Cate's Research-Investigation Bureau

The world's first mass-produced tank gas turbine engine GTD-1000T was created at the Klimov Plant in 1968 for the T-80 main battle tank developed By the special tank design Bureau of the Kirov plant (now JSC "Spetsmash"), which was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1976. Since 1980, a modification of the GTD‑1000TF for T-80B/BV tanks was produced, since 1986 a modification of the GTD-1250 for T-80U tanks.  GTD-1250 Engines of the GTD-1250 family as part of the power plants of T-80 tanks are in service with the armies of Russia, Belarus, Cyprus, South Korea, Kazakhstan. Turbine engine GTD-1000T/GTD-1250, which have a large volume-weight  capacity and a more favourable traction characteristic compared to diesel engines, provide T-80 tanks with interesting characteristics: - higher operational readiness - easy start-up at low temperatures (up to -40°C) - better cross-country ability on soils with a low load-bearing capacity - best noise and heat-masking qualities - increased ...

Tank support combat vehicles (BMPT) produced by the Uralvagonzavod State Corporation Rostec entered the 90th Guards Tank Vitebsk-Novgorod twice Red Banner Division of the Central Military District.  This is the first delivery of BMPTs to the Russian Armed Forces as part of the execution of the state defence order. Delivery was officially confirmed on the 1st of December 2020.  Developed by the design engineers of the Ural Design Bureau of Transport Engineering of the Uralvagonzavod concern, the tank support combat vehicle can be successfully used in resolving conflicts of any tension to defeat anti-tank weapons and effectively suppress enemy manpower.  It can easily remove everything from the path: from grenade launchers and lightly armoured vehicles to tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers.  Large aiming angles for automatic cannons makes them capable of hitting targets on the upper floors of buildings, fire at low-flying aerial targets s...

  In 1975, the T-64A turret with corundum filler developed by VNIITM was adopted.  The technology of casting turrets with ceramic filler was developed as a result of joint work of VNII-100, Kharkiv plant No. 75, and South Ural radio-ceramics plant. The armour of the turret consisted of; 115mm cast armour steel > 140 mm ultra-porcelain balls > rear wall 135 mm steel with an inclination angle of 30 degrees. View of a Corundum ball ( Ultra porcelain ) ВНИИТМ ( Всероссийский научно-исследовательский институт транспортного машиностроения )  VNIITM --  All-Russian Research Institute of Transport Engineering (Mobile Vehicle Engineering Institute) An array of Corundum ball inserts Subsequently, the armour protection of Kharkiv tanks was improved, including in the direction of using more advanced barrier materials, at the end of the 1970s and onwards T-64Bs used  the BTK-1Sh type steel , made by Electro-Slag remelting. From this armour composition change , the resi...

  Image is taken from Rostec video presentation. The Central Scientific Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNIITOCHMASH) of the Rostec State Corporation has completed acceptance tests of the 120-mm self-propelled artillery piece "Lotos", Index 2S42. - The combat vehicle has accomplished the specified tactical and technical characteristics,   "Rostec" . The testing phase, including 57 testing points, made it possible to evaluate the performance of all internal components, mechanisms and instruments of the weapon system.  During the tests "Lotus" covered 400 km and fired 14 shots. The military representation at TsNIITOCHMASH signed an official document on the compliance of the prototype of the SPG with working design documentation and readiness for preliminary tests.  SPG "Lotos" has a mass of no more than 18 tons, maximum speed - 70 km / h, engine power - 450 hp, cruising range - not less than 500 km.  The combat crew consists of four p...

  T-80BV-RM 'Object 219M' Based on the number of tanks of T-80B's and T-80BV's in-tank Park of the Russian Federation and the accumulated scientific and technical grazed to maintain the required level of combat readiness of armoured forces at a minimum strategy manager of funds by the specialists of JSC "Spetsmash" at the end of the first decade of the 2000s has developed a new modernization order of tanks T-80B and T-80BV. The prerequisites justifying this decision were: The presence of the T-80BV tank reserved for modernization by weight of about 2 tons. Ability to temporarily increase the power of the engine from 1250 HP to 1400 HP. The emergence of a computerized power plant control system The groundwork for a new-generation fire control system based on a digital information and control system Proven, unified with other tank designs of dynamic protection, as well as the development of a combination of dynamic, active and individual protection The appearanc...

  Vesna-K BMP-3 Gunner sighting system Vesna-K. Vesna-K view from gunners position. Vesna-K view from commanders position. ( Vesna-K screen duplicates output for both gunner and commander ) A video showcasing the early Vesna-K system(view 1st image for reference)

Combined sights of the gunner-operator 1K13-2 and "Sozh" used on the BMP-3 IFV   1K13-2 --- T ank sight-targeting device "Bug". Application: KUV 9K116-3 ("Fable"), AV Kliver (TKB-799), BTR-90 "Rostok" (BO 675-sb.120-01), experimental T-72M1 tank

 Ka-50 on-board electronics  Hatches are only opened when the maintenance of both electronics and the mechanical systems has to be done.  Taken from: ArmyLV

  In 2004, the T-90A (Object 188A1) tank joined the Russian armed forces. It included many fire control system upgrades, a new welded turret, and improved mobility. The T-90A Obr. 2004 tank was fitted with a T01-K05 Buran-M Obr. 2004 3rd generation night vision sight, which improved over the previous T01-K01 Buran-PA sight from the T-90 Obr. 1992. --Picture of T-90A with Buran-M Obr. 2004-- In 2005, the tank received an upgrade for the sight, which became T01-K05 Buran-M Obr. 2005, with noticeable differences in the sight's housing. --Picture of T-90A with Buran-M Obr. 2005-- --Picture of T-90A diagram with Buran-M Obr. 2005-- --Picture of two T-90As, one with Obr. 2004 and one with Obr. 2005 Buran-M sights-- Above: T-90A with Buran-M Obr. 2004 sight, and behind it, T-90A with Buran-M Obr. 2005 sight. In 2006, the T-90A had to be brought to more modern standards, so the production of this model with new second-generation thermal imaging sight began. The sight was named ESSA, wh...

Some may think this is the Puma IFV, and you are not wrong, but also not right. The ACV at its time was the first attempt at an IFV role and a first attempt to become the new "M113" with a universal role, the ACV had plans to be installed with the following turrets: The general specs of the ACV-Puma are different per chassis, in total there are 3 basic chassis models. The main difference is the length, weight and engine power. The one that isn't on the picture is the ACV-Puma 1A5 (I call it that since there no official name) the reason for this is because of the usage of the Leopard 1A5 turret. This was proposed by KMW (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann) around the 1990s. It was using the in-house Puma development hull and was intended to use the surplus 1A5 turrets on this chassis (around this time the leopard 2's were already in service and leopard 1's were going out to get scrapped or sold) However, this came with a flaw, it didn't really make the puma an IFV, but an...