Ukrainian industry presented a mobile checkpoint "Nikolayevets"
June 24 at the Nikolaev armored factory held a solemn ceremony of transferring a new unit of armored vehicles. In the past two months, the company was engaged in the construction of the so-called. a mobile checkpoint, known as “Mikolaєvets” (“Nikolayevets”). The basis for the towed vehicle was the armored vehicle BRDM-2, which lost some units and was equipped with new parts. As a result of such alterations, the Nikolaev designers managed to create a mobile firing point protected from enemy fire.
It is known that the construction of "Nikolayevts" took more than two months. The cost of the product was not called, but the management of the manufacturer said that half of the work was paid for by the plant employees, and the remaining money was raised by farmers in the Nikolaev region. An interesting fact is that the Nikolaev Armored Plant is in a difficult financial situation, but its employees were able to raise part of the money for a mobile checkpoint. How they managed to do this is unknown, but there are grounds for some suspicions and ambiguous conclusions.
During the presentation of the product, the Ukrainian border guards noted the original idea underlying the new project. The head of the Azov-Black Sea Regional Department of the State Border Service of Ukraine, Colonel Sergey Kosik, noted that the mobility of the roadblock is a reliable defense against mortar fire. For shooting weapons It takes a certain time, during which the mobile checkpoint “Mikolaєvets” can be transported to another place. Stationary structures do not have such a possibility, and the towed checkpoint can be removed from the fire without loss of firepower and protection.
The mobile checkpoint of the new model was handed over to the border guards “in a naval manner”: during the presentation a bottle of champagne was broken about it. Immediately after the transfer ceremony, representatives of the Ukrainian border service took the Nikolayevets product and probably took it to the place of service. And about. director of the Nikolaev armored plant Alexander Shvets specified that the post will be sent to east areas of Ukraine. In addition, he expressed the desire of the company to receive a state order for the supply of such equipment.
As rely on such events, the transfer of the first mobile checkpoint took place in a solemn atmosphere and it sounded laudatory. However, the lack of any operating experience of the checkpoint does not allow to consider all these statements as objective. Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to present the perspectives of “Nikolayevts” using the available photos. Thanks to Ukrainian journalists, you can carefully consider the checkpoint literally from all sides and make a first impression about him.
The basis of the product "Mikolaецvets" is an armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicle BRDM-2, created by the Gorky Automobile Plant in the early sixties. Over the next half century, many modifications of this machine appeared, but the new Ukrainian development is undoubtedly one of the most original. The new product was built on the basis of components and assemblies of the base BRDM-2 with the corresponding changes.
As follows from the available data, the Nikolayevts mobile checkpoint is an armored corps of the reconnaissance and patrol vehicle, in the design of which major changes were made. When reworking into a checkpoint, the body of the armored vehicle lost its bow and stern parts, as well as almost all the internal units, including the power plant and crew jobs. In front, the body of the base machine was cut off in front of the upper frontal sheet, which has glazing with armored plates. The stern of the hull was cut right behind the tower.
Instead of the removed parts, the body of the former BRDM-2 received several straight armor plates attached by welding. The front part of the hull is formed of three sheets, aft - two. The door for landing the crew is provided in the lower stern sheet. The upper part of the hull, with the exception of the cleaned stern and installed new parts, remained the same. In front of the roof, manholes for landing and evacuation are preserved. The hull sides also remained old and retained the characteristic stiffening ribs and steps.
Due to serious modifications of the hull, the Nikolaev engineers had to change the wheeled chassis. After removing the fore and aft parts of the hull, part of the front wheel arches was open and the rear ones were completely absent. In this connection, both axes of the roadblock were moved to the rear part of the hull and placed under the tower. The openings in the sides left over from the front wheels are covered with special shields. It should be noted that after such a modification, the wheels are almost completely closed by the armor of the sides, which may affect the number of damage.
To monitor the situation, the crew of the Mikola располагаетvets checkpoint has the same means as the crew of the BRDM-2. Observation of the front hemisphere can be carried out through the frontal windows, equipped with armored spacers. In a combat situation, the control of the space in front of the checkpoint should be carried out using periscopic devices, previously intended for use by the driver and commander of the reconnaissance and patrol vehicle. Two sets of observation instruments (three each) are stored in the upper part of the hull sides. They were also borrowed from the base BRDM-2.
The main armament of the mobile checkpoint is located in the tower. The sample shown on 24 June was not armed, but retained the turret, mounts and guidance system for CPVT machine guns (14,5 mm) and PKT (7,62 mm). The design of the tower probably has not undergone any changes, which ensures circular horizontal guidance and vertical ranging from -5 ° to + 30 °. If necessary, the crew of "Nikolayevtsa" will be able to fire from personal weapons. Embrasures with shields are located on the cheekbones, the front of the sides and the stern of the hull.
It is argued that the main advantage of the product "Mykolaєvets" is the ability to quickly move to another location. The mobility of the roadblock is provided by four wheels borrowed from the base armored vehicle. The suspension probably also remained the same. However, the post of the original design does not have its own power plant. For towing in the front of the case, a V-shaped drawbar is installed with an additional support to prevent the product from tilting in the parking lot. A stable position in the parking lot is also ensured by four outriggers located in the front and aft parts of the hull. On the sides of the hull, two ears are provided to move the roadblock using a crane.
The base of the reconnaissance patrol vehicle consisted of armor plates up to 14 mm thick and provided protection for the crew against small arms bullets and artillery shell fragments. The changes of the BRDM-2 corps, applied in the “Nikolayevets” project, allow us to assert that, in terms of protection, the mobile checkpoint approximately corresponds to the base vehicle. Thus, the crew of a mobile checkpoint may not be afraid of small arms with the exception of large-caliber systems.
A mobile checkpoint "Nikolayevets" is of some interest, primarily associated with the original method of reworking outdated equipment with a developed resource. Indeed, the proposal of the Nikolaev armored plant allows in the absence of spare parts not to send old cars to the smelting, but to give them a second life in a new "appearance". From this point of view, the original project is interesting and remarkable.
However, mobile checkpoints, apparently, are proposed to be used in the current conflict. In terms of real combat, the proposed products can be quite expensive and not fully useful novelty. In fact, the equipment, called the checkpoint, is a long-term firing point with the ability to quickly move to a new location. Machine gun weapons, including the KPVT machine gun, in theory, will allow “Nikolayevtsa” to keep the enemy at a distance of more than one kilometer, not allowing him to approach the range of fire of small arms. In addition, bulletproof booking should reduce the likelihood of hitting the roadblock, even if the enemy can get close enough.
But all this applies only to the theory, as well as to battles with the enemy, having only small arms. The presence of anti-tank grenade launchers, mortars, artillery shells or armored vehicles can significantly shift the balance of power in a similar battle. The power of ammunition of such weapons systems is enough to destroy or, at a minimum, disable the roadblock. The declared mobility of the Mikolaєvets product, allegedly provided with the possibility of towing, cannot be considered a panacea either, since in preparation for movement the crew of the roadblock or towing vehicle will not be protected from enemy bullets.
Thus, the prospects of the so-called. mobile roadblock for the border service of Ukraine are ambiguous, if not dubious. Truly effectively, such equipment can be used only on relatively quiet parts of the border and serve as a mobile firing point. Attempting to use "Nikolayevts" in battles on the territory of the Lugansk or Donetsk People's Republic can turn into its rapid destruction. In addition, such a checkpoint can become a trophy of militias and be used against its former owners. Thus, the new development of Nikolaev engineers in the very near future can take its place in the huge list of original but useless inventions in the field of military equipment.
On the materials of the sites:
http://nikvesti.com/
http://mukola.net/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
http://armor.kiev.ua/
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