Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/661228
A result of a conflict between the VDV command and the General Staff, related to the past of the airborne forces, decided about the programs of the technical modernization in this branch, among others, about a future of the bmd-4m sadovnista airborne fighting vehicles. The vehicle, developed in 2008, is a modified version of the bmd-4. The first 10 vehicles from pre-production batch was tested over the 2014-2015 period and in March2015, the appeared the first information about deliveries to the selected unit. It was planned to deliver 64 vehicles for two battalions (32 units each) in 2015. Finally, until the end of 2015, vehicles were delivered to one unit. The bmd-4m will be also used as a base vehicle for the Kornet-D ATGM. According to the available infor- mation, by 2025 the VDV declared a wish to receive up to 1500 BMD-4M vehicles (more than 100 vehicles delivered each year) but at the time being is unlikely. The bmd-4m is also used for the tests of the unmanned fighting vehicle which is developed as a part of the Kungas robotic combat complex. The future second fundamental vehicle for the Russian airborne forces might be the btR-mdm Rakushka (Shell), tracked airport- able armored personnel carrier, the BTR-MDM developed also since 2008. btR-mdm is a development version of the prototype btR-md apC based on the bmd-4 hull – by analogy in the Rakushka there are bmd-4m parts aplied. The tests of ten pre-pro- duction btR-mdm vehicles delivered in the years 2013-2014 were performed simultaneously with the Sadovnitsa. In 2015 deliveries of 12 production run vehicles to the VDV were planned – actually, at least this amount of the vehicles was delivered. According to the official forecasts, even 2500 btR-mdm will be delivered before 2025. In that case, at least 250 vehicles must be manufactured in each year and this number will hard to achieve. Rakushka will be also a base for new generation of support ANALYSIS