On July 3, Vladimir Putin signed a package of laws that finally consolidated the creation of a new Russian security agency - the Federal Service of the National Guard. Now that the legal base has been formed, the FSVNG command is starting practical work: it prescribes the organizational and staff structure, develops combat manuals and various manuals, and creates a material and technical support system. It is planned to purchase new types of weapons and military equipment, aircraft and small arms.
Not so long ago it became known that the Rosgvardia will have Poisk-6MSN combat deltalets, as well as domestic high-precision T-5000 sniper systems developed and manufactured by Orsis. But if in the internal troops, which became the basis of the FSVNG, before the start of the reform, there was a harmonious system for the formation of a fleet of automobile and armored vehicles, then the OMON, SOBR detachments, patrol and guard service regiments and private security units transferred to the department from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, are not doing so. safely.
Therefore, it is interesting to figure out what kind of cars and for what specific tasks the Rosgvardia command plans to purchase.
In the mountains and on country roads
At present, FSVNG does not plan to purchase not only the latest tanks and infantry fighting vehicles of the Armata and Kurganets families, but also the Boomerang armored personnel carriers. According to the leadership of the department, such vehicles are more suitable for full-fledged combined arms combat with the use of precision weapons, aviation and artillery, but not for maintaining law and order. The new products of the Russian military-industrial complex have too aggressive appearance and weapons that are redundant for the tasks facing the Russian Guard.
Therefore, the FSVNG command decided to leave the older armored personnel carriers BTR-80 and BTR-82, which, albeit in limited numbers, will continue to serve in separate units of operational regiments and battalions, reconnaissance and special forces, as well as OMON and SOBR troops.
According to Rosgvardia representatives, the armored personnel carriers will perform a limited range of tasks, such as killing terrorists, supporting assault groups with fire, and evacuating the wounded. And the basis of the vehicle fleet of operational units and subunits, special forces and reconnaissance will be both ordinary trucks and specialized armored vehicles.
Until recently, armored personnel carriers were also equipped with special motorized military units (SMMU), whose servicemen, together with the police, carry out tasks of protecting public order during mass events. But as experience shows, there was simply no work for the armored personnel carriers, so the combat vehicles were idle in the parks. Currently, the Rosgvardia command has decided to withdraw the armored personnel carrier from the SMVCh.
Armored vehicles of the Typhoon-K and Typhoon-U families, which are currently being actively tested by the Russian Ministry of Defense, will not appear in the fleets of FSVNG units and subdivisions. In the opinion of Rosgvardia specialists, as in the case of the "Armata", "Kurganets" and "Boomerang", the characteristics of the newest armored vehicles are superfluous for the tasks facing the units and subdivisions of the federal service.
It should be noted that the Russian military department itself has not yet decided what tasks the Typhoons will solve. It is assumed that the latest armored vehicles will enter service with reconnaissance battalions and brigades, as well as special forces. But while the Main Armored Directorate of the Ministry of Defense continues to test new products.
The main armored vehicle of operational units and subunits, reconnaissance and special forces of the FSVNG should be the Ural-VV. Developed using the experience gained on the Typhoon-U, the Ural-VV, created on the basis of the Ural-4320 three-axle truck, withstands small arms fire, and due to the V-shaped bottom can protect personnel from an explosive device with a capacity of about five kilograms in TNT equivalent. In addition to mine protection, at the request of the Russian Guard, the Ural-VV is equipped with so-called suspended seats fixed in the troop compartment so that the soldier's legs do not touch the floor of the vehicle. Thanks to this decision, in the event of a mine explosion, the fighters will not receive leg injuries.
The main tasks of the new armored car are the safe delivery of personnel to the site of the operation and the transportation of ordinary cargo, equipment, and other property. To repel a possible attack on the sides of the Ural-VV, loopholes for small arms are equipped.
So far, the Rosgvardia command does not plan to additionally install heavy weapons on armored vehicles. Part of the "Urals" will be equipped with light and sound systems designed to disperse riots, but nothing more. True, in the future it is possible that some of the armored vehicles will receive remotely controlled combat modules with machine guns or automatic grenade launchers, but the issue is still being studied. Currently "Ural-VV" is already being supplied to the 604th Red Banner Special Purpose Center.
As the experience of operating the latest machines shows, if on rough terrain in the forest, fields and on the snow they behave excellently, then in mountainous terrain with steep slopes they lose to another product of the Ural Automobile Plant - the armored car "Federal", which has been actively purchased by the internal troops for the past few years …
Due to the installation of additional armor and mine protection compared to the basic version, the center of gravity of the Ural-VV has shifted upward, which negatively affects the stability of the vehicle when it overcomes steep slopes.
The proven "Federal" is devoid of such a problem. Due to the fact that an armored capsule is installed in the body, in which personnel are transported, the center of gravity of the armored vehicle, on the contrary, has moved lower, which significantly improves cross-country ability.
Therefore, at present, the leadership of the FSVNG has made a compromise decision: units and subunits performing tasks in mountainous terrain, including as part of a joint grouping of troops (forces) for conducting counter-terrorist operations in the North Caucasus, will equip the latest Ural-VVs, but will retain in the Feds car parks.
It is noteworthy that the FSVNG, as before the internal troops, prefers vehicles manufactured by the Ural Automobile Plant, while their colleagues from the Ministry of Defense purchase KamAZ products. According to Rosgvardia specialists, the Urals are traditionally designed to perform tasks in the tactical echelon, that is, they are not only highly maneuverable, but, importantly, even untrained servicemen can easily cope with their repair in isolation from service centers and repair agencies.
On the other hand, trucks manufactured by the Kama Automobile Plant win on highways and are distinguished by a large carrying capacity. Therefore, KamAZ trucks were traditionally used in the operational echelon - to transport property, fuel and food from district and army warehouses to divisions and brigades.
The Rosgvardia command does not intend to violate the established system: the Ural-VV and the Federals will carry personnel performing service and combat missions, and KamAZ trucks will deliver materiel.
City patrol
To work in cities and towns, the new department plans to use ordinary trucks and cars, including off-road vehicles, such as UAZ-Hunter or Patriot, as well as buses with special color graphics, light and sound means and places for keeping detainees.
In addition to ensuring public order, the National Guards must fight terrorists. To solve such problems, the FSVNG command plans not only to continue using armored vehicles of the Tiger family, but also to order new families of vehicles from the industry.
Several years ago, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already purchased special police vehicles SPM-1 and SPM-2, created on the basis of GAZ-23034 "Tiger", for mobile special forces and rapid response units. In general, the car proved to be good, but there were some drawbacks.
The main feature of the police "Tigers" was that, unlike similar vehicles purchased by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the SPM has a high protection class (5th versus 3rd for the military "Tigers"). Although the thicker armor affected the maneuverability, such a sacrifice is quite acceptable for operations in urban conditions.
Also, on special police vehicles, loopholes were mounted for firing from the standard weapons of special forces fighters and a mount for installing a PK or PKM machine gun on the roof of an armored car.
As noted by the Rosgvardia specialists, in general, the SPMs still meet all the requirements, so the task of developing and producing new armored vehicles based on the Tiger is not worth it. At the same time, specialized vehicles are already being developed: command and staff, communications, reconnaissance and surveillance, some of which are being tested.
To perform tasks in urban conditions, the fleet of special-purpose units and subdivisions of the Russian Guard will be replenished with specialized armored vehicles "Patrol", created by the firm "Asteys" on the basis of a two-axle cargo KamAZ-43502.
According to Rosgvardia representatives, the new armored car was originally created under the requirements of the FSVNG and with the participation of department specialists. Compared to the Ural-VV, the Patrol has better maneuverability in urban environments, including on narrow streets and in thoroughfares. True, outside settlements and roads, the Patrol's passability leaves much to be desired, so it will not be able to compete with Ural-VV.
The main task of the Asteys product is to safely deliver special forces soldiers to the place of operations. For this, the "Patrol" is equipped with armor, loopholes are equipped in the sides, and the design of the vehicle itself can withstand an explosion on an IED equivalent to five kilograms of TNT.
But as in the case of the "Ural-VV", the FSVNG command does not plan to install weapons on the "Patrol". The vehicles will be painted according to a special color-graphic scheme and equipped with special light and sound systems for the fight against riots.
It is planned that the "Patrols" will first of all be equipped with OMON and SOBR troops. But some of the vehicles will go into service with individual units of the regiments and battalions of the patrol-guard service and special motorized units.
Also, the Rosgvardia command began purchasing specialized Tornado vehicles, created on the basis of the Ural-4320 truck and designed to destroy barricades and other artificial obstacles. The machine is equipped with a dozer blade, gas spraying equipment and a water jet. In the aft part there is a special manipulator, which can be used to disassemble debris, as well as use it for demining.
At present, the first Tornadoes have already entered service with the sapper units of the 5th operational regiment of a separate operational division.
Yes, they forgot about the ravines
The Rosgvardia command has built a completely logical and promising scheme for the use of automotive equipment. But we must not forget that in addition to the internal troops, where the command paid great attention not only to maintaining the equipment in good condition, but also to standardizing the park, police units entered the FSVNG, where the picture is different.
In particular, the fleets of most of the OMON, SOBR and PPS regiments are a jumble of different cars, from UAZ “loaves” to such rarities as GAZ-66 and ZIL-131. At the same time, the serviceability sometimes leaves much to be desired.
And if in Moscow and other large cities the technical readiness of the fleet of special forces and rapid response units is at a very high level, then in the provinces there are only a few cars in good condition per squadron.
Another serious problem is the lack of trained specialists in the repair and operation of military vehicles. If for the needs of the internal troops, specialists were trained by the Military Institute of the Internal Troops in Perm, and, if necessary, the main command selected officers of the necessary military registration specialties from the universities of the Ministry of Defense, then in the educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs they did not even hear about the training of specialists in the repair and operation of weapons and military equipment. …
So the task before the command of the FSVNG is quite difficult. On the one hand, to maintain in good condition everything inherited, and on the other, to actively purchase new products, re-equip parts and subdivisions, and train young specialists.
