T-15 (Armata) (Object 149)

History

Recent combat experience of Russian ground forces shows the need for heavy infantry fighting vehicles (HIFVs) with good survivability, especially when entering highly competitive areas in urban environments. The Israeli army developed the "Namer" for exactly this purpose (described in detail elsewhere on this page), and Russian engineers followed suit with the "T-15 HIFV". The vehicle was unveiled at the 2015 Moscow Victory Day military parade, which also featured the much-discussed main battle tank T-14 (MBT) and its new unmanned turret.

Both vehicles are part of Armata's new family of "Universal Combat Platform" (UCP) armor systems, designed to utilize a single standard chassis capable of fulfilling a variety of important battlefield roles. Within these main designs, there are sub-variants that further develop the Armata family of vehicles.

The T-15 received the industrial designation "Object 149" and ten examples were shown in the aforementioned parade.

The T-15 retains the same landing gear as the T-14 MBT, although the drive sprockets have moved forward due to the engine being placed further forward in the fuselage, and the track idlers are now moved aft. Seven twin tire wheels are mounted on each side of the hull. The upper part of the track is well protected by armor plates, and the heavy classification of this vehicle means the system can also see the armor blocks that have been added to its base protection scheme.

The front part of the vehicle receives special attention in terms of protection against incoming projectiles or armor-piercing missiles.

The placement of the engine and operator positions allows for a protected passenger compartment at the rear of the vehicle. The driver sits in the front left of the well-sloped front panel, with additional crew to the right and rear. The unmanned remote control turret is located in the stern and is equipped with a 30mm automatic cannon, a 7.62mm machine gun and automatic grenade launcher, and 4 anti-tank missiles (ATGM). Smoke grenade launchers help hide vehicle movement from enemy sight, while a full sensor suite helps aircrews understand situational awareness and incoming threats.

Other key features include night vision support and the NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) suite.

The T-15, together with the T-14, the Coalition-SV 152mm self-propelled gun and the Kurganets-25 infantry fighting vehicle, became part of the "new" Russian army. No doubt its true capabilities will be perfected over time, but the Russians seem to have seen good returns from their massive investment in modernizing their ground forces.

The Armata family is expected to inherit a variety of models, many of which originated in the Cold War decades. Some lines can also see exports.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

500 x 30mm bullet

2,000 x 7.62mm ammo

4 x "Komet-EM" Anti-Tank Missiles (ATGM)

10 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes