The mechanical properties of materials are estimated in terms of the mechanical characteristics determined by subjecting specimens to various kinds of load. The mechanical tests are performed in correspondence with the requirements presented in state and branch standards. The equipment of the majority of laboratories for mechanical testing in plants, research and educational institutes, and design offices lags behind the requirements imposed on the testing equipment in European countries. A study performed by Tochmashpribor Research Institute allowed us to determine the main disadvantages of domestic testing machines, namely – the insufficient and nonsymmetrical longitudinal and transverse rigidity of the force frame; – the instability of the deformation rate of the tested specimens; – the imperfection of the structure of the gripping devices. The testing equipment produced in Russia is outdated due to the lack of computer control, processing, archiving, storage, and search of test results through local and global informational nets. The attempts of many enterprises to modernize outdated testing machines raise the cost of the machines to a level comparable with the cost of a modern testing machine. In addition, some of the defects of the outdated testing machines are principally irremovable, though they play an important role in the formation of test errors. This concerns the eccentric application of the load and the inaccuracy of the reproduction of the specified loading regimes. Thus, the leading tendency in the enhancement of the reliability and economical efficiency of mechanical tests is the creation of test equipment of a new generation that would eliminate the defects of the out-of-date devices. Tochmashpribor Research Institute has developed automated testing machines that have passed acceptance trials and have been attested by the State Standard organs and included in the State Registry of Measurement Equipment. The experience of operation of these machines, the comments of the users, and the information obtained at domestic and international exhibitions allow us to say that the level of the testing machines designed by Tochmashpribor Research Institute fully meets international standards. The new generation of testing machines of series MIR-K, MIRI-K, and MIU-K is characterized by the highest ultimate load, a high longitudinal rigidity that makes it possible to decrease considerably the effect of the potential energy accumulated in the machine on the reliability of the values of the determined mechanical characteristics. The machines are equipped with electrical measuring gauges, an electrohydraulic tracking drive that provides control of the pistons of the loading zones and sustains the loading regime specified by the operator, and a computer control system. The automated computer system of control and measurement based on an IBM personal computer has a friendly interface, provides automatic processing of the measured data, representing them in the form of protocols and loading diagrams in various coordinates and scales, and has a high reproducibility of the test results. The automated control system makes it possible to specify standard loading regimes, i.e., stretching, compression, bending, flattening, and dispensing of specimens. The cycle is conducted in accordance with the test program and the specified test conditions, and can be stopped at any moment. The machines do not require readjustment upon change in the loading mode. The structure envisages well-centered application of the load. The errors of measurement of the forces and strains obtained in the test process show that the machines satisfy the DIN and ASTM standards. The use of hydraulic gripping devices provides a high speed and reliable fastening of the specimens. The hydraulic loading system provides a maximum force of 2000 kN at small overall sizes and low steel intensity. The modern design, convenient maintenance, and an ergonomic working place for the operator provide a high efficiency of mechanical tests. Comparative analysis of the cost of the machines of the new generation with foreign counterparts has shown that the domestic machines are an order of magnitude less expensive. Further prospects of the development of domestic testing equipment will be connected with the elevation of the accuracy of the measurement of the forces and strains, widening of the application field, increase in the number of allowedfor factors, and improvement of the systems of recording of the measured parameters and control of the test process. Metal Science and Heat Treatment Vol. 43, Nos. 11 – 12, 2001