Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1281650
Algeria, looking to integrate the new system on its BMP-1. The B05Ya01 turret is a BMP-2 turret that underwent an in-depth upgrade. The armament and the ammunition quantity remain the same. However, the turret also features a novelty - 30 mm AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher with 300 grenades. The launcher installed in the back of the turret is a solution that has sparked a lot of controversy and criticism in Russia. The anti-tank armament has been reinforced with the Kornet ATGM launcher installed on both sides of the turret, housing two launchers each. The gun features a new, electromechanical stabilizer system with an accuracy of 0.3 - 0.5 mrad. The turret can rotate at a speed of up to 60 degrees per second. The fire control system, the capabilities of which exceed even the ones applicable to the FCS solutions used in modernized Russian MBTs (T-72B3M included [!]) is a true revolution here. The ballistic computer draws data from the weather sensor and also uses data provided from other sources, in an automated manner. The commander has a fully stabilized panoramic sighting device at his disposal, also featuring a thermal imaging system and an auto tracker. The imagery is electronically transferred to the commander display. The gunner, meanwhile, has a variable FOV instrument (20-4 degrees) that is stabilized as well, and that also features its thermal imager and laser rangefinder. Both sights feature Russian-made thermal imaging systems, supposedly copies of Thales Catherine FC/XP. However, the Russians have been manufacturing the image sensors of their own for some time now. The Berezhok turret FCS is a counterpart of the M2A3 IBAS and systems integrated on most of the NATO tanks. Fused with four modern ATGMs and the impressive firepower of the BMP- 2 makes it possible to rank this upgrade of the post-soviet IFV high when it comes to its capabilities against any threat. On the other hand, one should also remember that the armor of the BMP-2 is weak, by today's standards. Another important fact is that the modernization of 327 vehicleswith that turret (along with new BMP- 3 acquisition) is just a half-measure gap filler caused by the delays in the Kuganets-25 next generation IFV program. Nonetheless, these vehicles need to be respected. CV90 Swedish Strf 9040 that has become a base for the CV90 family is a good example of the growing IFV firepower, across the timeline between the 1980s and the present times. The growing firepower also concerns the capacity of the FCS. Originally, the Strf 9040 was to be a simple, affordable vehicle without any technological advancements onboard. This is why it was fitted with a great 40 mm L70 Bofors gun with a controversial feeding system. Nonetheless, its FCS has been modest, to say the least. The commander had a set of six periscopes in a mini turret available. However, he usually had the hatch set in a half-open position, and this was the primary method of scanning the environment for potential threats. The gunner had three periscopes with 180 deg FOV on the right-hand side of the turret. MYBOF ballistic computing unit has been the primary element of the FCS, receiving basic data such as the wind speed, external and ammunition temperatures, and data on the movement of the vehicle. The MYBOF was coupled with the UTAAS sight featuring a laser rangefinder and a night-vision channel. The gunner also had a reserve sighting instrument at his disposal. The Bofors cannon had no stabilizer (!). Nonetheless, the turret motors were electromechanical. Considering the date of introduction (1991), the Strf 9040 fFCS was far from being impressive. The lack of a gun-stabilizing system, as well as the lack of a thermal imaging system, or the lack of any sensible capacity for the commander to designate targets - these have been the disadvantages. The simple MYBOF/UTAAS FCS has been the sole relevant advantage here. The Swedes were aware of those deficiencies. This is why a dual-axis stabilization system was integrated on the Strf.9040A in 1997. UTAAS has been fitted with a thermal imaging camera, while the MYBOF ballistic computer received extra sensors and computing capacity. The ANALYSIS