Foreign sources actively share their impressions about the past large-scale maneuvers "West-2021". Among the numerous samples of Russian military equipment, foreign observers, first of all, distinguish new products. So, in their opinion, the light wheeled 4x4 all-terrain vehicle "Sarmat-2" used by the units of the Russian Airborne Forces deserves attention.
According to publications in the Western media, several years ago, as part of the implementation of the requirements formulated by the Russian Armed Forces, the Institute of Special Technologies (Moscow) began developing a family of highly mobile all-terrain vehicles. The purpose of the task was a light wheeled vehicle capable of providing a high degree of mobility even in difficult terrain and carrying four servicemen with equipment. The car itself was planned to be armed with a large-caliber machine gun or a grenade launcher.
Sarmat-2 at the Zapad-2021 strategic exercises
The initial project, called "Sarmat-1", was just a study of the concept and appeared only on the drawing board, without any claims to the actual implementation. On its basis, in a dialogue with the customer, a modified version was created, which received the designation of a light special vehicle LSTS-1943, or "Sarmat-2". The public saw the prototypes made in the summer of 2018 in Kubinka, at the Army-2018 exhibition. According to the results of the Sarmat-2 tests, the LSTS-1944 project, or Sarmat-3, was implemented. The third generation of the Sarmat program turned out to be longer, heavier and more powerful than its predecessor. The tests, which at first glance seemed promising, began at the end of 2019.
As observers note, it is unclear when the Russian Armed Forces stopped testing the Sarmat-3 and returned to an earlier version of the product. It is known that, according to the manufacturer, the car "Sarmat-2" with a length of 4 m and a height of almost 2 m received priority because of its smaller curb weight - 2100 kg. However, some elements of the Sarmat-3 design, such as the front transverse arc, were preserved. On paved roads, the 105 hp divgator allows the Sarmat-2 to reach a maximum speed of 105 km/h with a payload of 600 kg.
According to an army press release, during the Zapad-2021 maneuvers, the Sarmat-2 was used by units of the 31st Airborne Assault Brigade from Ulyanovsk. The new machines were used in various scenarios at the test site in Mulino. The exercise actively practiced the transfer of buggies by Mi-8AMTSh helicopters inside the cargo compartment or on an external suspension, as well as their combat use in urban areas. During the past maneuvers, the Sarmatians were armed with a large-caliber 12.7 x 108 mm Kord 6P50-2 machine gun or a 30 x 29 mm AGS-17 grenade launcher.
According to foreign observers, the Sarmat-2 seems to be a logical addition to the fleet of Russian Airborne Troops. However, it remains unknown in what quantity and when the Sarmat-2 will enter the army.
According to the materials of the resource soldat-und-technik.de
