Tank Putin Praised May Be Too Expensive for Russia’s Military
- Armata is expensive compared to older T-72 tank, Borisov says
- Russia cut defense spending this year as economy struggles
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Russia’s new flagship T-14 Armata battle tank, praised by President Vladimir Putin as “noticeably superior to its foreign peers,” may be too costly for its military.
Armatas are “rather expensive” and there’s no need to “flood the army” with them when the older T-72 combat tank remains in huge demand and is more effective than U.S. and European rivals, said Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov, who’s responsible for the defense industry, the RIA Novosti news service reported on Monday. The initial model of the T-72 was produced by the Soviet Union in the 1970s.