Upgrading fleet of tanks: modernized T-90, “Almaty” and BMPT
The last week the international military-technical forum “Army-2017” became a platform not only for demonstrating the latest developments of the defense industry. During this event, important announcements were also made and new contracts of one kind or another were signed. So, 24 of August, the Ministry of Defense and Uralvagonzavod Scientific and Production Corporation signed several agreements on carrying out certain works, or on the construction and supply of the required equipment. The total value of five contracts exceeded 24 billion rubles.
According to officials, in the foreseeable future, the Uralvagonzavod research and production complex should continue to repair and upgrade the existing armored vehicles. At the same time, it will have to re-launch the production of some types of equipment, as well as master the serial production of other samples. According to the results of the implementation of all new contracts, the army will have to receive a significant number of tanks and other armored vehicles of a number of modern types.
In accordance with the new contracts, the specialists of Uralvagonzavod will again be engaged in the repair and renovation of armored vehicles operated by the troops. Serial main tanks of T-72B, T-80BV and T-90 types will be sent for overhaul. Similar work has already been carried out under previous contracts, and one of their results was the emergence of a significant number of upgraded combat vehicles, differing from base tanks in higher technical, operational and combat characteristics.
Reportedly, the recovery process will be available tanks of three types. The number of cars that will have to be repaired has not yet been clarified. Available information on previous similar contracts suggest that in the foreseeable future, Uralvagonzavod will repair up to several hundred armored vehicles.
Another contract, signed during the “Army-2017”, is intended to upgrade the fleet of T-90 family tanks. It should be noted that this is the first such agreement with 2011 of the year, when it was decided to abandon the procurement of T-90 and upgrade the armored forces by upgrading existing T-72. Since that time, specialists of NPK Uralvagonzavod have developed new designs of armored vehicles, and one of the latest developments has now become the subject of a contract.
The new agreement provides for the release of the main tank T-90M. It is a deep modernization of the previous machines of its family and therefore has a number of noticeable differences. According to previous reports on this subject, in the foreseeable future, the modernization of the new project can go through all existing tanks of old modifications. In addition, according to some data, the possibility of building new T-90M from scratch is not excluded.
The T-90A tank modernization project with the symbol T-90М was developed by the Ural Transport Engineering Design Bureau, which is part of the Uralvagonzavod corporation. It was created in the framework of the development work "Breakthrough-3" and implies a major update of the existing armored vehicles. To obtain the maximum possible characteristics and improved capabilities, it was decided to use some of the nodes and systems created earlier for the T-14 tank based on the Armata platform.
The new modernization project involves the most serious restructuring of the existing combat compartment and a radical upgrade of the onboard equipment. According to reports, the T-90M should carry an 125-mm smooth-bore gun of the type 2А82-1М, similar to that used in the T-14 project. It is proposed to control the armament complex using the Kalina fire control system. Significant processing in the new project has undergone protection armored vehicles. The updated T-90 gets enhanced dynamic protection and cutting lattice screens. It is proposed to equip it with the Afganit and Malachite complexes, created for the next generation tanks.
Available information about the new contract and information about the promising tank allows us to present the consequences of the production of such equipment. First of all, the modernization of the existing T-90A for the T-90М project will lead to a noticeable increase in the combat effectiveness of armored units and formations. In addition, unification with the T-14 tank for armaments and defense systems will, to some extent, reduce the cost of production and operation of both the upgraded T-90M and the completely new T-14. Finally, the release of tanks with the letter “M” through the repair and modernization of existing equipment will provide some savings. In the light of the high cost of any modern military equipment, this advantage will not look superfluous.
During the Army-2017 forum, the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense also announced part of their plans for the new Armat project. As it turned out, such equipment can already be produced in significant quantities, but the command still does not see the point in large orders. Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said that before the 2020, the army would procure and receive X-NUMX T-100 production tanks. However, the military department is not in a hurry to start larger shipments.
The reasons for this decision lie in the potential of existing technology. According to the Deputy Minister of Defense, in their modernization potential, the existing tanks of the T-72, T-80 and T-90 families are not inferior to the leading armored vehicles. In this regard, before the 2020-22, the armed forces intend to focus on the existing technology. At the same time, the promising T-14 tank, built on the basis of the unified Armata platform, will be a "trump card" that the army can "play" at any time. Yu. Borisov also noted that, together with the newest tanks, ground forces will have a noticeable advantage over the likely adversary.
24 August also signed another contract for the supply of armored combat vehicles of the new model. After many years of disputes and expectations, it was decided to adopt a combat vehicle supporting tanks BMPT "Terminator". The first project of this family appeared quite a long time ago, but for certain reasons, the Russian army did not begin to adopt such equipment. At the same time, several foreign countries showed interest in such equipment, after which an agreement was signed on the supply of serial machines. With considerable delay, the Russian Ministry of Defense also ordered such equipment.
For some reason, the military department decided not to disclose the details of the new order. The number of ordered tank support vehicles is not reported. Also, the military did not specify which of the modifications BMPT will have to go into service. According to various estimates and according to data from unofficial sources published by the media, the first batch of "Terminators" may include at least a dozen armored vehicles. This may be a vehicle built on a modified chassis of the main battle tank T-90А. However, the official data on this issue was not announced, and therefore the production vehicles for the Russian army may have a different configuration.
To date, enterprises from the corporation "Uralvagonzavod" has developed several versions of the combat vehicle support tanks, based on different tracked chassis and different composition of weapons. This allows you to build equipment that best meets the requirements of the customer. In this case, despite all the differences, the existing modifications BMPT carry similar weapons. All of them are equipped with a full revolving turret with two 30-mm automatic cannons and launchers for four Attack guided missiles. Also provides for the installation of a machine gun and automatic grenade launchers. How exactly the BMPT Terminator will look like for the Russian ground forces is not yet specified.
Recent reports of plans for the development of the fleet of armored vehicles, the modernization of existing machines and the procurement of new models are able to show what will happen in the next few years. Contracts for the construction of a completely new technology, including the latest models, are present in the plans of the Ministry of Defense, but much attention is paid to updating the existing equipment. What is important, namely the modernization of existing combat vehicles will be the main way to update the fleet.
Over the past few years, the defense industry has completed several contracts, repairing and updating existing tanks for new projects. To date, the modernization of the project T-72B3 passed more than 1000 armored vehicles available. According to the latest reports, the upgrade of the T-72 drill and other types of tanks will continue in the foreseeable future. Due to this, the number of modern armored vehicles will increase markedly, allowing the potential of the troops to be increased without the need for relatively expensive construction of new vehicles.
According to estimates by Russian military leaders, the T-72, T-80 and T-90 families have not yet realized their full potential in the context of modernization, and therefore can be updated to obtain new results. According to current plans, the modernization of the existing equipment will continue until the beginning of the next decade. It can be assumed that the contracts signed last week will not be the last. After they are completed, the industry will be able to receive new similar orders.
In parallel with the modernization of old tanks, it is planned to prepare for the full-scale production of armored vehicles of new models. At the same time, based on considerations of economy and expediency, while the military department sees no point in mass production of the newest T-14 tanks. Until the end of the decade, only a hundred of these machines will be received. Probably, the assembly rate "Armat" will grow only at the beginning of the next decade, after the completion of the planned modernization of older tanks.
Of particular interest is the contract for the production of tank support vehicles. The first sample of the BMPT family, the “199 Object” or “Frame”, was created at the beginning of the last decade and then regularly demonstrated to potential customers or the general public. Nevertheless, the Russian army was not interested in such equipment, and Kazakhstan became its first customer. Not so long ago, the Syrian army showed interest in tank support vehicles.
To date, it is aware of the existence of three projects BMPT. The first involves the construction of an armored vehicle based on the T-90 tank chassis, the second uses the T-72 hull, and the third is proposed to be built on the basis of the Armata platform. Which of these options has become the subject of the order - is still unknown. The Russian army could be interested in any of the proposed modifications. In all three cases, a high degree of unification with other models of armored vehicles, including serial ones, will be provided, which will give known advantages.
At the recent military-technical forum "Army-2017", the military and defense industries signed several new contracts, the purpose of which is to upgrade the fleet of armored vehicles. The main features of these agreements show that military leaders intend to retain some approaches to the implementation of such plans, but at the same time wish to supplement them with new principles. As in the recent past, the main way to update the park will be repair and modernization of current projects. At the same time, unlike in previous years, now there is the possibility of building completely new cars, although in not too many.
Such plans will be implemented at least until the beginning of the next decade. The result of the work will be the emergence of a fairly numerous group of updated and modernized tanks with extended service life, supplemented by completely new BMPT and T-14 vehicles. This will lead to a noticeable increase in the combat capability of the ground forces with a known influence on the country's overall defense capability. It can be assumed that in the future the military and industry will begin to implement new projects and contracts, but at the moment the question of the implementation of existing plans is relevant.
On the materials of the sites:
http://ria.ru/
http://tass.ru/
http://interfax.ru/
http://lenta.ru/
https://vpk.name/
https://tvzvezda.ru/
http://gurkhan.blogspot.ru/
- Ryabov Kirill
- Vitalykuzmin.net, Gurkhan.blogspot.ru
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