SPM-1 "Tiger" or Iveco LMV: what is bad Italian armored car?
The argument over which armored car - SPM-1 Tiger or Iveco LMV is more suitable for specific Russian conditions, and whether ex-minister Anatoly Serdyukov was right to buy foreign armored vehicles, has not subsided so far.
Armored protection
You need to start with the main thing - armor protection, because these machines are just created to save the life of the crew. Russian specialists conducted IVECO shelling of B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullets using a 7,62x54 ballistic caliber. It is from such ammunition manufacturer guaranteed full protection for the third level STANAG 4569 (it corresponds to the Russian 6 class of ballistic protection according to GOST R 50963-96). The fire was conducted from different distances to various places of the car: the joints of armored panels, the edges of the glass - in order to find vulnerability. On the first day, 150 shots were fired, on the second, on the order of 60. No breakthrough was achieved. And this is without additional armor.
And what about the "Tiger"? According to official press releases, everything is very good, the crew has nothing to fear. But in life a little differently. In the LiveJournal blog, which is maintained by a special forces officer under the nickname k_a_r_d_e_n, there is an interesting record about Tiger’s armor protection. Employees at the arrival of the car in the unit conducted a traditional check for bulletproof.
The shelling was made from AK74M standard cartridge PP (7H10). The bullet pierced the board, the core of the bullet pierced the ballistic package and made a dent on the rear door trim. And this is just 5,45! ... Also, the fighters were not pleased with the lack of bonnet booking. It turns out that a few bullets in the engine compartment is enough to immobilize the car.
Another plus of the Italian armored car is the mounted armor set, which protects against large-caliber bullets up to 14,5 mm, however, then it becomes less mobile. For Tigra, such a booking is impossible - the car simply will not budge - the suspension from the suspension will not withstand the load.
However, there is one curious detail, the Iveco LMV ceramic armor is made by the German company Barat Ceramics, which assembles it into a panel according to the shape of the part and sends it to the Italians. Cheaper car production is not conducive.
Mine protection
The LMV M65 IVECO protection technology involves the creation of a separate armored capsule for the habitable compartment, which is equipped with a ceramic ballistic protection attached to the metal frame, standard armor panels and armored glass. The ribs are a special tubular frame. The explosion energy is gradually extinguished by ceramic protection, a two-layer bottom, frame struts, a roof, and a suspension system. The seats of the crew members of the vehicle through the suspension system receive a significantly weakened impulse of acceleration, which does not exceed the medical overload rate for a person.
According to the designers, the LMV M65 IVECO can withstand blasting on a mine with a capacity of up to 8 kg of TNT. In fact, it turned out that the safety margin of the machine is much greater. For example, 14 on April 2010 of the year in the area of Ludina, 20-30 km north of Kala-i-Nau (Afghanistan), LMV M65 hit a homemade mine with a TNT equivalent of about 20 kg. No dead, only wounded and contused.
And what about the "Tiger"? Its creators say with confidence that the machine can withstand an explosion on an explosive device with a capacity of ... 200 g. This is equivalent to a hand grenade. It turns out that the mine protection in the "Tiger", as such, and no.
Fuel consumption / throughput
Fuel consumption in the war, you see, is also an important thing. So, Tiger has an average of about 40 l / 100 km with a mass of 6-7 tons, which is enough for 350 km. For comparison: an unregulated BTR-80 with a mass of 12-15 tons consumes the same 40-60 l / 100 km! By the way, this was one of the reasons for the abandonment of the car of the representatives of the United Arab Emirates. Even for them it was too much.
IVECO spends about 15 l / 100 km with a power reserve of 500 km. As for the video, where IVECO on the virgin snow lags behind Russian armored vehicles, let us explain: the first copies purchased in Italy are not suitable for winter operation, their equipment did not include snow protection and chains on wheels that are available on similar army machines Norway and Austria. A wide bumper when driving in deep snow created the effect of a heel, pushing a snowdrift ahead of IVECO, which led to a significant slowdown. The car is not elm, but it was hard, jerky.
By the way, the same field tests showed that the passability of the "Tiger" is very doubtful, and it is good if there is a KamAZ nearby.
In addition, often in the dignity of the Russian armored car is recorded a spacious fighting compartment. Like, in the troop compartment can comfortably accommodate six soldiers in full gear ... And the photos and you can not tell.
However, in the Russian conditions of operation, Iveco LMV has revealed a dangerous enemy - the army diesel fuel, which the Italian diesel engine sharpened by EURO 3 perceives more as a poison than fuel.
Well, when choosing an armored car often look at the price, but here the "Tiger" out of competition. According to information from open sources, the Italian armored car costs 20-23 million Russian rubles per unit, the Tiger costs about 5 million rubles. And until the controversy surrounding this car dies down, the Iveco LMV has already adopted 11 countries, the Italian armored car was run-in in several military conflicts, where it earned positive marks from the army team.
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