Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Russia Rolls Out a New Infantry Fighting Vehicle — Its First Since the Cold War
War is Boring ^ | 04/16/2015 | Kyle Mizokami

Posted on 04/16/2015 7:29:23 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki

Two videos uploaded to the Internet purportedly reveal Russia’s first truly new infantry fighting vehicles in decades and a new self-propelled howitzer.

One of the videos even shows intriguing closeups of what’s probably Russia’s new Armata tank. If the videos are authentic, it’s a sign that the Kremlin’s long-delayed rearmament plans are making progress.

Unknown videographers captured the footage at the Alabino training grounds, a base about 29 miles southwest of Moscow where Russian forces rehearse for the annual May 9 Victory Day parade in Red Square.

The parade celebrates the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany during World War II — and it’s when Russia likes to show off its best military hardware.

Unidentified individuals uploaded the footage to several streaming video sites, the first on March 27, then a second video on April 10 filmed from a different angle. Although the camera operator is unknown and the video has no narration, the content appears genuine.

New fighting vehicles

The appearance of Kurganets-25 infantry fighting vehicles is the most striking feature of the videos — and for good reason. The Kurganets is Russia’s replacement for the venerable BMP fighting vehicle used extensively around the world from the Cold War to today.

In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union invented the infantry fighting vehicle or IFV, a tracked and heavily armed taxi capable of carrying a squad of riflemen into combat — and then supporting the troops after they dismount.

Designers equipped the BMP-1 with a 73-millimeter low-pressure gun, AT-3 Sagger anti-tank guided missile launcher and firing ports to allow soldiers to fire their AKM assault rifles from inside of the vehicle. Low-slung and heavily armed, the BMP was a major step forward in armored warfare.

The collapse of the Soviet Union stopped Russian armored vehicle development dead in its tracks. For the most part, Russia relied on existing stocks of BMP-2 and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles from the late 1980s.

The Kurganets is a radical departure from the BMP series. Instead of being low and sleek like the BMP, Kurganets is boxy and tall, much like the American M-2 Bradley.

The Kurganets has a common hull for an entire family of armored vehicles including an infantry fighting vehicle, command and control vehicle, mortar carrier and ambulance. Various reports credit it with the ability to carry six-to-eight soldiers in the vehicle’s passenger compartment.

Water crossings won’t slow it down, either. The Kurganets is amphibious, equipped with water jets to propel it across rivers and small bodies of water. A trim vane to achieve buoyancy is clearly visible on the front of each vehicle.

Two versions of the Kurganets appear in the videos, both with canvas-covered turrets to mask their shape. The first appears to be the infantry fighting vehicle, featuring a tiny, unmanned turret possibly armed with a 30-millimeter 2A42 automatic cannon and four Kornet-EM anti-tank missiles.

Kornet-EM is an improved version of the missiles Iraqi forces used to disable several American armored vehicles — including the M-1 Abrams — during the 2003 invasion. Hezbollah used Kornets to destroy several Merkava tanks during the 2006 war in Lebanon.

The second vehicle looks like the first of Kurganets’ many variants, sporting a larger turret with a short, fat gun barrel.

The gun is possibly an upgrade of the 82-millimeter Vasilek automatic mortar. The Vasilek is a unique mortar capable of engaging targets with both direct and indirect fire. Equipped with high explosive anti-tank shells, Vasilek can even engage tanks.

New howitzer

That’s not all. Russia also showed off a new and gigantic 152-millimeter self-propelled howitzer. In the videos, the heavy, ungainly howitzers lumbered down the parade route two by two, their large caliber guns peeking out from under canvas shrouds.

The howitzer appears similar to Russia’s current self-propelled Msta howitzer. Allegedly, the new mystery howitzer is the Koalitsiya, a new design reportedly in trials just last year, according to IHS Jane’s 360.

Originally, the Russian army wanted the Koalitsiya to have not one — but two — howitzers, with one barrel mounted on top of the other. For reasons only Moscow knows, manufacturers removed this over-the-top development from the production model.

Msta and Koalitsiya share many of the same features, including a cannon and armored chassis. But there are differences — and hints of differences.

Msta’s muzzle brake has three baffles, while Koalitsiya has five. Even stranger, a canvas covered Koalitsiya’s barrel in the videos.

Self-propelled howitzers — at least on the outside — rarely have features that require a great deal of secrecy. The turret appears larger and differently shaped than Msta, but that’s hardly a reason to hide the turret.

Where’s Armata?

Russia’s latest tank, the Armata, was notably absent from the parade practice — at least from what we can see.

Akin to the Kurganets, the Armata is supposed to be a totally new design to replace aging stalwarts, namely the T-72, T-80 and T-90 series of main battle tanks. Russian military officials said a year ago that they would display the Armata during the 2015 Victory Day parade.

But the tanks we see at the rehearsal are merely T-90U tanks. What happened? Perhaps the Armata simply isn’t ready, or maybe the Russians are keeping the new tank out of the public eye for as long as possible.

Curiously, another video of the parade includes previously unseen images of what could be the Armata. In the video, it outwardly looks like the same tank caught on a Russian dashcam video earlier this year. There’s no way to confirm the authenticity of the video … but if they’re hoaxes, they’re good ones.

If it is an Armata, the tank appears heavier and longer than the T-90, with seven road wheels instead of six.

The chassis appears to sit higher than the T-90. Modern tanks only have one hatch on the front of the hull — for the driver — but the Armata apparently has two hatches.

Armor on the front of the hull and sides appears modular, making it easier to replace. Slat armor, which prevents shaped-charge warheads from detonating directly on the tank, protects the engine compartment. The Armata’s turret and main gun are also covered in a canvas tarp. But the turret is small and could be unmanned, with the main gun serviced by an autoloader. This reduces the overall profile of the tank, making it more difficult to hit.

The main turret appears to have an even smaller secondary turret, likely with a remote-controlled machine gun or grenade launcher.

The Armata is not the super-tank enthusiasts hoped for — a futuristic design sporting a 125-millimeter main gun, 30-millimeter autocannon and two machine guns. Like the Koalitsiya, the Armata could have been a more ambitious design that the Kremlin scaled back to more realistic levels.

Russia’s new armored vehicle designs are a major investment in military and economic security. Russia expects to spend $9.2 billion on 2,300 new Armata tanks alone. Rebuilding the rest of Russia’s armored vehicle arsenal might easily double that number.

Falling oil prices caused the Russian economy to falter, and arms exports are another major source of hard currency. However, Russian munitions have consistently been on the losing end of numerous wars, earning the weapons a stigma that has cut into arms sales.

A new line of armored vehicles could reinvigorate the Russian brand.

Whatever the future holds for these new armored vehicles, count on seeing them in the news for the next 40 years. If nothing else, perhaps you will see the vehicles — minus their canvas shrouds — during the Victory Day celebration in Red Square.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: armor; ifv; russia; warisboring

Larger images at source

1 posted on 04/16/2015 7:29:23 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki

Engine in the front?


2 posted on 04/16/2015 7:37:50 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki

The Russkies sure do love that 152mm. They’ve used it in WW2 , from towed artillery to using it for a main gun in tanks. It’s a big bugger.


3 posted on 04/16/2015 7:43:20 PM PDT by jmacusa (Liberalism defined: When mom and dad go away for the weekend and the kids are in charge.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki
Say what you will about them, I have hugely enjoyed studying Russian military hardware for decades now.

They have a flair for it unmatched by anyone. Thank you suhkoi-30mki for posting these great threads........

4 posted on 04/16/2015 8:31:39 PM PDT by doorgunner69
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki
Vehicles in the background look like WW-II era SU-100s.


5 posted on 04/16/2015 8:33:31 PM PDT by fso301
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jmacusa

Just as much as we love the 155mm. And use to love the 8 inch gun; it was the most ballisticly accurate of all the US artillery pieces.


6 posted on 04/16/2015 8:49:47 PM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: doorgunner69
They have a flair for it unmatched by anyone.

They build very fine, robust designs well suited to rough service, difficult conditions, and field repair.

Designed for stout.

Designed for easy mass production.

"Quantity has a quality all it's own" a quote attributed to Stalin.

7 posted on 04/16/2015 8:54:27 PM PDT by null and void (He who kills a tyrant (i.e. an usurper) to free his country is praised and rewarded ~ Thomas Aquinas)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: null and void
What I have enjoyed for many years is the imagination they have for weapons. There are some true bursts of genius.

And only a gear-head can appreciate the over-armed Kirov battle cruiser. That thing was so encrusted with weapon systems, you had to wonder how many would actually work if someone pushed the button.

But still, it was sooooo cool to look at it and think of the crazy bastards that had a ball thinking it all up. And then getting approval for it!

8 posted on 04/16/2015 9:19:18 PM PDT by doorgunner69
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki

“The gun is possibly an upgrade of the 82-millimeter Vasilek automatic mortar. The Vasilek is a unique mortar capable of engaging targets with both direct and indirect fire.”

IIRC, The Vasilek was developed to solve some of the problems Soviet armored convoys faced in Afghanistan when traveling in high-walled mountain passes. Tank guns could not elevate sufficiently to deal with ambushing Mujahadeen, so weapons like the Vasilek were developed to pop them out of their perches, so to speak. Again, IIRC.


9 posted on 04/16/2015 9:20:53 PM PDT by DemforBush (Ex-Democrat, and NotforJeb. Just so we're clear.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: doorgunner69

One of my favorite bits of Soviet/Russian hardware is the MT-LB. Granted, it’s not a particularly powerful vehicle like a BMP or T-72, but I admire it because it is just so pragmatically Russian in its design. Off-the-shelf truck engine for a powerplant, reliable, inexpensive, and useful for everything from an artillery tractor to an ambulance.


10 posted on 04/16/2015 9:30:30 PM PDT by DemforBush (Ex-Democrat, and NotforJeb. Just so we're clear.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki

We’ll probably be seeing some of this stuff in Ukraine soon. Then, the Putin apologist will say the “indigenous insurgents” captured the weapons from the Nazi Ukrainians who are all homosexuals, or some such Putinista propaganda.


11 posted on 04/16/2015 11:08:04 PM PDT by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GreyFriar

An old 30-B here and I’ve put allot of rounds out of both those guns. We had 105’s’ 155’s and 175’s at FSB Bastogne and could reach the north end of the A Shau from our position.


12 posted on 04/17/2015 4:20:34 AM PDT by Dusty Road (")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: fso301

Looks to me like SU-85s. They’re missing the right side bustle the SU-100s have. In any event very weird to see them still operational. Possibly used for training.


13 posted on 04/17/2015 4:47:01 AM PDT by Justa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: GreyFriar

Yeah, but we don’t put a 155mm on a tank. They have and apparently still do.


14 posted on 04/17/2015 3:00:49 PM PDT by jmacusa (Liberalism defined: When mom and dad go away for the weekend and the kids are in charge.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: jmacusa

We put the 152mm gun/Shalailli missile launcher on the Sheridan and M-60A2 (on which I served for a couple of years.)


15 posted on 04/17/2015 4:18:38 PM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: GreyFriar

Thanks for the info. Thank you for your service.


16 posted on 04/17/2015 4:53:41 PM PDT by jmacusa (Liberalism defined: When mom and dad go away for the weekend and the kids are in charge.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson