Russian Armour: Today and Tomorrow

The today of Russian Armoured Forces, as well as that of the entire Russian Army, is dark. The financing that is allocated is not even enough to keep the existing equipment in good shape. There are definitely not enough funds to maintain a technological edge AND equip the forces with up-to-date military hardware.

Russian Armoured Forces have currently over 25,000 MBTs. However, relatively up-to-date MBTs based on the T-80 and T-90 models account for only 30 percent of these. Even these tanks require constant upgrades to incorporate modern weapon, protection and electronics systems.

Acquisition of new military materiel is also at a critically low level. As few as 50 new tanks have been fielded by the Russian army during 1995 and 1996. According to the Chief of Materiel Gen.-Col. A.Sitnov, in the last 7-8 years the weapons pool of the Russian Army was updated by the pathetic 1.5 percent. According to Sitnov the Russian Army needs at least 350 MBTs, 400-450 APCs, 550 self-propelled and 400 towed artillery pieces annually in order to maintain normal weapons pool upgrading. As it stands, less than 10 percent of these is fielded. For example, in 1999 the Russian Army obtained as little as 30 new T-90 MBTs, 24 SPAs and 100 BTR-80A APCs. The state order for FY2000 will again requisition 30 T-90s and 100 BTR-80As, and it is unclear if the FY1999 plan was fulfilled. In other words, the new materiel is sipping into the Army at a rate of less than one MBT battalion a year.

In view of this, a new state program of armament development has been approved until the year 2005. Due to the lack of the required funding, the program envisages only the creation of prototypes of the newest weapons.

Unfortunately, even this modest goal is not always fulfilled. For example, a new conceptual MBT that was scheduled to appear in 1994 is still on N.Tagil testing grounds due to the lack of funding.

In the future, when (and if... :-() the financial situation in the country improves little by little, the switch to large-scale upgrading of the army with the newest weapon system prototypes created will be possible in a short period of time.

If the ideas embedded into the state program are implemented, Russia will be able to replenish its armed forces with 350 new tanks and 400 APCs annually following the year 2005.

In the meanwhile, a number of tank-building plants will be provided with minimum state orders calling for production of modern weapon systems to maintain the required technological potential.


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