ISDM "Agriculture": production and supplies will continue
ISDM "Agriculture" on Red Square, June 24, 2020
Not so long ago, the engineering remote mining system (ISDM) "Agriculture" was adopted by the Russian army. Serial products of this type are regularly supplied to various engineering units, which use them in exercises and in real operations. The system performed well, and the Department of Defense decided to continue the production and re-equipment of troops.
Rearmament continues
The new plans of the Ministry of Defense regarding the ISDM "Agriculture" were reported by the publication "Izvestia" on the last day of March. The information was obtained from unnamed sources in the defense department. According to their data, the already known picture is specified, but some details are not reported.
The sources recalled that earlier there were doubts about the need for a promising ISDM. However, following the results of the first two years of operation of the equipment, such questions disappeared. "Agriculture" showed itself well in the conditions of exercises and in the course of combat work at the front.
As a result, a decision was made to continue the production and supply of equipment to the troops. According to Izvestia, by the end of this year, several engineering units and formations from all military districts will once again receive ISDM "Agriculture". Deliveries are planned to be carried out as new products are manufactured.
"Agriculture" in the exercises
The sources did not provide further details. The planned number of new ISDMs is not reported and the recipient compounds are not specified. However, it is obvious that at least some of this information will become known later. In the recent past, the Ministry of Defense regularly reported on the transfer of newly manufactured ISDM "Agriculture" to various formations. Probably, they will not make a secret of the next deliveries either.
One way or another, the engineering units of the ground forces already have a certain number of ISDMs manufactured in recent years, and this year their number will increase. Their ability to install mine-explosive barriers will be improved accordingly.
Modern technology
ISDM "Agriculture" is one of the latest domestic developments in the field of equipment for engineering troops. This system has been developed since the mid-XNUMXs by the Tula NPO Splav (part of the Technodinamika holding). The aim of the project was to create a new means of setting mine-explosive barriers in a wide range of ranges and using different ammunition.
Already in 2016, NPO Splav presented the general appearance of the future system, but the development of the project continued until the end of the decade. Then an experimental technique was built and tested. In June 2020, at the parade on Red Square, the “Agriculture” system was shown to the public for the first time. Then it was repeatedly demonstrated at specialized exhibitions.
A few weeks after the first public display of ISDM "Agriculture" was involved in a major military exercise. Engineering systems carried out the laying of mines in the path of a mock enemy and demonstrated all their characteristic advantages. In the future, the machines "Agriculture" several times participated in other maneuvers.
In December 2020, it became known about the launch of mass production and the delivery of new ISDMs to the troops. After that, the Ministry of Defense repeatedly and regularly reported on the transfer of "Agriculture" to one or another part of the engineering troops. Connections of all military districts received new equipment, and the following deliveries were expected. Now it is reported that these processes will continue this year.
From February-March 2022, the engineering units at Zemledeliya have been participating in the Special Operation to Protect Donbass. They carry out mining of remote areas in order to influence enemy maneuvers. Properly and timely planted minefield allows you to drastically limit the movement of enemy troops, completely block them and / or inflict losses.
Videos showing the process of remote mining in the form of launching rockets with special equipment have repeatedly appeared in the public domain. Also known are some of the results of setting barriers, both in the form of individual mines on the ground near the positions of the enemy, and in the form of his damaged equipment.
Combat use of ISDM in the zone of the Special Operation
According to known data, the ISDM "Agriculture" is used in parallel with other mining tools that carry other ammunition and show different characteristics. The presence of several different systems allows you to flexibly and effectively solve all the tasks of setting various mines, both near and at a distance.
Jet system
ISDM "Agriculture" is distinguished by a certain simplicity of design, which, however, allows you to effectively solve all the tasks. In fact, the remote mining system is a multiple launch rocket system with special ammunition and some related devices.
The system is built on a four-axle chassis of the KamAZ brand with sufficient characteristics of mobility, cross-country ability and carrying capacity. An oscillating launcher in the form of a frame with a hydraulic drive is mounted on the cargo area of the chassis. Two transport-launch containers of shells are fixed on the frame.
TPK is a rectangular structure, inside which 25 launch tubes are placed for missiles. The total ammunition load, ready to fire, is 50 rounds. Reloading the launcher is done by simply replacing the TPK. In this process, a transport-loading vehicle with a loading platform and a crane-manipulator is used.
On board the "Agriculture" there are navigation and communications equipment, as well as a fire control system. The latter calculates the data for firing and controls the aiming. In addition, there is a mine programming device right inside the missiles, with the help of which the operating time of the ammunition is set before self-destruction.
The composition of the ISDM "Agriculture" includes 122-mm (according to other sources, 140-mm) solid propellant rockets. It is known about the existence of two types of missiles with different cluster warhead equipment. They carry anti-tank and anti-personnel mines of modern models. The flight range is within 5-15 km. At the end point, the load is shed and dissipated over a large elliptical area.
Probably, the development of new ammunition is already underway. Such products will allow you to add new types of mines to the ammunition system. In addition, there is a fundamental possibility of increasing the firing range. At the same time, a significant modernization of the combat vehicle will not be needed. In fact, only an update of the OMS software will be required.
Big update
Thus, in just the past few years, the promising ISDM "Agriculture" has passed all the necessary tests and received a recommendation for adoption, after which it went into series and ended up in the troops. The transfer of new products of this type is regularly reported, and since last year their work has been demonstrated as part of a real military operation.
Based on the results of testing and combat use, it was decided to continue purchasing ISDM "Agriculture". The next serial products will go to combat units this year, immediately after the assembly is completed. How many combat vehicles will be built before the end of the year and whether production will continue in the future has not yet been reported. However, the positive results of these processes can already be seen.
Information