The main task facing the command of the Russian Airborne Forces, as a military command and control body, is the multipurpose rearmament of airborne troops in the shortest possible time (the next 3-5 years). Colonel-General Vladimir Shamanov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Airborne Forces, told reporters about this. This, in particular, is reported by the Office of the Press Service and Information of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on its official website. During rearmament, the emphasis will be placed on the purchase of Russian equipment: BMD-4M, armored vehicles "Tiger-M" and armored vehicles "KamAZ".
According to Vladimir Shamanov, the development of new armored tracked vehicles for paratroopers should adhere to the ideology that was laid down by the legendary Vasily Margelov - 3 BMDs (platoon) should be parachuted and transported using the 1st transport aircraft. At the same time, the characteristics of weapons and armor protection of airborne combat vehicles must today meet the most stringent modern requirements.
The commander-in-chief of the Airborne Forces believes that the new BMD-4M meets all these requirements today. According to him, this is not an ideal combat vehicle, but it has enormous potential for modernization and further improvement. Moreover, this applies to both the base chassis of the vehicle and the module of its weapons. According to the colonel-general, the first 5 new airborne combat vehicles for passing the final stage of the state tests of the Airborne Forces will receive before the end of 2013. Another 5 new BMD-4M, as well as 10 multipurpose armored personnel carriers "Shell", the paratroopers should receive in the first half of next year.
At the same time, Vladimir Shamanov said that the command of the Airborne Forces is considering options for adopting special, reconnaissance and support units for paratroopers of lightly armored vehicles. In particular, the Russian armored car "Tiger" has proven itself quite well in the Airborne Forces, however, for the final decision on the adoption of this vehicle, it is necessary that it undergo a full and comprehensive set of tests in the troops, including the need to check the possibility of its landing from aircraft of the Russian military transport aviation, the general noted.
In this regard, the paratroopers have already established close cooperation with the leadership of "KamAZ", there are good practices. According to Shamanov, in September-October 2013, the first samples of military equipment that meet all the requirements of the Airborne Forces will begin to enter the troops. A common ideology and a multipurpose approach to the rearmament of troops are incorporated in the state armament program being implemented in Russia and are reflected in the plans for the rearmament and re-equipment of the Airborne Forces by 2020.
BMD-4M
BMD-4M or "Sadovnitsa" airborne combat vehicle, which is an upgrade of the previous version (BMD-4). It differs from its predecessor with a new engine, body, chassis and other components. This combat vehicle is a sample of air transportable, amphibious military equipment on a tracked platform. BMD-4M can land at a given point by parachute or landing method, both without personnel, and with personnel inside the vehicle. This model of armored vehicles allows maneuvering offensive and defensive actions in an autonomous mode, as well as in interaction with other models and types of weapons.
The BMD-4M has a unique degree of protection and a powerful weapon system. The new Russian development is 80% unified in terms of components and assemblies with the BMP-3, which greatly simplifies the process of its production, operation and maintenance. Weighing in at 13.5 tons, the BMD-4M has more powerful weapons, improved buoyancy, while the armor is thinner than that of the BMD-4. The new vehicle uses a special heavy-duty aluminum alloy that provides better protection for the crew. According to the creators of the vehicle, the BMD-4M armor has properties that exclude the appearance of fragments inside the habitable compartment of an armored vehicle in the event of being hit by shells or large-caliber cartridges.
The new airborne combat vehicle is equipped with the Bakhcha-U combat module, which was created in the famous Tula Instrument Design Bureau. This module was previously used on the BMD-4, which eliminates the need for retraining of personnel, as well as the replacement of simulators installed in military educational institutions. At the same time, this combat module is almost 100% unified with the armament of the domestic BMP-3. These vehicles use the same guns, ammunition and sighting and computing systems. In comparison with the weapons of the BMD-3, the new fighting compartment in firepower is at least 2.5 times, and in some combat characteristics even an order of magnitude higher, and allows the paratroopers to confidently solve various combat missions without fire support from artillery and tanks, not only in conducting offensive operations, but also during actions on the defensive.
The armament of the BMD-4M consists of a 100-mm cannon 2A70 (ammunition for 34 high-explosive fragmentation projectiles), a 30-mm automatic cannon 2A72 (ammunition for 500 rounds), paired with them 7, 62-mm PKMT machine gun (ammunition for 2000 rounds), and course 5, 45-mm RPKS-74 machine gun. Also BMD-4M is armed with 4 ATGM "Arkan", capable of hitting almost any target. In addition, the BMD-4M arsenal includes 6x81-mm smoke grenades 3D6 (3D6M) "Tucha", which can provide a combat vehicle with a safe withdrawal from enemy fire. For the convenience of shooting, the vehicle has night vision devices, a thermal imager, a laser rangefinder, and a target tracking device. According to experts, the set of equipment installed on the BMD-4M practically excludes the possibility of a miss.
The BMD-4M crew includes 3 people, and it can also take on board up to 5 troops. In the bow of the BMD there is a driver's compartment, then there is a turret with the gunner's, commander's and main armament. Behind the tower is a landing squad for 5 people. A special aft hatch is used to dismount them from the vehicle. In the stern of the BMD-4M there is an engine-transmission compartment, in which a 2B06-2 diesel engine with an integrated gas turbine supercharger is installed. Engine power - 450 HP The power reserve of the BMD-4M is up to 500 km, the fuel reserve is 450 liters. When driving on the road, the car can accelerate to 70 km / h, the speed afloat - 10 km / h. For movement afloat, the machine is equipped with 2 special hydro-jet water-jet propellers.
Armored car "Tiger-M"
It is assumed that the special armored car "Tiger-M" will be adopted by the Russian armed forces in 2013. This was previously announced by the press secretary of the industrial company (MIC) Sergei Suvorov. According to him, the armored car "Tiger" in an improved modification should have been adopted by the Russian army in the first half of 2013. According to Suvorov, "Tiger-M" has fully completed a series of state tests and is currently being finalized according to customer requirements. In particular, work is underway to increase its mine protection.
Sergei Suvorov noted that despite the fact that the Tiger-M armored car has not yet been officially adopted by the Russian army, it is mass-produced at the Arzamas machine-building plant, including for export supplies. Currently, armored vehicles "Tiger" are supplied to Brazil, the Republic of the Congo, Guinea and Uruguay. The armored car "Tiger-M" is equipped with a new diesel engine YaMZ 5347-10 of increased power, a filter ventilation unit, a new armored hood, the number of seats was increased to 9, the turntable equipped with a double-leaf hatch was replaced with one swing hatch of a square shape.
The special armored car GAZ-233114 "Tiger-M" has a 5th class of ballistic protection. The Tigra-M cabin is equipped with places to accommodate the driver, vehicle commander and 7 troops. There are also places for placing ammunition, anti-tank rocket grenades (like the RPG-26), installing a blocker for radio-controlled explosive devices and a radio station. The car is made on a 4x4 wheel arrangement, its carrying capacity is up to 1500 kg. The curb weight of the "Tiger" is 7800 kg, the maximum speed on the highway is 120-125 km / h. The machine can be equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission or 6-speed mechanics.
Military equipment "KamAZ"
It is not yet possible to speak with complete certainty about what kind of KamAZ combat vehicles aroused the interest of the Airborne Forces. However, the Airborne Forces could arrange at least 3 models that are produced in Naberezhnye Chelny. We are talking about the Italian armored car "Iveco", which in Russia was called "Lynx" (however, this option is unlikely, since the Airborne Forces are going to acquire armored vehicles "Tiger-M" adapted for their purposes), armored cars "Typhoon-K" and "Shot- M ".
In particular, not so long ago, the commander-in-chief of the Airborne Forces spoke about the fact that airborne assault units could be armed with Typhoon-K armored vehicles. In this case, we are most likely talking about a version of this car with a 4x4 wheel arrangement. Work on the creation of this model is in full swing at KamAZ. At the same time, the production version of the vehicle has a 6x6 wheel arrangement and is unlikely to suit the paratroopers in terms of weight. According to the available information, the total weight of the modular Typhoon is 21 tons, of the hull one - 17 tons. At the same time, the Vystrel-M armored car may also be of interest to the paratroopers, since it has a lower weight - up to 14 tons. At the same time, the Vystrel-M armored car is a transitional model to armored vehicles of the Typhoon family with a 4x4 wheel arrangement.
