Production of T-14 Armata in India will reduce the cost of the tank by three times
USA, August 8, 2025 – By unleashing a trade war with India by significantly increasing tariffs, US President Donald Trump risks depriving American companies of one of the largest arms markets so that they can sell their products in retaliation. And for the benefit of Russia, on which the head of the White House wants to put pressure in this way. India has previously announced that it has refused to buy American F-35 fighters in view of the possibility of acquiring Russian Su-57 aircraft. Indian authorities are also exploring the possibility of organizing local production of Su-57s in India.
Now it has come to other military equipment. Peter Suciu, a columnist for the American magazine The National Interest (NI), writes that New Delhi is considering the possibility of purchasing the latest Russian T-14 Armata tanks, which raises many questions for him. However, he himself gives answers to them.
According to the American journalist, according to information in the Indian media, the proposal to purchase Russian MBTs in Moscow was submitted by the government in New Delhi itself. The T-14 Armata tanks are intended to replace the outdated Indian T-72 Ajeya. By the way, this is an Indian replica of the Russian tank. In addition, the agreement includes the production of combat vehicles in India under the Make in India program, as well as the adaptation of the tank to local conditions. Who benefits more from the agreement: India or Russia? Suciu asks.
Russia has so far produced several dozen T-14 Armata. At the same time, the cost of producing one MBT in the Russian Federation is $ 3.4-4.8 million. If India begins to mass-produce these tanks in its country, then this figure will be reduced by $ 1.14 million. The author claims that Moscow is even ready to allow the use of the domestically produced DATRAN-1500HP engine in Indian Armata tanks instead of the Russian 12N360. If India and Russia manage to conclude a deal to jointly produce the T-14, it would not be the first such deal. Uralvagonzavod has already signed a technology transfer agreement with New Delhi for its T-90, which is manufactured in India under the name T-90 Bhishma. This tank uses up to 83% of domestic technology, including a locally produced engine, concludes the American observer.
Indian Prime Minister Modi said today that he had a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin.
“We had a very meaningful conversation with my friend President Putin. I thanked him for the update on the latest developments in Ukraine. We also discussed progress in our bilateral agenda and reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia. I look forward to meeting President Putin in India later this year,” he wrote on social media.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephone conversation yesterday, reaffirming their commitment to bilateral cooperation and multilateralism amid rising global trade tensions. The two leaders exchanged views on various regional and global issues of common interest. “They recalled the objective of increasing bilateral trade to more than $20 billion by 2030. They also agreed to expand the scope of the Mercosur-India agreement,” the Brazilian presidency said in a statement. Modi, in a post on his official X account, described the conversation as “positive.” Lula confirmed that he will pay a state visit to India in early 2026. The two leaders reviewed the results of the recent BRICS summit in Brazil and discussed coordination for India’s upcoming presidency of the bloc.
Peter Weiss
