Creation of a promising tank in Russia.

Creation of a promising tank within the framework of the RTD "Improvement-88", in the early, the mid-2000s, was considered a priority direction in the development of armoured weapons and armoured Russia. The main executors for the RTD "Improvement-88" program were: FGUP "UKBTM", FGUP "Uralvagonzavod". The main co-executors are FSUE NIID, JSC VNITM, JSC VNITI, JSC Ural NITI, FSUE Plant No. 9, FSUE PO Barrikady, FSUE TsNIIM, JSC VPMZ Molot, NPO Elektromashina which includes SKB "Rotor". Thus, the main enterprises in this industry in Russia worked on the project. At the end of the 1990s, the first sample of the tank was tested.

Object 195

In 2002, having completed the production of prototypes, UKBTM began a test cycle. On June 9th at the "Prospector" training ground, Nizhny Tagil, in the presence of representatives of the UBTM, the head of GABTU S.А. Maev, Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region E.E. Rossel and many others, the first three shots from the cannon of the prototype tank were successfully executed.

The progress of work on this program was highlighted in the reports of a number of the mentioned organizations NPO Elektromashina, KMZ, VNIITM, etc. Tests of two samples continued in the future, in 2009 the work on the "Improvement-88" program was closed. As reported by the Deputy Minister Defense, Chief of Armaments of the Russian Federation Popovkin. At the same time, the program was called "having roots in Soviet times" and "redundant".

Object 195

The former head of GABTU S.A. Maev commented on the Object 195 "Improvement-88" program during an interview with RosInformBureau. One of the more notable answers regarding the entire program was how the Ministry of Defence planned on putting the vehicle into serial production. In addition to the mentioned plans of RMD, S.A. Maev commented on the general style and the financials that went into the program.

Quote: - "It was planned, in 2005, to complete state tests and put it into series. In the first year, 100 vehicles were to be made, then 300 vehicles." 

Quote: - "Our military cannot get rid of the idea that the vehicle should be squat. But that was when there were no guided shells. And now, if a guided projectile flies to a mass of metal or heat, it will find the target equally, even if it lies on the ground."

Quote: - "Not much was allocated for the creation of the T-95, only 2.2 billion rubles. And when I left, we had 700 million left. 400 million to make a third vehicle and 300 million for state tests."

From 1972-1993, but primarily during the Cold War, Russia worked on different prototype vehicles that did not follow the general Soviet doctrine as mentioned by S.A. Maev. These prototype vehicles include:  

• Object 490 "Тополь" - Poplar (1972-1982)
  
• Object 490A "Бунтарь" - Rebel (1982-1985)
• Object 477 "Боксёр" - Boxer (1984-1988)
• Object 477A "Молот" - Hammer (1989-1993)
• Object 477A1 "Нота" - Nota (1991-XXXX)
  
• Object 195 - (1995-2009) 
  
  
  

You could link the vehicles mentioned above with the "Object 195", and some of their design choices that had an impact on the creation of this vehicle. But these vehicles deserve their own topics of discussion.

In early April 2011, Oleg Sienko, the general director of UralVagonZavod corporation, in an interview with Ermak UOTK, said that despite the refusal of the RF Ministry of Defense to finance the project and the principled position of its position on this issue, Uralvagonzavod will continue work on the development of Object 195 probably together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Object 195

In total, two machines were built, one of which passed 15000km in tests and fired 287 times from its main armament. All sorts of problems that periodically appeared during the creation of a promising machine were mostly solved, and those that remained were also solved. The products have entered the stage of state testing. It seemed that the successful completion of the project was just a stone's throw away. But the most promising product, much ahead of its time, did not go beyond the prototype stage.

As a replacement for the "Object 195" in the new weapons program adopted "unified heavy platform" "Armata". It is reported that despite the statements of the Ministry of Defense about the obsolescence of the "Object 195" and the need for fundamentally new machines, the design of the "Armata" platform should be much simpler and much more conservative in comparison with it. Overall the Object 195 "Improvement-88" program could have become something special in a way. But due to the complexity of the project, the funds that have been put into the program and potentially other reasons, the program was sealed. And soon after the T-14 was created. Although this does not end on a bad note, as previously mentioned the vehicle will be developed further by UralVagonZavod and the Ministry of Industry and Trade according to Oleg Sienko. Afterall the vehicle has had its design choices somewhat impact the T-14, but that is another topic which deserves its separate moment.

RTD - Research and Technological Development

Taken from: RosInformBureau, UVZ Webpage