (APFSDS) was significantly increased in comparison with the older ERA systems. "The high protective characteristics of the new armor aren't provided by the simple increase of explosive mass in its containers", said the source. He pointed out, that the detonation of an ERA container wouldn't damage the electronics and other equipment installed under armor.

"The new ERA can resist to the anti-tank gun shells adopted by the NATO countries, including the state-of-the-art APFSDS DM53 and DM63 developed by Rheinmetall. It also resists to prospective anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) with high-explosive anti-tank warheads" the source told.

T-14 is also equipped with bar-slat armor located at the rear part of the hull. It was also developed by NII Stali, the source told. "It provides the protection from 50-60% of RPG grenades", he said.

Armata is also equipped with metal-ceramic plates as basic armor. Novosibirsk-based enterprise NEVZ-Ceramics has already launched the serial production of such elements, told the head of the company's armored ceramics bureau Andrey Nikitin. "We finished the trials this year, and the elements revealed their declared capability", he said. Nikitin pointed out, that the armor-ceramic plates resistance is in one and half time higher, than of the full-metall ones.

According to his words, the new armor plates will be installed not only on T-14 tank, but also on T-15, Kurganets-25 and Bumerang infantry combat vehicles.

The decision to equip the new T-14 Armata with ERA armor seems to be in line with previous tank-developing concept. The first Soviet-designed ERA, namely Contact-1, was introduced in the early 1980s and installed on T-72B. The modern Russian tanks T-72B3, T-80UE-1 and T-90 are equipped with Contact-5 or Relict ERAs. But the installation of them on the armor leave some key areas, for instance, rooftop and driver's hatch, vulnerable to HEAT munitions and ATGMs. T-14 has ERA integrated in its armor construction. This measure significantly increases the Armata's resistance to modern anti-tank weapons.

T-14 is also equipped with bar-slat armor located at the rear part of the hull. It was also developed by NII Stali, the source told. "It provides the protection from 50-60% of RPG grenades", he said.

T-14 Armata is also equipped with bar-slat armor located at the rear part of the hull.