In 1985, the BMD-2 (airborne assault vehicle) was adopted by the Soviet Army, which replaced the BMD-1. This tracked amphibious combat vehicle is intended for use as part of the airborne troops and can be parachuted both by landing and parachute from the An-12, An-22 and Il-76 military transport aircraft. Currently in service with the Russian Airborne Forces is still about 1000 BMD-2. In the near future, at least 600 of them will be seriously modernized and receive the new Bereg combat module.
As previously reported by the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the BMD-2 airborne combat vehicles will be deeply modernized. They will receive new weapons, modern digital means of communication and control. A more accurate weapon system, an anti-tank missile system, and increased versatility will have to extend the life of this technology, which Russia inherited from the Soviet Union. The Russian army is in no hurry to part with this legacy.
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, a total of 600 BMD-2s are planned to be modernized, the vehicles will be upgraded to the level of BMD-2K-AU and BMD-2M. It is already known that the updated combat vehicles will receive not only a new anti-tank missile system, but also an integrated automated control system at the tactical level. In addition, a target tracking machine will appear on the BMD-2M, allowing it to fire with various types of weapons at any time of the day or night, including on the move and afloat. After a deep modernization, combat vehicles will remain airborne, still being part of the airborne units of the Airborne Forces. It is planned to start the process of mass modernization of the BMD-2 in service from 2021. The modernization will affect about 600 airborne combat vehicles of this type, that is, a significant part of the fleet that has not yet been covered by the modernization process.
BMD-2 on tactical exercises of the 137th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 106th Guards Airborne Division. September 28, 2011
It is worth noting that the BMD-2M version was first presented to the public back in 2010, after which it regularly flashed at various exhibitions. If we talk about the BMD-2K-AU version, then this is the commanding combat vehicle of the airborne assault, created on the basis of the BMD-2K version. It is distinguished by the presence of a modern complex of automation and communication equipment of the 3rd type and is intended, first of all, for the commander of an airborne battalion. This combat vehicle is able to provide the process of command and control of troops in automated and non-automated modes.
The reason for the necessary mass modernization of the "twos" is the non-compliance of the BMD-2 with the requirements of modern combat, as well as the unsatisfactory condition of most of the available samples, which was revealed as part of a sudden check of the combat readiness of the Russian Armed Forces several years ago. Then Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov noted that the age of many cars is 20-25 years, and sometimes even more, they are outdated morally and physically. In one of the units on the march, two units of BMD-2 went out of action due to wear of components and assemblies.
The Russian army is going to massive modernization for two main reasons. Firstly, it is cheaper, and secondly, faster than building new airborne combat vehicles. Considering the pace at which the airborne forces are being saturated with new BMD-4Ms, the modernization option seems to be much more rational. According to the annual report of The Military Balance 2018, 151 BMD-4M airborne assault vehicles are in service with the Russian Airborne Forces. In this case, it is much easier to wait for the modernization of the 600 BMD-2 to the BMD-2M version than to wait for the complete renewal of the airborne armored vehicle fleet. In addition, the new combat module being installed significantly increases the combat capabilities of the vehicle created in the USSR, allowing it to be adjusted to the modern requirements of the military for equipment of this class. Modernization will extend the life of these vehicles, not just as vehicles, but as full-fledged combat units on the modern battlefield. It is also worth noting that in terms of its weight, the BMD-4M is at the limit of the capabilities of modern Russian military transport aviation. The mass of this combat vehicle has grown to 14, 2 tons (for the BMD-2 - 8, 2 tons), so in the IL-76 three BMD-4M fit very tightly, and the landing force can only be accommodated inside the combat vehicles, Valery Gerasimov noted earlier.
BMD-4M
Back in 2017, the Ministry of Defense revised plans for the disposal of the stock of armored vehicles in storage. In connection with the strengthening of the combat training of the armed forces and the current foreign policy situation, it was decided to "send under the knife" by 2020, not 10 thousand, but 4 thousand different armored vehicles still of Soviet production. Some of the old Soviet technology, including the BMD-2, is awaiting modernization. This technique can still serve the country. It is the economic component that plays an important role here: the modernization is much cheaper for the Russian budget than the development of models of fundamentally new weapons and their subsequent mass production.
The BMD-2, which was put into service in 1985, replaced the BMD-1, the shortcomings of which manifested themselves in Afghanistan. Its armament was considered weak: the smooth-bore 73-mm cannon 2A28 and the 7, 62-mm PKT machine gun paired with it, were ineffective against lightly armored enemy vehicles at a distance of more than 500 meters. At the same time, the limited angle of guidance of the gun in the vertical plane seriously interfered with battles in mountainous terrain. The paratroopers often simply did not have the opportunity to aim their guns at the mujahideen who had settled in the mountains. In addition, the BMD-1 was characterized by insufficient maneuverability and weak armor.
The experience of real combat use led to the termination of the operation of the BMD-1. The new airborne combat vehicle received a reinforced single turret, which was created within the framework of the ROC "Budka", and the armor protection of the vehicle was also improved. The welded body of the BMD-2, made of armored aluminum alloy, provided protection for the crew from 12.7 mm armor-piercing bullets in the frontal projection and circular protection against 7.62 mm bullets. The main weapon of the updated BMD was the 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannon with 300 rounds of ammunition. The same artillery mount was in service with the larger BMP-2. The cannon armament was supplemented by a coaxial gun and course 7, 62-mm PKT machine guns. To effectively combat enemy armored vehicles at a distance of up to 4000 meters, the Konkurs ATGM was used.
BMD-2M
Naturally, over time, the shortcomings of this version also became apparent. For example, due to the imperfection of the fire control system, effective firing from a 30-mm automatic cannon at night can only be carried out at a distance of up to one kilometer. Shooting accuracy is also seriously lame. And over time, the power of anti-tank weapons became insufficient to combat modern enemy main battle tanks. All this initiated work on the creation of a new combat module for the BMD-2.
Such a module was created by the specialists of JSC “Design Bureau of Instrument Making named after V. I. Academician AG Shipunov ", the famous Tula KBP. The new combat module, intended for installation on the upgraded BMD-2M, was designated "Shore". It is designed to be mounted on tracked and wheeled chassis of the appropriate carrying capacity, as well as on stationary objects and ships. The weight of the module does not exceed 1800 kg. According to experts, the modernized single-seat combat compartment "Bereg", mounted on the BMD-2 chassis, makes it possible to achieve superiority in combat potential over the standard BMD-2 by 2, 6 times, and in terms of firepower in general - 4, 4 times at once.
The "Coast" fighting compartment includes a control system: a gunner's sight, a ballistic computer and a sensor system (wind sensor, roll sensor), an object tracking machine, a weapon stabilizer, an automation unit, an operator's console. The armament complex is represented by a 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannon with 300 rounds of ammunition, a 30-mm automatic grenade launcher with 300 rounds of ammunition, a 7, 62-mm machine gun (2000 rounds) and a Kornet ATGM with tandem and thermobaric warheads.
BMD-2M
Thus, the task of increasing the firepower of a single-seat trouser compartment and ensuring the characteristics of a combat vehicle corresponding to the modern level of military technology was solved by introducing a unified automatic fire control system into the BO "Bereg" a ballistic computer with a sensor system and an upgraded weapon stabilizer. Moreover, the standard fighting compartment is now equipped with a launcher with two Kornet ATGMs, which have their own vertical guidance drive to the target.
The upgraded BO "Bereg" with installed launchers for missiles "Kornet" is characterized by the following features:
- a highly protected missile control system of the "Kornet" complex with teleorientation of the missile in the laser beam was used;
- provides the possibility of firing ATGM "Kornet" in a salvo of two missiles in one laser beam (necessary to successfully overcome the active defense system of enemy armored vehicles);
- the independence of the results of ATGM launches from the psychophysical state of the operator of the complex is ensured and the accuracy of target tracking is increased in comparison with work in a non-automated mode (in combat conditions) by 3-6 times due to the implementation of a tele-thermal imaging machine for target tracking;
- provides the possibility of firing ATGM "Kornet" with an excess over the line of sight, which is necessary to prevent the enemy from detecting a missile on the trajectory of its flight;
- the effective firing range of the 2A42 automatic cannon has been increased to 1800-2000 m, ATGM - to 8-10 km.
- increased armor penetration of targets behind dynamic protection up to 1000-1300 mm due to the use of new ATGM complex "Kornet";
- increased firing efficiency and expanded the engagement zones of the 2A42 automatic cannon against air targets (with line-of-sight angles up to 30 degrees) in automatic mode, including when using a target tracking machine;
- additional equipment with an AG-30M 30-mm automatic grenade launcher ensures effective defeat of enemy manpower, hidden behind the folds of the terrain or in trenches at a distance of up to 2100 m.
ATGM "Kornet" on BMD-2M, photo: btvt.narod.ru
Thus, the composition of the armament and the combat capabilities of the single-seat combat compartment "Bereg" presented by the KBP allow the crew of the BMD-2M to confidently hit almost all types of targets in the tactical depth of the combat vehicle at any time of the day on the move, as well as afloat at a range of up to 8-10 thousand meters (range of use of ATGM 9M133M-2 and UR 9M133FM-3 complex "Kornet"). This makes the new combat module a versatile weapon that combines the capabilities of an anti-tank complex and an effective anti-aircraft weapon. The armament complex of the modernized BMD-2M allows the vehicle to effectively fight against tanks, lightly armored and unarmored vehicles, as well as enemy manpower. In addition, the BMD-2M was able to defeat low-flying enemy attack helicopters and various models of unmanned aerial vehicles.
