Too Expensive for War: Russia Shelves Pricy T-14 Armata Tank for Ukraine

Russia’s touted “cutting-edge” T-14 Armata tank is unlikely to see action in Ukraine due to its high cost, according to the head of a state-owned weapons manufacturer. This revelation marks a potential setback for Russia’s military strategy.

Sergey Chemezov, Director General of Rostec, told the RIA news agency on Monday (March 4) that despite the T-14’s advanced features, its price tag makes it impractical for the Ukrainian conflict. This comes as Russia grapples with heavy losses of cheaper and more readily available tank models in the ongoing war.

T-14 Armata: Staying in the Garage

The word on the street is Russia’s fancy new T-14 Armata tank won’t be rolling into Ukraine anytime soon.

According to Chemezov, the big cheese at Rostec, the tank’s hefty price tag just doesn’t make sense for a war where cheaper models are already getting chewed up.

They were bragging about this T-14 as some kind of super weapon—remote-controlled 125mm cannon, thick anti-tank armor, all the bells and whistles. Sounds impressive, right?

But guess what? It costs a fortune—millions more than the older T-90s, T-80s, and T-72s they’ve been throwing at the Ukrainians, which haven’t fared well.

Chemezov says it boils down to simple economics.

⚡️🇷🇺Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov says that Russia's much vaunted T-14 Armata tank won't be used in 🇺🇦Ukraine because it's "too expensive" pic.twitter.com/6T8AbmxIli

— 🇺🇦Ukrainian Front (@front_ukrainian) March 4, 2024

Russia simply can’t afford to lose these high-dollar machines like they’re tossing pennies in a wishing well. Plus, the program’s been plagued by delays, manufacturing issues, and a shrinking fleet size. Not exactly inspiring confidence, is it?

These concerns, coupled with its high cost, have led to a reassessment of the tank’s role in the ongoing conflict.

Geopolitical Standstill

The decision not to deploy the T-14 Armata in Ukraine also reflects broader geopolitical considerations.

Here’s the other thing: Western folks were previously worried that this T-14 might be a real game-changer, a match for the NATO tanks Ukraine is using—like the M1 Abrams, Challenger 2, or Leopard 2.

"Armata tank is too expensive": Russia recognized the failure of the largest tank project of Putin's time

Russia's largest tank project of the era of Vladimir Putin – the T-14 "Armata", which was developed for 15 years, turned out to be too expensive and is almost not produced… pic.twitter.com/LAGhRQYZ25

— Devana 🇺🇦 (@DevanaUkraine) March 4, 2024

But with it staying on the sidelines, questions about Russia’s ability to keep up with its rivals on the battlefield are swirling.

Talk is Cheap

Remember all the talk about deploying these tanks to Ukraine? Well, it turns out it was mostly just that—talk.

Logistical nightmares and doubts about how well they’d actually hold up in a fight put a damper on those plans.

Britain even warned against it, saying it wouldn’t be worth the risk.

Ukrainian intel also scoffed at Russia’s claims about deploying the T-14.

There may have been a few sightings here and there, taking potshots from a distance, but nothing substantial.

The T-14 Armata had no sustained presence on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Russia’s tank force, along with the rest of its heavy armor, has taken a serious beating in this 25-month-long war.

Thousands of tanks and armored vehicles are now scrap metal, and the casualty numbers for their soldiers are staggering.

“The increase in the daily average almost certainly reflects Russia’s commitment to mass and attritional warfare,” the UK Ministry of Defense reported on March 3 via X (formerly known as Twitter). “Although costly in terms of human life, the resulting effect has increased the pressure on Ukraine’s positions across the front line.”

All Bark, No Bite

So, the bottom line is that the T-14s all bark and have no bite, at least for now.

Its high cost, logistical hurdles, and reliability concerns have put it on the back burner.

As the war in Ukraine rages on, Russia’s military strategy faces some tough questions about balancing advanced technology with the harsh realities of the battlefield.

The jury’s still out on whether that costly tank will ever see its day in the sun.