NIZHNY TAGIL, Russia — It has a remote-controlled turret, it bristles with state-of-the-art defence systems and its computerized controls make driving it feel “like playing a video game.” Russia’s Armata tank, which its creator says can be turned into a fully robotic combat vehicle, is the crowning glory of a sweeping military modernization drive that is rumbling forward amid a perilous confrontation with the West over Ukraine.
But President Vladimir Putin’s expensive arms build-up faces major hurdles as Russia’s economy sinks under the weight of Western sanctions and falling oil prices. The 22-trillion ruble (about US$400-billion) program, which envisages the acquisition …read more
Source: National Post
