Western intelligence seeking latest Russian weapons in Syria

Western intelligence agencies are supporting some militia (and maybe Kurdish) groups in Syria not only as a counter to Syrian government atrocities but also as a means of obtaining captured Russian weapons. US, UK, French, German and Israeli intelligence agencies are asking some (non-ISIS) militia groups to capture the latest Russian weapons being used in Syria and then hand them on to those agencies.  

Russia is using actual combat zone conditions in Syria for Russian and Syrian forces to test not yet deployed new weapons and new versions of existing weapons types. 

Items on the Western wish list include T-14 Armata tanks, the latest version T-90As, Su-57 stealth jets and the latest Su-35s, KH-101 air launched cruise missiles. Mi-28NM attack helicopters,  BMPT-72 "Terminator-2" armoured fighting vehicles and unmanned ground combat vehicles.

Reasons why Western intelligence seeks examples of the latest Russian tank technogy include: the need to better assess Russian tank division combat power; and to develop better anti-tank weapons (eg. whether Western tanks need to upgun to 130mm or higher).
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On T-14 Armata and T-90 tanks Beijing’s sina News Agency reports April 30, 2020:

Why not bring a T-14 Armata back? US orders Syrian rebels

[some parts have been retranslated into better English] Observers of Russian tank matters are surprised about Russian reports of the “actual deployment of Russian T-14 "Armata” tanks in Syria. The T-14 made its first public debut at the Moscow Victory Parade in 2015. For many years, Russia has hoped to deploy the T-14, but not yet for various reasons. Hence Russian forces are trialling the T-14 in Syria under semi-combat conditions. Russian sources said that Russia has not let loose the T-14 under full Syrian combat conditions because of the need for technological confidentiality.

Russians sources reported that only when the Syrian war situation has stabilized will Russia dare to put the T-14 on the Syrian battlefield. So instead Russia has been supplying [the T-90A] the most advanced T-90 tank to the Syrian government army. A large number of these T-90s have been captured intact by “Syrian militia”[including Syrian Democratic Forces, etc]. Some of these captured T-90s have been bought at high prices by the US and other NATO countries and delivered to them. At this moment, the fate [and location in the West] of the captured late model T-90s are unknown.

According to Russian sources the T-14 often fails technologically and it is impossible to predict the failure rate in actual combat. Due to secrecy only the Russian Ministry of Defense knows how the T-14 has performed. No T-14s have been seen in combat in Syria.

At present, only T-90s can be seen on the Syrian battlefield deployed in the most dangerous areas of the frontline, becoming part of the "fire brigade". Meanwhile the
T-14 might only be a tool for precise [self-propelled artillery-like] shooting and secret missions.

Russian sources reported that after the Russians began trialling T-14s in Syria, the US and NATO allies [mainly UK, Germany and France] ordered a large number of Syrian militia to seize T-14 at all costs. The US and NATO allies have offered US$millions in rewards! However, Russian sources said that that regular Russian troops do not know where the T-14s are kept so Syrian militia cannot find the T-14s.

According to data published by the “Russian Defense Industry Department”[could be this] during the Syrian campaign, the Russian military carried out at least 150 technical modifications to the T-14 tank. All decisions are made by local experts in the Syrian repair shop, or with the help of Russian engineers. Russian experts did not disclose details, but only pointed out that "any war will adjust the design, and the stability of the engine must be determined first."

It should be noted that in Russia, the "Armata" series, including T-14 tanks and heavy infantry fighting vehicles, has completed a complete development cycle. A large number of T-14s have been sent to serve in Russia's western military region, and some tanks were sent to Russia's southern military region. [The test batch of 100 is to be delivered and deployed to the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division, near Moscow, with delivery expected in 2020 or later]. Russian sources stated that the T-14 is still at an early stage of development hence not deployed. So it has not encountered other tanks on the battlefield."
See more on Russian weapons in Syria at The Drive 

T-14 Armata inside, with an unihabited turrent. Instead the crew of 3 are in an internal armoured capsule protecting them if the turrent is blown off by the enemy and/or their main-gun ammunition explodes/cooks off or diesel fuel burns. (Diagram courtesy Quora.com)
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Below is the T-14, Armata exterior at the Moscow Victory Parade, Red Square, 2015 parade (Photo courtesy sina News Agency).

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Pete