The Ministry of Defense has launched a test program for a trial batch of tank support vehicles (BMPT) "Terminator-2". The tests will take about a year, and the final decision on the purchase of these products will be made based on their results. Until the successful verification in Syria, the fate of this new type of armored vehicles remained uncertain. Now their first unit is undergoing intensive military tests. The military has yet to fully study these machines, both tactically and technically.
The Ministry of Defense has launched a test program for a trial batch of tank support vehicles (BMPT) "Terminator-2". The tests will take about a year, and the final decision on the purchase of these products will be made based on their results. Until the successful verification in Syria, the fate of this new type of armored vehicles remained uncertain. Now their first unit is undergoing intensive military tests. The military has yet to fully study these machines, both tactically and technically.
Test Program
Sources in the defense ministry told Izvestia about the fundamental decision to conduct complex tests of the Terminators. Testing will take about a year. Tank support combat vehicles will be tested in the mode of full integration into the combined-arms formations on the basis of the 90th Tank Division of the Central Military District.
During last year's Caucasus-2020 exercise, the Terminator BMPs have already passed their first test. The cars were involved in the course of several episodes. During the maneuvers, the military tested the possibility of integrating new combat vehicles on the battlefield.
Now, according to the interlocutors of "Izvestia", the test program will include a comprehensive run-in, including shooting in different weather and temperature in winter and summer. BMPT will be tested in the role of support for both tankers and motorized infantry. "Terminators" will be engaged in the suppression of tank-dangerous infantry, the destruction of firing points, the fight against armored vehicles of the enemy. Among their tasks now is the air defense of combat formations — first of all, the fight against small drones.
Last week, the defense department reported on the completion of the first stage of the experiment on the use of "Terminators". Eight experimental vehicles were delivered to the Central Military District on December 1 last year. We studied the controllability and the possibility of weapons of combat vehicles conducted by the international practical shooting Confederation.
A comprehensive experiment should give an answer about the viability of the concept of such combat vehicles and find them a niche in the tactical and operational-tactical link. It is also necessary to determine the organizational and staff structure of the units equipped with BMPT.
"When these machines were developed, there was no complete understanding of how they would operate on the battlefield," military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia. — During the maneuvers already conducted with their participation, the crews learned to shoot from the spot and from the move, mastered new equipment. Now the military will have to learn this technique not only technically, but also tactically. This includes a large range of tasks, starting from the location of the BMPT in the order of battle and ending with the organization of all types of combat support.
It is also necessary to calculate who and how will supply fuel and lubricants and ammunition to the new vehicles, as it will be organized at the level of the battalion, regiment and brigade, the expert said. It is necessary to resolve issues with the repair — what will be done by the crew, and what work should be performed by the repair units. When all the calculations are done, the specialists will write guidelines, instructions and other regulatory documents. Such work is also significant and can take quite a long time.
Fire support
In 2017, the Terminators were sent to the Syrian Arab Republic for testing. During the June parade at the Hmeimim air base, the BMPT was demonstrated to President Bashar al-Assad. She also took part in real combat operations. According to Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, it was the tests in the SAR that made it possible to make a decision on the purchase of BMPT for arming the Russian army. State tests of the car in the same year were completed, and it received approval for mass production.
The vehicles of the Terminator-2 installation batch that are now entering the troops are equipped with a paired 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannon, a machine gun and four high-speed Ataka-T guided missiles with a range of 6 thousand meters. They can be both anti-tank and high-explosive versions, which allows you to hit any targets on the battlefield.
The vehicle is protected by a well-armored tank chassis. It is further reinforced with modern anti-accumulation and lattice screens on the sides and back. They should make the BMPT impervious to grenade launchers and anti-tank missiles of the enemy.
To detect and hit small targets day and night, the Terminator was equipped with high-quality optics and weapon stabilizers. The simultaneous operation of two high-speed guns allows you to create a much higher intensity of fire compared to conventional IFVs. New ammunition with programmable remote detonation on the trajectory is also being developed. They will be particularly effective against infantry in cover and low-speed aerial targets.
First customers
The creation of a specialized combat vehicle — a "partner" to support tanks was thought about in Afghanistan. Then the main task for her was to destroy the enemy's grenade launchers and anti-tank guided missile calculations. But before the end of the conflict, they did not have time to develop a sample. Again, the question of the need for such weapons arose during the Chechen campaigns. Rapid-fire small-caliber anti-aircraft self-propelled guns were often used to accompany heavy armored vehicles and motorized infantry. But their protection was much inferior to the specialized BMPT on the tank chassis.
In the following years, despite the initial interest of the Ministry of Defense, the contract for them was never signed, despite the creation of several prototypes. The concept of BMPT has also changed several times. It was proposed to create it on the platforms of different tanks. For a long time, the industry and the military could not decide on the necessary set of weapons. Even the short conflict with Georgia in 2008 did not stimulate purchases.
Kazakhstan has become a pilot user of Russian tank support vehicles. In 2011, the country's defense ministry purchased a trial batch of several "Terminators" of early modification, different from those that are now being received by the Russian army.
After the improved Terminator-2 BMPT was tested in Syria and received the first small order from the Russian Defense Ministry, other states became interested in them. Last year, Algeria received the first batch of several dozen, and in total they ordered more than 300 "Terminators".
Now the competition for the" Terminators " began to provide infantry fighting vehicles with new high-performance weapons modules. Therefore, the developers continue to improve the BMPT and its weapons. It is stated that now, in addition to the T-72 and T-90 tanks, other platforms of tracked armored vehicles, including heavy infantry fighting vehicles based on the Armata, are being considered as the basis for creating promising models of them.
