TIG Post

Tag: British military

  • UK calls Putin’s modern T-14 tanks “untrustworthy”

    UK calls Putin’s modern T-14 tanks “untrustworthy”

    The newest Russian tanks have been introduced to the Ukrainian battlefield by Vladimir Putin.

    According to the state news agency RIA, Russian forces have begun firing on Ukrainian positions with the T-14 Armata but have not yet “participated in direct assault operations.”

    The ‘invisible tank’ moniker comes from the developers who boasted about the armored vehicle’s high speed of 50 mph and claimed it could avoid hostile radar detection.

    It is claimed to be outfitted with cutting-edge technology, as well as an autonomous turret and additional protection on its flanks. It is regarded as Russia’s most dreaded tank.

    Crews control its weapons remotely from ‘an isolated armoured capsule located in the front of the hull’ and RIA said the tanks underwent ‘combat coordination’ at training grounds in Ukraine before they were deployed.

    But it’s taken some time for the war machine to be called into action since they were first unveiled by Putin at Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow in 2015, and they’ve been highly criticised by the British military as ‘untrustworthy’.

    The T-14 was among the new vehicles on show for the first time that day – but it broke down on its debut outing in the rehearsal, leading to an awkward recovery effort.

    The Armata T-14 tank is considered to be Russian's most feared
    The Armata T-14 tank is considered to be Russian’s most feared (Picture: Getty Images)

    British military intelligence reported in January that Russian forces in Ukraine were reluctant to accept the first batch of the tanks because of their ‘poor condition’.

    It also said any deployment of the T-14 would likely be ‘a high-risk decision’ for Russia and one taken mainly to serve propaganda purposes.

    The British military said: ‘Production is probably only in the low tens while commanders are unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat.

    ‘11 years in development, the programme has been dogged with delays, reduction in planned fleet size, and reports of manufacturing problems.’

    Russia’s T-14 Armata tank

    • Cost: £5.6 million
    • Main weapon: 125mm smoothbore cannon
    • Secondary weapons: 12.7mm Kord machine gun, 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun
    • Armour: 44S-sv-Sh steel
    • Engine: 12Н360 diesel double turbocharger
    • Top speed: 50mph
    • Weight: 55 tonnes
    • Length: 35ft
    • Width: 11ft
    • Height: 11ft
    • Crew: 3

    According to Russian media reports, the Kremlin ordered 2,300 of the tanks to be manufactured by 2020, but the date was later pushed back to 2025.

    In December 2021, the Interfax news agency reported state conglomerate Rostec had started production of 40 tanks and anticipated they’d be ready by this year.

    Nato has already been equipping the Ukrainian army with dozens of state-of-the-art battle tanks, which could soon come face-to-face with the T-14.

    Among its many new systems, T-14 developers UralVagonZavod claimed one of its most advanced capabilities was being able to screen itself from enemy radar and infrared heat-seeking target finders. 

    A cloaking device is reportedly buried deep behind a shield inside the heavily armoured body, which disrupts the infrared signature that would pinpoint its location for enemy forces.

    The manufacturer’s head of special equipment Vyacheslav Khalitov said: ‘We essentially made the invisible tank.’

    This week, Ukrainian forces crossed the Dnipro River for the first time since the invasion last year in preparation for a counter attack.

    Speculation has been growing over when the Ukrainian army would launch its counter offensive to try and push back Russian troops.

  • First RAF flight carrying Britons out of Sudan takes off for Cyprus

    Following a broad agreement on a 72-hour truce, the British military has started the process of evacuating UK citizens from Sudan.

    At least 2,000 Britons were reportedly still present in the country of North Africa as of yesterday, and there are rumors that the number may even be higher.

    Around 1,400 military soldiers are reportedly working today’s operation, which involves flying British nationals first to the Akrotiri RAF station in Cyprus and then back to the UK.

    According to information from the aviation website FlightRadar24, an RAF Lockheed C-130J Hercules with the registration ZH868 departed Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, at 10.21am local time, which is one hour earlier than UK time.

    Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had previously said any effort from the government to evacuate UK citizens would be ‘severely limited’ unless there was a pause in the fighting.

    The breakthrough came last night, with all sides of the conflict agreeing to put down their weapons for three days.

    US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said: ‘Following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to implement a nationwide ceasefire starting at midnight on April 24, to last for 72 hours.’

    A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: ‘The prime minister made the decision [to evacuate] late last night.

    ‘This is something that the prime minister and the foreign secretary and others have been working on for some time now.’

    This morning, Mr Cleverly tweeted: ‘The UK government is coordinating an evacuation of British nationals from Sudan.

    ‘We have started contacting nationals directly and providing routes for departure out of the country.’

    The Foreign Office urged citizens not to travel to the airfield outside the capital Khartoum unless they are contacted, as the situation remains ‘volatile’.

    Just hours after the beginning of the ceasefire last night, there were reports of gunfire and shelling heard in Khartoum.

    On its website, the department says: ‘Travel within Sudan is conducted at your own risk and plans may change depending on the security situation.’

    Also writing on Twitter, Mr Sunak said those most at risk would be prioritised in the evacuation.

    He said: ‘The government has begun a large-scale evacuation of British passport holders from Sudan on RAF flights.

    ‘Priority will be given to the most vulnerable, including families with children and the elderly.’

    He added: ‘I pay tribute to the British Armed Forces, diplomats and Border Force staff carrying out this complex operation.

    ‘The UK will continue to work to end the bloodshed in Sudan and support a democratic government.’

    Newly installed Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden will chair a Cobra meeting on the evacuation efforts today, the eighth such meeting.

    Sir Nicholas Kay, who served as the British ambassador in Sudan between 2010 and 2012, warned that the ceasefire was ‘precarious’ and the situation remained extremely dangerous.

    He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The security situation can change very quickly.

    ‘The command and control over forces isn’t complete and there is no trust between the two sides so they might kick off again.’

    British diplomats in Khartoum, as well as their family members and other embassy residents, were flown out of the country on Sunday night following a daring operation led by the SAS under heavy gunfire.

    The mission had involved 1,200 personnel from the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

    The group was rescued using the same types of aircraft that have been mobilised for the wider evacuation effort today: A400M and C-130 Hercules transport planes, flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

    More than 400 people have died and thousands have been injured since the conflict between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces began less than two weeks ago.

    Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is locked into a power struggle with Hemedti, the leader of the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with both seeking control after combining to topple previous dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

    Yesterday, Downing Street confirmed British ambassador to Sudan Giles Lever and his deputy were out of the country when the violence broke out.

    The prime minister’s official spokesman said: ‘I think it was around the time of Ramadan, that they were out of the country at that point.

    ‘There were very senior staff still in the country and both those who were in country and the ambassador have been working around the clock to aid efforts.’