It is not excluded that in the near future the BMPT-72 'Teminator 2' combat vehicle will participate in the fight against terrorism in Syria.
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Russian media, when reporting on President Bashar al-Assad's visit to the Russian military base in Latakia, Syria, revealed an extremely surprising image to world observers. That was the appearance of the BMPT-72 "Teminator 2" combat vehicle - an extremely modern ground weapon produced by Russia. Photo source: Sputnik |
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Like many other weapons brought by Russia to Syria, the appearance of the BMPT-72 “Teminator 2” at Hmeymin shows a very high possibility that the Russian Army will soon deploy the BMPT-72 to support the Syrian Army in anti-terrorist operations in Raqqa, Palmyra or Aleppo. Photo source: Sputnik |
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This will be good news for the Syrian Army and bad news, a nightmare for IS rebels and terrorist groups operating in Syria. Because BMPT is famous for being a machine with terrible destructive power, specializing in fighting in urban environments - where the rebels' guerrilla warfare has been very effective, causing difficulties for the Syrian Army for years. The presence of BMPT-72 can push the rebels out of urban areas, and when lying in the desert, having to confront the Syrian Army with the support of the Russian Air Force, the outcome is clear. Photo source: Sputnik |
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Notably, the appearance of the BMPT-72 also surprised observers because this is the latest version of the BMPT Terminator combat vehicle line launched in 2002. The Russian army showed its "willingness to spend" by bringing the latest version instead of the BMPT that has been used for many years but has not had the opportunity to test in combat. And more importantly, the BMPT-72 is not currently used much by the Russian army, even the first generation BMPT is used very little. Photo source: Military-Today |
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In September 2013, Uralvagonzavod officially introduced the BMPT-72 Terminator 2 armored fighting vehicle at the RAE 2013 exhibition in Nizhny Tagil. It was developed based on the previous generation BMPT model. The BMPT series was developed based on the bloody experience of hundreds of Russian soldiers in the Chechen war. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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The BMPT-72 is designed to support and protect tanks operating in urban environments. Its main role is to destroy enemy infantry hiding in urban areas, but it is also capable of destroying tanks, armored vehicles and low-flying helicopters. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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Like the BMPT generation, the BMPT-72 is also designed on the basis of the T-72 main battle tank chassis. Uralvagonzavod reused the T-72s available in the reserve and improved them to become fire support combat vehicles. This is a very economical and feasible solution to reuse old weapons, upgrade, and improve their intended use. Notably, according to Uralvagonzavod, the integration of the BMPT-72 combat module can be done with both T-54/55 and T-62 tanks. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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Thanks to being designed on the chassis of a tank, the high level of protection of the BMPT-72 is beyond dispute. In addition to the original composite armor of the T-72, the BMPT-72 is equipped with additional layers of Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor, allowing it to effectively withstand anti-tank rounds. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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The rear of the BMPT-72 is fitted with a steel cage to protect against RPGs, which Syrian rebel groups are often equipped with in large numbers. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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The BMPT-72's turret first appeared as an "alien" product, it looked much more aggressive than the BMPT generation. However, the basic weapons equipped are also equivalent to the BMPT including a pair of 30mm automatic cannons; 4 Ataka-T anti-tank missiles and a 7.62mm PKTM heavy machine gun. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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The turret is fully automated with the crew sitting in a separate capsule. The turret is made with a low profile, suitable for camouflage on the battlefield. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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The pair of 30mm 2A42 automatic guns carry 850 rounds each, with an effective range of 2.5km. The gun can fire APDS (armor-piercing shells), HE-T (high-explosive tracer shells) and HE-FRAG (high-explosive fragmentation shells). This gun can destroy infantry as well as armored vehicles. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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The Ataka-T anti-tank missile can penetrate 800-950mm of steel behind explosive reactive armor (ERA), more than enough to destroy any modern tank. Notably, the Ataka shell can carry a thermobaric warhead with a destructive power equivalent to 9.5kg of TNT, suitable for destroying hiding places in urban areas. The missile's firing range is 6km. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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BMPT-72 is equipped with a more modern fire control system than BMPT with the ability to detect tank targets at a distance of 5,000m in daylight conditions and 3,500m at night with an infrared sighting channel. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
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The mobility of the BMPT-72 is not much different from the BMPT with the V-84MS or V92S1 1,000 horsepower diesel engine for a maximum speed of 60km/h and a range of 500km. Photo source: Bastion-Kapenko |
According to Kienthuc