Tank support combat vehicle Terminator, object 199

The beginning of the 2000s in the field of military industry and weapons was marked by the release of a new tank support combat vehicle (BMPT), which became the most discussed representative of military equipment at that time. Indeed, the development outwardly stood out among its “brothers”, since on the tank platform, that is, on a tracked chassis, instead of the usual turret and cannon, a whole arsenal of various weapons was installed.

The original name of the machine, “Terminator,” also played a role. To be precise, this name cannot be considered original, since the experimental version of the Su-27M fighter, designated Su-37, was secretly called the Terminator. Many people associated this name with a robot from the future (film directed by James Cameron), but there is no talk of any humanoid robot and comparing airplanes and armored vehicles with it is simply absurd.

History of creation

The idea of ​​developing the BMPT was dictated by combat tactics, which were often used during the Second World War. Then self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were used to carry out fire support tasks - a new type of weapon for those years. American M-17 anti-aircraft guns were supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease. They were a quad machine gun based on a wheeled-tracked chassis. The 80s for our country were marked by the conflict in Afghanistan. Let's be honest, military equipment was hardly suitable for counterinsurgency warfare.

• Firstly, delivering this equipment to the mountains is very problematic.
• Secondly, the installation angle of the tank guns was so high that fire on enemy positions located in the mountains was ineffective.

Only the BMP-2, equipped with an automatic 30-mm cannon, and the Shilka self-propelled gun did not experience any particular difficulties. But the bets on these machines were low, since there was a huge gap in terms of protection. They were protected only by light armor, so our army lost a lot of equipment in the mountains. The military conflict in the DRA clearly showed the need of the armed forces for combat vehicles, the level of protection of which would be comparable to that of a tank, and whose versatility and maneuverability would allow them to effectively suppress tank-dangerous infantry. In 1989, three prototype BMPT units were assembled at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant on the T-72 tank chassis.

The presented BMPT samples differed in their equipment. One model was equipped with a 100 mm gun, and the rest of the vehicles were equipped with a pair of 30 mm guns. The collapse of the Soviet Union put an end to the project, since the design bureau working at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant was abolished.

The 90s are considered the most difficult years for the Russian Federation. This includes a series of economic crises, division of spheres of influence, internal political strife and, naturally, the war in Chechnya. The assault on Grozny came at a great price. Federal troops suffered huge losses. The Tunguska self-propelled gun, used as a tank cover vehicle, did not bring the desired effect. Since the Chechen conflict dragged on, the project to create a BMPT had to be remembered again, but now it was being developed at Uralvagon.

The second name of the development is “Object 199”. It was under this name that the first prototype of the machine was presented in 2000. Several copies participated in state tests and successfully completed them by 2006. After these tests, the name “Terminator” was firmly assigned to the machines, displacing the original “Frame”.

Advantages and disadvantages

Testing of the Terminator BMPT
The following aspects highlight the advantages of the Terminator BMPT:

• firepower and destruction of several targets simultaneously;
• good driving performance and high maneuverability;
• better maneuverability compared to tanks.

The advantages of the combat vehicle have been confirmed in Syria. The equipment was not used for its intended purpose to support tank offensives, but showed good effectiveness as universal support. It is multitasking that makes the BMPT in demand for the army.

The machine can be used both in mountainous and wooded areas and in urban environments. The tower has a wide range of gun guidance, which allows you to destroy the enemy both in the basements and in the upper floors of buildings. As a result, the vehicle can support infantry assault squads, accompany convoys and perform the functions of an infantry fighting vehicle.

Among the disadvantages is the high cost of production; according to some sources, the Terminator is more expensive than a tank. It is expected that the new modification will cost even more. It is still unclear how effective such weapons will be.

BMPT design

The second development from Uralvagonzavod (if we consider the car of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant as the first) is designed on the basis of the T-90 tank. To be precise, only the chassis and rolled armor hull were taken from the tank. The frontal plate was made of combined armor, which gave the structure additional protection.

The BMPT Terminator protection system is called “Contact-5”. The equivalent armor thickness ranges from 800 to 1100 mm (depending on the type of projectile). Additional protection is provided by screens and anti-cumulative grilles with which the Terminator body is closed on the sides and back. The power plant is a V-92S2 12-cylinder diesel engine with a power of 100 hp, which is installed at the rear of the vehicle in a transverse position.

The main difference between the Terminator and the tank on whose platform it is assembled is the absence of a turret and, as a consequence, an automatic loader. The place of the tower is occupied by a weapons module, the ammunition of which is stored in a special armored capsule. The crew consists of 5 people. Of these, the commander and gunner of the BMPT are located separately in a reserved space. The crew commander has advanced functions. He can display the picture received from the gunner's sight on a separate display, rotate the turret in any direction, and also perform all the functions of the gunner and control the weapon.

The gunners of the course grenade launchers are located on both sides of the driver. Thus, in the BMPT, unlike the tank, two additional seats appeared. When controlling grenade launchers and pointing them at a target, they use the Agat stabilization system, which allows them to lock on and track a target both day and night. The Agat system operates on the basis of an electronic and ballistic computer.

The improved Terminator 2 model has several significant differences. Dynamic protection "Contact-5" was replaced by a new generation of protection - "Relic". The order of placement of the vehicle's weapons has also changed. The new BMPT-72 (this is the index assigned to the Terminator-2 vehicle) no longer needs grenade launcher gunners, since the latter were simply abolished.

Use in combat conditions and duty support

For a long time, the Terminator was positioned as an exhibition model for foreign buyers. The only country that purchased 10 units of this equipment was Kazakhstan in 2011-13. It was expected to deepen cooperation and license the assembly of cars in the territory of this country.

The Russian army received fire support combat vehicles only after combat testing in Syria. “Terminator” has proven to be an effective means of fighting in conditions of local conflict, which was the key reason for its adoption. At the end of March 2020, the number of vehicles in the Russian Army also amounted to 10 units; a contract for the supply of a new batch is expected to be concluded.

Armament BMPT Terminator

The Terminator combat module includes two automatic cannons with a diameter of 30 mm. This is a weapon designed by Gryazev and Shipunov, known as 2A42. The guns were also installed on the BMP 2. They are distinguished by a variable firing mode (the rate of fire can vary from 300 to 550 rounds per minute). They decided to make the power supply for the guns on the BIPT not selective, but single-belt. If previously it was possible to instantly change the type of shells, now the left cannon is loaded only with armor-piercing shells, and the right – only with fragmentation shells.

The ZUBR6 armor-piercing projectile penetrates armor up to 4 cm thick from a distance of 700 meters. The ZUBR8 sub-caliber projectile has greater impact ability. It can penetrate armor 5 cm thick from a similar distance. Modern shells can double armor penetration, but they are not so common. The Terminator's guns are capable of dealing with the tank's rear and side armor. But the core task of the YuMPT is to suppress infantry, so the ZUOF8 fragmentation ammunition, which uses hexal (A-IX-2) as a charge, is most often used. Ammunition for the guns includes a total of 900 shells.

The first prototype Terminator vehicles were equipped with Konkurs anti-tank missiles. Subsequently, the installations were replaced by the Ataka ATGM. Attack missiles were not developed specifically for this project, as they were to be used by attack helicopters. Each vehicle is equipped with four launch containers for Ataka missiles.

Missiles with a cumulative part allow the gun to destroy tank armor, the armor penetration of which reaches 950 mm. If such a missile is equipped with a thermobaric charge, it can be used to destroy targets in fortifications, as well as to destroy group targets. Recently, Ataka missiles have undergone modernization, as a result of which they received a laser guidance device. At the same time, the module was supplemented with a PKT machine gun with 2,000 rounds of ammunition.

The grenade launchers on the AGS-17 (“Flame”) machine were modernized, after which, under the designation AG-17D, they were installed on the Terminator BMPT. They have stabilized sights, although the guns themselves are not stabilized. The full ammunition load of the grenade launchers is 600 fragmentation grenades. Rate of fire – 400 rounds per minute. The radius of damage from a grenade explosion is 4 m. The disadvantage of these grenades is that they are useless to use to hit protected targets, since when they encounter an obstacle, the fuse is immediately triggered. The BMPT-72 (“Terminator-2”) does not have such grenade launchers. The developers considered them ineffective.

Project prospects

The Terminator project was repeatedly presented at relevant exhibitions, and it attracted the interest of several countries at once. However, in the first ten years after the start of mass production, the BMPT was supplied only to Kazakhstan. The size of the delivered batch was very modest - only 10 vehicles. According to unconfirmed reports, the supply contract was extended, but there is no exact data on the volume. It is worth noting that Algeria has always shown special interest in Russian technology. It is the largest customer of T-90 tanks.

The implementation of the Terminator project in Russia did not proceed at the pace that was expected. The plan was to equip the armed forces with new vehicles already in 2010, or at least put BMPTs in one company. There were even rumors that Terminators would be assembled not on new chassis, but by converting T-72 tanks. In 2022 alone, 10 BMPTs were involved in military tests.

Perhaps the bulk of the publications that reflected the characteristics of the Terminator complex were of an advertising nature, and the degree of enthusiasm was somewhat exaggerated. The demonstration shooting looked very convincing, since the intended conditional targets disappeared one by one after being hit by the next projectile.

But the BMPT also had its opponents. The need to escort and cover tanks was not questioned, but it was not entirely clear how the Terminators would perform their function. In urban conditions, the vehicle will not be able to protect the tank from attacks from grenade launchers from shelters or ambushes, and the tilt angle of the BMPT gun is only 45 degrees versus 70 degrees for the BMP-2. That is, for combat operations in mountainous terrain, the Terminator is not the best solution. The BMPT's armament cannot boast of high fire density. The Terminator's grenade launchers effectively target open-type targets located in the direction of the vehicle's movement.

It cannot be said that the Terminator feels freer in open areas. Infantry, dangerous for tanks, can use guided missiles, the effective range of which exceeds 3 km. The firing range of the AGS-17 is somewhat shorter, that is, 2 km. Cannon fire, of course, can cover a target at a distance of 4 km, but in practice it should be a company of infantrymen standing at full height without cover.

Anti-tank guided missiles are installed in an open container and are not at all protected from damaging factors. It is not entirely clear what was meant when the general public was informed of the ability to fire at four targets at once.

In practice, this problem can be solved if the gunner fires from a cannon, the commander fires a rocket in the same direction, and the grenade launchers hit two targets in the direction of the BMPT's movement. The validity of the above criticism can be judged by the modifications made.

It is known for certain that the new BMPT-72 vehicles received protected containers for missiles, and grenade launchers were removed from their weapons. But at the same time, there is no accurate information about changes in the module’s pointing angles. Currently, questions are increasingly being raised about the creation of the Terminator-3 BMPT. In the future, the car will not be a modification of its predecessor. It is planned to build it on the Armata platform.

The lineup

“Terminator-2” at the exhibition, another name is “BMPT-72”.
The model range has three modifications:

• "Terminator" - basic prototype;
• "Terminator 2" - a modernized version, presented in the fall of 2014;
• “Terminator-3” is a new level project based on the “Armata” universal combat platform.

The latest modification, according to the developers, will acquire an AU-220M combat module with a more powerful 57 mm cannon and a destruction range of 12 km. This weapon was developed for light warships and in the future will allow the vehicle to destroy targets without entering their engagement range.

Tactical and Technical Characteristics

The performance characteristics of the BMPT Terminator look like this:

• The layout is classic;
• Number of crew members – 5 people;
• Developer – UKBTM;
• named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky";
• Years of production – since 2001;
• Years of operation – since 2011;
• Machine weight – 48 tons;
• Dimensions (length (length with gun) x width x height) – 6960 mm (7200 mm) x 3800 mm x 3440 mm;
• Track width – 3370 mm;
• Tower roof height – 1940 mm;
• Type of armor - projectile-proof, with dynamic protection, rolled and cast, combined;
• Gun – 2A42;
• Gun caliber – 30 mm;
• Gun ammunition - 900 rounds;
• Vertical guidance angle – from -5 to 45 degrees;
• Horizontal guidance angle – 360 degrees;
• Firing range (manpower/lightly armored vehicles/aerial targets) – 4000 m/1500 m/2000 m;
• Gunner's sight - with optical and thermal imaging channels, laser-beam missile control channel and range finder;
• The commander's sight has a thermal imaging channel and a laser rangefinder;
• Grenade launcher sight - day/night "Agat-MP";
• Navigation system – GLONASS;
• Machine gun – PKTM;
• Caliber – 7.62 mm;
• Ammunition - 2000 rounds;
• Other weapons - PU KUV "Ataka-T" - 4 UR 9M120-1, AG-17D;
• Engine - V-92S2;
• Engine power – 1000 hp.
• Maximum speed – 65 km/h;
• Power reserve – 550 km.

In terms of tactical and technical characteristics, the Terminator BMPT did not become the most powerful vehicle in the world. It is noted that some infantry fighting vehicles are armed more effectively. For example, the Swedish CV-90 has a 40-mm Bofors gun in its arsenal. The question rightfully arises as to why our vehicles were not equipped with such a weapon, because it would have been possible to win not only in rate of fire, but also in range, as well as in the radius of destruction.

In fact, there simply were no such weapons in the USSR at that time. It is expected that even before the release of Terminator-3, a deep modernization of the BMPT-72 weapons will be carried out.