Defense Technology International - March 2008 - (Page 23)

ALEXANDER KOSCHAVTSEV FIRE FIGHTER Russia adds tank-support muscle BMPT armored vehicle is designed to eliminate antitank weapons. MAXIM PYADUSHKIN•MOSCOW T he Russian army will receive a new weapon this year, the tank- support combat vehicle, known by its acronym BMPT (Boevaya Mashina Podderzhki Tankov). The vehicle is primarily designed to protect tank formations from anti-armor weapons, a mission that has been carried out by motorized infantry units. It also will be tasked with suppressing artillery positions, light armored vehicles and infantry. The acquisition has not been without debate. Many questions have been raised about the need for such a specialized vehicle. Nevertheless, with initial deliveries pending, the army is developing tactical deployment plans for the BMPT. Although tanks are formidable land weapons, the rapid development of anti-tank armaments that are portable, simple to use and powerful makes them easy prey, even for irregular troops and terrorists. The Russian military faced this problem during the First and Second Chechen Wars, when tank units su ered heavy losses from grenade launchers and shoulder-ﬁred anti-tank missiles. Russia’s defense industry had anticipated the threat. Development of the BMPT started in the 1990s, before the First Chechen War, and the prototype was displayed in 2000. That vehicle, designed by the UKBTM Design Bureau in Nizhny Tagil, was based on a T-72 tank chassis and equipped with a 30mm. cannon, coaxial machine gun, four AT-14 Kornet anti-tank guided missiles and two independent 30-mm. automatic grenade launchers. But the military wanted more firepower. Design improvements resulted in a combat module on the BMPT that was equipped with remote-controlled weapons—two coaxial 30-mm. 2A42 automatic cannons and a 7.62-mm. PKTM machine gun. The Kornet missiles were replaced with four supersonic AT-16 Ataka-T anti-tank missiles with laser-beam guidance systems. Two additional combat modules include remotely controlled 30-mm. AGS-17D automatic grenade launchers on both sides of the vehicle. Another innovation is in the protection—the BMPT is equipped with a Relikt reactive armor kit. The ﬁnal version of the BMPT utilizes a T-90 tank chassis, and is powered by a 1,000-hp. V-92S2 multi-fuel diesel engine. The vehicle weighs 47 tons and has a top speed of 65 kph. (40 mph.). A ﬁve-man crew operates the BMPT: driver, commander, weapons gunner and two operators of the grenade launchers. The gunner has a stabilized sight that combines optical and infrared channels with a laser rangeﬁnder and missile control. It can reportedly detect targets at 3,500 meters (2.1 mi.) day or night and in harsh weather. The commander uses a panoramic stabilized sight with optical and TV channels and a laser rangeﬁnder. He can perform 360-deg. observations and target detection, as well as take control of the cannon, machine gun and missiles. The Ramka fire-control system has a digital ballistic processor that can hit ﬁxed and moving targets from a stationary position or on the move. The grenade launcher operators have day and night Agat-MR sights and can engage targets as close as 100-200 meters (328-656 ft.). The crew can also zero in on several targets simultaneously. The BMPT passed government trials in 2006 and was accepted for service. Production is taking place at the hightech Uralvagonzavod manufacturing center in Nizhny Tagil, which also manufactures T-72 and T-90 tanks. The Uralvagonzavod plant has a storied history of tank production. The facility produced 35,000 T-34 tanks during World War II. Meanwhile, the military is considering how best to deploy its new asset. “We are considering several options for combat use: either as a third vehicle in each tank platoon or in a separate unit that will provide combat support for a tank battalion,” army commander Gen. Alexey Maslov has said. By 2010 the army plans to have up to a company of BMPT vehicles. There are no indications as yet if the BMPT will be exported. I 23 AviationWeek.com/dti MARCH 2008 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Defense Technology International - March 2008

Defense Technology International - March 2008 Contents Sweden Cancels SEP; Israel Launches Imaging Satellite; Geotextiles Secure Ammo Dump U.S. Navy Taps Neural Architecture Software to Assure Job Satisfaction Shrapnel-Like Pieces of Reactive Materials Increase Explosive Force of Bombs Technology is Rapidly Closing the Gap Between Sensors and Shooters Italian Army Program Aims to Develop a Fully Networked Land Force Political and Military Uncertainties Plague U.S. Defense Budget Democrats Put Pentagon on Notice Over Spending and Policy at DTAR Conference Russian Combat Vehicle Protects Tank Formations from Anti-Armor Weapons European Battlelabs Use Simulation to Verify Technologies and Stretch Defense Funds Malaysia Accelerates Fleet Modernization to meet Long-Term Goals U.S. Navy Says Composite Raiding Boat May Reduce Injuries From Wave Shocks Seeing Isn’t Believing When it Comes to Deciphering Funds for Secret Projects Advances in Sensors and Propulsion Make Torpedoes Ever More Lethal FAA is in No Rush to Approve Rules that Let UAVs Fly in Civil Airspace USS Truman Carrier Strike Group Patrols a Rough Neighborhood 24/7 U.S. says Sino-Russian Space Disarmament Plan is Riddled with Pitfalls Hyperspeed Projectile; “Sound Cloak” Hides Subs; Improving Nuclear Forensics Dutch Air Commodore Theo ten Haaf Analyzes the Impact of Rotary-Wing Operations One Soldier’s War is a Behind-the-Headlines Look at Russia’s Campaigns in Chechnya Black Budgets are Huge and Growing, and Often Conceal Amazing Failures

Defense Technology International - March 2008

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