"Long arm" of the special operation: combat use of BMPT "Terminator" in Ukraine
Source: otvaga2004.mybb.ru
As part of a special military operation, the Russian military is actively using various latest weapons. Among them, the support combat vehicle stands out. tanks "Terminator". Despite the fact that she has already passed her baptism of fire in Syria, it is in Ukraine that she will have to pass the aptitude test, and the operators themselves will have to understand how to use and in what conditions to use this machine.
In this material, we will consider episodes of the combat use of the Terminator, since so far they are very different from the typical and not always reasonable ideas about the operation of the BMPT as a vehicle exclusively for urban battles.
Source: 3mv.ru
Not just for the city
Before proceeding to the description of the hostilities, it is necessary to talk a little about what the tank support combat vehicle is intended for, since the myths associated with it are a wagon and a small cart. This may lead to questions why the “Terminators” didn’t drive into the thick of the battles in conditional Severodonetsk and didn’t “crush” everyone, because they are intended for urban battles.
In fact, they are not very intended, or rather, this is not their main task. It is widely believed that BMPTs were entirely designed according to the requirements of the military who fought in Afghanistan and Chechnya, where the enemy - mostly tank-dangerous manpower - was in high-lying firing positions that were not possible to get tank weapons, so anti-aircraft guns, etc. This became the basis for the myth firmly attached to the car about its exclusively “urban” and “mountain” orientation.
In fact, the theoretical, quite intersecting with practice, research already in the early 90s looked like this. There are more and more anti-tank weapons on the battlefield, and most of them are portable or transportable on light vehicles. Tanks are not always able to fight them, and infantry fighting vehicles that carry infantry capable of destroying tank-dangerous manpower do not have good armor and are forced to work away from tanks. Equipping tanks with additional anti-personnel weapons - grenade launchers, machine guns or small-caliber guns - is impossible, since their crews are already overloaded. Conclusion: it is necessary to create BMPTs that can effectively operate in the same formation as tanks.
There is no specifics about the use exclusively in urban and mountain battles. Of course, the Terminator in such conditions will show itself better than any BMP (in some cases even better than a tank), but it can most fully realize all its power in space, which is more spacious than a narrow city street or gorge. And episodes of combat use in Ukraine confirm this.
"Terminator" in Ukraine
BMPT on the railway platform. This photo, taken in the second half of February 2022, has been repeatedly used in Western sources as evidence of the possible use of these vehicles in a special operation. Source: otvaga2004.mybb.ru
It just so happened that the "Terminator" has become a kind of dark horse of the special operation, about which not so much is known. Indeed, if you look at the most famous reports about this machine, they are generally limited to three points: at the end of February, the possible use of BMPTs in Ukraine was discussed in the West, in domestic publications this information appeared closer to mid-May, and the official video from the Ministry of Defense came out in July. However, some more specific data is already available.
One of the first appearances of the BMPT "Terminator" in the frame in the special operation zone. Source: yaplakal.com
Perhaps the first significant battle for the BMPT took place on the outskirts of Popasna, which became one of the key points of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Luhansk direction. For a long time, the battles for this settlement mainly thundered along its outer perimeter, which allowed the Ukrainian military to relatively safely change firing positions - often at night, when it is least noticeable.
This is where the Terminators came in handy. Thanks to the remote weapons, these vehicles fired from behind cover at a moving enemy at a great distance, without entering into close combat contact. Looking out for targets with the help of a thermal imager, the crews of the BMPT created a flurry of fire with twin 30-mm cannons, hitting enemy manpower with high-explosive fragmentation shells. A few equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also went into the “expenditure”, which did not present much difficulty for the Ataka-T anti-tank missiles installed on the Terminators.
BMPT "Terminator" in the Severodonetsk direction. Source: masterok.livejournal.com
With the further advance of the allied forces to Severodonetsk, the missiles again found use. From open sources, including major Russian media, it is known that in one of the areas of the breakthrough to this city, our troops collided with a Ukrainian armored group consisting of tanks and other combat vehicles. In the ensuing battle at a considerable distance, two platoons of Terminators fired guided missiles at the enemy.
The main advantages of the Ataka-T missiles are supersonic speed exceeding 500 m/s, which can significantly reduce the time to hit a target, and a tandem cumulative warhead that easily overcomes dynamic protection. This is quite enough to provide an overwhelming advantage over the armor of the Ukrainian T-64B / BV and the T-72M / M1 transferred by the West. Therefore, the result of the battle turned out to be predictable: 8 tanks and several armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed. There were no losses or serious damage on the part of the Terminators.
It is also worth noting that, according to media reports, a rather interesting event took place in this area. During the ensuing battle, the Ukrainian side reported a breakthrough of Russian units, after which a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter flew to the aid of the defenders in the clash area to provide fire support from the air.
Apparently, the helicopter could not fly for a long time and was shot down. Sources claim that it was the Terminator tank support fighting vehicle that shot him down. What hit the Mi-8 VVSU - guided missiles or automatic guns - is not reported. There is also no reliable information that could confirm the fact of the destruction of the BMPT rotorcraft. Nevertheless, the Terminator has the opportunity for this, because this incident could very well be real.
BMPT interact with tanks. Presumably: the area of the Lisichansk - Bakhmut highway. Source: otvaga2044.mybb.ru
Realizing their capabilities to destroy tank-dangerous weapons, BMPTs also showed themselves in the immediate vicinity of Severodonetsk, which has become a symbol of the crumbling Ukrainian defense within the territories of the LDNR. Here, the "Terminators", "working out" the enemy's infantry, also fought with armored vehicles. A noteworthy episode was when two T-72M1 tanks transferred by Poland came into view of this combat vehicle. One of them was destroyed by the Terminator, and the crew of the second decided to retreat and withdraw from the battle. According to available information, later this Ukrainian tank by mistake went almost head-on to the Russian units and shared the fate of his brother.
Now the Terminators have been relocated to the Seversk direction, where, according to the already established tradition, they continue heavy battles with Ukrainian infantry and military equipment.
All these are just separate episodes of the combat path of the BMPT in Ukraine. Much, if not all, remains behind the scenes due to the fact that the vehicles are actually being tested in the conditions of combined arms combat, since Syria has become something of a warm-up for them. Nevertheless, based on military reports, the reviews about the Terminator turned out to be expectedly good, and the fact that not a single unit was lost in two months speaks of the high qualities of this product.
Conclusion
Indeed, the Russian military is trying to use the “Terminators” as the very “long arm” capable of destroying targets threatening tanks at long distances, which is facilitated, among other things, by supersonic missiles capable of hitting at a horizon visibility range of 5 or more kilometers. And the statement of the designer of this machine, who claimed that the BMPT in this version is a sniper rifle, once again confirms this.
In general, based on media reports and other information channels, the tactics of the BMPT units are as follows: shoot back at the most dangerous areas, suppressing the possibility of return fire, and provide tanks with the opportunity to finish off the most protected objects that can only be effectively hit by a large caliber.
However, you should not think that the Terminator is an exclusively armored tank destroyer. Against manpower - and it is one of his priority goals - he is also actively working. It’s just that infantry is often not included in the track record - it’s hard to count, and the tank, like prey, looks more solid. From this, messages in the style of “5 tanks / combat vehicles destroyed” appear much more often than reports on the number of knocked out infantry.
A separate line is reports of battles in settlements. When clearing them, "Terminators" are also used, and quite successfully. In this case, as already mentioned, they look much better than other equipment. But it is unlikely that we are talking about deep raids in the quarters most saturated with anti-tank weapons, where friendly infantry and artillery come to the fore.
In conclusion, it should be added that the BMPT was not immediately accepted by the military, who complained about the lack of landing and problems of organizational and staffing order. It was treated with caution even after the tests in Syria. Nevertheless, right now the fate of this machine is actually being decided and, given the positive dynamics of use, one can already hope that the Terminators will appear in the army in much larger numbers, and also find potential buyers.
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