In the direction of the front: Syrian infantry fighting vehicles (part 2 final)

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As can often be observed in cars of the Republican Guard, the searchlights of some BMP-2 were decorated with a portrait of Hafez Asad. The Republican Guard was founded by orders of Hafez Asad and all the personnel still have great respect for him.


Numerous groups in Syria are also armed with the BMP-1, of which the Islamic State is the largest operator of the BMP-1. His supporters, at least 24 machines are captured in Syria and 4 in Iraq. However, the vehicles seized in Iraq were immediately destroyed. The BMP-1 participated in almost all the offensive actions of the Islamic state in the north of Syria, and the two vehicles were filled with explosives and used as mobile explosive devices. During the storming of the helicopter landing site in Mennegha, these vehicles were blown up in order to destroy the defenders remaining there.

Later, the Islamic State was upgraded three BMP-1. One BMP-1 was seen with the 12,7-mm DShK machine gun installed and the corresponding magazine over the main gun, from which it was possible to fire from inside the car. This BMP-1 participated in the battles against the rebels in northern Syria.



The BMP-1, seen in Azaz, had enhanced protection in the form of additional metal tubes, similar to what could be seen on the BMP-1, intended for undermining and used by the Islamic State in Menneghe.

In the direction of the front: Syrian infantry fighting vehicles (part 2 final)

Another modification was noticed in the city of Deir ez-Zor, where this vehicle was captured by national defense forces. The turret of the BMP-1 was removed and an 23-mm anti-aircraft gun ZNU-23 was installed in its place, with additional protection from a metal grid. The machine also has been enhanced protection by installing a combination of lattice screens and metal sheets along the sides and the tower. The back of the BMP-1, where the fuel tanks are located, has also been reinforced with lattice screens. Upgrading complete sandbags on the front armor sheet.



A couple of weeks before, the Ansar al-Haq Battalion battalion armed its BMP-1 with just one 14,5-mm CPV machine gun. This machine took part in the assault and capture of Wadi Deif, where the BMP-1 broke through to the front line, providing cover for the dismounted battalion fighters.

The Ahrar al-Sham group meanwhile "strengthened" the BMP-1 defense by removing whole blocks of dynamic protection (DZ) Contact-1 from two tanks T-72AV and installing them on the body and tower of the machine.

If at first it seems that an effective solution for reinforcing BMP-1 armor as thin as paper, which makes its way from a large-caliber machine-gun fire, would be the installation of a DZ on any BMP-1 or BMP-2, then in fact the opposite effect is obtained. Tests conducted in the USSR showed that the detonation of the DZ Kontakt-1 splits the thin armor of the BMP-1 and can cause severe injuries to those inside the car.

The Ahrar al-Sham modified BMP-1 was destroyed shortly after this shot was taken. Not surprisingly, Contact-1 units did not save the car.



Such an alteration for the first time could be seen in Libya, several rebel groups installed a tower from the BMP-1 on a number of other cars, for example, Toyota Land Cruiser. Since the 73-mm gun 2A28 Thunder has little impact, this makes it an ideal object for such alterations. In one of the rebel groups, one could see a truck with an 2A28 gun mounted on it.


Numerous BREM-2, which is not constructively provided for the installation of weapons, also became the object of several improvements that increased their combat effectiveness in the Civil War. The back of the case was cleared for the platform on which the anti-aircraft gun was installed. At the bottom of the photo on the machine installed 14,5-mm ZPU-4. The car was captured by the Jaish al-Islam group in the 559 battalion, one of the tank vaults of the Syrian Arab army. At the time of capture on the BREM-2 machine guns were installed on.


One more installation of ZPU-4 on BREM-2 could be seen in battles near the town of Mlekh. This BREM-2 had a protective shield around the machine gun that could somehow protect the completely open arrow; A useless faucet was also removed from the car. One of these machines was captured by the United Front of Sham, part of the Free Syrian Army, near Sheikh Miskin. Only two ZPU-4 guns were installed on the machines, but in Syria there is now a great need to install these guns on the national defense force (FNL) equipment.


The BREM-2, armed with one 37-mm M1939 61-K cannon, also participated in the offensive of the Republican Army and the FNL near Mlekh. These anti-aircraft guns were stored until the beginning of the civil war in Syria, but now they are being re-commissioned due to the high demand for such weapons. weapon. This car was later seen after the capture of the city of Mehla during its passage through the city.


On the other hand, Mlekha, the Jaish al-Islam group, converted its only AMB-S car into an armored personnel carrier armed with a single 14,5-mm KPV machine gun.

But at the moment more impressive upgrades are carried out on the BMP-1 of this group. At one time, acting under the name of Liwa al-Islam, this group bought two BMP-1 and two more T-72 tanks from a corrupt officer from the elite 4 armored division, and several more vehicles were simply captured. The use of armored fighting vehicles by the Jaish al-Islam grouping can be considered revolutionary in comparison with other rebel groups, since this grouping uses its armored vehicles and infantry as a real mechanized unit, fully utilizing its potential. Jaish al-Islam has its own armored school and armor repair shop located in Eastern Ghut.

The first modernization could be seen in one of the columns of armored vehicles of the Jaish al-Islam group. Its essence is to install DZ Kontakt-1 around the tower and two new ingenious steel "linings" installed on top of the usual aft doors-fuel tanks. Although the tower at the BMP-1 and has the thickest armor, the installation of DZ blocks on it is simply dangerous. This has already been shown by the example of Ahrar al-Sham.


In another embodiment, you can see a more thoughtful installation of DZ blocks, which allows the BMP-1 turret to rotate almost all 360 degrees. The steel sheet under the DZ blocks reduces the likelihood that Contact-1 will literally tear the tower apart. This machine was also equipped with steel plates, although somewhat different from those that can be seen in the photo above. The machine also has a prepared place for installing additional protection on the side, although at the time of writing this article it was not installed.



A more profoundly upgraded version still has ineffective DZ blocks on the tower, but its protection was enhanced by installing lattice screens in combination with rubber side boards. The wide gap between the lattice screens and the BMP-1 case also allows putting a lot of sandbags there, which increases the likelihood of deformation of the attacking warheads. However, in connection with these modifications it became impossible to shoot through the loopholes in the car body. On the front of the machine is also installed lattice protection and a new mud guard. Also here you can see steel linings over the aft doors.



The most profound modernization of the present, carried out in military conditions, is similar to the previous one, but differs in some minor modifications. First of all, there are no DZ blocks on the tower, but there are lattice screens. The lattice screens on the case are again complemented with sandbags, which are laid a little differently, which reduces the likelihood of "grip" between them grenades from RPGs. Other changes include longer rubber bulwarks and four launchers removed from the T-72 tank. On the stern doors of the car there are also steel linings that do not allow firing from inside the car.




The number of modified Syrian Arab Army BMP-1 is not as large as in the rebel groups, here you can actually talk about only one simple modernization. The machine's protection on the bottom of a photo taken in Damascus during the first days of the civil war was enhanced by the addition of several tires, inside which sand bags were fastened with rope.


A limited number of BMP-2, who lost their false bulletins, also received additional homemade protection. These additional protection is installed directly in the deployment areas of the BMP-2, it is extremely primitive and very different from car to car. At present, a unified program for the modernization of the BMP-2 has not been launched, but in the future it will need to be carried out.

The first upgrade, carried out on the BMP-2, is to install elementary spaced armor filled with bricks. When a grenade hits the first level of protection, the warhead deforms and its flight slows down, the chances of its further passage into the second level of protection (bricks) and, ultimately, the penetration of the BMP-2 armor itself is reduced.


The second upgrade consists of installing even more simple trellis screens. This option is easier to make and install, and therefore it is more common than exploded armor as in the first case.



BMP-1, despite all its many shortcomings, may still be an important element of the civil war in Syria. Upgrading through the installation of anti-aircraft guns and lattice screens turns them into effective fire support vehicles. It depends on the readiness of the Syrian Arab army and the National Defense Forces to implement such modifications, and such a decision will have a great impact on the future of the BMP-1 in Syria.

Due to the fact that the Republican Guard is slowly but surely cleansing what remains after the presence of insurgents in Damascus and its surroundings, it will undoubtedly pay attention to other places of warfare in Syria. The future operations of the Republican Guard outside Damascus are likely to be attended by the BMP-2 vehicles, whose careers in the ranks of the Syrian military are far from complete.

Materials used:
www.spioenkop.blogspot.ru
www.ru.wikipedia.org
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19 comments
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  1. +3
    13 February 2015 06: 44
    Yes, the victory of RPG over BM is obvious, it's time to make an armored personnel carrier on the basis of the tank.
    1. +10
      13 February 2015 08: 29
      Due to the fact that the Republican Guard is slowly but surely clearing up what remains after the presence of rebels in Damascus and its environs, it will undoubtedly draw attention to other places of warfare in Syria.


      Too much optimism. A year ago, they wrote that "soon the Syrian troops will clear the entire territory." And then and now he wrote that the army has no opportunities for this. The longer the conflict lasts, the less combat-ready the army becomes. The army performs tasks for which it is, in principle, not adapted. The army is used for anti-partisan actions and is very exhausting. A clear front line simply does not exist. The militants are not particularly attached to the territories, they can appear anywhere, create chaos and leave. The army comes - restores order, but it cannot stay in this place forever. It is thrown over and in the place from which it left after a while a center of rebels appears again. You can't put a soldier at every house in Syria. Only those who finance and provide for it can end the conflict.
    2. Lenivets
      +1
      13 February 2015 09: 19
      Does an RPG not break through a tank? And how is RPG decrypted?
      1. +6
        13 February 2015 09: 52
        There is no armored vehicles that does not hit, and the conclusion is, "it's time to make an armored personnel carrier based on a tank"very controversial. Syria, Chechnya, many of Israel's military operations, what is in common - the absence of significant water barriers, a specific relief and a small territory, but, most importantly, opposition to the guerrilla tactics of militants, and not a full-fledged army. Against the partisans, the Germans did the same T-I in a modification with 80 mm armor, but these tanks were not suitable for a real front. An armored personnel carrier based on a tank is needed for individual operations of the special forces of the explosives, in countering the militants, it is still reasonable to make it (remake) using stocks of old tanks, but it is to support tanks, and the infantry itself, that it is not a heavy armored personnel carrier (BMP) that is seen much more efficiently, but an BMPT ... If you start talking about security, then the best "armored personnel carrier" is a reinforced concrete bomb shelter, and the best time to save life is a peaceful one. In the photo the tank "Merkava", be it a heavy armored personnel carrier (or BMP) with infantry that would consider itself equal to the tank, it would look even more dramatic.
        1. Lenivets
          +1
          13 February 2015 10: 16
          I completely agree with you and you had to answer not to me, but to the one to whom I asked a question.
          1. +1
            13 February 2015 13: 20
            Dear Valentine, I didn’t answer you, but in addition (out of solidarity).
    3. +1
      13 February 2015 10: 19
      I believe that there is no alternative to a tank-based BMP. This was shown during our last operation in Gaza. Severe BTR Namer received multiple hits of ATGM Cornet without human casualties. The hit of several RPGs in the light M-113 ended in the death of 6 guys. After this operation, it was decided to increase the procurement rate of heavy armored personnel carriers
  2. +3
    13 February 2015 07: 16
    "of which the Islamic State is the largest operator of BMP-1" did not quite understand the phrase.

    Quote: apro
    Yes, the victory of RPG over BM is obvious, it's time to make an armored personnel carrier on the basis of the tank.


    Cannot create an invulnerable BMP. Even at the base of the tank. Well, it will be destroyed not from RPGs, but from anti-tank systems. And to build monsters weighing over 60tn to transfer the motorized rifle squad is also not an option. Then a concrete bunker designed for a nuclear strike would be the best BMP. He will surely secure the separation of the soldiers.
    Most likely, you just need to correctly use the BMP, which should remain light, mobile and, for our theater, floating.
    1. +4
      13 February 2015 18: 29
      It’s just that all the recent military conflicts where our armored personnel carriers / infantry fighting vehicles are involved have shown that swimming ability is not in demand in them (yeah, and also the cars, after a couple of months of fighting and field operation, are drowning rather than swimming), but the degree of protection is not enough from the word - and as a result of the loss of infantry that could have been avoided. An infantry fighting vehicle that withstands hitting from an RPG at least a forehead is clearly better than the one that is sewn from a kilometer from a heavy machine gun, and from a hundred meters it breaks through with a rifle cartridge.
    2. +3
      13 February 2015 20: 11
      That's just the infantry in monsters weighing 60 tons is inside, and on the light and mobile it sits outside. Where would you feel safer? On armor or armor?
  3. +5
    13 February 2015 08: 33
    Good article, thanks to the author!
  4. +2
    13 February 2015 09: 12
    Oh, people are creative!))) Kakly nervously smokes on the sidelines, they haven’t reached such a brain)) let them invite experts to exchange experience)))
    1. +1
      13 February 2015 10: 18
      lol they there will arrange jihad by maydanut)))
  5. +4
    13 February 2015 10: 08
    With the development of grenade launcher systems, bulletproof armor is no longer meaningful, I'm not talking about RPGs, a shot from a 40mm grenade launcher into the side makes a decent hole there and is mostly a high-explosive hit, plus armor is fragile and gives a lot of secondary fragments. So the idea of ​​spaced armor makes sense. Its task is to move the epicenter of the explosion from the armor. Even a shot from an RPG is not so much hit by a stream as by a high-explosive impact. When using spaced armor, the high-explosive impact is reduced to zero, and the cumulative jet damage is limited, that is, one, and not the entire crew, will die. In addition, it is also worth remembering hand-held flamethrowers, or rather, volume-detonating ammunition, they completely hit everything inside the car. So with a competent approach, there are resources for modernization. Weight gain and loss of buoyancy can be compensated by hollow side screens as floats, respectively sectioned or simply filled with construction foam wink . Just the relevance of the use of remote sensing appears precisely on the spaced armor tongue . The loss of mobility due to an increase in the weight of the machine can be solved the same, but only in a factory, for example, by installing a turbocharger. The safety margin of both the engine and the chassis is truly huge, that is what the quality of the USSR means. Given that non-modernized BMPs live a couple of minutes, then the decrease in motor resources by boosting the engine is forest lol ...
    It's good that we have something to modernize ... glory to our ancestors!
    1. 0
      16 February 2015 11: 54
      It’s better not to fill the floats with construction foam, we kind of burned the trash and there came a balloon with the remains of the foam, such a beautiful firework of burning drops, everything burned in a radius of 10 meters, but I added this to the topic.
  6. +3
    13 February 2015 10: 17
    I read both articles, it’s very interesting, although completely stupid modernizations come across)) I really liked how ZUShki is put on the BMP. in Greece I saw a couple of these .. well, very impressed. Thank! hi
  7. +4
    13 February 2015 14: 33
    Wonderful selection.
    Great rare photos.
    Thanks for the article, Alex.
    hi
  8. +3
    13 February 2015 16: 10
    They are trying to make a breakthrough defense machine from an infantry delivery and support vehicle. This is the task of heavy tanks. BMP is the first car of its class in the world. Escort of tanks on the offensive, including overcoming water obstacles without special training, because the largest tank and mechanized units were in Eastern Europe, where there are a lot of rivers. And our tanks on the English Channel were not supposed to be alone. The specifics of the war has changed, police wars, counter-operations, local conflicts all mostly take place in urban settings. It is clear that this was not taken into account during the creation of these machines. Probably some subclass of infantry fighting vehicles or landings that will not float, but with greater security and the specifics of weapons used in cramped street conditions, will be highlighted. Time dictates other conditions and certainly combat experience shows weaknesses. Although at the end of the 2nd World War our army already had this experience, when it took large cities of Europe and attention, then there were already the first manual RPGs. Remember the photo, T-34 with nets from the bed on the armor. Armor in a city without infantry support is simply a goal. Here it is necessary to completely review the tactics of military operations in urban conditions, especially the interaction of the combat arms. IMHO of course.
  9. +2
    13 February 2015 16: 11
    Yes, I forgot. Article plus. Photos are unfinished, read with interest.
  10. +1
    13 February 2015 16: 40
    Quote: Chignoner
    I believe that there is no alternative to a tank-based BMP. This was shown during our last operation in Gaza. Severe BTR Namer received multiple hits of ATGM Cornet without human casualties. The hit of several RPGs in the light M-113 ended in the death of 6 guys. After this operation, it was decided to increase the procurement rate of heavy armored personnel carriers

    Multiple hits of "cornet" and at least henna ...)))) !!! And you can link to the old ... dear ....
  11. +1
    13 February 2015 19: 20
    Quote: Chignoner
    I believe that there is no alternative to a tank-based BMP. This was shown during our last operation in Gaza. Severe BTR Namer received multiple hits of ATGM Cornet without human casualties. The hit of several RPGs in the light M-113 ended in the death of 6 guys. After this operation, it was decided to increase the procurement rate of heavy armored personnel carriers

    Well, I don't know, you can't dance with the "cornet" ... But for heavy infantry fighting vehicles, I am in favor many times!
  12. +1
    13 February 2015 20: 43
    Is this the usual fake fake? nothing outstanding, but ...
    http://www.military-informant.com/news/8111-na-ukraine-proveli-ispytaniya-dostav
    lennykh-britanskikh-bronemashin-saxon.html


    BTR Saxon AT-105 born in 1976, since 1983 in the British Army (incl. Ulster).
  13. 0
    15 February 2015 16: 06
    Yes, modernization is needed, life proves it. And the price here is important for us. The variant with spaced armor is very promising.

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