One of the characteristic features of military operations in local wars and armed conflicts is active armed confrontation in communications. To reliably ensure the safe passage of the convoys along the routes of movement, a large and complex set of organizational measures is organized and carried out (covering the convoys with combat vehicles, combat helicopters and artillery fire, guarding "bottlenecks" of routes, etc.) and technical measures (increasing firepower and security combat vehicles, improving intelligence, especially engineering, etc.). One of them is to increase the individual protection of vehicles from enemy fire.
During the first Chechen campaign (1994-1996), a number of Ural-4320 vehicles with local armor protection appeared in the military units of the RF Armed Forces. Despite a certain imperfection of the circuit and design, their practical application received a positive assessment.
Army (RF Armed Forces) "Ural 4320" with local armor protection, Chechnya, Khankala, September 2002
The experience gained was taken into account in the course of the second Chechen campaign, that is, the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus region, continuing from August 1999 to the present. The armored "Urals" in fairly large numbers appeared in the troops of the Ministry of Defense and military units and bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, which are part of the United Group of Forces (forces).
In the grouping of the Armed Forces, they entered service with both military units and the commandant companies of the military commandant's offices of the regions.
The booking of these cars was made according to a single model and, as a rule, includes:
- full closure from three sides (front and sides) of the front of the car with the engine and other units located in it;
- complete closure of the driver's cab with armor plates, and instead of the usual glass, bullet-proof glass blocks are installed in the corresponding armor plates (but noticeably smaller than ordinary glazing);
- covering the fuel tank and some transmission units with armor plates;
- installation on a cargo platform (in the back) of a "box" open on top, assembled from steel armor plates. To enter and exit this "armored box" there is a two-leaf, closed from the inside door in the stern.
Army (RF Armed Forces) "Ural 4320" with local armor protection, view from the left side and rear, Chechnya, Khankala, September 2002
For firing small arms, there are loopholes in the sides and stern sheet, the design is the same as on the armored personnel carrier - 60PB. If necessary, fire on the upper floors of buildings or mountain slopes can be fired over the sides.
The height of the walls of this armored box is approximately equal to the height of an average person. Personnel are accommodated along the walls on ordinary folding benches. Moreover, in order to protect against bad weather, such vehicles are often equipped with awnings covering the armored box from above with special cutouts for loopholes (there are also necessary arcs). The thickness and quality of the armor plates is such that, according to the reviews of the military personnel who performed the tasks on such vehicles, it fully provides protection against small arms fire and mine fragments.
But taking into account the fact that the enemy has recently very often used as landmines (controlled by wire or radio) such powerful ammunition as 152-mm and 122-mm artillery shells, or 120-mm mines installed on the side of the roadbed, there was an urgent need to increase the thickness of the armor and, in general, the security of these trucks.
And in general, according to the author and the estimates he heard from many military personnel, over the seven (!) Years of hostilities in the North Caucasus region, it has long been possible and necessary to qualitatively improve the booking scheme and increase its impenetrability (the author means that the strength of the armor can be increased not only by thickening the steel armor plates). But, apparently, as always, there is no financial means for this, and as for the price of soldiers' lives … At what time in Russia were they valued most of all?
Army armored "Ural" of one of the commandant companies with 12, 7-mm NSV machine gun mounted on it by contract craftsmen. Very competent and convenient, the author tried it himself. Such "modifications" on army vehicles were not uncommon, October 2002, Chechnya
Another version of the armored "Ural" of one of the intelligence units of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, November 2002, Chechnya
Armored "Ural" military formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (with a barbette on the roof and three doors), June 2000, Khankala, Chechnya
These armored vehicles are rarely used for their intended purpose - to transport material assets. In the overwhelming majority of cases, these vehicles are used to transport personnel (especially in the commandant companies of military commandant's offices) to the place of performance of service and combat missions or for the transportation of rifle units to directly guard convoys. In these cases, their close interaction with vehicles armed with ZU-23-2 is organized.
But the most interesting, from a technical point of view, samples of armored vehicles were created for military formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and units of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Apparently, their specialists carefully studied the experience of using such vehicles in the Armed Forces and made appropriate conclusions. Therefore, they are made more thoughtfully and of good quality.
A special feature is that these machines were originally created precisely as a protected transport for the transportation of personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs units (including the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) to the areas of special operations.
The front of the cars with the driver's cab is assembled immediately with built-in and hinged armor protection, large enough for a better view, double-glazed armor glass units.
Armored "Ural" of one of the intelligence units of the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation. Antennas on the cockpit and body arches belong to the removable electronic warfare system, Chechnya, November 2002
There is also an upper hatch on the roof of the driver's armored cabins above the vehicle commander's seat. This is convenient for observation and, if necessary, for firing. If certain unfavorable circumstances arise, which is quite possible during the performance of service and combat missions, it is possible to leave the car through it.
An armored box is mounted on the cargo platform (in the back). Its sides and stern sheet have loopholes opening from the inside. Above each of them there is a large enough glass unit made of bulletproof glass, which provides the best conditions for observing and correcting fire.
The thickness of the armor of the armored boxes of these vehicles (MVD) is almost three times the thickness of the armor plates of the army "Urals" with local protection.
It should be noted that on many armored vehicles, special electronic warfare equipment is installed, which reliably suppresses the radio control channels of radio-controlled landmines.
During his business trips to the Chechen Republic, the author saw two types of armored trucks used in military units of the Interior Ministry's Interior Ministry and military formations (bodies) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. On the whole, the differences are not fundamental. Some have two wide round barbets on the roof of the armored box, for firing in the upper hemisphere and over the sides, as well as three doors - in the stern sheet and the front of each side. Others have much better protected front part with the engine, as well as the driver's cabin, even in the armored glasses of which there are small closing loopholes for firing by the vehicle commander from personal weapons. This type of machine has two single-leaf doors, on the side, but only in the stern sheet, packages with bulletproof glasses are mounted on the outside of the sides, loopholes in the sides are round.
Armored "Urals" of military units and subdivisions of the Armed Forces (Russian Army) are operated, as a rule, without awnings and have a monochromatic dark green color burned out in the sun. Often by skilled contractors from the commandant companies of the military commandant's offices of the regions, machine-gun armament is installed on the front of their armored boxes (12, 7-mm heavy machine guns NSV "Utes" on the machine or 7, 62-mm PKM).
The armored "Urals" of the military formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (with round barbets on the roof of the armored box) are painted in a normal, also sun-bleached, dark green color. But most often both these vehicles and the armored "Trawls" of the Interior Ministry units of the RF Ministry of Internal Affairs are painted in a solid dark yellow color.
Front view of the cockpit and left view of the armored box of the armored "Ural" of one of the intelligence units of the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation, Chechnya, November 2002.
The interior of the armored box of this vehicle, November 2002, Chechnya
As a rule, there are no special inscriptions and drawings on these machines of all law enforcement agencies. The only exceptions are some army vehicles, on the doors of the cabins of which large white letters "K" of arbitrary sizes with or without a white circle can be applied, which also testifies to their belonging to the commandant companies of the military commandant's offices.
The results of the use of these machines in the performance of combat and special missions in the first and second Chechen campaigns, in general, turned out to be positive.
Armored vehicles are especially widely used in the course of performance of service and combat missions by military formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (OMONS, SOBR, etc.) and some units of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. As a rule, with one purpose - the safe transportation of personnel to the place of performance of tasks and back.
In practice, a situation has been created in which these vehicles actually perform the functions of armored personnel carriers (APCs). But they are much cheaper to manufacture and operate, although they provide the necessary protection for personnel and their timely delivery to the area of special operations in difficult road conditions. Moreover, due to the large volume of the armored box, in normal conditions it is possible to transport (if necessary) a relatively large number of personnel, the necessary military equipment, as well as transport prisoners captured during the operation. In the super-constrained internal volumes of army, combined-arms infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, this cannot be done.
Retrofitted with steel sheets, for greater security, "UAZ-469" of the Chita OMON, September 2002, Chechnya
This fact is a consequence of the fact that in order to perform specific tasks in the conditions of an internal armed conflict, the military formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation did not have a sufficiently protected and mobile, universal and simple (inexpensive) vehicle for performing police tasks. Armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles with their high firepower, protection and mobility, of course, are good, and under some circumstances (under some! - Auth.) Are simply irreplaceable, just like tanks. But to perform most of the service and combat missions against bandit formations and sabotage (terrorist) groups, a simpler, inexpensive and universal (multipurpose) police vehicle (transporter) is still needed. That is why the specialists of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation have developed armored modifications of the "Uralov" with the main goal of providing secure transportation of personnel. And, as combat experience has shown, they largely succeeded.
At the same time, in the grouping of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, armored vehicles as armored personnel carriers were used only by commandant companies of military commandant's offices. This was due to the insufficient number of BTR-80 (70) in them and the need for frequent performance of special tasks, very similar to the tasks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Examination of a detainee by riot policemen in Chechnya. The picture shows that the sides of the body of a standard truck are closed from the inside with log screens.
Armored vehicles with riot police officers during a special operation, July 2001, Chechnya
In military units and combat units of the Ground Forces, the Airborne Forces and the Marine Corps, all personnel are provided with regular armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles or MT-LB. Therefore, the main problem for the Armed Forces is the creation of an armored truck for transporting at least the most important and dangerous goods (for example, ammunition). Therefore, you cannot have "heavy" armor protection here. Here it is necessary to look for ways to create a sufficiently "light" armor from light alloys and composite materials, or their combination. It shouldn't be expensive, as there should be a lot of trucks with such hinged local armor protection. A separate long-standing problem is the creation of a protected vehicle for transportation of fuels and lubricants ("nalivniki"). However, according to the experience of military operations in Afghanistan and Chechnya, one gets the impression that this acute problem is not being resolved in any way. And if there may be separate experimental developments, then there is nothing in the troops.
At present, we have to admit that in the near future, due to the incomprehensibly prolonged "difficult" economic situation in the country, there is no need to wait for the solution of these problems.
The trail of a bandit bullet that did not break through the side glass of the cab of an armored car of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (version with barbets on the roof and three doors), September 2002, Chechnya
An example of the revision of "UAZ-469" by employees of one of the riot police. The front doors were removed, the tailgate was lowered and secured, the upper part of the cargo compartment was covered with steel sheets, July 2001, Khankala, Chechnya
As a result of this and other reasons, the command of military units and subdivisions of all power ministries that were part of the Joint Group of Forces (forces) in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation, from the very beginning of hostilities, measures were taken to strengthen the security of personnel and cargo transported by road … The cabins and bodies of cars and trucks were covered with homemade metal shields, screens made of wooden beams, sleepers and logs. There were a lot of options for additional equipment, depending on the capabilities and skills. For some it turned out quite accurately, for others it was rather rude. The experience of performing combat and special tasks by units and military formations of all ministries has convincingly shown that these measures really increased the protection of personnel and cargo from the effects of enemy small arms fire and fragments of its land mines installed near the road.
It should be noted that this kind of "revision" was very widespread. Moreover, the command of the UGV (s) even demanded that the subordinate commanders take the maximum possible measures to strengthen the security of the vehicles by any means; the best examples were shown to the officers in special classes. The photographs provided by the author show several examples of such a homemade enhancement of protection and protective paintwork for cars. And these are not all options.
The body of "Ural-4320", covered in front and sides with steel sheets. The low height of the cover of the sides in the aft part of the body is due to the fact that it was planned to install a ZU-23-2 on this car. Commandant company of the Kurchaloy district military commandant's office, July 2001, Chechnya
An example of a "not quite accurate" strengthening of the security of a car body, July 2001, Khankala, Chechnya
One of the paint options for airborne troops' trucks, November 2002, Chechnya
Trophy (captured from one of the gangs) and used for the intended purpose of the UAZ of one of the riot police, June 2000, Khankala, Chechnya
KraZ fuel tanker with log protection of the tank, Chechnya, February 2003
Soldiers of the 45th Airborne Regiment on the march in the back of the Urals with log protection of the sides, Chechnya, February 2003
