The hostilities near Luhansk and Donetsk are more and more like the wars of the last decades in the countries of Asia and Africa. Lacking a developed defense industry, both sides of the conflict are forced to make do with the available weapons and equipment. Despite this, they are making various attempts to build armored vehicles based on existing vehicles. Last week, two enterprises of the city of Nikolaev at once presented their new armored vehicles intended for the armed forces and security forces of Ukraine. It turned out that one of the cars shown immediately became the subject of jokes, and the second one can be considered a fairly good and promising development. Nevertheless, both of these projects will probably not reach the stage of large-scale serial construction of equipment.
"Technichka" based on UAZ-3303
On July 18, the Nikolaev diesel locomotive repair plant handed over two armored UAZ-3303 vehicles to the border troops of Ukraine. It is reported that the two new vehicles will be operated by the Luhansk border guards. Earlier, the border troops handed over to the plant two light trucks, which needed to be equipped with armored protection. The director of the enterprise, Vyacheslav Simchenko, during the transfer of equipment, said that all the work on the creation of armored vehicles lasted only a week. In this regard, the employees of the plant had to work overtime, but they managed to. The enterprise carried out all the work on the finalization of the machines at its own expense.
According to the Internet edition "NikVesti", in a week the workers of the Nikolaev diesel locomotive repair plant carried out repairs of the presented machines, replacing the non-working units, installed a reservation, and also mounted a protected installation for weapons in the back. It is noteworthy that the project of an improvised armored car based on the UAZ-3303 was created in close cooperation with border guards. As the deputy head of the Lugansk border detachment, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Zavoloka, said, he told the engineers what the border guards needed, and they offered ways to implement the ideas.
photo from the site
The basis for the two new armored cars were light off-road trucks UAZ-3303 - a further development of the UAZ-452D vehicle, popularly known as the "Tadpole". These 4x4 vehicles are equipped with 98 or 117 hp engines. (depending on the modification) and are capable of carrying up to 1225 kg of cargo. UAZ-3303 trucks are positioned by the manufacturer as a relatively light vehicle designed for the transportation of goods in urban conditions and off-road. According to available data, the trucks presented for modernization and revision until recently performed just such functions.
Due to the limited time frame and modest capabilities, the engineers of the Nikolaev diesel locomotive repair plant took the path of using a small number of new components and installing additional hinged armor. So, the trucks kept the cab without any major modifications. To protect the crew from small arms, the front and sides of the cockpit were covered with original armor. An "armor" of an interesting design is used to protect the frontal projection. It consists of a large number of steel bars welded together.
The lower frontal part of the cockpit is covered with a large "module" of armoring based on reinforcement, in which several holes are made. Four openings are made opposite the lighting fixtures, and in the central part there is a grill for radiator ventilation. The lower part of the armor, installed on top of the windshield, is fixed. From above, two "armored shields" with relatively large viewing slots are attached to it on hinges. Outside of a combat environment, the crew can omit these booking elements to provide an acceptable view. As can be seen in the available photographs, the frontal armor of the vehicles is installed on a metal structure fixed to the vehicle frame. The lower part of the frontal armor is attached to the frame at the lower edge, the upper one is attached using L-shaped structures installed behind the cab.
Instead of glazing, the cab doors received "reinforcement armouring modules". On the outside of the doors, there are metal frames on which reinforcement bars are welded on. For observation, a rectangular hole covered with a mesh is provided in the middle part of this armor. However, the armoring of the lower part of the door is of much greater interest. Probably due to the lack of other materials, as well as due to weight restrictions, blocks of a complex profile are installed on the lower part of the doors, in which the metal coating for airfields is easily guessed. The front wheels are protected in a similar way: under the doorways, two more pieces of the airfield cover are fixed.
The published production photos show that the armored trucks have received new bodies. Instead of wooden side bodies with supports for an awning, the converted UAZ-3303 received a metal structure, which is a frame with sheet sheathing. On the sides of the body, long sections of the aerodrome cover are hinged to protect the rear wheels, gas tank and chassis elements. The third element, made of a metal coating, is fixed on the front wall of the metal body and, apparently, should protect the cabin from shelling from behind.
Armored UAZ-3303 will be able to carry small arms, possibly even large-caliber. For its installation in the back of modified trucks, a quadrangular armor shield with a shooter's workplace is placed. The shield is assembled from three relatively thick metal sheets and mounted on a rotating base. In the frontal sheet of the shield there is an embrasure and a system for installing weapons. Viewing slits are made in the side sheets. For the convenience of the shooter's work, a seat is installed at the shield, fixed on a metal sheet. Perhaps the latter serves as an armored back. The use of the seat suggests that the shield is equipped with some kind of pivot drive.
The armored cars made by the Nikolaev diesel locomotive repair plant based on the UAZ-3303 are of certain interest. However, this interest is not associated with their fighting qualities, but with the applied technical solutions, which appeared in conditions of a shortage of time, materials and experience in the creation of armored vehicles. As a result, the first result of the publication of information about these armored cars were numerous monotonous insulting jokes about the cars and the authors of the project. Fans of military equipment did not fail to “walk” through the design of equipment, its protection and weapons.
Indeed, the Nikolaev armored cars look at least strange and can hardly be considered an effective means of warfare. The carrying capacity of the base truck UAZ-3303 slightly exceeds 1, 2 tons, and the established booking, it seems, barely fit into this limit, which may affect the driving performance of the car. At the same time, the reservation used raises serious doubts. It should be admitted that the relatively thick sheets of the shield (probably about 10-12 mm) can really protect the machine gunner from enemy small arms. However, such armor is unlikely to be able to protect the shooter from armor-piercing bullets or large-caliber systems. The specific design of the tower, which does not protect the shooter from the sides, only increases the risks.
Separately, you should dwell on booking the driver's cab. "Armature" armor looks interesting and can really protect the vehicle and the crew from small arms. However, its real characteristics could only be shown by shelling with the use of various weapons and cartridges. Even if such protection is capable of withstanding automatic bullets, then shelling with the use of armor-piercing ammunition or large-caliber systems will not leave her any chance. However, there is no real information about the capabilities of reinforcement bars welded to each other, since such an impromptu protection has not been tested by anyone before.
As for the pieces of airfield cover, which are widely used in the design of new armored cars, the expediency of their use raises serious doubts. Such products were not originally designed to protect against small arms bullets, and their rigidity required for their intended use is due to their complex profile. Therefore, the lower half of the cab doors and the undercarriage of the machines are most susceptible to damage.
Two UAZ-3303 trucks with the armor installed on them were transferred to the Luhansk detachment of the Ukrainian border troops. It was argued that already on July 19, this equipment went to the base of the border guards and should soon take part in the so-called. anti-terrorist operation. There have been no reports of the combat use of these vehicles yet. Probably, the very first battle with their participation will show how effective the original booking methods were. At the same time, it can be assumed that the combat effectiveness of the Nikolaev armored cars is unlikely to be high. Despite the large amount of improvised armor, they remain civilian vehicles with weapons installed on them, which should accordingly affect their capabilities.
In addition, the new armored cars of the Ukrainian border troops can be attributed to the class of the so-called. technical equipment, which became widespread during the local wars of recent decades. Such combat vehicles are relatively simple to manufacture and operate, but their effectiveness on the battlefield, for obvious reasons, leaves much to be desired. The UAZ-3303 modified in Nikolaev are typical technical vehicles, and therefore one should not expect outstanding results from them. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that the production of such armored cars will be limited to two vehicles.
Medical vehicle based on BTR-70
About a month ago, the Nikolaev Armored Plant presented the so-called. the mobile checkpoint "Mikolaevets" is a BRDM-2 vehicle that has lost a large number of components and assemblies. This development caused a specific reaction from the public and became the subject of many offensive jokes. Now the company is ready to hand over to the armed forces more serious and necessary equipment: the armored medical vehicle "St. Mikolai" ("St. Nicholas"). So far, there is only one sample of this vehicle, built by the Nikolaev Armored Plant on its own initiative and at its own expense.
The basis for "St. Nicholas" was the Soviet-made BTR-70 armored personnel carrier. In this regard, the authors of the blog BMPD suggested the "origin" of the new machine. They remind that earlier the Nikolaev enterprise proposed a project of the BMM "Kovcheg" medical armored vehicle, made on the basis of the BTR-70. It is possible that the prototype "Ark", built a few years ago, received a new name and was reintroduced to the military and the public. Indeed, the vehicle "Saint Nicholas" is very similar to the previously demonstrated prototype of the BMM "Kovcheg".
The Svyatii Mikolai vehicle is an armored personnel carrier BTR-70 with serious body modifications. To accommodate the wounded, a relatively high structure welded from armor plates was installed instead of the base roof of the troop compartment. There are four hatches on the frontal sheet of this superstructure, and two more are provided on the roof. During the alteration, the armored personnel carrier received a new double-leaf side door, similar to that used on the newer BTR-80, located on the starboard side of the hull. On the left side, there was a hatch, standard for the BTR-70, in the bottom sheet.
Photo from the site
Inside the armored hull there are several seats and attachments for installing a stretcher. According to the Internet edition "Nikolaev News", the armored medical vehicle "Svyaty Mikolai" can carry up to 11 lightly wounded (sitting) or six seriously wounded (lying down) and three able to sit. In the third configuration, the transportation of four wounded on stretchers, three sitting and several service personnel is provided. In addition to places for placing the wounded, the vehicle is equipped with a number of special equipment. According to the director of the Nikolaev armored plant Alexander Shvets, if necessary, you can even carry out operations in the car.
According to the published data, the St. Nicholas medical armored vehicle can be produced in two main versions, differing from each other in the type of engine used and in cost. A car with a gasoline engine will cost the customer about one million hryvnia, with a diesel one - almost 2 million. The configuration of both options is similar, and the difference in price is due only to the power plant used. The "origin" of the project of a new medical vehicle (using the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier as the basis) suggests that the medical vehicle, worth 1 million hryvnias, retains the basic power plant based on two ZMZ-4905 gasoline engines with a capacity of 120 hp each.
The manufacturer's specialists claim that the armored medical vehicle "Svyatii Mikolai" surpasses all the best world analogues in its characteristics and capabilities, and is also relatively inexpensive. The advantage of the machine is called the preservation of characteristics at the level of the basic armored personnel carrier when moving on land and on water.
According to Nikolaevskiye Novosti, the plant is capable of building up to ten new type vehicles per month. Currently, there is a discussion of possible purchases of such equipment for the needs of the armed forces. As for the first prototype, it may soon be sent to the "anti-terrorist operation" zone. Sending the car to the troops will be facilitated by the authorities of the Nikolaev region, as told by the governor Nikolai Romanchuk.
Unlike the previous development of the Nikolaev armored plant, the recently presented armored medical vehicle "Svyaty Mikolai" is really important and necessary equipment for the troops. In the course of the "anti-terrorist operation", the armed forces and the national guard constantly suffer losses. Every day, a large number of soldiers are injured and must receive help. For the evacuation of the wounded from the battlefield, various equipment is currently used by the Ukrainian military and security forces, but it is not adapted to perform such tasks. The vehicle "St. Nicholas", in turn, was originally created as an armored means of evacuation and assistance to the wounded. The appearance of such machines could have a noticeable impact on the losses of troops and the National Guard.
The first "Saint Mikolai" should go to the troops in the very near future. However, there is reason to believe that this machine will not be able to seriously affect the medical aspects of the so-called. anti-terrorist operation. The fighting is taking place in several areas of the two unrecognized republics, which is why a large amount of equipment is required to evacuate the wounded. One car will definitely not cope with such a task, and therefore will only help existing cars and armored personnel carriers. It should be noted that the plant promises to produce up to 10 medical machines a month, but such a pace of construction can hardly be considered realistic. To start serial production of equipment, an order from the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Internal Affairs is required, as well as payment for work. Due to the difficult economic situation, the military or security forces will most likely not be able to find money for new medical equipment. In addition, production takes time to deploy, and the situation in combat areas is constantly changing.
Thus, the project of really important and necessary equipment for the troops in the near future will face economic problems and will not be able to lead to any noticeable result. As a result, the units involved in the "anti-terrorist operation" will have to continue to use equipment that is not adapted for this to evacuate the wounded.
