JSC Rosoboronexport is offering its foreign partners a new product – the BMPT fire support vehicle, which is unique in performance and combat capabilities.

The experience gained from using armored vehicles in local wars and armed conflicts of recent years suggests that modern armored fighting vehicles (tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers) do not provide the effective engagement of pinpoint targets in various types of fighting - enemy manpower, grenade launcher and ATGM operators. Armed with modern weapons, they pose a serious threat to armored vehicles, especially in difficult conditions - in the mountains, wooded areas and settlements. Using natural and artificial shelters, they are well concealed, poorly visible, dispersed, and open fire suddenly with high accuracy and damaging capacity. Timely detection and destruction is an effective way to counter such threats.

To deal with these tasks, Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main exporter of the entire range of the final defense and dual-use products and services, is offering its partners the BMPT fire support vehicle. It has tank-level protection and a set of weapons capable of effectively detecting and destroying pinpoint concealed targets. With its modern target search and detection devices, automated fire control system, powerful multi-channel set of automatic weapons and all-aspect crew protection, the BMPT is capable of effectively providing fire support to units in all types of combat operations in complex geographical areas, day or night, and against any enemy.

The BMPT is based on the T-90S tank chassis. However, since its main armament is placed in a module, which comprises a turret, a powered externally-mounted weapon system, an ammunition feed system, and operator stations, it can be installed on various types of tank chassis, in particular, during T-72 upgrading work. This BMPT version (BMPT-72) has been developed by JSC NPK Uralvagonzavod.

Outdated T-72 tanks, in which weapons repair and modernization is impractical due to wear and tear or faulty condition, can be retrofitted to the BMPT-72 configuration. This will allow customer to save money and actually get a new kind of military equipment capable of successfully performing tasks assigned to it.

Revamping the T-72 into the BMPT-72 configuration includes removal of the tank turret and installation of a BMPT combat module with a remote-controlled weapon system (automatic cannons, machine gun and missiles) in its place. The important feature is that the combat module is placed in a superstructure located outside the crew compartment. In addition, repair and optional modernization of the chassis are carried out. Revamping the T-72 tanks into the BMPT-72 can be done at customer production facilities.

The BMPT has incorporated prolonged experience of research and development work and testing of its prototypes in different conditions. As of today, the BMPT offering the highest level of firepower and protection is unrivaled in terms of its fighting capabilities and a set of missions.

The BMPT-72’s fire control system with multichannel gunner and commander sights can detect and destroy targets day and night, in bad weather by firing two 30mm 2A42 automatic cannons at ranges up to 4000 m using high-explosive shells and up to 2500 m using armor-piercing shells. The ammunition load of the cannons consists of 850 rounds in two belts.

The weapons system also includes two launchers with four supersonic guided missiles carrying HEAT and thermobaric warheads. A coaxial 7.62mm machine gun is used as secondary armament.

The gunner’s station is equipped with a multichannel sight with optical and thermal imaging channels, a laser rangefinder, a built-in laser missile control channel and an independent twoplane FOV stabilization system. The commander’s sight is panoramic, combined with TV and thermal channels, a laser rangefinder and an independent two-plane FOV stabilization system.

Protection of the BMPT-72 is provided by: low visibility due to its small size and disruptive painting; armor protection; integral ERA; high speed and maneuverability; automated smoke screening system; additional bar armor.

Small size and disruptive painting make the BMPT-72 low detectable during action on any terrain. An automated smoke screening system provides protection against enemy anti-tank guided missiles and artillery shells with semiactive laser seekers, as well as jamming against artillery systems with laser rangefinders.

The BMPT-72 fire support vehicle is designed to counter enemy manpower and armored vehicles equipped with anti-tank weapons (ATGMs, light anti-tank weapons, etc) as well as provide fire support to friendly units.

The BMPT-72 is ideal for combat missions in settlements and forested mountainous terrain. It is maneuverable as its weapons do not go beyond the hull outline when the turret transverses, while the laying angles make it possible to engage targets located on the basement to upper floors of buildings.

Depending on missions, the BMPT-72 can operate both independently and together with tanks. In the case of joint action of tanks and BMPT-72s, the efficiency is achieved through the distribution of targets between them. For example, fortifications, tanks and tank-based vehicles are destroyed by tanks, whereas manpower, antitank weapons, lightly armored and soft-skinned vehicles are engaged by BMPT-72s. If necessary, the BMPT-72s fire at low-speed low-flying aerial targets.

The BMPT-72s can be used independently to strengthen and support motorized infantry units, escort columns and facilities, and destroy armed gangs.

Equipping assault units with a set of well-protected vehicles (tanks and BMPT-72s) is a way to build a military formation which is balanced in missions and weapons and military equipment configuration.