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China Expresses Interest to Purchase New Russian Battle Tanks

| Jun 10, 2015 06:28 AM EDT

The T-14 has a remote-controlled tank that uses high-resolution video cameras.

Powerful and destructive, the T-14 Armata battle tank packs a very mean punch, and it looks like China is going to purchase some of these war machines. According to Vladimir Kozhin, Presidential Aide for Russian military technical cooperate, the Chinese government is highly interested to purchase the battle tank to boost the fighting capability of its ground forces.

The T-14 Armata battle tank, which was designed by the Ural Design Bureau of Transport Machine-Building, was first seen in public during the 2015 Victory Day Parade held in the Russian capital of Moscow. Spectators of the parade, who commemorated the 70th anniversary of the fall of Nazi Germany, were in awe with the Russian behemoth, estimated to weigh 48 tons.

Considered innovative with its unmanned turret and 2A82-1M 125-mm smoothbore cannon, the T-14 Armata battle tank has captured the attention of not just China, but India and Vietnam as well.

Kozhin said in a statement, however, that Russia will employ the tanks first before it would be open for sale to other nations.

Other features of the battle tank include a multi-layered armored capsule that securely sits the T-14's crew of three. The ammunition container is separated from the capsule, which increases the survivability of the tank crew should the container accidentally explode. The T-14 is equipped with the latest in technology as well; fully computerized, the tank is remote-controlled using high-resolution video cameras.

The T-14 has been likened to the American M1A2 and Leopard-2 from Germany.

Aside from apparent interest to purchase the T-14, China is also likely to develop and manufacture its own domestic tanks inspired by the Russian machine. China has done this before albeit in slightly different circumstance; the country designed its Type 99 tank based on a T-72 China purchased from Romania.

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