From 25 to 28 June, the salon of arms and military equipment Partner 2013 was open in Belgrade. The event demonstrated many projects created in different countries. Among others, in the pavilion of the exhibition there was a new armored personnel carrier of its own Serbian design. The state association "Hugoimport SDPR" presented the armored vehicle "Lazar 2". In February this year, at the IDEX-2013 exhibition in Abu Dhabi (UAE), various materials on this armored personnel carrier were already demonstrated, but the "premiere" of the first prototype was in store for a home event. The Lazar 2 armored personnel carrier is a further development of the previous Lazar BVT project, first shown several years ago. The new armored personnel carrier continues the line of Serbian military equipment and, like its predecessor, has several interesting features.
Lazar BVT
In 2008, the organization "Hugoimport SDPR" presented its project "Lazar BVT". The new armored vehicle was named after Prince Lazar Khrebelianovich, who ruled Serbia in the 14th century. Before starting the development of a new type of technology, the Serbian military and industrialists came to the conclusion that it was necessary to create their own project, since it could have a good effect on the state of the country's industry, as well as improve its defense capability. When determining the appearance of the future armored personnel carrier, the engineers of "Hugoimport SDPR" decided to combine several recent trends in the field of light armored vehicles. It was assumed that "Lazar BVT" will be able to become the basis for several types of combat and auxiliary vehicles, and will also receive a set of protection measures inherent in MRAP class equipment. Patrolling in urban conditions, as well as escorting convoys, was seen as a scope of application for a promising armored personnel carrier. This had a big impact on the final look of the car.
The chassis of the TAM-150 truck was originally chosen as the base for the new armored personnel carrier. However, in the course of design work, it turned out that the characteristics of such a chassis would be insufficient to meet the set requirements. The chassis of the base truck has been significantly redesigned. As a result, the Lazar BVT armored personnel carrier received an eight-wheel all-wheel drive chassis with a hydraulic suspension.
On a deeply modernized truck chassis, an original armored hull with fairly good protection indicators was installed. The combat vehicle's own armor provides level III protection according to the STANAG 4569 standard and withstands the hit of an armor-piercing bullet of the 7, 62x51 mm NATO cartridge. On the armored hull, additional protection modules can be installed, which, it is claimed, meet the fifth level of the standard (hitting a 25-mm armor-piercing projectile). Also, it was repeatedly mentioned about the possibility of installing additional means, such as anti-cumulative grilles and reactive armor systems. Their use, under certain circumstances, can protect Lazar BVT from anti-tank grenade launchers. The characteristic V-shaped bottom of the new combat vehicle provided protection for the crew and troops from the blast wave of a six-kilogram TNT charge that exploded under the wheel.
In front of the armored body of the armored personnel carrier "Lazar BVT" is a diesel engine with a capacity of 440 horsepower. This power plant allows a 16-ton car to accelerate on the highway to 90 km / h and cover up to 600 kilometers with one refueling. When installing a full set of additional armor modules, these indicators noticeably decrease, but this has almost no effect on the overall capabilities of the vehicle, since additional panels are recommended for use in urban environments, where a high speed of movement is almost not needed.
Immediately behind the engine are the workplaces of the driver and commander. For observation of the terrain, the driver and commander have large front windows. Their bulletproof glasses provide third level protection according to the NATO standard. The commander and driver can get into and out of an armored vehicle both through the troop compartment and through individual doors on the sides. The latter are located next to the seats and open by turning forward. The level of protection of the doors corresponds to the indicators of the entire armored hull, and the glasses are slightly weaker than the front ones - level II according to STANAG 4569. 12 windows of the troop compartment are made of similar armored glass: five on the sides and two on the rear doors.
Behind the control compartment with the driver's and commander's workplaces on the "Lazar BVT" armored personnel carrier there is a volume intended for the installation of the combat module and the workplace of the gunner-operator of weapons. The weapons options proposed by the project are mounted in a rotating turret and, in some cases, are equipped with remote control. As the armament of the armored personnel carrier, machine guns of 7, 62 and 12, 7 mm caliber, a 30-mm automatic grenade launcher, a 20-mm automatic cannon or an anti-tank missile launcher are offered. Smoke grenade launchers are also provided.
In the rear of the vehicle's armored hull, there is a spacious troop compartment, which occupies about half of the total length. It provides ten places for the landing. An interesting feature of the Lazar BVT armored personnel carrier was their location: the soldiers must sit in two rows, facing the sides. This arrangement of the troop compartment is not typical for armored vehicles of the MRAP class, but it allows soldiers to fire from personal weapons through the embrasures in the sides. The loopholes, covered with latches, are located directly under the observation windows. For embarkation and disembarkation on the stern sheet of the armored hull, there are two doors, separated by a rack. Outside the case, under the door, there are steps.
The "Lazar BVT" armored personnel carrier is equipped with communication and satellite navigation systems, a filter-ventilation unit and a number of other equipment. If necessary, the car can receive a set of video surveillance of the area.
Serial construction of the first vehicle of the Lazar line began in 2008, after which the Serbian armed forces received a number of such armored personnel carriers. Soon Iraq expressed its desire to purchase these machines, but already in 2009 all negotiations stopped. According to some sources, last year Serbia sent several Lazar BVT armored personnel carriers to Bangladesh, but the exact number and amount of the contract are unknown.
Lazar 2
Further development of the Lazar BVT project eventually led to the appearance of the Lazar 2 prototype, which was demonstrated a few days ago at Partner 2013. The first model of the new armored vehicle was reportedly assembled at the recently opened Complex Battle System plant in Velika Plana. In the future, the same company will probably be engaged in serial assembly.
The general elements of the appearance and design of the new Lazar 2 armored personnel carrier basically correspond to the base vehicle. At the same time, the armored hull of the updated version is several centimeters longer (its length is 7400 mm) and noticeably wider (2.75 m versus 2.4 m). The combat weight has also increased - now it is equal to 24 tons. To compensate for the increased weight, Hugoimport SDPR engineers had to equip the armored personnel carrier with a new 480 hp engine. The renewal of the power plant allowed not only to keep the driving performance at the same level, but also to improve them slightly. So, "Lazar 2" accelerates on the highway to 95-100 kilometers per hour, and the cruising range increased to 800 km. The capacity of the armored personnel carrier remained the same - the vehicle's own crew of three and ten paratroopers.
Tests of the first Lazar BVT armored personnel carrier showed that its protection under certain circumstances may be insufficient. For this reason, "Lazar 2" carries more powerful armor, corresponding to level IV of the STANAG 4569 standard. In addition, the frontal part of the vehicle has undergone significant modifications. Instead of a tilted front plate with glass on the new armored vehicle, a thicker plate with fewer technological holes is installed. Now, instead of the driver's windshield, there is an armored hatch with observation devices. The same goes for the commander's workplace.
The sample shown at the exhibition carried a new gun turret developed by the Zastava company. The combat module with a 30-mm automatic cannon, created by the same company, can be produced both in a manned version and in a version with a remote control. Also on the turret you can mount a machine gun of 7, 62 mm caliber and a launcher for anti-tank missiles. The troop compartment of the combat vehicle has not undergone any significant changes, in addition to equipping the inner surface of the sides with an anti-splinter lining. Ten soldiers with weapons can still ride inside the troop compartment.
The composition of the radio-electronic equipment has been changed. The Lazar 2 armored personnel carrier uses a radio station, satellite navigator, etc. new models. Also, due to the change in the frontal part, the driver's dashboard was re-arranged. Some of the instruments are now located slightly higher compared to the previous model of the armored personnel carrier.
On the very first day of the Partner 2013 exhibition, Serbian Defense Minister A. Vucic said that a contract has already been signed for the supply of three Lazar 2 armored personnel carriers to Pakistan. According to some sources, after that the Pakistani military will acquire a dozen more armored vehicles. It is also mentioned that Pakistan at one time took over part of the financing of the program for the development of a new machine. According to the Serbian press, other third world countries are also showing their interest in the new armored vehicle, but so far only one contract has been signed - with Pakistan.
