On the highway, no less. Multi-purpose airborne armored personnel carrier BTR-MD "shell" and BTR-MDM BTR on tracks

To participate in hostilities, she was born some time after its creation. Back in 1897 in Russia, the inventor Dvinitsky proved the possibility of installing a rapid-fire small-caliber gun on a vehicle. Despite the fact that this was later confirmed by successful tests, the commission from the Artillery Committee did not recommend the construction of even a prototype of a new combat vehicle. How and when did the first armored vehicles appear? What were the early car models and what are they like today? More on this later in the article.

Historical facts

The first combat-ready armored vehicle was the “military motor car.” It was demonstrated in London in 1902, on April 4th, by an engineer from England, Simms. This project was developed by the summer of 1898. The car was protected by a six-millimeter open-type armored hull, and three machine guns were covered with shields. The power of the four-cylinder engine, running on heavy fuel, reached 16 hp. With. However, the British War Ministry was as short-sighted as the Russian one in rejecting Simms' idea. But in the same year, 1989, a French company built a batch of semi-armored armed trucks.

The first armored personnel carriers of Russia

The construction of these machines from the First World War was led by Dobzhansky. They were designed at the Russian-Baltic plant. The carrying capacity of the vehicles reached two tons. The colonel was familiar with the production process of armored trucks at the French Creusot plant. Moreover, Dobzhansky even participated in their design. In Russia, armament and armoring of vehicles was carried out at that time near St. Petersburg, in Kolpino, at the Izhora plant. Due to the fact that the front needed protected vehicles, the chassis of serial trucks was simply sheathed with chromium-nickel katana, which could not be penetrated by a pointed bullet from two hundred steps. The protection was attached to the body with rivets. During construction, it was necessary to abandon the use of three heavy machine guns of the Maxim system as weapons. They were installed in the embrasures of the frontal sheet and sides.

Special purpose vehicles

Chassis

The Rakushka-M machine is equipped on each side with four support and five support rollers. They are covered with fine-link caterpillar tracks with rubber-metal hinges. The support rollers are mounted on air springs. The Rakushka-M armored personnel carrier has a variable three-mode ground clearance: maximum, working and minimum.

Conclusion

There are several modifications of the car. The basic one - "BTR-MD" - is designed on the basis of the "D" model combat vehicle. A modernized version has been developed and designed on the basis of the BDM-4M airborne combat vehicle. Two units of this equipment were delivered to the airborne troops in 2013. Before the end of the first half of the current year, 2014, ten Rakushka-M armored personnel carriers should be transferred to the Airborne Forces.

MOSCOW, September 13 – RIA Novosti, Andrey Stanavov. At the end of September, Ulyanovsk paratroopers will test their new “workhorses” for the first time in the forests and swamps - the BTR-MDM “Rakushka” armored personnel carriers and the BMD-4M “Sadovnitsa” airborne combat vehicles. Both cars are unique in many ways and have no analogues in the world. They are distinguished by lightness, speed, buoyancy and a lethal arsenal of different caliber weapons, allowing them to effectively fight even tanks. About what kind of deeds a landing party on "Sadovnitsa" and "Rakushki" can do behind enemy lines, as well as what the ultra-modern combat module "Bakhcha-U" is capable of, read in the RIA Novosti material.

Light weight and heavy character

The specificity of “winged infantry” involves landings and exhausting battles in deep enemy rear areas, where there are neither tanks nor artillery support, and air support is not always available. According to the principle “abandoned - fight.” In such conditions, any armored vehicle, even light, becomes the only protection, transport and means of attack for paratroopers. Therefore, designers try to attach as many weapons and auxiliary equipment to it as possible, while leaving it light enough to be thrown by aircraft.

The BMD-4M "Sadovnitsa" airborne combat vehicle is just that rare case when the developers managed to combine incompatible things in a compact body made of rolled aluminum armor. The ultra-strong aluminum alloy weighs little and, when hit by a projectile, does not cut the habitable compartment with fragments. The BMD-4M can be dropped by parachute directly with a crew of three sitting inside; the vehicle runs vigorously off-road and can swim. On the highway, a 500-horsepower engine accelerates a 13-ton BMD to 70 kilometers per hour. The latest integrated navigation system will prevent the crew from getting lost.

The most powerful weapons and impressive ammunition make the "Gardener" a real nightmare for the enemy. The Bakhcha-U combat module is completely unified with the BMP-3 - the same guns, ammunition and sighting and computing systems are used. Compared to the previous BMD-3, the firepower has increased by more than 2.5 times. The automated fire control system allows you to shoot accurately even at high speeds and when driving off-road.

The large-caliber 100-mm 2A70 cannon sends high-explosive fragmentation shells at a range of up to seven kilometers and allows you to destroy buildings and fortifications. Thanks to the presence of four Arkan anti-tank guided missiles, the crew can fight almost all tanks known today, including those equipped with active armor.

The 30-mm 2A72 automatic cannon with a high rate of fire deserves special attention, which can effectively work against lightly armored vehicles at a distance of up to two kilometers, clear out infantry at a distance of up to four kilometers, and even shoot down a helicopter flying one and a half kilometers away. In addition, a 7.62-mm PKMT machine gun with two thousand rounds of ammunition and an RPKS-74 5.45-mm machine gun are provided for combating manpower.

For example, if the paratroopers take up a perimeter defense and bury the Gardener in the ground, they will have a fortified firing point, which will not be easy for the enemy to suppress. For camouflage purposes, the combat vehicle is equipped with “Cloud” smoke grenades; for observation and aiming, there are night vision devices, a thermal imager and a laser range finder. The likelihood of mistakes is practically eliminated, even if there are newcomers in the crew.

"Taxi" for landing

The multi-purpose amphibious modernized armored personnel carrier BTR-MDM "Rakushka-M" is designed to increase the mobility of landing forces and their rapid transfer to the desired area. Like the BMD, the transporter is welded from sheets of aluminum armor and can float and drive over rough terrain. On the highway, the vehicle accelerates to 70 kilometers per hour and is capable of transporting 13 paratroopers over a distance of up to 500 kilometers without refueling. In addition, "Rakushka" is excellent for delivering ammunition, spare parts for military equipment and fuels and lubricants.

For the convenience of the soldiers, double chairs are installed inside and there are even brackets for hanging stretchers with the wounded. The driver sits in the front center of the car and watches the road through a periscopic device or night vision system. One of the paratroopers sits down at the PKTM machine gun, shooting through the front sector. The commander has his own turret with a machine gun, which he can control remotely.

The naturally aspirated multi-fuel diesel UTD-29 “eats” almost everything “that burns,” and this is especially valuable behind enemy lines, where gas stations with high-quality fuel and a smiling girl at the cash register are rare.

Thanks to the air suspension, the Rakushka can “squat” on the highway, and rise on rough terrain, just like expensive off-road foreign cars can do. In this case, the minimum clearance is 7-10 centimeters, and the maximum is up to half a meter.

It is interesting that on the basis of the BTR-MDM, a whole family of weapons and military equipment for the Airborne Forces can be created - command and staff vehicles, communications and control vehicles, medical, logistics support and others. The first such transporters entered service with the troops in March 2015, quickly gained popularity, and now the Ministry of Defense continues to actively transfer paratroopers to them.

The first thing you should pay attention to is the features of combat use. The vehicles must be able to operate deep in the rear, far from repair bases, ammunition depots and fuel and lubricants. Moreover, their task is to ensure high mobility of the landing unit, that is, to transport both people and all the necessary equipment. Agree, the option when, after disembarking, some drive while others walk, and even carry, is far from perfect. But as soon as we talk about the capacity of landing vehicles, other factors come up - their dimensions and weight. They are limited by the size of cargo compartments and the carrying capacity of transport aircraft. Simply put, they are designed with aircraft capabilities in mind.

Minibus in armor

Now pure mathematics. Three units of armored tracked vehicles, that is, a platoon, must be transported and parachuted from one Il-76 aircraft of the appropriate modification. The BMD-4M, which recently entered service, accommodates three crew members and five paratroopers. That is, in places behind the armor at the landing point, such a platoon provides 15 employees. The BMD is a powerful fire support weapon; its combat module with two cannons and a machine gun is certainly good. But weapons and ammunition take up a lot of space. Where to transport more paratroopers, cargo, fuel and lubricants?

The latest domestic development, which has recently begun to enter service with the troops, is the amphibious airborne armored personnel carrier BTR-MDM Rakushka. The universal combat vehicle is produced by Kurganmashzavod on a platform unified with the BMD-4M. This is a huge plus - comparable running capabilities and interchangeability of parts are important for amphibious vehicles. The Shell does not have a weapons turret, but it can accommodate two crew members and 13 paratroopers! That is, a platoon of BTR-MDM from one Il-76 will cover 39 soldiers behind the armor.

In the troop compartment of the armored personnel carrier, three double seats are installed on each side. They can be folded to the sides if you need to transport equipment rather than people. The shell, turned into a truck, is capable of transporting two tons of luggage. For boxes with ammunition, barrels of fuel and lubricants, spare parts and other cargo, fastening elements using belts are provided. There are also devices along the sides for fixing the stretcher. They can be arranged in three tiers, which means the BTR-MDM can evacuate six wounded from the front line.

Of course, Shell was not left completely without. A remote-controlled all-round machine gun is mounted on the roof above the commander's position. Another machine gun, a course one, is installed in the front part of the hull on the right, in front of the paratrooper’s seat.

Despite the fact that an armored personnel carrier is capable of supporting fighters with fire, attacks on the enemy are not its calling. It was created for transport tasks - delivering paratroopers to the front line, transporting ammunition, evacuating the wounded. It is the joint actions of the well-armed BMD-4M and the capacious BTR-MDM that are best suited for mobile airborne formations.

The body of the Shell is welded, made of aluminum bulletproof armor, the so-called chopping type. Tank layout: control compartment in front, troop and cargo compartment in the middle, engine and transmission compartment in the rear. Due to the fact that the engine is practically opposed, it is flat and does not greatly impede the exit of paratroopers through the huge hatch in the rear of the wheelhouse. Multi-fuel naturally aspirated diesel engine UTD-29 with a working volume of 26.5 liters (!) produces 500 hp. and a fantastic torque of 1460 N.m at 1600 rpm.

The BTR-MDM chassis has four support and five support rollers on each side on air-hydraulic springs. The working ground clearance is 450 mm, but the ground clearance can vary in the range of 130–530 mm.

Great Briton on the asphalt

The BTR-MDM was not made from scratch. A number of technical solutions make it similar to the BMP-3, which appeared in the late 1980s. Nevertheless, Rakushka does not have many direct competitors. The armies of NATO countries rely mainly on well-armed but bulky vehicles with protection almost like a tank. Among the crazy tracked armored personnel carriers, say, the American M-113 is hopelessly outdated, and the Bradley BGPV ​​development is in fact not the first fresh infantry fighting vehicle weighing more than 20 tons with a dismantled combat module. The Shell is perhaps better compared to the not very common English Stormer armored personnel carrier. But this duel in absentia will clearly not be in favor of the latter.

The British FV-4333 Stormer combat vehicle is based on the components and assemblies of the lightly armored CRV(T) family, which includes the Scorpion tank, Spartan armored personnel carrier and Striker self-propelled gun. It differs from other vehicles in the Stormer family by its elongated body and six road wheels in the chassis instead of five. FV-4333 has been produced since the early 1980s. Many modifications have been created on its basis, which are still in service. But we are interested in the basic one - an airmobile amphibious armored personnel carrier.

In terms of mass, it is close to our Shell. The armor is also aluminum bulletproof, and the body is welded. But the layout is different. The driver's seat is on the left front. The crew commander is located behind him. On the right, behind the bulkhead, is the engine and transmission compartment. The middle and rear parts of the vehicle are given to the airborne squad. In addition to two crew members, Stormer can carry eight fully equipped fighters - less than Shell.

Engine - diesel Perkins with turbocharging, 250 hp. Here there is a two-fold loss to the BTR-MDM in power supply. The chassis is also simpler - the FV-4333 has a conventional torsion bar suspension with shock absorbers. There is no talk of any pneumatic hydraulic springs. The working ground clearance is slightly less than that of the BTR-MDM, but, most importantly, there is no system for changing the ground clearance.

Stormer is well sealed and can float with a little pre-training. Movement in water occurs due to the rewinding of caterpillars. The maximum speed afloat is 5 km/h. The shell is twice as fast in this element: two auger-type water-jet propulsors are capable of accelerating it to 10 km/h.

In its basic version, the FV-4333 is armed with one machine gun located in a small turret above the commander's position. And here the Stormer is one barrel behind the BTR-MDM, although, I repeat, the armament for transport combat vehicles is not the main indicator.

Is everything really so perfect and Stormer lost outright to Rakushka, losing in capacity, chassis capabilities, buoyancy, power density and weapons?

Of course not. In terms of booking, we can say there is parity. The turbodiesel engine of an English armored personnel carrier is more economical than a domestic large-volume atmospheric diesel engine - with a smaller tank capacity, the “Englishman” has a better cruising range. It's also faster than our fighting vehicle on the highway. True, this figure is rather crafty, because it is better to travel along the highway on wheeled vehicles. The tracks are still designed for off-road use - fast driving on asphalt reduces their service life. Once you leave the highway, the speed will depend on the capabilities of the suspension and other factors, and fuel consumption will increase.

Characteristics of armored personnel carriers of Russia and Great Britain

Model	BTR - MDM Shell	BAE (Alvis) FV4333 Stormer
Dimensions: length / width / height, mm	6085 / 3150 / 2630	5270 / 2760 / 2490
ground clearance, mm	variable 130–530

Airborne armored personnel carrier

BTR-MDM "Rakushka-M" developed by the design bureau of the Volgograd Tractor Plant on the basis of the BMD-3 to replace the BTR-D airborne forces. The development of a modernized version of the BTR-MDM on a chassis began in 2008 by SKBM Kurgan Machine-Building Plant (chief designer until October 2014 - S.S. Salnikov). The series was produced for military testing in 2014 by the Kurgan Machine-Building Plant (Kurgan).

In 2013, the first two BTR-MDM were delivered to the Airborne Forces for testing. The tests were planned to be completed in 2015. The first production batch of 12 BTR-MDM "Rakushka" was transferred to the Airborne Forces of the Western Military District on March 3, 2015.

It is expected that by 2025 the Airborne Forces will receive more than 2,500 Rakushka armored personnel carriers of various modifications.

BTR-MDM in the Russian Armed Forces

The first Rakushka-M BTR-MDMs were delivered to the Russian armed forces in 2015. According to Western data, as of 2018, the Airborne Forces have at least 30 BTR-MDMs.

Armored personnel carrier design

The body is made of welded armor plates. In the front and middle parts of the hull there is a wheelhouse with the crew and landing force of the armored personnel carrier. There are special niches above the tracks. At the rear of the car is the engine and transmission compartment. In the aft part of the cabin there is a hatch for dismounting the crew. The driver's seat is located in the front of the car. To the left and right of it there are seats for two members of the landing party. In the roof above the landing and driver positions there are three hatches for exiting the vehicle.

The chassis of the vehicle consists of five support and four support rollers on each side. The rollers are equipped with fine-linked caterpillar tracks with rubber-metal hinges. The track rollers are mounted on air springs. The ground clearance of the armored personnel carrier is variable and has three modes: minimum, working and maximum.

Booking: bulletproof. The armor of the hull and turret is capable of resisting enemy small arms and fragments of mines and shells. For additional protection of the crew and troops, an anti-fragmentation protection kit is installed in the vehicle.

Engine:
Diesel UTD-29 four-stroke, multi-fuel, liquid-cooled, naturally aspirated with a power of up to 500 hp.

TTX BTR-MDM

Crew- 2 people + up to 13 landing troops (depending on the layout) Length- 6085 mm Width– 3150 mm Height– 2700 mm Clearance– 100-500 mm Combat weight– up to 13.2 t Maximum speed:- 70 km/h (on the highway) - 45-50 km/h (on a dirt road) - 10 km/h (afloat) Power reserve:- 500 km (highway) - 350 km (dirt road) Obstacles to be overcome:- ditch - 1.5 m - wall - 0.8 m - rise - 35 degrees.

BTR-MDM "Rakushka-M" during military tests in the Airborne Forces, 2014 (photo - Alexander Ryumin, http://itar-tass.com)

Armament

7.62 mm PKTM machine gun located in the commander's turret Ammunition - 8 x 250 rounds Front-mounted 7.62-mm machine gun PKTM installed in the left front part of the body with a sighting device TNP3VE01-01 Ammunition - 2 x 1000 rounds with a common power path Smoke screen mortars- 4 x 81-mm mortars for launching smoke grenades on the front plate of the armored personnel carrier hull.

BTR-MDM "Rakushka-M" at the ArmsEXPO-2013 exhibition (photo - Vitaly Kuzmin, http://vitalykuzmin.net)

Equipment

The armored personnel carrier is equipped with a digital information and control system IUS-Sh. Sighting and observation equipment: three periscopic devices on the driver's hatch (the central one can be equipped with a night vision device). A sighting system was also installed for firing a machine gun and monitoring the terrain.

Modifications:

Object 955 / BTR-MD "Shell"- a basic model of an armored personnel carrier developed on the BMD-3 chassis.

BTR-MDM "Rakushka-M"- modernized version on the chassis.

BMM-D- armored medical landing vehicle / armored ambulance transporter - BMM-D1. A variant of the vehicle for a medical platoon is the BMM-D2.

"New Defense Order. Strategies"

The original purpose of armored personnel carriers on the battlefield was the mobile delivery of people to specified positions. This made it possible to support tank offensives and quickly reorient troops in response to the changing front-line situation. In addition to this, armored personnel carriers delivered cargo and transported the wounded.

In modern conditions, armored personnel carriers are increasingly designed according to the type of infantry and airborne combat vehicles (BMP and BMD). This makes the armored personnel carrier a full-fledged support and cover combat unit, which is especially important during operations in the rear.

The Rakushka armored personnel carrier is a Russian multifunctional landing (MD) vehicle, created to support airborne units. The emphasis is not only on the rapid delivery of fighters and supplies, but also on air landings. The autonomy of ongoing operations is also taken into account, in which the vehicle becomes the main infantry cover.

History of the model

The task of developing a new multi-purpose landing vehicle was set before the designers back in 1992. The difficult economic situation of the country and lack of funding for the army led to the freezing of the project. As a result, active work on it began only in 2008.

The key task of the new armored personnel carrier was to replace the outdated Soviet amphibious armored personnel carrier, produced back in 1974. The new vehicle had to meet the requirements of modern equipment and weapons, and also take into account the specifics of landing operations.

The BTR-MD was created at the Volgograd Tractor Plant. Later, serial production was transferred to the Kurgan Machine-Building Plant, where a modernized version of the BTR-MDM is being assembled. In 2013, the first vehicles were sent for testing.

In 2015, armored personnel carriers began to enter service with the army, and from that moment on, their photos began to appear on the Internet. As of 2018, there were already 30 such machines. It is expected that by 2025, about 200 armored personnel carriers of this line in various modifications will enter service with the landing forces. As a result, the BMD-4M and Rakushka armored personnel carriers will become the basic landing equipment.

Goals and objectives for application

Rakushka armored personnel carriers are designed as a landing vehicle, the main purpose of which is to support units in any combat conditions.

The tasks of an armored personnel carrier include:

• support for infantry formations, cover;
• transportation of goods, supply of units;
• removal of the wounded, conversion into an ambulance;
• organization of a command center or radio communication center.

The key tasks of the armored personnel carrier remain the delivery of troops to specified positions. The new vehicle allows you to transport soldiers under your own power, to land from the air, as well as to force water obstacles and land from the sea overcoming the surf line. The last factor makes it a full-fledged amphibian.

Design and structure of the amphibian

The body of the Rakushka armored personnel carrier is made of welded armor plates. The machine is divided into three compartments. In the front is the control room, where the driver, commander and one of the paratroopers are located. The armored personnel carrier is made according to the design of a tank, so the engine is located in the rear.

The middle part is intended for transporting troops. Paired seats are located facing the direction of travel, three pairs on each side. There is space for cargo in the niches above the tracks. Also in the body there are loopholes for firing from the vehicle.

Surveillance and communications equipment

Surveillance of the surroundings is carried out from the driver's seat through three periscope devices. If necessary, the central one is replaced with a night vision device. Additional tracking is carried out from the airborne unit through loopholes. Internal communication and switching are provided by the R-174 system.

Taking into account the weapons, aiming is ensured from the shooter's position. The turret installation is also equipped with a TNP3VE01-01 sighting system for guidance and automatic firing from the commander’s position. Through this device he can also monitor the area.

Main weapons

The armament of the Rakushka armored personnel carrier is represented by a 7.62 mm Kalashnikov machine gun. Power is provided by two boxes of 1000 rounds of ammunition, united by a single path. The modified version has an additional machine gun on the right front side.

Armored personnel carrier armor protects soldiers from bullets and shrapnel. The undercarriage is protected to overcome mines.

Means of camouflage

Most of the equipment elements of the Rakushka armored personnel carrier were borrowed from the BMP-3. These also include means of camouflage. In addition to the camouflage color, the armored personnel carrier is equipped with “Tucha” smoke grenades.

Specifications

The technical characteristics of the Rakushka armored personnel carrier meet the requirements of a modern combat vehicle. There are certain differences between different modifications aimed at highly specialized tasks. The main model, due to its indicators, also maintains a wide range of application possibilities.

Engine and transmission

The armored personnel carrier is powered by a UTD-29 turbocharged boxer engine, also borrowed from the BMP-3. Engine power - 450 l. With. The cooling system is injection-fan. The transmission and rotation mechanism is located in the same block with the engine and consists of a two-shaft reversible gearbox. There is also a drive for a water-jet propulsion unit, which provides controlled buoyancy of the machine.

Electrical equipment

Taking into account the borrowing of elements from the BMP-3, the electrical equipment of the Rakushka armored personnel carrier is represented by 6ETs088 equipment. There is no exact information about the modified version of the machine.

Chassis

For better maneuverability, the BTR-MD moves on caterpillar tracks. The chassis consists of five support and four support rollers on each side. The tracks have fine-linked rubber-metal hinges. The track rollers are secured with air springs.

One of the key features of the BTR-MD chassis is adjustable ground clearance. There are three positions - minimum 70-100 mm, working 420 mm and maximum 500-510 mm.

Landing

The Rakushka armored personnel carrier is capable of transporting up to 15 people, including the driver and commander. For landing there is a hatch in the stern. There are also two round hatches in the roof of the control room and two rectangular ones in the middle landing part of the armored personnel carrier.

Maximum speed on water and land

The speed characteristics of the BTR-MD are presented by the following indicators:

• maximum speed on the highway - up to 71 km/h;
• speed on a dry dirt road - 45-50 km/h;
• speed afloat - 10 km/h.

The range on the highway is 500 km, on rough terrain - 350 km. The tracked undercarriage allows the armored personnel carrier to overcome climbs of 35 degrees, objects and walls 0.8 m high and ditches 1.5 m high.

Dimensions and weight

In terms of dimensions, the technical characteristics of the BTR-MD have the following values:

• hull length - 6.085 m;
• width - 3.15 m;
• height - 2.7 m;
• weight - 13.2 tons.

The dimensions of the vehicle allow it to be dropped from the air from IL-76 (M, MD), AN-124 aircraft, as well as from the external sling of Mi-26 helicopters. This makes the armored personnel carrier the optimal choice for landing operations.

Advantages and disadvantages

The key advantage of the BTR-MD is its versatility. The vehicle is designed for almost any operating conditions, which in many ways brings it closer to an infantry fighting vehicle. At the same time, the design of the armored personnel carrier allows it to be quickly converted into any center - from an ambulance to a command headquarters.

The Rakushka BTRD takes into account the autonomy of operations when landing to the rear. Electrical equipment, navigation and guidance systems allow even beginners who have completed basic training to effectively perform combat missions.

The vehicle borrowed the most successful design solutions of previous generations of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. Regarding the shortcomings, no significant aspects have yet been highlighted. This is due to the short service life, which does not allow an objective assessment of the project in the long term.

Application and testing in real combat conditions

The first tests of the BTR-MD "Rakushka" were carried out in 2013. The armored personnel carrier showed full compliance with the declared technical characteristics, high maneuverability and versatility. Based on the results obtained, the vehicles began to enter service with the Airborne Forces. They have not yet been used in real combat conditions.

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