Free Republic

One of the more interesting parts of the most recent Russian “State Defense Order” is the adoption of the BMPT infantry fighting vehicle. Twelve BMPT armored fighting vehicles have been ordered, marking the first time the Russian military has actually ordered a dedicated heavily armored infantry-suppression vehicle. Such vehicles have been in development since the 1980s, as a result of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Multi-turreted, bristling with weaponry and featuring crews of up to seven people, more than twice the standard Soviet three-man tank crew, these designs could be seen as a partial revival of the “land battleship” concept...

© Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy With the Russian Defense Ministry having already announced its decision to purchase the first batch of the BMPT, an advanced tank support combat vehicle, Sputnik looks into why they like this vehicle so much. Currently, there are two versions of the vehicle based on the T-72 battle tank chassis — "the Terminator 1" and "the Terminator 2." They're both earmarked for export and haven't been purchased by the Russian Defense Ministry. The BMPT-72 is fitted with a state-of-the-art guided weapons system and is capable of destroying enemy infantry vehicles, tanks and other armored objects, as well...

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad stands in front of the BMPT-72 at the Russian air base at Hmeymim on June 27, 2017. Source: Reuters On June 27, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited the Khmeimim Russian base, where he was shown the newest Russian BMPT-72 (aka Terminator-2) armored fighting vehicle. The vehicle was invented to protect tanks from rocket attacks in an urban environment. The Russian Ministry of Defense recently sent a single combat BMPT-72 to Syria to test the vehicle and decide its future. Details of the Terminator-2’s mission in Syria are unclear. It may participate both in guarding Khmeimim, and...

Russia Unveils ‘Terminator-2’ Tank Support Vehicle NIZHNY TAGIL, September 25 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Uralvagonzavod defense manufacturer on Wednesday unveiled the BMPT-72 tank support fighting vehicle, dubbed the “Terminator-2,” at the Russia Arms Expo 2013 in Nizhny Tagil. The BMPT-72 is an extensive modernization of the world-famous T-72 main battle tank, also produced by Uralvagonzavod. Compared with its predecessor – the BMPT – the BMPT-72 has an improved fire control system and better turret weapon station protection. “The key advantage that the BMPT-72 gives to all the counties that operate T-72 tanks is that they can promptly and at minimal...