Two concepts presented during the 26th International Exhibition of Arms, Security Technologies and Defense Means "Eurosatory-2018", which took place in Paris from 11 to 15 June, can cause a keen interest among fans of military equipment and specialists. We are talking about the next generation German heavy infantry fighting vehicle "Lynx KF41", as well as a highly controversial Franco-German product - the advanced "network-centric" main battle tank EMBT "European Main Battle Tank". Both combat vehicles, as well as most types of armored vehicles for participation in network-centric wars of the 21st century, are equipped with modern terminals for exchanging tactical information via secure radio communication channels, as well as means of displaying it, coupled with high-performance combat information and control systems.
Therefore, it is logical to believe that in the defense departments and armies of the leading NATO member states, they can be viewed as a "strategic asset" of ground forces in the European theater of operations in opposition to our line of combat vehicles on the Armata universal tracked platform. But, as you know, on only one network-centric electronic filling on the battlefield of the third millennium you will not go far, and therefore it is very opportune to consider, or at least evaluate (starting from the photographs and videos that show the first demonstrators) the level of security and weapons these samples. Let's start, of course, with the Lynx KF41 heavy infantry fighting vehicle.
The first version of the concept of this BMP ("Lynx KF31") was presented to the public on June 14, 2016, as part of the 24th exhibition "Eurostary-2016". Then we saw a machine with thin (practically “paper”) sheet anti-cumulative screens, which in the literal sense of the word would turn into a “sieve” after the very first shelling from large-caliber small arms, not to mention the burst from the ZU-23-2 or “Shilki ". The hull of the first version of Lynx was nothing more than a constructive analogue of the hull of the outdated Marder-1A3 heavy infantry fighting vehicle with all the ensuing consequences - the protection of the frontal armor plate of the hull (with an angle of inclination of 75 degrees to the normal) only from armor-piercing sub-caliber shells 30x165 mm (at a distance of ≥ 400 m; we are talking about ZUBR8 "Kerner" and NATO armor-piercing feathered tracer PMC303, capable of penetrating 80- and 100-mm steel armor plate from 400 m at an angle of 0 degrees to the normal, respectively. In other words, equivalent durability from BOPS / BOPTS of this sample BMP "Lynx" was approximately 80-100 mm. Side projections protected only from 14, 5-mm shells such as BS-41 and B-32, with armor penetration of about 40 mm, ie resistance is about 50 mm. But such indicators are absolutely insufficient to protect the frontal projection from armor-piercing shells of a larger caliber and some types of manual anti-tank weapons, and side projections from the 23rd and 30th m of automatic cannons.
As a result, the specialists of the leading German developer of armored vehicles and diesel engines Rheinmetall decided to move away from the use of the BMP design of the Marder family as a base for a new generation vehicle and turned their gaze towards the new Puma infantry fighting vehicles, the upper frontal part of which is capable of withstand the shelling of 45-50-mm armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles, the penetration of which can reach 200-220 mm of the steel equivalent at an angle of 0 degrees to the normal at a distance of more than 1000 m. Consequently, the thickness of the Puma VLD without taking into account the 75-degree inclination of the armor plate can be 55 mm; the side armor plates of the hull (especially in the front part) are able to protect even from the hit of 30-mm armor-piercing shells even at maximum maneuvering angles of +/- 45-50 degrees, which is achieved by using massive elements of modular armor placed on anti-cumulative grids.
Based on the experience gained during the design of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, which is now entering service with the Bundeswehr, specialists from Rheinmetall AG have given the body of the final version of the Lynx KF41 even greater armor protection. Based on the exhibition photographs, as well as the first video presentations, which captured the Lynx field tests, one can draw attention to many structural details that give an estimate of the equivalent durability of various projections of an infantry fighting vehicle. In particular, on the massive upper frontal part, you can see the contours of the modular armor elements, as well as the driver's hatch. The hatch is located not in the middle of the VLD, as in the "Marder-1A3", but in the area of the turret ring, at the maximum distance from the "wedge-shaped" joint of the frontal parts (VLD and NLD). You can also pay attention to the contours of a rectangular cell around the hatch of the mechanized drive, which, obviously, denote the boundaries of its "armored capsule"; They are located at a distance of more than 1 m from the junction of the VLD and NLD.
This design may indicate that the equivalent resistance of the upper frontal part of the new BMP against armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles can exceed the BMP "Puma" (200-220 mm) and reach up to 300-350 mm, and the engine with a capacity of 1140 hp. from Liebherr has noticeably large dimensions, which requires much more interior space than the 600-horsepower 6-cylinder Daimler-Benz MB833 diesel. And therefore, with a high degree of probability, it can be argued that the frontal projection of the hull can be protected not only by the 30-mm APFSDS-T NM 225 armor-piercing shells with 120 mm armor penetration at a distance of 1000 m and the 40-mm APFSDS-T Mk 2 BPS, developed by specialists company "Bofors Defense" for 40-mm automatic cannons L / 70B and CT40 with a penetration of about 200 mm at a distance of up to 1 km, but also from obsolete 125-mm armor-piercing feathered shells of types ZBM-15 and ZBM-17 with armor penetration of 340 and 330 mm respectively.
The side projections of the hull of the prospective Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle are covered with massive passive protection modules with physical dimensions ranging from 100 mm (in the lower part) to 150 mm (in the upper part, in the area of the hull roof). The modules are represented by built-in packages of multi-layer special booking, the structure of which, for obvious reasons, is not made public. It is most likely that layers of "honeycomb" composite ceramics are used, the matrix of which is reinforced with silicon carbide and aluminum oxide to reduce fragility and maintain the same strength indicators characteristic of a standard homogeneous steel armor plate. Layers based on polyurethane and other composite materials can also be used.
Such a structure of special armor can significantly lighten the weight of a unit of armored vehicles while maintaining the same level of security; the British division of Lockheed Martin UK is currently working on the development of such materials, which is promoting its developments in the European arms market. The design of the armor packages of the Mi-28N attack helicopter, represented by 10-mm aluminum sheets with 15-mm ceramic blocks glued to them, also indicates excellent prospects for such booking. Consequently, we have a 26-mm aluminum-ceramic armor "pie" with a mass of 1.65 times less than that of a steel plate, but having similar parameters of equivalent resistance. All this applies to the German BMP "Links KF41", which is why the developer indicated the stock of the accumulated mass at 6000 kg.
The aforementioned modular side armor plates, which also play the role of anti-cumulative screens (PCE), together with the hull side armor plates form an armored barrier with dimensions from 120 to 170 mm with a half-meter air gap. Consequently, the side of the hull withstands without any problems the hit of our 30-mm armor-piercing shells ZUBR8 "Kerner" at an encounter angle of 0 degrees to the normal from minimum distances (200-300 meters), as well as 40-mm APFSDS-T Mk 2 at angles of safe maneuvering ± 50 degrees from the heading direction of the vehicle with similar firing ranges. When fired at with safe maneuvering angles of ± 20-30 degrees, the Lynx KF41 board is able to withstand the hit of 125-mm Zakolka or Nadezhda-R armor-piercing shells or PG-9VS anti-tank grenades of the SPG-9 heavy anti-tank grenade launcher (we repeat, only with large meeting angles).
Naturally, there is a way to penetrate the Lynx side armor using a 12, 7-mm Kord machine gun: for this, it is necessary to fire on the “naked” side armor plate in a narrow strip under the side protection modules (between the road wheels), but this is possible only with minimum distances of several hundred meters, plus when the "KF41" is located on a certain elevation of the terrain, slightly higher than the machine gun crew. Otherwise, this sector will be covered by the "terrain screen". Taking into account the increase in the mass of the new German BMP to 50 tons, in the future the vehicle can be equipped with a tandem DZ complex, which will allow it to operate in the most difficult areas of the theater of operations with high fire impact from the enemy by such means as "boots", RPG-7VR, and in some cases and ATGM "Konkurs-M".
I would like to draw special attention to the measures to protect the amphibious unit in the area of the aft hatch-ramp. Here the specialists of Rheinmetall AG, obviously, paid attention to the entry / exit unit of the heavy Israeli tracked armored personnel carrier Namer and the Russian forward heavy BMP T-15 Armata. Firstly, the Lynx KF41 hatch is recessed into the aft part by about 1 m. This design practically excludes hitting the troop compartment of high-explosive shells and other striking elements of the enemy with a direct shot at angles of ± 60-70 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the hull machines, that is, from side views with an offset to the rear hemisphere. The projectile hitting the troop compartment with the ramp open is possible only by rebounding from the walls of the armored blocks of the U-shaped landing unit, into which the engine cooling system circuit is also integrated; But for this, the enemy's calculation will need to go into the rear zone of the tank at an angle of about 40 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the BMP, which in combat conditions (during the landing) is a difficult task.
As for the closed ramp, here the developer still took into account the likelihood of shelling from large-caliber automatic cannons of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, as well as some manual anti-tank weapons, because maneuvering during combat, as well as leaving the battlefield, provide for the complete exposure of the stern projection for the enemy. In one of the photographs of the demonstrator, one can notice that the thickness of the hatch-ramp is much greater than that of the Kurganets-25 and even the Namer: its dimensions in the lower part are 45-50 cm, in the upper part - 250 mm, which indicates providing protection against 40-45-mm armor-piercing shells, as well as the above-described tank 125-mm armor-piercing shells in the lower sector.
Assessing the armor protection of the welded Lynx KF41 turret, it must be borne in mind that it is habitable and has a decent reserved volume, which accommodates the vehicle commander and gunner, as well as part of the ammunition load. If you watch the video demonstration provided on YouTube by the Rheinmetall Defense division, you can pay attention to the episode of the car passing along a dirt country road, filmed from a copter. Here you can clearly see the depth of the location of the crew hatches, which reaches 1.5 m. We subtract about 700-800 mm from this, covering the control compartment in front of the hatches, and we have a 300-350-mm steel or aluminum frontal armor plate, as well as wedge-shaped packages of modular special armor of the same size, which ultimately provides an equivalent durability of about 500-700 mm (depending on the type of special booking and the mechanical properties of the composites and metals used); and this practically corresponds to the level of security of the early modification of the MBT "Leopard-2A4", which is an excellent indicator for an infantry fighting vehicle.
The weakened zone in the side projection of the turret is standard - the embrasure sector of the main gun, to compensate for this, the developer has equipped the gun with a massive multi-faceted "mask", which significantly increases the equivalent durability. The "mask" of the gun smoothly turns into a heat and radio absorbing "cover", the inner part of which has a circuit for running distilled water or antifreeze, and some external elements are represented by radio-absorbing materials that significantly reduce the radar signature of the BMP "Lynx KF41" together with the radio-absorbing coatings of the modular elements armoring the entire body of the combat vehicle. This concept of reducing infrared and radar signature "Lynx KF41" fully and fully meets the standards of the next generation, the detection range of which using airborne X-band radar reconnaissance, as well as portable radar for reconnaissance of ground positions and target designation of artillery such as "Credo-1E" and " Headlight-1PV "should be minimized. This concept is supported not only by the "mask" of the gun, but also by the design features of the location of the missile armament of the new German BMP.
In particular, the paired modular launcher of the Israeli anti-tank complex "Spike-LR2" is not attached to the left side armor plate of the turret (in a vertically oriented launch module, as in the early modification of the "Lynx KF31"), but is hidden in a specialized side niche of the turret and extends on the platform, hydraulically controlled in the elevation plane. This prevents the incapacitation of ready-to-fight anti-tank missiles and damage to transport and launch containers in the event of firing from enemy heavy machine guns and automatic cannons of infantry fighting vehicles, also significantly reduces the RCS and optical signature of Lynx in frontal projection. The Spike-LR II (Long Range II, or Gil-2) anti-tank missile developed by Rafael by May 29, 2017, belonging to the 5th generation anti-tank weapons, received an advanced control system via a secure radio channel communication (instead of communication via fiber optic cable), which makes it possible to use it in the most difficult areas of the terrain.
The missile is capable of striking a powerful tandem cumulative warhead into the most weakened upper armor plates of the enemy unit's turret, which leaves no chance if the enemy's mechanized unit lacks active defense and optoelectronic countermeasures. In addition to the 3rd generation infrared sensor, the seeker also has a 720p TV sensor; as a result, a smokescreen, the use of infrared traps, as well as exposure to laser and high-frequency electromagnetic radiation will be required to repel the impact. Meanwhile, for accurate direction finding of an approaching anti-tank guided missile "Spike-LR2", with the subsequent impact on it with the above means, it is necessary to have all-aspect infrared stations that detect missiles by thermal radiation from rocket engine torches or radar complexes of centimeter / millimeter ranges. "Spike-LR2", with a range of 5500 m, is capable of penetrating up to 900 mm of the steel equivalent behind the "Contact-1" -type DZ.
The main weapon of destruction of the Lynx is a 35-mm automatic cannon “Wotan”, dressed in a “cover” (we talked about it above), integrated into the turret - the combat module “Rheinmetall Lance 2.0”. What is known about this weapon? In fact, this cannon is a conceptual and constructive continuation of the 35-mm Swiss Oerlikon KDG cannon, the production license of which passed into the hands of Rheinmetall AG in the early 2000s. (after the takeover of Oerlikon by the German arms concern). You can meet this gun as part of numerous ground and ship defense platforms of European design, mainly as anti-aircraft guns. For example, as part of the anti-aircraft artillery defense complexes MANTIS and Skyshield (6 and 12 BM guns "Oerlikon-Reinmetall KDG" are capable of targeting from a continuous-review radar complex and OPLK to shoot down mortar shells, UAVs, etc.), as part of the ship-based ZAK "Oerlikon Millennium", or the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun "Skyranger".
The ballistic qualities of this gun are quite impressive and coincide with the Bushmaster III cannon from ATK: the muzzle velocity of the 35x288 PMD 060 APFSDS (APFSDS-T family) is 1440 m / s, due to which a unit of armored vehicles can be hit at a distance of 2 km enemy, which is represented by an armor plate with a thickness of 50 mm at an angle of 60 degrees and about 90 mm at an angle of 0 degrees to the normal. Neither the BMP-2 nor the BMP-3 will be able to withstand the hit of such projectiles into the VLD or NLD at a distance of 1000-1500 meters, and Kurganets-25 from closer distances. The only "panacea" in the confrontation with the "Lynx" can be anti-tank crews armed with "Cornets", heavy infantry fighting vehicles T-15 "Armata", as well as BMPT-72 "Terminator", capable of withstanding shelling from the "Erlikon". The driving performance of the BMP "Lynx KF41", although it does not provide for the forcing of deep water obstacles due to the huge "tank" mass of 44 and 50 tons after being equipped with a dynamic protection system, as well as complexes of active optical-electronic countermeasures MUSS and active protection AMAP-ADS, allow to reach a specific power of 22, 8-26 hp / t, which in combination with MTO from "Renk AG" provides excellent dynamics over rough terrain.
In the final part of our review, we will take a closer look at another interesting concept from the exhibition "Eurosatory-2018" - the main battle tank EMBT "European Main Battle Tank", developed by the Franco-German industrial group KNDS, formed as a result of the merger of the German "Krauss-Maffei Wegmann" and the French NEXTER Defense System. The vehicle is a hybrid of the French AMX-56 "Leclerc" (it borrowed the turret and smoothbore gun) and the German "Leopard-2A7" (this vehicle became the "donor" of the hull and engine compartment). Here we can state the only thing: it took literally three years after the merger of KMW and "Nexter" to design and create a demonstrator, which means that the EMBT program was implemented in a hurry, as a kind of "quick" asymmetric response to the announcement of a promising MBT at the Victory Day parade in 2015 T-14 "Armata" ("Object 148"), because the development of the project of an advanced Franco-German MBT with a 130-mm Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) cannon is only in its infancy, and completion is planned only by the early 30s years. But was the "game" with the creation of a new "armored monster" on the existing base worth the candle? From the point of view of the evolution of network-centric theaters of military operations, it is quite possible, since the Leclerc tower has long been considered the most promising information "cocoon" not only among the tank parks of European NATO member states, but also against the background of the armed forces of other states of the world.
For example, today "Leclercs" plan to equip the most advanced tank information and control system (TIUS) SICS, which will integrate a high-performance fire control system (FCS), as well as redundant commander and gunner terminals for exchanging tactical information with other tank crews, or any other units of technology from friendly units that are equipped with similar data stations. The basis in this case is the standard combined multiplexed data bus MIL-STD-1553B. The SICS system is to replace the aging SIT ICONE TIUS, which is at the disposal of the Leclerc Block III commander. As the main armament of the promising EMBT tank, the KNDS group retains the "Leclerc" 120-mm smoothbore gun CN120-26, 52 caliber long, providing an initial BOPS speed of 1750, which corresponds to the level of the German Rh120-L55. This is quite enough to give the maximum armor penetration of the standard French OFL 120 F2 type BOPS at the level of 650 - 700 mm, or more with the use of the DM63A1. But the cannon is not the whole point.
The armor protection of the Leclerc tower remains at an extremely mediocre level even in comparison with the Leopard-2A7, not to mention the T-90C, M1A2 SEP or Challenger 2. This is confirmed by the eminent information-analytical / historical resource “Tank Power. Steel and Fire "(btvt.narod.ru), and drawings of sections of the Leclerc tower, found on Western resources. Thus, official sources speak of the equivalent durability of the frontal armor plate of the turret within 650-700 mm from armor-piercing feathered subcaliber projectiles and 1150-1200 mm from the CS: confident protection is provided only against the BOPS ZBM-42M "Lekalo" and ZBM-46 "Lead". This is also confirmed by the drawing with measurements of the frontal and side dimensions. As for the shelling of the side projections of the tower at an angle of 60 degrees, their equivalent resistance reaches only 560 mm (protection is provided only against the outdated 125-mm armor-piercing shells "Nadfil-2" and "Mango").
The Leopard-2A7, equipped with massive modular armor plates, has a frontal projection of the turret more than 850 mm, and the sides (with safe maneuvering angles of ± 30 degrees) about 650-670 mm, which is much better than that of the Leclerc. Conclusion: the EMBT project is unprofitable for the German side in advance (a good running gear of the Leopard receives a weakly protected Leclerc tower, while the KMW could independently improve the network-centric qualities of the Leopard by properly digitizing the previous tower); for the French ground forces, the project will not bring absolutely any advantages in terms of survivability on the battlefield. Therefore, the EMBT hybrid tank cannot a priori be regarded as a serious rival for our T-14 Armata.
