Speed Reads
Weapons of War

Russia's T-14 Armata could become the world's first fully robotic battle tank

Russia publicly unveiled its high-tech T-14 Armata battle tank at a 70th Victory Day parade in May, celebrating the Allies' defeat of Nazi Germany. The Armata, expected to be the centerpiece of Russia's ground forces for years if not decades, is full of cutting-edge technology, both offensive and defensive — "For the crew, it's like playing a video game," Ilya Demchenko, one of the tank's designers, tells The Associated Press. And it has room to grow.

"New technologies built into the Armata could make it possible in the future to build a fully robotic vehicle that would operate autonomously on the battlefield," says AP's Vladimir Isachenkov, citing Armata chief designer Andrei Terlikov.

ADVERTISEMENT: Article continues below

Currently, the Armata is fitted with a standard 125 mm cannon, but its weapons are aided by a digital control system that tracks targets, directs the Armata's movements — it has a pioneering remote-controlled turret, for example — and automatically deploys the tank's defenses, which include a new kind of armor protected by a reactive layer that defensively explodes when hit by a projectile.

If NATO is nervous about the Armata, it won't be alone. Moscow will eventually sell the tank to "our traditional partners: India, China, and Southeast Asia," said Vladimir Kozhin, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian media. You can read more about the Armata at AP.

Recommended

Fossil fuels contributed to more than one-third of western wildfires
feel the burn

Fossil fuels contributed to more than one-third of western wildfires

Nikki Haley: A federal abortion ban is 'not realistic'
let's be honest

Nikki Haley: A federal abortion ban is 'not realistic'

Drug-resistant ringworm makes appearance in the U.S.
new in town

Drug-resistant ringworm makes appearance in the U.S.

Over-the-counter birth control pill unanimously approved by FDA panel
Birth control breakthrough

Over-the-counter birth control pill unanimously approved by FDA panel

Most Popular

Disney hits back against DeSantis
Feature

Disney hits back against DeSantis

Censoring ideas and rewriting history
Briefing

Censoring ideas and rewriting history

What the shifting religious landscape means for American politics
Talking point

What the shifting religious landscape means for American politics