MOSCOW, Dec 29 - RIA Novosti. State tests of the Octopus-SDM1 light floating tank will be completed in early 2022, Bekhan Ozdoev, industrial director of the Rostec armament complex, told RIA Novosti in an interview.
The Industrial director added that Rostec has already started preparing production for the serial production of the Octopus-SDM1
"Technological processes are being worked out, the necessary equipment is being selected and manufactured, negotiations are underway with the pickers," he said.
According to Ozdoev, the Octopus-SDM1 is a unique machine that has no analogues in the world. "It combines the qualities of a light tank and a BMD. It is not inferior in firepower to the T-90MS tank, has a 125-millimeter cannon - a record for its class. It can fire not only on land, but also on water. The tank floats perfectly, is able to land from the air with a crew inside the car and make marches up to 500 kilometers without refueling," the industrial director added.
"First of all, this is a car for the Russian airborne Forces. But potential customers abroad are also looking with envy," Ozdoev said.
According to him, for a year and a half of testing, the Octopus-SDM1 showed high water-carrying qualities in the Black Sea, was transported by large landing ships, one of the prototypes has already passed 8000 kilometers — this is the full volume of the warranty run, proving the reliability and reliability of the systems.
The mandatory list also includes tests for armor resistance and impact testing on the hull to assess their impact on the crew and vehicle systems.
The final stage of state tests is transportation by IL-76 aircraft.