Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/661228
vehicles – over the years 2014-2105 were revealed tests of the barnaul-t aa mobile command post, the Andromeda artillery command vehicle and the Cassiopeia tactical com- mand vehicle.The delays of the bmd-4m sadovnitsa pro- ject caused that over the period 20111-2015, forced VDV to upgrade older types of the vehicles – the bmd-1p/pK and bmd-2 Ifvs. It was considered that further delaying the modernizations of the 20 and 30-year-old vehicles and lack of the new vehicles platform, threatens with a significant decrease of a combat potential. As a result, a controversial modernization of the oldest vehicles was continued. In the years 2009-2012, according to certain information sourc- es, even up to 420 bmd-1 and bmd-2 were upgraded. In 2012, another decision about a modernization of the next 135 BMD-1 to the bmd-2 standard was made instead of purchasing the bmd-4. A justness of modernizing the BMD- 2, as well as the newer BMD-3 was reflected a very high unit price – in the opinion of the Russians – equal to the bmd- 4m. In 2015 it was announced that in the years 2016-2017, additionally about 200 bmd-2 will be upgraded to bmd-2m standard with Berezhok turret which was also mounted on the BMD-3 prototype, but there is no information about a de- cision regarding a modernization of those vehicles. These actions show that from 2016 to the end of this decade, the BMD-2 will remain basic fighting vehicle of the VDV. 2s25 sprut-sd light tanks (self-propelled tank destoyers) are supposed to be support for the airborne units. Developed form the 1980's were officially adopted in 2005, but their high price and not satisfying combat capabilities (first of all, weak armor of the vehicle was criticized) resulted in ceas- ing purchases after deliveries of small batch (36 tanks) by 2010. According to the official information, the VDV will pro- cure additional 50 2s25m sprut-sdm-1 tanks by 2020 the subsequent 50 tanks, with the extended bmd-4m chassis and BMP-3 IFV parts. In the limited scope, the moderniza- tion of the 120mm 2s9 nona-s and Sviristelka self-pro- pelled mortars to the 2s9-1m standard was conducted. The first eighteen modified 2s9-1m were delivered in 2009. It was planned to deliver from 18 to 36 mortars per year, but available data does not confirm that greater number of 2s9-1m was delivered. There are also conducted works on upgraded 1W119-1 Reostat-1 artillery command vehicle. In 2011 information about works on the successor of the Nona/Sviristelka were revealed - the self-propelled 2s36 Zauraliec-d mortar (according to the most reliable data a previous construction of the 120mm self-propelled 2S31 Viena mortar was never adopted), which is supposed to be build in two versions – with a 120mm mortar and 152mm howitzer. The available information within a scope of the anti-aircraft defense systems show that only in 2011 a www.fragoutmag.com