Trends in the development of Russian combat modules
Modern hostilities have shown that one of the most vulnerable elements of infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) and armored personnel carriers (APCs) is the tower in which the weapons are located.
In order to reduce the loss of personnel and, probably, further reduce the size of the crew, remotely controlled tower modules (DUBM) were developed. Almost all modern armored personnel carriers and, to a lesser extent, infantry fighting vehicles are equipped with a DBM with machine-gun and grenade launcher (less often cannon) armament. A number of domestic enterprises are also developing DUBM, which correspond to global trends. And despite the fact that DBMS are less common in Russia than in the West, domestic designers have proposed a number of technological solutions that can be called innovative.
For shooting and for reconnaissance
The need to increase the level of security and capabilities for reconnaissance is currently determining the development trends of light tower modules with remote control for reconnaissance, patrol and armored combat vehicles (AFV). According to the western nomenclature of weapons, these modules are designated RWS (Remote Weapon Station) or RCWS (Remotely Controlled Weapon Station). The combat module, equipped with various optoelectronic sighting systems, plays an important role in ensuring the crew's awareness of the surrounding combat situation, allows the collection of reconnaissance data and, if synchronized with a recording device, ensures their transmission in a distributed network. An important task is to ensure a different angle of elevation of the sighting devices of the combat module and the main armament. In a situation such as patrolling an urban area, a machine gun aimed at local residents can provoke a negative reaction. At the same time, it is necessary to use optoelectronic systems for collecting data on the environment.
As a result of recent armed conflicts, the critical importance of reconnaissance and target location has been reaffirmed. Unmanned combat modules are often installed precisely for reconnaissance and gathering intelligence data, and not to defeat the enemy. In a number of cases, a concept is adopted, within which a light DBM is installed on a manned turret with medium or large caliber weapons. The use of modern materials and technologies for damping recoil makes it possible to install full-fledged 105 and 120-mm tank guns in the towers of combat vehicles, the mass of which is 25 tons or more. While the range of wheeled chassis for such vehicles is quite limited, there are a large number of tracked analogs that can withstand the mass and recoil of tank guns, which can lead to the reanimation of the light tank class.
Modern armored vehicles allow the installation of not only traditional manned, but also uninhabited towers, equipped, as a rule, with automatic cannons of 20-50 mm caliber. The main advantage of the towers is the complete protection of weapons from both climatic precipitation and enemy fire. At the same time, manned turrets should be equipped with armor equal to the level of the base vehicle, which makes it possible to reliably protect the gunner of the main armament. This significantly increases the total mass of the AFV.
Placing the commander and operator-gunner in the turret is gradually losing its purpose, especially in a modern battlefield. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the level of armor (most RWS / RCWS class modules are armored according to level 2 of the NATO STANAG 4569 standard, which implies protection against cartridges of caliber 7, 62x39 mm and 7, 62x51 mm), and this, in turn, reduces the total weight of the combat vehicle …
The overwhelming majority of western DBMS are equipped with machine-gun and grenade launchers. The most popular model on the market is the M151 / M153 Protector modules from the Norwegian company Kongsberg. The United States adopted this model under the CROWS II program to equip armored vehicles in service with the national army. Modules of this class were developed by the Belgian company FN Herstal, the German Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Dynamit Nobel Defense, the Israeli Raphael and Israel military industries (Israel Military Industries). The major manufacturers of DBMS with machine-gun and grenade launchers are the British BAE Systems, the South African Reutech, and the Italian Oto Melara.
The aforementioned companies are developing DBMS with heavier weapons, usually with automatic cannons of 20-25 mm caliber. Despite the fact that many manufacturers declare their readiness to integrate tank guns of calibers 105 and 120 millimeters, currently there are practically no production samples with such weapons. The only machine with a DBM with large-caliber weapons that is serially put into service in significant quantities is the American self-propelled anti-tank gun (SPTP) M1128 MGS (Mobile Gun System) based on the M1126 Stryker armored personnel carrier. It is equipped with the M68A2 tank cannon as its main armament. The installation of the cannon in the DUBM reduced the vehicle's ammunition capacity - it is 18 rounds. At the same time, according to the developer, the M68A2 is not intended to destroy main battle tanks. Its task is to disable armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, enemy engineering structures and destroy manpower. The use of the DBMS also complicates the installation of air conditioning systems and, in general, significantly complicates the work of the crew.
Proudly builds "Petrel"
Domestic developers of remotely controlled combat modules keep up with their Western competitors, offering solutions that are not inferior to foreign products. At the same time, innovative developments are offered, which have no direct analogues in Europe and the USA.
The Russian Central Research Institute "Burevestnik" continues to modernize the DUBM 6S21, the volume of supplies of which to the Armed Forces has grown significantly lately. The module is offered to the customer in three versions, which differ in the main armament, the amount of ammunition, weight and a number of other characteristics.
The 6S21 includes an armament unit, an aiming system, a platform with guidance drives, and an ammunition supply system. The operator's workplace inside the combat vehicle is equipped with a gunner's panel with a built-in ballistic computer, a control panel, and auxiliary equipment. DUBM 6S21 can be used as a station for collecting intelligence data. Service information and video are transmitted via CAN 2.0, RS485, HD-DSI, Ethernet (Ethernet) standards. Thus, the domestic module is multifunctional and is not inferior to foreign counterparts, which are often installed precisely for the purpose of conducting reconnaissance and data transmission (in this case, they are not equipped with weapons).
The standard DUBM 6S21, depending on the modification, is equipped with two types of weapons - 12.7-mm machine gun 6P49 "Kord" (version 01) or 7.62-mm Kalashnikov machine gun modernized PKTM (version 02 and version 03). The maximum amount of ammunition for weapons is respectively 200, 500 and 320 rounds.
At the military-technical forum "Army-2015" and the international arms exhibition RAE 2015, another modification of the DUBM 6S21 was presented, which is absent in the official data provided by the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik". As the main armament, the module is equipped with a 14, 5-mm Vladimirov heavy tank machine gun (KPVT), exact data on its ammunition were not provided. A set of optoelectronic equipment, drives, ammunition are placed inside a closed armored casing, which significantly increases the survivability of the DBM on the battlefield.
The manufacturer did not indicate the level of armor protection, however, based on the characteristics of foreign modules similar in class, it can be assumed that it corresponds to 1–2 levels of the NATO STANAG 4569 standard (protection against bullets of caliber 5, 56–7, 62 mm, including armor-piercing -incendiary). It is also unknown whether this modification implements the principle of loading a machine gun from the armor-plated space.
The mass of the DBM in three basic versions is no more than 230, 200 and 185 kilograms, respectively. The aiming angles of the main armament are sufficient to use the module in peacekeeping operations: they range from -5 (optionally to -15) to +75 degrees with a horizontal aiming angle of 360 degrees. In the basic version, the DUBM is not equipped with an armament stabilizer, but it can be installed at the request of the customer. Multiple remote cocking of the weapon's firing mechanism is allowed. DUBM version 03 can be equipped with a hydropneumatic system for cleaning protective glasses of optoelectronic equipment. Version 01 6S21 is equipped as a standard sight with a television rangefinder module (MTD), and versions 02 and 03 are equipped with a sight with a tele-thermal imaging rangefinder module (MTTD). At the request of the customer, all versions of the DUBM can be equipped with both MTD and MTTD.
The 6S21 module can be used on the widest range of military equipment, including the Typhoon-U and Typhoon-K MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected) armored vehicles, the Tiger multipurpose armored vehicle, and the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier. Currently, a modification of the DUBM 6S21 is being developed to equip warships. The 6S21 module is also installed on promising Russian armored vehicles, including armored personnel carriers on the Kuragnets-25 and Boomerang platforms. In this case, a new modification of the module is used, enclosed in an armored box. As the main armament, it is equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun.
Thus, on the basis of the 6S21 module, a whole line of combat modules is being created to equip light and medium armored vehicles of all classes, as well as ships. It is possible that this particular model will become the main DBM in the Russian Armed Forces. Its characteristics are at least not inferior to their Western counterparts. The only drawback is the lack of automatic grenade launchers (AG) and launchers of smoke grenades 902 "Tucha" as standard weapons. However, the specialists of the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik" are probably already working on solving these problems of integrating the AG and "Clouds", which will significantly increase the combat characteristics of the module. At the same time, the integration of 14.5 mm KPVT provides 6S21 fire superiority over Western counterparts in the class, which are most often armed with 12.7 mm M2 or M3 machine guns, whose characteristics are no longer sufficient to effectively defeat light and medium armored vehicles on a modern battlefield. …
Light "Crossbow"
The Russian company "Weapon Workshops" together with the Kovrov Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ, part of the "High-Precision Complexes" holding) has developed its own version of a promising DUBM, which received the designation "Arbalet-DM". At the moment, its tests are being completed, and in the near future it can be put into service.
At RAE 2015, the module was demonstrated on three platforms: the Tiger-M armored car, the MTLB multipurpose lightly armored tractor and the ANT-1000R robotic loader."Arbalet-DM" can be installed on other land and sea vehicles.
The mass of the DBMS does not exceed 250 kilograms. The 12.7-mm 6P49 Kord heavy machine gun is used as standard armament. The module is equipped with an electromechanical stabilizer that increases the accuracy of shooting. The maximum range for hitting targets during the day is 2000 meters, and at night - 1500. The module can destroy low-flying subsonic aircraft. The module's machine gun is manually reloaded; reloading from the armor space is not provided. The horizontal angles of elevation of the machine gun are in the range from -20 to +70 degrees. The standard ammunition load of the 6P49 "Kord" machine gun has 450 rounds, of which 150 are already installed in the cartridge box of the module. The DBM is also equipped with four 902V Tucha smoke grenade launchers.
"Arbalet-DM" is equipped with observation and sighting television (TV) cameras, as well as sighting thermal imaging (TPV) cameras. A sighting TV camera allows you to recognize a target at a distance of 2500 meters, and a TPV - 1500 meters. The built-in laser rangefinder provides distance measurement within the range of 100-3000 meters. The data of the module's sighting complex are displayed on a 17-inch monitor with a resolution of 1280x1024 pixels.
Stable Kalashnikov
The Kalashnikov concern has also developed a new DBM. He received the designation MBDU. For the first time, a mock-up of the module was shown at the military-technical forum "Army-2015", and live firing from the weapons installed on it took place at RAE 2015. The MBDU is equipped with a gyro-stabilization system along two axes, an automatic tracking device for a selected moving target and memorization of up to 10 stationary targets. The module's armor provides protection against B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullets of 7.62 mm caliber (compliance with the 3rd level of the NATO standard STANAG 4569).
It is possible to install four types of weapons on the module: machine guns of calibers 12, 7 and 7, 62 mm, an adapted version of the 30-mm automatic grenade launcher AGS-17, as well as a new 40-mm automatic grenade launcher.
The horizontal movement angle of the module turntable is 360 degrees, and the angular rotation speed is 60 deg / s. The unit is equipped with video cameras of wide and narrow fields of view, a laser rangefinder, as well as filters to improve the image in abnormal observation conditions. The maximum measurable range to the target is 2, 5 thousand meters.
Plus a cannon
Russian developers also pay attention to the direction, which is practically not worked out in the West. In particular, DBMS with combined cannon armament are being created. A prototype of such a module, installed on a promising modification of the BMP-3 "Dragoon", was demonstrated at RAE 2015. The main armament of the DUBM is the 2A70 cannon-launcher. Paired with it is a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon. The DBM is interfaced with the Vityaz fire control system (FCS). The control system of the module is installed in the body of the combat vehicle.
Dragoon's developer, Tractor Plants Concern, continues to work towards creating and improving the characteristics of a promising module. In the event that it is developed, successfully tested, put into service and put into mass production, the firepower of the BMP-3 will increase significantly. It is noteworthy that, unlike the M1128 MGS, the working conditions of the crew do not deteriorate. Despite the fact that the prototype takes a significant place in the armor space, the redevelopment of the BMP-3 "Dragoon", on which it is installed, allows the crew to be comfortable in the vehicle and quickly leave the battlefield.
It is likely that the new DBM will receive a mechanized loading system, which will contain more shots compared to the M1128 and which is easier to equip. The module retained the 902 "Cloud" smoke grenade launchers. As a result, the advancing deployed motorized rifle units can be covered with a smoke screen. With the exception of M1128, the new Russian DBMS has no direct analogs.
Thus, the latest developments of Russian designers make it possible to assert that at the technological level, domestic developments are at least not inferior to foreign counterparts. It is important that remote-controlled combat modules firmly take their position in the range of weapons of modern Russian technology and begin to be actively used in the troops. Their integration will simultaneously increase the market competitiveness of Russian weapons. In the event that this happens, one can reasonably believe that after a not too long period of time, domestic DBMS will become a worthy competitor to Western models.
