YEKATERINBURG, May 28. /TASS/. Russia’s newest Armata tank will require crew training for up to two years and conscripts drafted for just one year won’t be able to master the technology, retired Tank Troops Colonel Viktor Murakhovsky said on Thursday.
"The tank has become considerably more complex by its design and the study of its parts, units and electronic equipment requires considerable knowledge and lengthy training," Murakhovsky told Technowars, a corporate journal published by the tank producer, Uralvagonzavod.
"At the same time, from the viewpoint of interface and general interaction in the ‘machine-crew’ system, it has become noticeably simpler. But this is seeming simplicity. The full-fledged use of the Armata technical and tactical capabilities will require far greater understanding of both the hardware and the battlefield. This rules out an option that crews will be composed of conscripts," the expert said.
At least 12-month and, possibly, 18-24 month cycles of combat training will be required for crews to master the Armata tank technology, he said.
The transition to Armata tanks will also require radical reorganization of the training process and the support system as a whole, the military expert said.
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"This requires the delivery of complete hardware sets, including modern ammunition, technical support systems, training systems, computer classes, digital training and technical documentation and full-scale mockups, including interactive copies and similar equipment," according to an article devoted to the Armata tank.
Russia has used the Armata heavy platform to develop both the tank and the infantry fighting vehicle, which were demonstrated at the Military Parade in Red Square in Moscow on May 9 devoted to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s Victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
Russia’s Defense and Industrial Commission Board Deputy Head Oleg Bochkaryov earlier said the Army would soon receive about 100 Armata tanks for tests.