Bucephalus and BTR-82A: conceptual confrontation in Ukraine
Source: www.wpristav.ru
The best "Bucephalus" is a dead "Bucephalus"
Before comparing Russian and Ukrainian armored personnel carriers, it is necessary to understand what place the Bucephalus occupies in the Bandera army. On the side of Ukrainian nationalism, a wide range of outright junk is involved. We offer a small selection of the most ancient equipment, the losses of which are documented.
So, by the beginning of the summer, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had lost at least four BTR-60s out of six available, and they were captured intact. Most likely, the vehicles were either abandoned by the crew during the retreat, or abandoned in disrepair. Interestingly, out of 15 lost vehicles of the next generation BTR-70, three were destroyed. The rest ended up with the allied forces in an untouched state. Due to the greater distribution of the BTR-80, the share of losses in battle is already almost 50% or 19 vehicles out of 41. Twenty-two armored personnel carriers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were thrown onto the battlefield in good condition. In the future, the machines replenished the fleet of allied troops.
It is curious that Bandera lost most of the equipment in the first two months of the special operation, and the BTR-60 and BTR-70 by the end of March. And if the modest stocks of the "sixty" are exhausted, then the number of BTR-70 in Ukraine reaches two hundred. Approximately the same number of vehicles of the eightieth series are in the reserve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard. Another question is what condition these machines are in and whether they are capable of conducting combat work at all.
Ancient armored vehicles are still found in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Source: postimg.cc
The modern BTR-3, a further development of the concept of Soviet armored vehicles, is quite rightly used at the forefront, which is why it suffers the greatest losses. Bandera lost at least 17 armored vehicles, of which 11 were destroyed. This is a lot - in total there are no more than a hundred such armored personnel carriers in Ukraine. Note that these statistics are based solely on photo and video evidence presented in the public domain. Therefore, the losses of Ukrainian nationalists in light armored vehicles can be much higher. But definitely no less.
Destroyed and captured "Bucephali". Source: postimg.cc
Now about the main character of today stories - armored personnel carrier "Bucephalus" (BTR-4E). The machine was adopted by Ukraine in 2012 and since then has been sold in the army with a circulation of 100-110 copies. It is authentically known that 39 "Bucephalus" Bandera lost irretrievably. At the same time, only 14 copies were destroyed, the rest were captured by the Allied forces. And, by the way, they are quite effectively used against the former owners. In addition, one BSEM-4K ambulance was destroyed, and one armored "medic" BMM-4S passed into the hands of the allied forces intact. This special equipment was created on the basis of "Bucephalus".
Favorite horse of Macedonian
There is one very important point in the conceptual comparison of the domestic BTR-83A and the Ukrainian BTR-4/4E Bucephalus. In fairness, the combat capabilities of the Russian armored personnel carrier should be compared with the Bandera BTR-3. These are machines of the same class, which are a continuation of the concept of the Soviet BTR-80. And it’s more logical to combine Bucephalus with the latest Russian Boomerang, which, by the way, they dreamed of putting into production back in 2015.
In this confrontation, the domestic machine is completely preferable to the Bandera counterpart. But we see the Boomerang platforms so far only at parades, and in the Military Acceptance program. But the BTR-4E "Bucephalus" is fighting, and quite well. Restrainedly positive reviews about this car and the new owners of the allied forces.
A little about the design of the armored personnel carrier. Sadly, but the Ukrainian car is a step forward in comparison with the Russian BTR-82A. First of all, in terms of layout solutions. Engineers of the Kharkov Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering radically changed the filling of the armored personnel carrier, the roots of which go back to the Soviet "eighties". The armored car was brought as close as possible to the BMP, the engine was moved to the center of the body, and hinged doors were designed at the stern. This is a fundamental improvement that allows infantry to safely leave the Bucephalus.
For comparison: the BTR-82A retained hatches for landing on the sides of the hull. Given the specifics of the modern use of armored personnel carriers, when they and Tanks support with fire, and city buildings are stormed, it looks like an anachronism. However, who now uses the troop compartment of armored personnel carriers for its intended purpose? At the same time, the placement of the engine compartment in the middle of the Bucephalus forces you to carry air with you in the so-called passageway.
The advantages of the armored personnel carrier include the convenience of the control compartment, which the Ukrainians copied from the German TPz 1 Fuchs. The workplaces of the commander and driver are equipped with hinged doors and panoramic armored glazing. The most interesting thing is that such amenities were abandoned in the promising BTR-4MV, which was supposed to become the successor to the Bucephalus.
BTR-4E "Bucephalus". Source: btvt.info
Location of the BTR-4E chassis compartments.
1 - department of management; 2 - passageway; 3 - fighting compartment; 4 - engine-transmission compartment. Source: btvt.info
1 - department of management; 2 - passageway; 3 - fighting compartment; 4 - engine-transmission compartment. Source: btvt.info
An important advantage of the Ukrainian armored personnel carrier can be considered the engine of the 3TD series. This is a two-stroke turbo piston diesel engine with a capacity of 500 hp. With. performed by 3TD-3 and 600 l. With. in version 3TD-4. The engine was developed in the famous Kharkov design bureau for engine building on the basis of the tank 5TDF.
Recall that this unique engine with two crankshafts and counter-moving pistons was created in the Soviet Union in parallel with the T-64 tank. The design raised many questions related to low reliability, operational features and cost. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian engine builders did not abandon this concept and slowly completed the 5TDF in Kharkov. Two out of five cylinders were removed from the engine and a whole line of 3TDs was received. By the way, work on this project was going on back in Soviet times, but it was only possible to bring the engines to serial fitness only by the beginning of the 2000s.
The plans included the total replacement of Soviet engines with the Ukrainian series - 3TD-1 (280 hp) was intended for the BTR-70, BTR-80; 3DT-2 (400 hp) - for BMP-2, "Shilka"; 3DT-3 (500 hp) was considered for artillery tractors and even for the American M113; 3DT-4 (600 hp) - potentially for BMP-3 and 2S3 Acacia self-propelled guns. For "Bucephalus" borrowed the last two models of 500 and 600 liters. with., which are unified by the cylinder-piston group with tank engines 5TDF and 6TD.
If we compare the Russian 300-horsepower diesel KamAZ-740.14-300, which is installed on the BTR-82A, with Ukrainian counterparts, then the 3DT-3 / -4 look more perfect. At least on paper. First of all, “suitcases” (the slang name for Kharkov motors) are much more powerful and take up less space. The overall power of the 3TD-3 is 762 hp. s. / m3, 3TD-4 is already 915 liters. s./m3.
Naturally, powerful motors provide Bucephalus with a similar level of armor protection with high mobility. Specific power can reach an impressive 28 hp. s. / t, for the BTR-82A - no more than 20 liters. s./t. An important advantage of the Ukrainian armored personnel carrier is its Parus combat module, which, in addition to a 30-mm cannon and a 7,62-mm machine gun, is equipped with a 40-mm grenade launcher and a Barrier ATGM with four missiles.
For this reason, some experts call "Bucephalus" a wheeled infantry fighting vehicle. This may be true if you do not take into account the bulletproof armor of the vehicle. The conditional "volley mass" and its lethal effect will be much more serious than the effectiveness of the Russian 30-mm gun with a 7,62-mm machine gun from the BTR-82A. Imagine a hypothetical confrontation between machines on the battlefield. Of course, Bucephalus will have a slight advantage due to the length of the ATGM arm, but in most cases everything will depend on the reaction of the crews.
Both cars are actually protected from bullets, and whoever first fires a burst of cannon at the enemy is guaranteed to be the winner. The main caliber of the BTR-4E is a pirated copy of the Russian 2A72 cannon, made at a completely different technological level. This increases the likelihood of jamming and failure, which has happened more than once during the fighting. If we compare fire control systems, then here the machines have approximate parity.
A few spoons of tar
The reader may get the false impression that "Bucephalus" is a real "wunderwaffe" (miraculousweapon) of the Kyiv regime. Actually it is not. Any technique, especially combat, is a set of compromises. And the BTR-4E is the most striking confirmation of this. Even during the development of the armored personnel carrier, a lot of serious shortcomings were revealed. The high-tech 3TD-3 engine with excellent liter power consumes oil mercilessly - the average consumption is 1–1,2 l / h.
The resource of the engine, created on the basis of the tank, barely reaches 1 hours, and the gearbox is designed for only 000 thousand kilometers. Kharkiv engine builders are not able to produce such a complex engine in the required quantity and, most importantly, with high quality. The products of the KMDB plant were rejected on average in half of the cases. That is why a German Deutz diesel engine and an Allison automatic transmission were installed on the Bucephalus part. Engine power 20 l. with., but the resource is much larger, and the unit requires less maintenance.
BTR-82A. Source: shraibikus.com
If 3TD-3 is unified with tank diesel engines, and this is presented as an achievement of the Ukrainian defense industry, then there are even fewer problems with the repair of the above-mentioned and proven KamAZ-740.14‑300. Spare parts for the engine can be found at any auto repair shop.
The whole history of Bucephalus is an attempt to bring outdated equipment closer to NATO standards with little bloodshed. Despite the complete reconfiguration, the armored personnel carrier did not receive adequate mine protection. Only in the troop compartment, the chairs were attached to the ceiling, but the legs of the fighters were left on the floor, which is fraught with injuries during explosions. The problem is the insufficient height of the body of the armored vehicle.
The mass of the BTR-4E exceeds 20 tons, which affects the patency of the vehicle. During the special operation, especially in the initial period, several Bucephalus simply got stuck in the mud, from which the lighter BTR-82A would have got out without difficulty. Due to the heavy front axles, the Ukrainian armored personnel carrier buries its nose in soft soils and is then unable to get out on its own.
A few more Bucephalus from the special operation zone. The date on the photo marks the day of death/captivity. Source: postimg.cc
The buoyancy of the armored personnel carrier also leaves much to be desired. The waterline runs just below the upper edge of the body, which eliminates the use of the slightest disturbance on the water. The BTR-82A swims much better, but, like its opponent, it has serious problems when it comes ashore from the water. The Bucephalus suspension, unified with the predecessor of the BTR-80, was not ready to withstand the large mass of the vehicle. Since 2014, the repair of suspension units in combat conditions has become a headache for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard.
Approximately this should be the armored personnel carrier of the special operation "Z". The photo shows an experimental Russian BTR-87. Source: missiles.ru
And finally, the main thing is the manufacturing quality of the BTR-4E. The fact is that at the Malyshev Plant, almost 100% of the equipment dates back to the times of the USSR. Plus chronic lack of money and greed management. As a result, some of the Bucephalus hulls were welded with cracks, and some were generally assembled from the BTR-60 hulls. Evil tongues claim that such cannibalism has become the norm after 2014. The Iraqis, who dared to purchase a batch of Ukrainian armored personnel carriers, simply flooded the design bureau with complaints, and some of the vehicles were simply returned.
However, the shortcomings of the BTR-4E in no way set off the total obsolescence of the BTR-82A. The Russian armored vehicle, although assembled from proven solutions, is completely unsuitable for the role of the workhorse of the Z special operation.
It is interesting that in 2017 we could have our own Bucephalus - this is an experimental BTR-87, in many respects similar in layout to the BMP-1. But it was decided to abandon the project, obviously in favor of the more promising Boomerang. The result of such castling is visible to all.
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