Cate's Research-Investigation Bureau

Tanks and armoured vehicles rarely delight the eye with an unusual colour pattern. Not only domestic but also foreign armoured vehicles usually appear in 'low-key' camouflages. However, most Western countries have adopted a well-known variety of camouflage schemes, corresponding to different landscapes and vegetation types for their in-service vehicles. Camouflages can be quickly adapted to different surroundings and seasons by adding spots and stains, that blend in with the surrounding area.  An example of this would be the Iraq war in 1999, when armoured vehicles, supply vehicles, and communication equipment were coloured into a similar pattern as the desert.  While the Soviet camouflage looked quite modest and bleak, a single protective colour was chosen for the entire vehicle fleet. Regardless of the area of operation and the time of year. The vehicles retained the same colour throughout the service life, from leaving the assembly line to the tank graveyard. The standard c...

At the International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2021", the Uralvagonzavod Research and Production Corporation told about several directions for further improvement of the modernized T-80BVM main battle tank. "It is planned to further modernize the T-80BVM tank in the following areas: increasing firepower, increasing protection, increasing mobility and increasing command controllability," the press service of the corporation said. Deliveries of modernized T-80BVM tanks to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation began in 2019. At the International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2021", another contract was signed for the repair and modernization of T-80BV main battle tanks to the level of T-80BVM. In October 2020, the 38th Research and Testing Institute of Armored Weapons and Equipment published proposals to further strengthen the protection of T-80BVM tanks. According to the institute's proposals, the T-80BVM tanks, in the course of further modern...

  During the JSC Rosoboronexport live stream on YouTube which was showcasing the T-90MS to potential buyers (26th August 2021) at the Army-2021 event in Patriot Park, the T-90MS was shown in closeup video. The tank featured a new gunner's multichannel sight, which was also shown at Army-2019 on a different T-90MS in this post . PNM-T sight The tank is fitted with the PNM-T domestic sight with new gunner's and commander's control panels, replacing the old Thales manufactured ones. The sight in this instance is green under the beige protective cover, meaning it is a newly produced one compared to the older beige sight on the T-90MS at Army-2019, that had time to be painted in the tank's colours. This brings the confirmed number of tanks which house this sight up to at least 3. Gunner's position The characteristics of the sight are not yet known but it is theorized that it uses the latest domestic Russian matrix which is used on other sights as well (640x512). Comman...

T-90M with an extendable periscopic multichannel viewer shown at "Army-2021" for additional observation capabilities. This variant is probably related to the newly signed contracts , that were publicly stated during the 24th of August during "Army-2021". Currently, it's unknown whether this upgrade will be part of the new T-90M batches. But it's an interesting addition nonetheless, considering the CITV may not fulfil the needs set by the MoD and UralVagonZavod is opting into adding additional observation devices.   Photos by: Alexey Khomyakov, Igor Zinnatullin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has signed more than 40 state contracts for the supply of more than 1300 samples of weapons and equipment worth more than 500 billion rubles during the seventh International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2021". This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Alexey Krivoruchko following the signing of contracts on August 24, 2021.  "Today, four state contracts were awarded and 41 were signed with 27 enterprises of the military-industrial complex worth more than 500 billion rubles," Krivoruchko said. According to him, the signing of this package of contracts will be an important stage in the implementation of the State Armament Program. "As a result of the implementation of these state contracts, the Russian Armed Forces will be replenished with more than 1,300 new models of equipment, repairs will be carried out with the modernization of more than 150 units of weapons, military and s...

The greatest danger to an APC is the defeat of compartments where the crew sits and the loss of power diverted from the engine. As a result, the vehicle becomes a stationary target and is a 'grave' for the crew inside. Equally, important is the preservation of combat power, providing the APC with the firepower that in return affects its total combat potential. Damage to the undercarriage posed less danger to the vehicle due to its 8 wheel chassis and ability to retain mobility with blown-out wheels.  The 8mm-10mm thick side armour of the BTR-80 could not hold direct hits from RPGs or close-by mine explosions. During the final large combat interactions in Chechnya in May of 1996, The Russian forces lost a large number of vehicles including BTRs that were mainly destroyed by RPGs. This problem was approached with a 'head-on' solution, by attaching additional armour plates, steel screens or spaced armour, as was done by the Estonian Army before the collapse of the Soviet U...

 At the 7th International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2021", the new VOLAT V-2 armoured personnel carrier will be showcased. Produced by JSC Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant with a new unmanned combat module ADUNOK-BM-30, developed by JSC Design Bureau Display. The new unmanned combat module is universal and designed for various existing and future tracked and wheeled platforms. The undoubted advantage of the combat module, protected by a set of armoured panels, is the placement of all necessary units, including ammunition, outside the armoured hull of the vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a 2A42 30mm cannon with vertical guidance of -5° to +75°. The new combat module is equipped with a modern fire control system, the main element of which is a block of optoelectronic equipment of domestic production. Inside, a television camera, a thermal imager and a laser rangefinder are placed, providing monitoring of the situation, searching for targets and measuring the range to them, a...

 

20 T-14 "Armata" tanks will enter service with the Russian army by the end of the year, said Deputy Defense Minister of Russia Alexey Krivoruchko.  "This year, 20 new T-14 Armata tanks will be delivered to the troops," Krivoruchko said. In addition to the T-14 "Armata", 65 serial T-90M "Proryv" tanks, 18 reconnaissance and strike medium and heavy drones, as well as an early brigade set of the Iskander-M tactical missile system will be transferred to the army this year. The T-14 Armata tank was first presented at the Victory Parade in May 2015. Initially, it was assumed that until 2020 Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) will supply more than 2000 such vehicles to the troops. In 2016, the first contract was signed for the supply of 100 units of the T-14. However, later in the same year, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said that Armata was too expensive for mass deliveries to the Armed Forces. In 2018, the Deputy Prime Minister reiterated his statement about t...

Related topics:  "AGAVA" - "AGAVA-2 "and its confusing history   Thermal imagers were classed as; Gen-I, Gen-II and Gen-III. Gen-I sights featured the most basic technology due to them being the first of their type. Gen-II sights commonly improved on Gen-I technology by utilizing similar but more refined technical advancements or used completely new methods. Gen-III sights used new advanced technology that is no longer associated with Gen-II and additionally features new materials for photo-elements and ways of processing. Image 1 (For full resolution open the image in a new tab) The table above represents domestic Soviet and early Russian thermal modules/sights.  Generations are split into 3 different time periods, Gen-I sights primarily appeared in the 1980s but also made appearances in the 1990s, Gen-II sights appeared in the 1990s and Gen-III sights appeared in the late 1990s and 2000s.  Gen-I systems: Utilize linear photo-receiver with 2 types of indicators; b...