The tank, which we did not wait for: The last myth defense

This year, Russia was in a tank crossroads. The military leadership of the mouth of representatives of the highest rank has announced that not only puts an end to the current draft of the new generation of tanks, but also terminates the purchase of existing models of cars. The new tank, of course, will be. But not now
Motives of the Ministry of Defence indicated very brief, but generally understandable. July 1 this year, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, the Russian Federation, said: "We met with the designers, who provided us with your projects.

Sixty percent of this - the old operating time, so we are refused these offers. "Today, the army wants to spend money on the current level of production - up to a failure of the domestic arms purchases and foreign. Purchase UDC "Mistral" and even put forward (as it was said, in his polemical fervor), the idea of ​​buying the German "Leopard" instead of the T-90 is quite fit into this outline. Also, the military is not happy with the high price armor anew designs offered by the Russian defense industry.

Closely in the old part of

Comment on this situation, we asked Vasily Kirillovich Kopytko, Major-General stock d.v.n., professor, chief researcher of the Research Center of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Defense Ministry. "The new tank, of course, we need - he explains - but one must understand that its creation would require enormous resources. If we talk about the course to upgrade the existing fleet, the problem lies in the fact that the modernizing potential of the T-72 is almost exhausted. Existing modified T-90 - it actually is the limit to which it was possible to develop a "seventy-second." Some important improvements, of course, you can do: for example, improved fire control system, equipped with machine system identification "friend or foe," which in our tanks yet. Looking good night vision system - and now at last modifications of the T-90 thermal imaging cameras are installed, produced in France. You can improve the communication equipment, put the device GLONASS ... But there are basic flaws that in the framework of existing models persists. One of them, for example, lies in the fact that the crew is fighting compartment along with ammunition, which dramatically reduces the chance of survival with the defeat of the machine. Another shortcoming of our tanks - their small size. On the one hand, it is good - less weight, less chance to hit. But the flip side of these benefits are very difficult conditions for the crew, especially felt in the long marches and long-term military operations. "

The current confrontation between the Ministry of Defense and the military-industrial complex is rooted in Soviet times, when the MIC acted largely as an independent force and army had to take to arms is not the technique, which was commissioned by her, and one that offered the MIC. Today, the military would like to change the situation and make the defense industry fulfill their orders, rather than trying to sell them something created by their understanding and are often based on outdated technology. Fighting between the army and the military-industrial complex has, in particular, to what causes such great interest upubliki secret site "195", also known as T-95, probably will remain forever in the form of drawings and prototypes.

How it could be

The project "Improvement of the 88", also known as "Object 195", also known as Main Battle Tank T-95, developed under the cover of high security in Nizhny Tagil UKBTM, and even after closing the topic by representatives of our main tank smithy - "Uralvagonzavod" - refuse to to discuss the details of this project, and indeed everything connected with the tank theme. Perhaps because in 2015 will be the emergence of new tank track on the universal platform of "Armata" and it will be supposed to be used as best practice elsewhere in the T-95, and on another secret project the perspective of the tank, "Black Eagle". However, some information and not even very good pictures of prototypes have been available to the public.

The main innovation of the tank was a promising modular design in which the tower was provided free of pits and ammunition, ammunition is housed entirely inside the case. In order to protect a three-man crew of a dangerous neighborhood with ammunition and pressurized fuel tanks, tank supposed to put into an armored capsule installed in the bow of the hull. The main armament of the tank, it was decided to use the smoothbore cannon 152 mm, also provided for the automatic installation of an additional 30-mm cannon.

The swiftness and agility of the tank was to provide X-shaped diesel engine of 1500 horsepower, coupled with hydromechanical transmission. A new adaptive suspension has improved ride fighting machine.

The fire control system to be built on the basis of multi-channel - information needed to act simultaneously on the optical, thermal, radar channels and synthesized. Paying tribute to the urgency in our day, "network-centric", a car intended to build in automated tactical command level, which could significantly improve the interaction of armor, infantry and aviation in the ground forces.

Project T-95 went far beyond the blueprints. July 15, 2010 at "The defense and protection" was a demonstration of a prototype long-term T-95 MBT for very selected group of persons. Were impressed by how present, history is silent, but as it turned out, the T-95 - is not what the army is ready to spend money.

Well, dear, little

"Although the project is closed and, - said Vasily Kopytko - but the basic ideas contained in it, right. Surely in a promising next-generation tank - will it be called "Armata" or otherwise - these ideas will find their embodiment. In the past - the times of huge tank armies, it was required that the tank was a simple, unpretentious but in repair and maintenance and be ready for mass replication.The best example of such a tank - our T-34. Now we are faced with different realities, which create not correct "that simple", but a very good tanks. Let them be expensive, let them be little, but let them be. In these tanks, it is important to the optimum combination of combat effectiveness of the means of protection against anti-tank, anti-tank grenade and blows from the upper hemisphere, which is especially important in connection with the development of air-launched anti-tank. "

Get to the front edge

The current tank crossroads, some tend to associate not only with economic and technological environment, but also with some crisis in the understanding of the role of tanks in future battles. In an era of "non-contact war" many portrayed the fighting, in which the tanks will be destroyed by effective antitank weapons from the ground and the air even before the release on the cutting edge. As a confirmation of this reasoning is a large number of Soviet-made armored vehicles, Iraqi forces lost at the second US-Iraq war. In anticipation of the final closure of the project T-95 appeared in the press articles by experts, who predicted a promising future savory Russian tank on the modern battlefield.Listed the types of modern weapons, which are believed to easily cope with the armor and explosive reactive armor T-95. Do projectile finally won the armor?

With that in modern warfare, the role of the tank is reduced to a convenient target, Basil Kopytko disagrees: "What is a" non-contact war "? This is not a correct term for a situation where an enemy strikes without getting into a zone of combat another. So it was in Iraq when, for example, attack helicopters to strike at tanks with anti-tank range 5000-6000 m, while remaining invulnerable. But this is not the fault of tanks: the cause of such a light shooting - the lack or absence of air defense. Whatever remedies tank possesses, it can not be regarded as an autonomous means of warfare - it must act in concert with the infantry, air defense, tactical aviation. There is, for example, known for developing "Uralvagonzavod" - BMPT (tank support combat vehicle). One may recall the ill-fated assault on Grozny, when federal troops lost many tanks in the streets. But these machines are left without infantry support, and they became easy prey for insurgents hiding in surrounding buildings. Blame for the situation, again, not tanks, and people who used their illiteracy and miserable. Here's another example - fighting the multinational coalition in Afghanistan. It would seem that a small war without a solid front line. Here expanse lightly commandos. However, recently asked the Canadian contingent in support of tanks. Whatever it was, at present no means of arms, which would provide greater protection for people than tanks. The main objectives of tanks in modern conditions, largely remain the same: defeat the enemy, broneobektov, fortified positions and fortifications. There is now in print widespread belief that the modern tank is only defensive. I strongly disagree that - it must be good in defense and offense, and, if necessary, in a meeting battle. "

Do not rely on weak

In fact, the fate of Russia in the tank depends largely on to what exactly we are preparing for conflict. Do we need a high-tech tank at the world's best if we keep in mind, for example, the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008? After the victory in the conflict of the level and scale of the Russian army was enough of an existing tank fleet. "We should not expect that we will always fight with a weak opponent - meets Basil Kopytko. - Technology and weapons should be developed with the expectation that we will have to fight with at least equal. Now we often hear the views of the high combat capabilities of the U.S. Army, which is compared to ours and certainly not in our favor. But we must understand that America has demonstrated its power on the weak, for those who can be fired as a landfill, with virtually no risk to get back. How will the same technique with a serious resistance - the big question. "

Let the future will judge right or wrong were those who "rejected" the T-95. But the truly alarming is that the history of forward-looking machines, developed in Nizhny Tagil, painfully reminiscent of other stories that are so characteristic of post-Soviet Russia. I remember the tank "Black Eagle", built by the Omsk Transport Machine Building Design Bureau and served in his time as a world-class achievement, and a spaceship "Clipper", the layout of which were taken several years for air shows, before announcing that he will not ever fly, and promises to make "from scratch" passenger jet, which - again! - Shut up for the belt and the creation of the world aviagrandov. Almost always the next mega-project, which is advertised as a home gateway to the future, is at the output of either zero, or something more modest than promised. And that again leads to a sad thought, implement far-reaching and innovative engineering projects in the new Russia, alas, has not yet learned.