KUBINKA (Moscow Region), September 8. /TASS/. The combat capabilities of the new Russian tank Armata were for the first time shown during a closed exhibition at the international military-technical forum Army 2016, the general director of the manufacturer, Russian machine building company Uralvagonzavod, Oleg Siyenko, told TASS in an interview.

"We are also demonstrating our Armata, but now it poses not only as an exhibit but also shows its combat capabilities in dynamics and gunnery (during a closed viewing), which only happens for the first time at expositions," Siyenko said.

He said the corporation presents 50 specimens of military and special hardware, including items made jointly with Russian and foreign companies.

In particular, Siyenko said, the exhibition showcased the Barys armored personnel carrier, manufactured jointly with Kazakhstan Engineering on the platform of the Paramount company, with a 57-millimeter weapon station produced by Uralvagonzavod.

"We have here a light armored personnel carrier with a 30-millimeter weapon station, manufactured jointly with Kamaz, which has already undergone tests. For the first time we are demonstrating a mortar on the basis of the UAZ vehicle, as well as a vehicle on the Ural chassis with a 120-millimeter gun," he said.

Armata is a unified heavy platform used to build a main tank, an infantry combat vehicle, an armored personnel carrier and other armored vehicles. The tank on the basis of Armata is expected to get an unmanned turret. The crew will be placed in an isolated armored capsule. Serial production of the new tanks may start in 2018.

The tank was first shown to the general public at last year’s Victory Parade in Moscow.