Cate's Research-Investigation Bureau

On the 23rd of December, President V.V. Putin visited the KBP Tula factory. Several new projects were shown. Various guided munitions, Krasnopol guided artillery shell, Kitolov and the Kornet ATGM were lined up to be showcased. Some Pantsir vehicles also made an appearance.  Various guided munitions and ATGMs. Alongside the already existing Kornet ATGMs, a new variant that was previously shown in August reappeared. It differs from older units by utilizing a new nose module. Only a few details have been released regarding this change, but it is worth speculating that this module could either be a TV/TI-guided or a GLONASS suite. This would allow drones carrying this Kornet variant to strike targets reliably by using a TV/TI channel or with the use of coordinates.  Kornet ATGM with new nose module. Kornet ATGM with new nose module. Blog article mentioning the ATGM in August.  Additionally, newly made Pantsir SAM systems appeared. One of them is a new variant shown earl...

The T-80U with the "Drozd" APS was a project designed and created by the Omsktransmash design bureau in the late 1990s. The vehicle in question was a standard T-80U fitted with the "Drozd" active protection system. T-80U "Drozd" This leads to an interesting plan mentioned in the Omsktransmash book. This book mentions that 3 "Block" upgrades were planned for the T-80U. "Block 1" and "Block 2" were upgrades to incorporate modernization for already existing weapon systems, improvements towards the fire-control system and protection improvements. "Block 3" was a plan to completely rework the design of the vehicle, an entirely new compartment arrangement, a new fire-control system, a new hull and welded turret. The turret was to feature a bustle-style autoloader mounted in the rear.  Considering the provided features for each "Block", many of the previously made T-80U variants would fall under some of these cate...

UVZ is delivering a new batch of T-72B3M tanks. The vehicles loaded onto the echelon have received several noticeable changes, compared to their previous batch counterparts dating back to 2016. Several new changes seem to have been integrated. Additional ERA containers were added to the rear of the turret. Another major change was the overhaul of the side skirts, compared to the standard batch from 2016 onwards, the new batch features full-length protection, covering the engine-transmission compartment As discussed in a  previous article covering the T-72B3M batch modernization , new features such as    T-90M style front mudguards, ERA containers covering the smoke launcher array, additional ERA protection above and around the gun mantlet, are all present.    The batch being worked on at the 130th assembly hall seen earlier may be the same one being shown here. In addition to the earlier identified upgrades, the new batch seems to feature T-90M style netting und...