In a special military operation, airborne units are active and highly competent. Paratroopers, of course, fly and jump with parachutes. But the main theater of their military operations is the earth. And on land, they are in no way inferior to the classic motorized infantry.
The Blue Berets are armed with a wide variety of armored vehicles, characterized by mobility, powerful weapons and good protection.
The first armored combat vehicle BMD-1 began to enter the Airborne Forces in 1979. Now the mobile basis of the landing is a completely new level of equipment. Their common base is the BMD-4M, on which several types of machines have been created. All of them are floating, highly mobile, well armed and protected. Their common distinguishing feature is the hydropneumatic suspension, which allows the car to rise and fall by 40 cm, as well as providing good smoothness on country roads even at high speed.
BMD-4M has a compartment for five paratroopers, has a powerful and diverse weapons system. It includes: a 100 mm 2A70 rifled gun, which is simultaneously a launcher for guided missiles, a 30 mm 2A42 automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun.
The ammunition consists of 34 unguided 100-mm shells and four anti-tank laser-guided missiles of the same caliber. Ammunition 30-mm cannon 500 shells - high-explosive and armor-piercing.
The BTR-MDM armored personnel carrier does not have impressive weapons, but it is more functional.
The BTR-MDM is serviced by only two crew members, carries 13 paratroopers with full weapons. The armored personnel carrier has a large number of hatches that allow the landing party and the crew to quickly get into the car and leave it in any conditions.
Above the three front seats (the driver's seat in the center, the commander's seat on the left, the backup one on the right) are three separate hatches of a classic round shape. Two more rectangular ones are located above the landing seats and open up and sideways. Plus the aft hatch, the widest, which can be used on the move as an armored shield: it opens forward-up, and under its cover the landing party can fire from personal weapons.
The key advantage of the BTR-MDM specialists highlight the versatility. The design of the armored personnel carrier allows you to convert it in a short time depending on specific requirements.
It can transport troops, be a protected sanitary or engineering vehicle, perform the functions of a commanding vehicle.
The self-propelled installation 2C9 "Nona-S" is absolutely unique. It is armed with a 120 mm rifled gun, which is simultaneously a cannon, a howitzer and a mortar. In addition to regular Russian shells, Nona-S can use all types of mines for smoothbore and rifled 120-mm mortars from NATO arsenals. "Nona" fully justified its name - an abbreviation of the words: a new ground artillery gun.
Paratroopers actively use kamikaze drones "Cube-BLAH" and "Lancet" to their advantage. There are already a lot of video frames of their competent application on the Web. They also use various quadrocopters for reconnaissance.
Recently, the Ministry of Defense published video footage showing the combat use of the anti-tank missile system "Kornet" by paratroopers.
It was clarified that a drone was launched before using the Cornet. With its help, it was possible to determine the camouflaged firing positions of the APU armored vehicles. After that, the hidden tanks were destroyed with surgical precision.
On Tuesday, August 2, the country celebrates Airborne Forces Day. With all our heart and best wishes, we congratulate all paratroopers, especially those who participate in a special military operation.
Sergey Ptichkin
