Russia's military parade: Showcasing outdated might

For decades, the Soviet Union treated the anniversary of May 9, 1945, as an opportunity to showcase the most advanced military equipment. During the USSR era, public presentations sometimes occurred many years after specific weapon models were introduced into service.

In the case of Russia, it can be the opposite: when we see impressive new-generation combat vehicles at parades, it is the older constructions, developed during the USSR era, that are fighting on the front lines. This equipment, despite its age, is actually suitable for combat, unlike Russian technological novelties.

Probably the biggest false start related to the premature presentation of combat equipment was the family of vehicles using the Armata tracked platform.

The T-14 Armata tank, the first representative of this line, was officially presented on May 9, 2015 (earlier, in 2013, a prototype was shown at a static exhibition). During public rehearsals for the parade, one of the new tanks slowed down, stopped, and, despite the engine running, refused to move.

The announcer claimed it was a planned stop, but the recovery vehicle sent was unable, due to the greater weight of the T-14 compared to older tanks, to move it from its spot.

Although in subsequent years T-14 tanks were regular participants in various parades and, according to unofficial reports, a few units may have participated in tests in Ukraine, the best summary of this development seems to be the words of former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who openly stated that the T-14 is not suitable for combat. This opinion was confirmed by the head of the Rostec corporation, Sergey Chemezov.

It is worth noting that 10 years have passed since the presentation of the T-14. During this time, the tank has not become, contrary to Moscow's promises, the backbone of Russian armoured forces. It is unknown whether the order for 100 units has been fulfilled and whether problems with the targeted propulsion, the 12TW373 engine, have been resolved.

What is known is that the producer of the T-14, Uralvagonzavod, is no longer boasting about the T-14 and is instead announcing the development of an even newer and more groundbreaking tank.

Alongside the T-14 Armata, the Russians also present the T-15 combat vehicle at parades. This is another revolutionary construction – a heavy infantry fighting vehicle built on the Armata chassis, heavily armed and armoured, completely different from the decades-developed BMP family of vehicles.

Over time, the T-15 was joined by a fuel transport vehicle built on its base, and the T-16 Brem recovery vehicle. The latter was designed for the role of a heavy, well-armoured recovery vehicle, tasked with towing damaged tanks off the battlefield. The Russian vehicle has an interesting feature with a small compartment where the crew of the evacuated tank can hide.

The Armata chassis was also supposed to be used by the Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled howitzer and the Terminator heavy tank support vehicle 3. In the first case, the howitzer was developed, but on a chassis based on T-72 and T-90 solutions, and the Terminator combat vehicles – although their technical data appears impressive – turned out to be a dead-end in the evolution of armoured weaponry.

Although these vehicles look impressive, the development of none of them – despite the passage of time – has reached the stage where mass production could begin. The lack of interest from the army may also be influenced by the cost of the new equipment, probably significantly higher than the armoured vehicles used to date.

Russia has also showcased lighter combat vehicles built on the Kurganets platform – utilising Armata platform solutions but much lighter. In concept, Kurganets resembles the Polish Borsuk – it aims to combine a high level of protection with the ability to swim and is equipped with an unmanned turret with optoelectronics and armaments.

Along with the Kurganets infantry fighting vehicle, it was supposed to serve as a base for building numerous specialised vehicles, such as reconnaissance, command, self-propelled artillery, or anti-aircraft sets. The modern chassis was meant to replace the BMP family of vehicles but also the very popular MT-LB platform in the Russian army.

No such thing happened. The advertised vehicles – despite repeated declarations – have not only not reached mass production but also (aside from the infantry fighting vehicle) haven't become working prototypes, capable of participating in military parades.

The Boomerang wheeled armoured personnel carrier remains a parade piece for Putin. The eight-wheeled carrier was built in the style of Western vehicles of similar characteristics and purpose, such as the Rosomak, VBCI, Boxer, or Piranha.

Boomerang was supposed to become the successor to the BTR family of carriers, introducing a new quality both with its modern chassis and new turret with weaponry. Despite the passing years, this has not occurred.

The pride of Russian military parades has not received orders for mass production, and on the front in Ukraine, the much less well-armoured BTR-82, an evolutionary development of the BTR-70 carrier developed over 50 years ago, is being destroyed by the hundreds.