In line with the latest updates reported by Rostec, the Russian Armed Forces have received a new batch of armored combat vehicles. Specifically, this new batch includes BMD-4M armored vehicles for the Airborne Forces and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). The Russian industrial consortium has highlighted that these new units incorporate improvements in terms of protection in accordance with the requirements set by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In a statement issued on August 2, Rostec expressed: “Rostec produces a wide range of weapons and special equipment for airborne troops, such as the 2S41 ‘Drok’ self-propelled mortars, BMD-4M airborne combat vehicles, and parachute systems for deployment. Today, Kurgaanmashzavod has completed the production of a new batch of BMD-4M vehicles equipped with additional protection. The equipment has already been sent to the troops,” said Bekhan Ozdoev, member of the Russian Union of Mechanical Engineers Bureau and Industrial Director of the Rostec State Corporation’s Armament Cluster.
Since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, armored vehicles, from tanks to infantry fighting vehicles, have had to adjust their tactics, including increasing their levels of protection. The extensive use of surveillance and reconnaissance drones, as well as loitering munition, has necessitated enhanced protection and the incorporation of new systems with varying success.
For Russian armored vehicles, such as those in the BMD and BMP families, this has translated into “… additional protection, including armored screens and mesh, which significantly improves vehicle survivability in combat,” according to Kurgaanmashzavod, showing that such additions have become mandatory for the Russian Airborne and Ground Forces units. Additionally, as noted in the previous delivery in May, optical camouflage systems like Nakidka must also be included to prevent detection by laser-guided anti-tank weapons (ATGMs) or radar.
As is often the case with such announcements, Russian authorities, both ministerial and industrial, have not provided further details on the number of IFVs delivered to the Russian Armed Forces. Finally, in the aforementioned statement, it was also noted that additional BMD-2 and BTR-MDM vehicles, which were recovered from the battlefield and repaired, have been delivered to the Ground Forces.
*Photographs used for illustration purposes.
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