A few days ago, another type was added to the list of well-known domestic military equipment. On July 17, the military-patriotic website "Courage" published the first information on the combat vehicle, designated as the "MRU-O optical reconnaissance and control module", as well as several photos of it, from the outside and from the inside. The author of the project is the Penza NPP "Rubin". The information about the development, according to the authors of the original publication on Courage, was taken from the design patent No. 82323, issued to Rubin in July last year. A year has passed since then, and all the information regarding the complex was a few scattered and unconfirmed rumors about the existence of a certain promising machine. Now the existence of such has been documented, and photographs and a brief description have come to the disposal of the general public.
The available photographs show a tracked vehicle painted in a camouflage pattern. As the basis for the MRU-O - this is indicated in the patent and can be seen from a number of characteristic features - the MT-LBu multipurpose army tractor was chosen. The layout of the original machine was redesigned to accommodate the electronic equipment and its operators' workstations. I had to move the engine and part of the transmission units from the stern to the middle. The vacated rear compartment was given under the target equipment and was named the operational compartment. It housed equipment blocks and two calculation workstations. The control compartment in the front of the vehicle has not undergone any changes - it remained in the same place and, as before, has two places for the driver and the vehicle commander.
The dimensions of the equipment and the standards for the ergonomics of the crew's workplaces required a little expansion of the used volumes of the original MT-LBu. To accommodate one of the blocks of equipment, a hole was cut in the rear plate of the machine, on which an armored box of the appropriate size was installed. As seen in the photographs, the rear wall of this box has two hatches, obviously to facilitate maintenance. In addition, on the upper surface of the outer box there is a certain part with a hinged lid. From this, it can be concluded that an auxiliary power plant and a generator that feeds all equipment of the vehicle are located in the armored box. Confidence about the contents of the "enlarged" compartment would be given by high-quality photos of the insides of the operational department. On the existing ones, you can only see that on the inside, the rear box has three shields to which some cables are connected. The quality of the published photos is such that it is impossible to see the inscriptions on the shields. However, inside the car, obviously, there could not be a volume to accommodate the APU and the generator. The only suitable place - the middle part of the hull with MTO - may not be suitable due to the lack of any free spaces suitable for an auxiliary power unit.
If the version with the APU outside the main building is correct, then all electronic units are located inside the operational compartment, next to the crew. The two electronic operators are positioned side by side on the left side of the machine. Operators can use the relatively large aft door or the two overhead hatches to get in and out of the vehicle. Operator workplaces are equipped with three color displays, which show all the necessary information. In addition, two keyboards with trackballs and one joystick were seen on the operators' table. Apparently, the software of the MRU-O complex has a graphical interface, and also allows you to directly control all systems of the machine. It is noted that the middle monitor and the panel under it are the control panel for the optoelectronic all-round viewing system.
The main element of the all-round vision system is located on the roof. In its middle part, an armored container is mounted on the MRU-O, in which the review unit and its lifting system are located in the stowed position. Before starting work, the operators of the electronics activate the lifting mechanism and the optoelectronic unit of the all-round view rises up on the telescopic rod. When fully extended, the boom lifts the unit to a height of at least six meters. In the photographs presented, the all-round view unit is captured only from the back, or from the back-side. Due to the lack of images of its front part, it is still impossible to say exactly about the composition of the target equipment. Probably, the unit contains video and thermal imaging cameras, a laser rangefinder or something similar. In addition to the system of the all-round view unit, on the roof of the MRU-O machine, there are four antennas of radio stations, designed to maintain communication with units and command, as well as to transmit the received data.
Information about the set of target equipment is currently classified. It is only known that the operators have at their disposal equipment for communication, control of machine systems, reception, processing and collection of the received optical-electronic information, as well as electronics for encryption of the transmitted radio signal. The workplaces of the driver and vehicle commander, in turn, are equipped with navigation systems, maintaining communication with operators and other vehicles / headquarters, as well as other equipment necessary to control the movement of the vehicle. Both MRU-O habitable volumes have a ventilation and air conditioning system.
It is argued that the MRU-O machine can be equipped with standard means of reducing the visibility. The existing photographs show that they consist of camouflage nets laid on the roof and hung along the tops of the sides. In addition, a decrease in visibility in the infrared range is apparently achieved with the help of special exhaust devices (on the starboard side), which reduce the temperature of the gases emitted by the engine and rubber-metal side screens. The latter cover the road wheels and tracks, due to which these parts, when heated during movement, do not emit infrared radiation from the armored vehicle.
Any information about the progress of the project, testing of the machine, etc. until they become public knowledge. All open information - two dozen photos of the exterior and internal volumes of the car, as well as a few lines of text. At the same time, the "textual accompaniment" is rather vague and basically contains only general definitions, without specifying details. Finally, even the weight and size or running parameters of the MRU-O machine were not announced. Judging by the absence of major changes in the design of the hull, with the exception of the addition of an armored aft box, the length of the new combat vehicle does not exceed 7.5-8 meters, and the width remains the same - 2850 mm. As for the height of the MRU-O machine, the initial two meters of the original MT-LBu, due to the armored casing for the all-round viewing unit, apparently added about 45-50 centimeters. With regard to driving performance, due to the lack of data on the engine and combat weight, one can only guess. Most likely, the speed, maneuverability and cross-country ability of the MRU-O vehicle remained the same or almost the same as that of the MT-LBu.
MRU-O has completed:
- automated workstations;
- chairs for operators, driver-mechanic and commander;
Control compartment:
- control panel and calculation tools;
- navigation equipment with a coordinator and a course indicator;
- special equipment for measuring the dose rate;
- several radio stations operating in the meter range;
- control and power supply units for radio stations;
- blocks of antenna filters;
- two fans;
- remote control and monitoring unit;
Operational compartment:
- frames with table tops (automated operator stations);
- switch of equipment for data transmission;
- video monitor, keyboard, manipulator for each workplace;
- two sets of consoles and control units on the rack;
-multi-channel digital tape recorder;
- multifunctional indicator of optical-electronic equipment of a circular view;
- control panel for optical-electronic equipment;
- power distribution unit;
- processing unit for the circular view channel;
- blocks of control and visualization, data processing of the sector view channel;
- block of processing and transmission of digital data for connected subscribers;
- multichannel information transmission equipment;
- air conditioner control unit and control panel;
- watch;
- first aid kit;
- loudspeaker control unit;
- lamp;
- radio operator display and control unit;
- control unit for encryption communication equipment;
- boxes for switching on the internal equipment;
- indication and control unit for the head;
- DVD unit with USB;
- short wave radio station matching device;
- documentation device;
- station of the lifting and mast device;
- short wave radio station;
- interfacing unit for internal equipment;
- battery control panel;
- time counter of operating time;
- battery charging;
- power distribution box;
- radio station filter unit;
- special equipment for the short wave range;
- multifunctional terminal;
- transmitting and receiving equipment of closed communication;
- switching unit of encryption communication equipment;
- radio station of the range of ultrashort waves;
- amplifier;
- blackout switch;
- power supply panel;
- electrical unit panel;
- rechargeable batteries;
Module housing:
- four antennas from radio stations;
- muffler;
- air conditioning;
- mast device;
- three cable entries;
- block of optical-electronic circular station on the mast;
- a set of means for reducing visibility, made along the sides of the module.
