Russia is about to have the world's first Boomerang platform light tank?

Unlike tracked tanks, this new generation of tanks is built on the Boomerang platform – an 8-wheeled platform with a front-mounted engine. Armored vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles with a front-mounted engine have the advantage of allowing entry and exit from the rear of the vehicle. This Boomerang platform was introduced at the Russia Arms EXPO exhibition in 2013.

Characteristics of Russian wheeled tanks

Sputnik military observer Andrei Kots said that the tank built on the armored Boomerang platform will combine the reliability of an armored vehicle, the mobility of a personnel carrier and the firepower of a conventional tank.

While a battle tank will have to “rest” after 10,000 km, for a wheeled tank it is 100,000 km. The durability, reliability and impressive firepower of the wheeled tank make it an ideal combat vehicle for flank operations, reconnaissance, patrolling and security operations.

The first vehicle based on Russia's Boomerang platform was an armored personnel carrier, which made a public appearance at a rehearsal for the 2015 Victory Day parade.

In 2017, the K-17 infantry fighting vehicle, an armored vehicle based on the Boomerang (BMP) platform, was also publicly demonstrated at the Moscow Region International Defense Technology Forum. The 20-ton vehicle is equipped with a remotely controlled combat module with a 30mm automatic cannon, a 7.62mm PKTM machine gun and two Kornet anti-tank missile launchers.

In early 2010, the Russian Defense Ministry held talks with Italy about purchasing a number of Boomerang Centauro-based armored vehicles. Several Centauro units were sent to Russia for testing, but they proved to be less reliable than expected.

After these tests, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russia would apply the Italian experience, but would produce its own wheeled tank with its own suitable criteria. Russia is also accelerating plans to build versions of armored fighting vehicles, reconnaissance vehicles and some other armored vehicles on the Boomerang platform.

The new generation of Boomerang-based vehicles will be better protected than previous generations of wheeled vehicles. The thickness of the armor will be adjusted in a variety of ways depending on the specific mission. The manufacturers also say that, in the most heavily armored variant, the Boomerang-based vehicle can withstand direct artillery fire.

What do the experts say?

In fact, wheeled armored vehicles with significant firepower are not new. Some of the most famous of these are the American six-wheeled armored car M8E1 "Greyhound" of World War II, and the French light armored vehicles, ranging from the unique six-wheeled Panhard EBR (1951-1960) with its 75-mm and 90-mm guns, to the modern AMX-10RCR, AMX-10RC, and AMX-10RC-TML (reinforced armor, land-only) versions, with their 105mm guns.

The famous generation of 8-wheeled platform armored vehicles includes the American M1128 MGS Strykers, Japanese MCVs or Italian Centauros. So what are the outstanding features of the Russian vehicle?

The Boomerang platform armored vehicle that Russia is building is said to have the firepower of the Sprut-SDM self-propelled anti-tank vehicle. Russian military expert on armored vehicles, Editor-in-Chief of the "Arsenal of the Fatherland" magazine, Colonel Viktor Murakhovsky commented: "If the combat turret of the existing Sprut-SDM self-propelled anti-tank vehicle is put on the chassis of the Boomerang platform vehicle, then Russia will have a wheeled vehicle with weapons equipped like a tank, which has no analogue in the world."

The Sprut-SDM self-propelled tank destroyer weighs 18 tons, is designed for paratroopers, is equipped with a 125 mm 2A75 tank gun with an autoloader and combined with a 7.62 mm machine gun. The Sprut-SDM can fight on par with basic battle tanks. But it is a traditional tracked vehicle.

In some cases, for mobility and technical reasons, wheeled tanks are more suitable than tracked ones. According to Mr. Murakhovsky, the Bumerang platform tank based on wheels is lighter in weight, which will help extend its service life and reduce operating costs compared to tracked technology.

Why can the Boomerang-based armored vehicle that Russia is developing with a powerful gun be considered a tank? According to the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (which Russia stopped participating in in 2007), an armored vehicle is considered a tank if it has a gun caliber of more than 75 mm, weighs more than 16.5 tons, and has a turret that can rotate 360 ​​degrees. According to these criteria, the Sprut-SDM is considered a light tank. The Boomerang-based armored vehicle with a new combat module will also be classified as a light tank.

In a statement a few days ago, the General Director of the Russian Defense Company (MIC), Alexander Krasovitsky, confirmed that the company plans to build a wheeled armored vehicle. In principle, it will be a tank-like design and based on the Boomerang platform./.

Thuy Linh