RUSSIAN CENTURION ARMOR UPGRADE

Later on the Terminator made an appearance at the Zapad-2017 exercise operating with the Russian mechanized forces in the Luga region. It was also announced that the version wold enter mass production, but exact procurement numbers were not released. During the exhibition the Terminator made several combat shows. Same version with the older grenade launcher equipped hull and the new turret was shown at the Russian Army-2017 exhibition. These modules have been previously spotted on the T-72B3 tanks. The Syrian model was also equipped with bag-mounted add-on armor modules at the sides of the skirts. Hull was also upgraded with new slat-armor modules at the rear and improved ERA layout. Curiously this variant had the older BMPT hull, with the 30 mm grenade launchers, combined in to the new turret with improved sights and the boxed missiles. The first actual operational use of the Terminator concept came in 2017 as at least one was sent into Syria to support the government forces.

RUSSIAN CENTURION ARMOR UPGRADE

The BMPT-72 was offered as an upgrade package to breath new life into the legacy T-72 fleets that many military's struggle with. At the same time crew was reduced to three.The hull superstructure was also modified with newer ERA armor and a better sloped design. The hull layout was revised by removing of the 30 mm AG-17D grenade launchers. The four Ataka missiles were also placed into two rectangular canisters. This version had a revised turret with more advanced fire control systems and communications equipment.

In 2013 the Uralvagonzavod revealed the next iteration of the Terminator, dubbed the BMPT-72 Terminator 2. This version was sold in small numbers to Kazakhstan and Algeria, but the Russian armed forces didn’t place any orders. Also the main guns have an ability to fire to very high angles often encountered near high rise buildings. An important feature for the intended urban combat role was the ability to engage three different targets simultaneously. The T-72 hull was modified to fit extra ERA-armor and two 30 mm AG-17D automatic grenade launchers pointed towards the frontal sector. If two major armies with broad experience of close quarters combat against insurgents in urban environment are reaching similar solutions the need is there. Similar experiences from Lebanon and Gaza have prompted Israel to develop and field several MBT based heavy infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers such as the Achzarit, Puma and Namer that are based on the T-55, Centurion and Merkava tanks respectively. In regards to the fire power, it’s often more important to be able to suppress the hostile forces rather than to be able to hit point targets at extended ranges.

The armor protection is more important as the fighting distances are shorter and the enemy is often able to engage from extremely short distances and even from above. In an urban setting the mobility aspect is morphed from pure maneuverability into the ability to cross and penetrate barriers and navigate the constantly changing landscape. The designs of the armored vehicles have traditionally been compromises between mobility, armor protection and fire power.

Russian centurion armor