Russian T-14 Armata Engine: A Blast from the Past
Fun fact, the engine that powers the Russian T-14 Armata, is actually a copy of a German WW2 design.
Engine Development Challenges
When Russia began to develop the T-14, they wanted to develop a brand new engine to go along with the modern design. Most Russian tanks in the past had used a variation of the Model V2 engine, not a particularly bad engine and it has even been called the “Kalashnikov” of tank engines. But it was an old design that was being outclassed by what was being used everywhere else, so it would not do for what was going to be a game changer.
So the decision was made to use an engine that was not only lighter than the V2, but was able to power the new modern systems the T-14 would be equipped with. But such an engine did not exist, so the decision was made to use an engine based on the German-designed Sla 16. Which was also a WW2 design that was used on the Porsche Tiger… You know, the tank that was infamous for being one of the most unreliable tanks of the war because they always broke down due to said engine?
Adapting Industrial Engines for Military Use
But here is the real kicker, the Russian version of the Sla, known as the A-85-3, was originally meant as an industrial engine used to power oil compressing and pumping stations in refineries. Not heavy vehicles like main battle tanks. It also doesn’t help that said engine was not a very popular engine on the commercial market due to… Reliability issues and the fact there were better options available. But this didn’t bother the designers at Uralvagonzavod, who thought it was a good idea to design the T-14 around the A-85-3. As they believed they could fix this issue in a couple years and have it ready for mass production.
Current State of the A-85-3 Engine
But here we are in 2023 and a more reliable version of the A-85-3 has yet to see the light of day. Due to Russia suffering a massive brain drain of skilled engineers over the last couple of decades, there are not that many individuals left in the country who could probably develop a new engine for the Armata in a short period of time. Also, due to the fact that the Armata is designed around this A-85-3, the older V2 can’t be used because it could never dream of fitting.
Now I am not saying that Russia can’t develop a suitable engine for the T-14, it is possible they could pull it off. But it could be a while before such an engine appears.
~NC
