MOSCOW, September 12. /TASS-DEFENSE/. Russia marked the Day of the Tankman on Sunday. It was instituted in 1946. The main Russian tanks include T-72B3M, T-90M and T-80BVM, as well as BTR-82A armored personnel carriers and BMP-2 and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles.
In the autumn of 2017, chief of the armor department of the Russian Defense Ministry Alexander Shevchenko said the conflict in Syria exposed drawbacks of serially produced armor and modernization of existing tanks was launched. They included T-90, T-80 and T-72B3.
T-72B3M
T-72B3 has been produced since 2011. Upgraded T-72B3M received a new engine of 1130 HP. It is 300 HP more powerful that the predecessor and has an automatic gearbox. The tank received anti-cumulative bar screens and new-generation Relikt reactive armor. The tracks have been reinforced.
The tank is armed with a 125 mm gun with better ballistic and firing resource, a digital ballistic calculator and a panoramic sight, and a rear-view camera. T-72B3M received a modern digital communication system. The automatics with a voice messenger warn about damage and faults. The upgrade helps the crew faster detect and destroy targets and increases the survivability in the battlefield.
T-90M Proryv
The upgraded tank has better combat and operational characteristics. It received a new turret with a 125 mm gun that fires new effective projectiles and guided missiles with a 5-km range. The increased inside space allowed installing additional equipment. The tank has a multichannel sight for day and night fire and an automatic digital fire control system. The sight can identify a tank at a distance of 5000 meters through a visor. T-90M has an upgraded two-plane arms stabilizer and automatic target tracker of the hunter-shooter regime. It means the commander reconnoiters targets and transmits the information to the gun layer for destruction.
The tank has a remotely controlled combat module with a 12.7 mm machinegun. T-90M is integrated into the netcentric Sozvezdie-M2 tactical command system to exchange data with other tanks, the command and drones in real time. The tank is protected by modular reactive armor and bar screens in the back and sides.
T-90M is powered by a diesel engine of 1130 HP, which develops a high speed, saves fuel and promotes a long fuel distance. There is also a diesel generator to power the equipment at stopovers. The tank received thermal electric conditioning system. It reliably operates in high shock and mechanical load.
T-90M Proryv participates in the Ukrainian operation.
T-80BVM
The Defense Ministry and Uralvagonzavod enterprise signed a contract in 2017 for capital overhaul and upgrade of T-80BV tanks supplied in 1985. T-80BVM received GTD-1250 gas turbine engine of 1250 HP with increased power, modular reactive armor and bar screens. It can survive a hit of a modern tandem cumulative projectile. The 125 mm gun was upgraded. The tank has an arms stabilizer, TVN-5 monitoring device of the driver, new Sosna-U multichannel sight with visor, heat imager and ranger, as well as a missile control channel.
BTR-82A
Upgraded BTR-82A has a combat module with a 30 mm automatic gun and coaxial 7.62 mm PKTM machinegun. The weapons are stabilized in two planes and equipped with electric drivers for vertical and horizontal guidance. The pointer moved from the turret to the body of the vehicle to increase protection. The crew and the units of the carrier are protected against armor-piercing bullets. The engine of 300 HP develops a speed of 100 km/h. Inside the body, there is an anti-fragmentation protection and upgraded fire-fighting system. The seats are shock-absorbing. The APC received an air conditioner.
BTR-82A got digital crypto-protected fifth-generation radio stations, Trona-1 positioning system with autonomous and satellite channels, and combined monitoring devices.
BMP-2
The upgraded infantry fighting vehicle is equipped with manned Berezhok combat module with a combined sight and two-plane stabilization by the visor line. The sight has optical, thermal and ranger channels and a channel to control an antitank missile. The IFV is armed with a 40 mm gun, coaxial 7.62 mm machinegun, 30 mm automatic grenade launcher and Kornet antitank guided missiles. The vehicle received fifth-generation jam-resistant R-168 Akveduk radio station.
BMP-3
BMP-3 is armed with a 100 mm gun and coaxial 30 mm automatic gun. It can fire both high power fragmentation shells and guided antitank missiles of 9M117 family launched through the barrel. There is also a 7.62 mm PKT machinegun and smoke grenade launcher in the turret.
Kurganmashzavod Executive Director Petr Tyukov told TASS the military have no remarks to the vehicles and praise them.
Army-2022 forum featured robotized BMP-3 with Sinitsa combat module designed by Kurganmashzavod and Signal enterprises. The vehicle supports motorized rifles in most dangerous directions and congested city conditions.
Arena-M
Chief of the main tank department of the Defense Ministry Alexander Shestakov told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper this month that it is planned to reinforce the armor with Arena-M reactive protection.
A corresponding R&D is ongoing and is expected to considerably increase the protection against antitank guided missiles and handheld antitank grenade launchers, he said.
Arena-M is designed by the Machine-building Bureau (KBM) and precisely destroys approaching antitank grenades and guided missiles by firing directed protective munitions at them. Multirole and jam-resistant radar detects the threats.
Shestakov said additional armored protection was sent to Ukraine for BMP-3, BMP-2, BTR-82A and BTR-80 vehicles. The armor can be installed by the crew before combat.
It was reported in 2020 that T-72B3M and T-80BVM tanks will receive Lesochek electronic warfare to jam the radio channels of mines and makeshift explosives.