Russia's New Armata Tank To Be Showcased At Arms Expo

The Russian military's shining jewel will be on display in September at the Russia Arms Expo in Nizhny Tagil in the country's Urals region, the Russian government-backed news agency Tass reported Monday. The latest version on the country's highly touted T-14 Armata tank will be showcased on the second day of the expo.

"Complex demonstrations of military equipment within a company task group will be held on the first day of the exhibition. Armata will not take part in them. Such displays are for the equipment adopted by the Defense Ministry," said Nikolai Smirnov, director general of the Nizhny Tagil Institute of Metal Testing, Tass reported. "New products, including the famous Armata tank, will be put on display on the second day of the exhibition. This is a traditional day for companies to present their new products, including in action."

The expo will run Sept. 9 to 12. Previous expos have featured 20,000 visitors, 470 exhibitors and delegations from 40 countries. The Armata tank, which had long been cloaked in secrecy, will likely be a major draw. It features unmanned turrets, digital controls and heavily armored crew areas. It's equipped with a 125-mm gun and could see a 152-mm gun in the future. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has said in the past that a shell from an Armata tank "burns a meter of steel," Tass reported.

The manufacturer of the Armata tank previously discussed its planned inclusion in the September expo. “As for the demonstration of the Armata, we’ll certainly show it. This will be either a closed show or Armata will be placed behind a glass anti-glare contour,” Oleg Siyenko, chief executive at the Kremlin-owned manufacturer Uralvagonzavod, told Tass. While the second-day demonstrations include technology in action, it remains unclear exactly how the Armata tank will be displayed.

The Armata tanks were first showcased in the Russian Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9 after mock-ups first appeared in 2013. Versions of the tank showcased at parades and expos are prototypes that are tested and improved upon before being mass-produced, Tass reported. Serial production of the Armata tanks is expected in 2017-18, following troop testing in 2016.