10 photos of the next-generation T-14 tank — Russia's answer to an M1 Abrams, the king of the battlefield

Russia T-14 Armata tank

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said in early February that Moscow ordered two battalions of T-14 Armata tanks and one battalion of T-15 infantry fighting vehicles.

The T-14 and T-15 are part of Russia's new Armata universal chassis system, which serves as a platform for up to 13 tracked armored vehicles, including the self-propelled Koalitsiya-SV howitzer, according to The Diplomat.

Initially, Moscow said it would put 2,300 T-14s into service by 2020, but because of budget constraints, scaled it back to 100 tanks by 2020. The two battalions of the T-14 already ordered would consist of 80 tanks.

As such, the T-14's capabilities are not yet fully realized, since Russia only has 20 prototypes, and is still testing the platform.

Here's what we know:

Developed by Uralvagonzavod and unveiled at the 2015 Victory Day Parade, the T-14 is powered by a 1,200 horsepower A-85-3A turbocharged diesel engine, and has a maximum speed of 55 mph.

Source: army-technology.com

It's equipped with a 125mm 2A82-1M smoothbore gun that can also fire 3UBK21 Sprinter laser-guided missiles up to 7.4 miles away.

The US-made M1 Abrams' M256 120-millimeter smoothbore gun, on the other hand, only has a maximum range of 2.48 miles.

The T-14's main gun could also be replaced with a 2A83 152mm gun in the future.

Source: army-technology.com, Popular Mechanics

But the 125mm gun's incredible range might not always prove that handy.

"In real-world war situations, though, there are rarely situations where two objects at ground level are visible to one another at seven and a half miles," Popular Mechanics previously reported. "Outside of the plains of Kansas, the Russian steppes, and the Sinai desert, there are seldom places where two objects are visible at even three or four miles."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider