Cate's Research-Investigation Bureau

Personnel and military equipment of the Ulyanovsk Airborne Troops unit returned to the permanent deployment point after participating in the joint strategic exercise "Zapad-2021". A military echelon with paratroopers arrived at the Cherdakly railway station in the Ulyanovsk region. Taken from: RF MoD video ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the 20th of September, a source higher in the procurement stream brought up that UralVagonZavod is considering mounting the  Coalition-SV on the T-14s universal combat platform. It is rumoured that the gun system will feature enhanced combat capabilities such as a higher RoF.  Additionally, a second interlocutor said: " The project's framework also considers the possibility of implementing a double-barreled turret, which will provide the system with an unprecedented rate of fire of 30 rounds per minute for heavy artillery installations. " It is worth noting that, the idea of using the T-14s universal combat platform for an SPG has been brought up many times before. What seems rather strange is to resurrect an early 2000s SPG program while also working/developing an SPG system for the T-14. Take this with a grain of salt.   Taken from: ANNA News

  A T-80U with "Drozd" APS, part of the  Kantemirovsk division (Lower Moscow),  has been sighted at the "Zapad-2021" training event. The vehicle is being sent back to its original deployment area.  Interestingly enough, its countermeasure launch tubes are missing.  The vehicle seems to be in service but with its APS system being decommissioned, hence why it is lacking the launch tubes.   Example: marked in red is what is left of the APS Taken from: TVZvezda ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 More than 240 T-72B3, T-80BVM and T-90M "Breakthrough" tanks will be received by the Ground Forces of the Russian army in 2021. This was reported to journalists by Russia's Ministry of Defence.  "This year, more than 240 modern and modernized T-72B3, T-80BVM and T-90M "Breakthrough" tanks are being delivered to the military units of the Ground Forces." - RF MoD military department.  The Ministry of Defence pointed out, that at the current stage of development, Russia's tank fleet is updated annually. "The enterprises of the military-industrial complex supply the units of the Ground Forces with modern samples of armoured vehicles that have successfully proven themselves during operation in various climatic zones," the Defense Ministry noted. Taken from: TASS

Testing has always been a big part of development, especially when designing armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). Any armoured vehicle poses its own difficulties in its development stage, and the number of said difficulties increases every year, due to the constant need to design and create more sophisticated systems that can keep up with competing designs of other nations.  Any initial design proposed by the military never ends up the way it was first suggested. Designers have to think of every possible issue that can arise during the creation phase. These difficulties range from changing the entire suspension design to redesigning a whole turret or even entirely redesigning the hull to accommodate the set requirements with a more direct design approach.  Almost every test is carried out with the highest testing standards, which guarantees testers to obtain valuable information that can highlight issues and potential flaws in a design, while some tests can associate with danger...

Since the 1970s, the term "robot tank" or "robotic tank" has been used in the Soviet Union.  This became possible when the engine transmission and combat compartments of the tanks were made as automated as possible. All this is thanks to an autoloader system, automated FCS (weapon stabilizer, ballistic computer, lead indication), planetary gearbox transmission (where friction elements work in oil), different servo-mechanical parts of the vehicle's main control units, pneumatic and hydraulic systems and computing systems.  In 1972, the Kubinka test site (previously known as 22nd Scientific and Testing Armoured Vehicle Test Site) was converted into the 38th Research and Testing Institute of Armoured Vehicles ( 38- й научно - исследовательский испытательный институт бронетанковой техники (38 НИИИ БТТ МО ) ). After the conversion, the institute's share of scientific research topics increased in volume and became one of the largest testing faciliti...