About damage to Ukrainian armored vehicles
The so-called anti-terrorist operation in the south-eastern regions of Ukraine continues. The new authorities, faced with fierce resistance, are forced to throw into the battle new units equipped with various weapons and military equipment. In mid-April, it became known that the units of the newly formed National Guard should receive the latest Ukrainian armored personnel carriers BTR-4 in several versions. A few weeks after the appearance of such messages, a new technique of this type took part in battles for the first time.
Side view of the BTR-4E and the BTR-80А / 82А (photo http://andrei-bt.livejournal.com)
photo http://andrei-bt.livejournal.com
At the end of May and the beginning of June, photographs of two Ukrainian armored vehicles that came under fire were published. It was reported that at the end of May the ambulance machine BSEM-4K based on the BTR-4 armored personnel carrier as part of the convoy was moving along the Slavyansk-Izyum road, where it was ambushed by the “terrorists”. It was also reported that the car was aimed fire from two sides of the road. After such a bombardment, the car needed minor repairs and the replacement of some damaged parts. A few days later, photographs of two BTR-4E armored troop-carriers that took part in the battle near Slavyansk 3 were published. Photos were accompanied by comments, according to which the cars were subjected to intensive shelling from a rifle weaponsand were also attacked using hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers.
Despite the damage received, both armored vehicles were able to return to their bases, due to which journalists had the opportunity to make and publish photographs of the vehicles that participated in the battles. The current "anti-terrorist operation" is actually the first major armed conflict with the participation of the latest Ukrainian armored personnel carriers BTR-4 and their modifications. Thus, the existing photographs are able to somewhat solve the issue of protecting armored personnel carriers and their combat skills in general.
It was alleged that the ambulance machine BSEM-4K (photos dated 23 in May) was ambushed on the Slavyansk-Izyum highway. In addition, the photos were accompanied by a commentary, according to which an aimed fire was conducted on the vehicle and an unknown shooter tried to hit "through bulletproof glass, headlights, wheels." Indeed, in the existing photos one can see traces of bullets from precisely these parts of the car. So, on the side armored windows of the hull there are characteristic spots from bullet hits, broken headlights and a searchlight on the roof of the car, as well as at least one wheel.
photo http://twower.livejournal.com
As the very fact of the existence of photographs of the shelled BSEM-4K, the damage could not immobilize her, and she reached the base or destination. In addition, it should be noted that all damage recorded in the photographs is concentrated in front of the machine. Images of traces of firing of the aft compartment with medical equipment are absent. From this we can conclude that the attacking militias did not fire directly on the ambulance and she only got random bullets. As for the aim fire version on the most vulnerable parts of the vehicle, it can be refuted by a small amount of noticeable damage.
Judging by the damage, only a few bullets and, possibly, fragments hit the ambulance BSEM-4K captured in the photographs. According to reports, the body of the BTR-4 armored personnel carrier and vehicles on its base meet the requirements of 3 of the NATO standard level STANAG 4569 and withstand the hit of armor-piercing rifle bullets of 7,62 mm. From this it follows that the machine that came under fire only encountered small arms, the capabilities of which are insufficient for its guaranteed defeat. Thus, damage to the headlights, glass and wheels can not fully demonstrate the level of protection of the machine.
Much more interesting are the photographs of two BTR-4E National Guard armored personnel carriers who were damaged in the 3 battle of June near Slavyansk. These combat vehicles received a greater number of various damage, some of which may be the subject of dispute. It should be recalled that the BTR-4E armored personnel carriers, equipped with the Sail combat module with a 30-mm automatic cannon, 30-mm automatic grenade launcher and 7,62-mm machine gun, were originally intended for Iraq. However, last year, the Iraqi side refused to accept another batch of Ukrainian equipment, citing a manufacturing defect, first of all, cracks in the buildings. After months of unsuccessful attempts to transfer the equipment to the customer, all armored personnel carriers were returned back to Ukraine. It is not accepted by Iraq armored vehicles are currently being transferred to the armed forces and the National Guard of Ukraine.
The BTR-4E armored personnel carriers that participated in the 3 battle of May received a lot of damage. The most noticeable damage to one of the machines is the numerous deformations of the anti-cumulative grids. The front and side grilles of the car are fairly bent. In addition, they have bunches of grass or some other "natural material". The side grilles of the second armored personnel carrier are altogether “hung up” with grass, although they do not have serious damage. The state of the lattices of the first armored personnel carrier became the object of several disputes: lovers of military equipment tried to identify the causes of such deformations, basing their versions on existing photographs. Deformation of the lattices in combination with grass can say that the armored personnel carrier, escaping from the shelling, broke through some obstacles like green spaces. Therefore, there are no traces of detonation of cumulative grenades near the damaged areas of the grids.
On the cases of technology there are numerous traces of bullet hits. Since the fire, apparently, was conducted from automata, all these traces have the form of small dents. This reaffirms the level of protection of the hulls, which makes it possible to stop the bullets of pistols and machine guns. At the same time, the enemy’s bullets were able to damage several tires, due to which the vehicles had to return to the base with the help of a tire inflation system. Several light fixtures are broken. Some of the photos show the seats of the landing, stained with blood. According to Ukrainian sources, the armored personnel carrier took the wounded out of the battlefield, they were injured outside the vehicle.
All damage to the cars were caused by small arms, but there is reason to believe that the militia from Slavyansk used more serious weapons on 3 in May. One of the armored personnel carriers (it can be recognized by the bent anti-cumulative grids) has several characteristic damage. So, the right panel of its combat module "Sail" is covered with soot and has a small dent with chips along the edges. Similar signs of burning or exploding are found on a small portion of the roof and in pursuit of a tower. Moreover, at the very pursuit of the tower there are two through holes of unknown origin. They can be a trace of an armor-piercing bullet of small arms, including large-caliber, but another origin of the holes cannot be ruled out - a defeat by a cumulative grenade. In favor of the version about the defeat by a bullet, the fact that a few days later a car with characteristic bent anti-cumulative grids was again seen on the battlefield. In addition, it should be remembered that the militia have a certain number of large-caliber small arms, including anti-tank rifles from the times of the Great Patriotic War.
The evidence of the use of anti-tank grenade launchers can be considered characteristic traces of soot on the turret sheet, the chase and the lower surface of the tower. Small arms ammunition, in contrast to the cumulative grenades like PG-7В, simply cannot leave such a mark. It can also be assumed that one hole in the armor (probably the bottom one) was made by a grenade, and the other - by an armor-piercing bullet. What is the condition of the combat module "Parus" - is unknown. Such damage to the mechanisms responsible for the rotation of the tower can have a variety of consequences, from the need for minor repairs to the replacement of the entire combat module. The state of the combat module is unknown, because of which it is impossible to draw conclusions about the degree and severity of damage.
Causes certain issues soot on the right frontal panel of the tower. She says that the armor plate was exposed to a flame or explosion, for example, an anti-tank grenade. However, the version of the grenade is not confirmed by the penetration of the armor plate. Instead of a through hole, there is only a small dent in it. Similar traces of burning or explosion, but with a hole next to each other, are on the right side block of the combat module, located near the smoked frontal plate.
Probably one of the armored personnel carriers BTR-4E really came under fire using anti-tank rocket launchers. It is possible that it was precisely because of this that the crew of the car was forced to urgently leave the battlefield, breaking through some obstacles that led to damage to the anti-cumulative grids. In this case, a logical and logical question arises: why couldn’t rocket grenades fail to inflict fatal damage on an armored personnel carrier?
On the account of the militia-grenade launchers, there are already several destroyed and burned armored vehicles of the enemy, but on May 3 this list was not replenished with another armored personnel carrier. If, as part of the militia unit, there really were grenade launchers, they could miss and not hit the vital units of the BTR-4E fired at. Thus, two armored personnel carriers were able to return from the battlefield only because of the failure of the grenade throwers.
The armored vehicles of the Ukrainian army and the National Guard that we examined once again confirm two long-known truths. Firstly, modern armored personnel carriers are really able to protect the crew from small arms bullets. Secondly, even the old models of anti-tank grenade launchers are a serious threat to armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and the fate of this technology seriously depends on the skills of the grenade launcher. This means that the militia from Slavyansk, Lugansk, or Donetsk, using the weapons they have, are fully capable of resisting the troops, the National Guard and the militants, inflicting serious blows on them and disabling the equipment.
On the materials of the sites:
http://andrei-bt.livejournal.com/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
http://twower.livejournal.com/
http://btvt.narod.ru/
Side view of the BTR-4E and the BTR-80А / 82А (photo http://andrei-bt.livejournal.com)
photo http://andrei-bt.livejournal.com
At the end of May and the beginning of June, photographs of two Ukrainian armored vehicles that came under fire were published. It was reported that at the end of May the ambulance machine BSEM-4K based on the BTR-4 armored personnel carrier as part of the convoy was moving along the Slavyansk-Izyum road, where it was ambushed by the “terrorists”. It was also reported that the car was aimed fire from two sides of the road. After such a bombardment, the car needed minor repairs and the replacement of some damaged parts. A few days later, photographs of two BTR-4E armored troop-carriers that took part in the battle near Slavyansk 3 were published. Photos were accompanied by comments, according to which the cars were subjected to intensive shelling from a rifle weaponsand were also attacked using hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers.
Despite the damage received, both armored vehicles were able to return to their bases, due to which journalists had the opportunity to make and publish photographs of the vehicles that participated in the battles. The current "anti-terrorist operation" is actually the first major armed conflict with the participation of the latest Ukrainian armored personnel carriers BTR-4 and their modifications. Thus, the existing photographs are able to somewhat solve the issue of protecting armored personnel carriers and their combat skills in general.
It was alleged that the ambulance machine BSEM-4K (photos dated 23 in May) was ambushed on the Slavyansk-Izyum highway. In addition, the photos were accompanied by a commentary, according to which an aimed fire was conducted on the vehicle and an unknown shooter tried to hit "through bulletproof glass, headlights, wheels." Indeed, in the existing photos one can see traces of bullets from precisely these parts of the car. So, on the side armored windows of the hull there are characteristic spots from bullet hits, broken headlights and a searchlight on the roof of the car, as well as at least one wheel.
photo http://twower.livejournal.com
As the very fact of the existence of photographs of the shelled BSEM-4K, the damage could not immobilize her, and she reached the base or destination. In addition, it should be noted that all damage recorded in the photographs is concentrated in front of the machine. Images of traces of firing of the aft compartment with medical equipment are absent. From this we can conclude that the attacking militias did not fire directly on the ambulance and she only got random bullets. As for the aim fire version on the most vulnerable parts of the vehicle, it can be refuted by a small amount of noticeable damage.
Judging by the damage, only a few bullets and, possibly, fragments hit the ambulance BSEM-4K captured in the photographs. According to reports, the body of the BTR-4 armored personnel carrier and vehicles on its base meet the requirements of 3 of the NATO standard level STANAG 4569 and withstand the hit of armor-piercing rifle bullets of 7,62 mm. From this it follows that the machine that came under fire only encountered small arms, the capabilities of which are insufficient for its guaranteed defeat. Thus, damage to the headlights, glass and wheels can not fully demonstrate the level of protection of the machine.
Much more interesting are the photographs of two BTR-4E National Guard armored personnel carriers who were damaged in the 3 battle of June near Slavyansk. These combat vehicles received a greater number of various damage, some of which may be the subject of dispute. It should be recalled that the BTR-4E armored personnel carriers, equipped with the Sail combat module with a 30-mm automatic cannon, 30-mm automatic grenade launcher and 7,62-mm machine gun, were originally intended for Iraq. However, last year, the Iraqi side refused to accept another batch of Ukrainian equipment, citing a manufacturing defect, first of all, cracks in the buildings. After months of unsuccessful attempts to transfer the equipment to the customer, all armored personnel carriers were returned back to Ukraine. It is not accepted by Iraq armored vehicles are currently being transferred to the armed forces and the National Guard of Ukraine.
The BTR-4E armored personnel carriers that participated in the 3 battle of May received a lot of damage. The most noticeable damage to one of the machines is the numerous deformations of the anti-cumulative grids. The front and side grilles of the car are fairly bent. In addition, they have bunches of grass or some other "natural material". The side grilles of the second armored personnel carrier are altogether “hung up” with grass, although they do not have serious damage. The state of the lattices of the first armored personnel carrier became the object of several disputes: lovers of military equipment tried to identify the causes of such deformations, basing their versions on existing photographs. Deformation of the lattices in combination with grass can say that the armored personnel carrier, escaping from the shelling, broke through some obstacles like green spaces. Therefore, there are no traces of detonation of cumulative grenades near the damaged areas of the grids.
On the cases of technology there are numerous traces of bullet hits. Since the fire, apparently, was conducted from automata, all these traces have the form of small dents. This reaffirms the level of protection of the hulls, which makes it possible to stop the bullets of pistols and machine guns. At the same time, the enemy’s bullets were able to damage several tires, due to which the vehicles had to return to the base with the help of a tire inflation system. Several light fixtures are broken. Some of the photos show the seats of the landing, stained with blood. According to Ukrainian sources, the armored personnel carrier took the wounded out of the battlefield, they were injured outside the vehicle.
All damage to the cars were caused by small arms, but there is reason to believe that the militia from Slavyansk used more serious weapons on 3 in May. One of the armored personnel carriers (it can be recognized by the bent anti-cumulative grids) has several characteristic damage. So, the right panel of its combat module "Sail" is covered with soot and has a small dent with chips along the edges. Similar signs of burning or exploding are found on a small portion of the roof and in pursuit of a tower. Moreover, at the very pursuit of the tower there are two through holes of unknown origin. They can be a trace of an armor-piercing bullet of small arms, including large-caliber, but another origin of the holes cannot be ruled out - a defeat by a cumulative grenade. In favor of the version about the defeat by a bullet, the fact that a few days later a car with characteristic bent anti-cumulative grids was again seen on the battlefield. In addition, it should be remembered that the militia have a certain number of large-caliber small arms, including anti-tank rifles from the times of the Great Patriotic War.
The evidence of the use of anti-tank grenade launchers can be considered characteristic traces of soot on the turret sheet, the chase and the lower surface of the tower. Small arms ammunition, in contrast to the cumulative grenades like PG-7В, simply cannot leave such a mark. It can also be assumed that one hole in the armor (probably the bottom one) was made by a grenade, and the other - by an armor-piercing bullet. What is the condition of the combat module "Parus" - is unknown. Such damage to the mechanisms responsible for the rotation of the tower can have a variety of consequences, from the need for minor repairs to the replacement of the entire combat module. The state of the combat module is unknown, because of which it is impossible to draw conclusions about the degree and severity of damage.
Causes certain issues soot on the right frontal panel of the tower. She says that the armor plate was exposed to a flame or explosion, for example, an anti-tank grenade. However, the version of the grenade is not confirmed by the penetration of the armor plate. Instead of a through hole, there is only a small dent in it. Similar traces of burning or explosion, but with a hole next to each other, are on the right side block of the combat module, located near the smoked frontal plate.
Probably one of the armored personnel carriers BTR-4E really came under fire using anti-tank rocket launchers. It is possible that it was precisely because of this that the crew of the car was forced to urgently leave the battlefield, breaking through some obstacles that led to damage to the anti-cumulative grids. In this case, a logical and logical question arises: why couldn’t rocket grenades fail to inflict fatal damage on an armored personnel carrier?
On the account of the militia-grenade launchers, there are already several destroyed and burned armored vehicles of the enemy, but on May 3 this list was not replenished with another armored personnel carrier. If, as part of the militia unit, there really were grenade launchers, they could miss and not hit the vital units of the BTR-4E fired at. Thus, two armored personnel carriers were able to return from the battlefield only because of the failure of the grenade throwers.
The armored vehicles of the Ukrainian army and the National Guard that we examined once again confirm two long-known truths. Firstly, modern armored personnel carriers are really able to protect the crew from small arms bullets. Secondly, even the old models of anti-tank grenade launchers are a serious threat to armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and the fate of this technology seriously depends on the skills of the grenade launcher. This means that the militia from Slavyansk, Lugansk, or Donetsk, using the weapons they have, are fully capable of resisting the troops, the National Guard and the militants, inflicting serious blows on them and disabling the equipment.
On the materials of the sites:
http://andrei-bt.livejournal.com/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
http://twower.livejournal.com/
http://btvt.narod.ru/
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