Putin revamps Russian tanks with Arena-M shield to counter Western weapons in Ukraine

Hindustan times ^ | April 5, 2023 | Hindustan Times - staff

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Any type of weapon system the US can make the Russians can make, and in larger quantities.

This explains the complete failure of Russia's "Winter Offensive," significant drop in artillery usage, entire industries complaining that they cannot repair planes and other essential products beyond the end of the year, and their begging to Iran and North Korea for arms.

[Redmen4ever]

some terminology:

turret toss - when the tank’s carousel of rounds is touched off when the tank is hit, throwing the tank’s turret into the air like a shot put

see 30 second mark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ouhZrLntnk

the nice thing about turret toss is that the crew is completely incinerated. Hence, no need to send the crew home in body bags.

alternate: jack in the box, and taco bell

[ansel12]

“”Also they use T55 because they are rusting in depos so better to use now than let them rust out.””

You make it seem so casual, like rotating the butter in the cooler but trained tank crews die operating these outdated machines.

Russian men are dying using and depending on those rusting hulks and their failed and uncompleted missions on the battlefield.

[blueunicorn6]

It appears that both sides in this war are too stupid to realize that tanks are outdated and that they should conduct their attacks with Soldiers charging into kill sacks with the protection of good running times.

[nickfrost1]

You make it seem so casual, like rotating the butter in the cooler but trained tank crews die operating these outdated machines.==

They are upgraded. They NOT t55 like 60 years ago but t55M(modernized). So don’t worry for Russian men. It seems very hypocrisy.

[nickfrost1]

Your video is just claims without proves. May be you like such propaganda but it is stupid.

[ansel12]

That must be one extraordinary upgrade to transform their great-grandfather’s rusting old tanks into T-90s and T14s.

[DUMBGRUNT]

—”Kuznetsov is more like testing ship.”

I doubt they planned it that way?

“She was originally commissioned in the Soviet Navy, and was intended to be the lead ship of the two-ship Admiral Kuznetsov class. However, its sister ship Varyag was still incomplete when the Soviet Union disbanded in 1991.[8]”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_aircraft_carrier_Admiral_Kuznetsov

The Kuznetsov is the only carrier that has a seagoing escort.

A most unusual test bed.

[familyop]

Russian claims about some of its equipment are similar to those of the mullahs of Iran.

Russians Reported on Final Stage Tests of the Arena Reactive Armor Complex For Tanks
Defense Express
April 6, 2023
https://en.defence-ua.com/analysis/russians_reported_on_final_stage_tests_of_the_arena_reactive_armor_complex_for_tanks-6307.html

In the USSR, they began to develop active defense complexes back in the 60s, and the Arena itself went to the test site as early as 1982

Once a year, the russian federation mentions that they still have a Soviet development of the Arena ERA. This complex should intercept the ammunition on the approach to the armored vehicle and thereby ensure its protection.

And it was drawn in the USSR in the 70s under the research and design work Shatyor. In 1982, the first sample of the Soviet reactive armor complex went to the test site, but the work was not completed before the collapse of the USSR. And since then, it has been in the stage of development.

Defense Express reminds that the work on the development of the Soviet ERA was carried out since the 60s, and the first sample is the Drozd, which ended up on several experimental T-80U’s, one of which was destroyed in Sumy Oblast back in March of last year.

In particular, russian mass media stated today that the Arena-M on the T-72 tank successfully passed the test. And the representatives of the developer reported that “at the moment, the issue of adopting the Arena-M ERA into service as part of the T-72 tank is at the final stage”. They also added that the T-90 and T-80 should receive it in the future.

At the same time, it is possible to find older articles. In particular, in September 2022, russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that in the future russian tanks will be with the Arena ERA. Although in 2019 they said that the T-72B3 with the Arena installed had already been tested and even showed photos.

In 2017, according to the general director of russia’s Mechanical Design Bureau, the Arena-M is actively tested and will soon be on T-72 and T-90 tanks. The same ERA, in this modernized version, was previously demonstrated in 2015, stating that it was about to be adopted with the army. Back in 2013, it had been also shown with the same statements.

And before that, russians with no less enthusiasm publicly demonstrated the previous version of the Arena in the form of a separate block above the turret, which somewhat resembled a birdhouse, since 1997. At the same time, it was proposed to install it on the BMP-3.

Defense Express notes that during the existence of the ERA development, which has been undergoing testing since 1982, the actual state of affairs has changed little. The main problems in the development of ERA complex are not in its placement, or in the presence of striking elements or in radar or optical inspection systems, but in the speed of reaction and the ability to distinguish a threat.

In particular, the speed of a modern sub-caliber projectile is 1.5 km/s. In the range of the ERA radar, which is measured in tens of meters, it will be in hundredths of a second when the system should see it, calculate the trajectory, and then give the command to shoot the striking element. For the first version of the Arena the reaction speed was declared at the level of 0.07 seconds, which was not enough to intercept targets with a speed of more than 700 m/s.

The second problem of ERA complexes is the risk of damage by the complex itself to its own infantry, which is located near armored vehicles. And the third factor is its price.

Apparently, russia’s Ministry of Defense has significantly reduced its requirements for development. For example, we are not talking about intercepting sub-caliber armor-piercing projectiles, but only about anti-tank missiles. Requirements for the safety of own infantry could also be removed, given the absence of human resources shortage. And in this case, Arena ERA can really be supplied to the russian troops, since this reactive armor is worse in terms of its capabilities than the one that had been designed in the USSR.

[Widget Jr]

I believe that the "Russia turret toss" was first found out by the Israeli army using their own tungsten 105 mm M111 APFSDS in the 1980s. In the 1990s during the first Gulf War the US army got the credit because the US had a lot more publicity.

Wikimedia commons T-72 crew.svg.

Having the crew sit ontop of pie shaped bomb has consequences. This was good enough post WW-II to the some time in the 1970s. It was obsolete before the first Gulf War. The T-14 Armata might make things worse for the crew.

Tank Nut Dave, T-14 Diagram 4.

The crew is in a separate compartment forward the turret and auto loader. That is theoretically good, except that turret has a awful lot of holes and penetrations where NATO turrets would have armor and accessories on the outside. If the T-14 gets hit an has a ammunition cook off, the turret may not have a dramatic toss although the crew might wish that happened. The crew is separated by a firewall and all the ammunition behind and below them. The crew runs the risk of asphyxiation from the burning munitions clogging all the air inlets or if the firewall is cracked or penetrated by damage, or getting cooked alive by the heat. The crew can not get out during a ammunition cook off since their is a blast furnace venting right behind the crew hatches.

The NATO preference for having ammunition in rear turret compartments with blowout panels and a loader to keep the tank simpler and crew safer made a lot of sense and is really hard to improve. In practice, it beat the Russian T-62 to T-90 arrangement with the auto loader hands down. Now that the German KF-51 Panther has a 130 mm and ammunition weighing 30 kg/66 lbs is a auto loader needed since the rounds are too big and heavy for a human loader to move inside a tank.

[buwaya]

Apparently the Russians are unable to make GPS guided munitions or top attack atgms. Just to mention two.

The Russians really could use an 80-100km precision guided tactical rocket, especially.

[nickfrost1]

That must be one extraordinary upgrade to transform their great-grandfather’s rusting old tanks into T-90s and T14s.==

None considers them that way. T55M is just storm tank for close support of infantry. It can take out any target which stopping infantry advance. Also good in own defense lines as a armored shooting box. And so on. No match although to t72m-90m with Arena-M.

[Widget Jr]

Re #9. If that was trolling, that was a really bad effort.

How to Hide a Task Force, by Andy Pico. The US navy has a hundred years experience in carriers. First, to sink a carrier Russia has to find it. During NORPAC 82 the US Navy made that abudnantly clear how difficult that is to the Russian navy and naval aviation. Then after finding it, there's sinking it. A carrier, its airwing of 80 to 100 aircraft, a dozen escorts, their helicopters, two attack submarines trying not to be seen, and allied navy forces will make that interesting and expensive for anyone who tries it.

[buwaya]

Every potential opponent that Russia had has had tandem warheads or top attack since the 1980s. All this was universal from the 1990s. The Chinese certainly have all this.

Javelin and advanced Tow or Spike or Stugna were not surprises.

Unless Russia planned only to fight guerrillas in Dagestan.

[Reno89519]

How long to sink the Chinese navy?

[ansel12]

Being hypocritical, you ignore the fact that it shouldn’t be there but desperation has made having it, being better than not having a tank at all.

You are indifferent to the deaths of your Russian tank crews dying in an outdated old tank and you shrug it off as getting rid of some old stuff that was just rusting away and taking up space anyway.

[Kazan]

Russian Forces Advance As Fighting Intensifies In Bakhmut Center

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsfDGx-0Uko

Russia Controls 85% Bakhmut, Missile Strikes, Rumours Kiev Counterattack, MSM Ukraine Morale Falling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t-ljobOzfk&t=1s

[ganeemead]

Notice he’s talking about 72s, 80s, and 90s. Nothing about 50 series tanks as per a few of the goofballs who post nato BS on FR...

[nickfrost1]

You are indifferent to the deaths of your Russian tank crews==

It is a war and they will kill enemy too. I regret Russian death but again it is the war. If they kill enemy at greater numbers then it all justified.

it shouldn’t be there but desperation has made having it,==

What desperation if they purposely was put on depo yard to safekeeping just in case of a war?

Now the war and it is a time. SO they must be spent instead of idly rusting on the yard and taking space. And empty depo space will be filled with new old staff for future wars.

I guess it is not a last war we are having now.

[ansel12]

After being slaughtered so much on the battlefield you are out of tanks and your country had to haul these rusting hulks to the field.

I get that, and your attitude about the premature and unnecessary deaths of your young men in massive numbers is very typical for your country.

A desperate solution to a desperate army.