Vladislav Perminov
Translated by google
Falichev Oleg
22 September 2020
Photo: Oleg Falichev
Among the few novelties of the international military-technical forum "ARMY-2020" there was one with the mysterious name "Manul". It looks like an ordinary combat vehicle, but only at first glance. It stood out for its sophisticated reconnaissance, surveillance and weapons systems, somewhat reminiscent of the equipment of the BMPT "Terminator", and was presented for the first time. In it, as it turned out, many innovations and advantages are hidden, which will play an important role in a real battle. And although the machine has not yet been adopted for service in the Russian army, it makes sense to tell more about it.
The wild cat Pallas' cat is a very cautious and the most specialized of predators, adapted to getting animal food by sneaking up, watching, and less often pursuing. Apparently, it was these qualities that the designers of the Kurgan Special Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (SKBM) had in mind, giving their brainchild that name.
In any case, the Kurgan Machine-Building Plant, which is part of NPO High-Precision Complexes of the Rostec State Corporation, has embodied many innovations and unusual design solutions in this machine. Although it is a symbiosis of developments that were used on new modifications of the BMP-3. One of them is the front-mounted UTD-32 engine of increased power.
As SKBM representatives explained, the new BMP is mainly focused on deliveries to export customers. It combines developments on new modifications of BMP-3 and Boomerang.
Assemble and equip
Since the car also performs the functions of a conventional BMP, it also carries troops, which are located at the rear and exit through a folding ramp. The troop compartment accommodates eight people. But as Sergei Abdulov, the chief designer of the Special Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering of the High-Precision Complexes holding at Rostec, said, there is a tendency for the landing force to exit also in the stern, that is, through the rear ramp. The car is made with this factor in mind. This suggests that the BMP is still in the finalization stage and, perhaps, some of its nodes will be configured differently. But this is a normal process, only combat practice and long-term operation will show the final versions.
However, the most interesting thing is that the BMP of the base version "Manul" is equipped with a promising uninhabited combat module TKB-945 "Boomerang". This significantly affects the preservation of the life of the crew, which is located much lower in the car.
The module is equipped with a 30-mm 2A42 cannon with selective ammunition (ammunition - 500 rounds), a 7.62-mm PKTM machine gun (ammunition - 2000 rounds) and four Kornet guided missiles capable of destroying all existing tanks in the world. Armor penetration - 1,400 millimeters of homogeneous armor at a distance of over eight kilometers. And modern sights will allow you to detect the enemy at any time of the day. Therefore, "Manul" in its tactical and technical characteristics is in no way inferior to the best foreign infantry fighting vehicles.
According to the same Abdulov, it is also allowed to install other remotely controlled combat modules. A big plus in terms of operation and the fact that the machine is made on already worked out components and assemblies. The degree of unification with the BMP-3 is about 50 percent. Naturally, this has the most positive effect on the cost of manufacturing a car at the plant. Experts emphasize that the new Manul BMP uses some components, assemblies and weapons systems from the already famous Dragun BMP. Much has been taken from the uninhabited universal combat module TKB-945 (Boomerang-BM), which is used on the Kurganets-25 and Boomerang platforms, as well as on the T-15 Armata heavy infantry fighting vehicle.
As for other tactical and technical characteristics, the maximum speed on the highway is 70 kilometers per hour, on a dirt road - 55 and afloat - 9.5. That is, a vehicle saturated with weapons and with a landing party on board can also float. This is a very important factor in the European theater of operations with a huge number of rivers and rivulets of varying width and depth.
The designers have equipped the chassis with an information and control system, which not only notifies the driver about problems that arise during operation, but also gives recommendations on how to eliminate them. And the fire control system (FCS) allows you to search for camouflaged targets with an optical locator, automatically search for them simultaneously in different spectral ranges, passive and active modes, and also automatically track two targets and fire at them at the same time. The module can also fire at external target designation, it can be remotely controlled from a portable console (AWP).
Replenishment of the "zoo"
Some homebrew experts and bloggers, alas, spoke negatively about this car, saying that a new subspecies has appeared in the numerous "Russian zoo of armored vehicles." Like, is it necessary to produce so many different modifications? But, firstly, as we have already noted, a lot of units, assemblies and weapons systems in this machine are unified with others, which reduces the production cost. The whole world follows this path.
Secondly, we repeat, the car is intended primarily for deliveries abroad.
Thirdly, not all of the "zoo" is put into production - some are screened out at polygons like Syria, some are being improved there. But the last word will still be for the military, not for the production workers. Time will show how the BMP will show itself in conditions of tough operation.
Finally, the experience of the Great Patriotic War and recent local conflicts has proven the usefulness of competition between various design bureaus of the defense industry complex. It was she who made it possible to select the best samples of equipment for mass production. Except for those that could not be produced in wartime, but were in high demand in peacetime. For example, the S-60 cannon submachine gun in the 50s was unable to deal with jet aircraft. But after revision and modernization, it received an excellent for current conditions "Derivation-Air Defense", which is equipped with an uninhabited combat module with a combined passive reconnaissance and sighting system and a 57-mm automatic cannon.
All this indicates that despite the sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, Russian design thought continues to work. And the enterprises of the defense industry of the Russian Federation - to produce competitive products that are in demand on the domestic and foreign markets. And the mysterious "Manul" in the same fighting row.
Oleg Falichev
Published in issue # 36 (849) for September 22, 2020
KURGANETS-25 IFV: Details
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