◇ The ‘Terminator’, which looks like a ‘killer robot’ in the film, was put in the war video in Ukraine that was released
Russia has been found to be using the BMPT ‘Terminator’ fire fighting vehicle, known as the ‘end of urban warfare’ with powerful weapons, to fight in Ukraine. The BMPT type combat vehicle was evaluated as a threatening weapon by the US military also describing it as a ‘monster weapon’, but it is known that only a small number of around 10 units have been used in the Ukraine war so far, and does not have a significant impact on the charter.
The Russian Army’s BMPT “Terminator” deployment to Ukraine sparked controversy in January when images of them attacking Ukrainian infantry on the Svatobe Front in eastern Ukraine were spread through social media such as YouTube. In the videos known to have been released by Russia, the BMPT, which looks like a ‘killer robot’ appearing in sci-fi films, demonstrated its immense power to destroy buildings with a barrage of fire like 30mm cannons shooting laser beams . In some videos, the Ukrainian army showed a rush to retreat with little resistance to the Russian BMPT attack.
◇ Heavily armed with 30mm cannon and anti-tank missiles
Some experts say that Russia has cleverly edited and exaggerated the power of the BMPT, but in general they have a similar assessment that the BMPT is a threatening weapon. BMPT is an abbreviation for ‘Tank Support Combat Vehicle’ in Russian. He was nicknamed the Terminator because he was supposed to end street fights. In July 2000, it was unveiled for the first time at the 2nd Exhibition of Military Weapons and Equipment in Urals, Russia, and was sent to the Russian army in 2005. Based on lessons from the First Chechen War (December 1994 to August 1996), it was designed to be effective in urban and close combat. It is characterized by heavy armor that exceeds that of an infantry fighting vehicle and is heavily armed with powerful firearms.
It is armed with a turret that has twin 2A42 30mm cannons, one 7.62mm machine gun and four 9M120 Ataka-T anti-tank missiles. AG-17D 30mm high-speed grenade launchers are mounted on both sides of the hull, and a total of five crew members board and operate it. The 30mm high-velocity grenade cannon can fire 30mm grenades with grenade-like power at a speed of 420 rounds per minute, so it has a powerful ability to suppress an area in close combat with enemy infantry in urban combat. The Russian military estimates that the combat power of one BMPT type combat vehicle is equal to the power of six BMP armored vehicles and 40 armored personnel carriers.
◇ US main battle tank Able to engage from a longer distance than armored vehicles
The twin-engine 30mm cannon has a performance of 550 rounds per minute for rapid fire and 200 to 300 rounds per minute for sustained fire. The effective range is 1.5 km, and it can engage soft targets for killing purposes up to 4 km. It can engage aerial targets such as drones and helicopters at altitudes of up to 2 km. The Ataka anti-tank missile can penetrate 800mm of armor even after destroying explosive reactive armor (ERA), so it can destroy most third generation tanks.
The maximum range of the Ataka missile reaches 6 km, which is three times longer than the effective range of tank guns of 2 km. This is why evaluations say that the BMPT can be advantageous when engaging the US M2A2 infantry fighting vehicle as well as the M1A2 main battle tank. In the case of the US M1A2 Abrams tank, it can engage enemies at a distance of up to 3.5 km with a 120mm main gun, and in the case of the M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, with a TOW anti-tank missile, at a distance of up to 3.75 km .
◇ US Army “one of the deadliest weapons to threaten the US military”
There are three types of BMPT type combat vehicles: the initial type (for export), the BMPT-72, the Russian Army BMPT-92, and the more recent BMPT-14. The BMPT-72 uses the shell of the T-72 tank and has inexpensive optical detection and fire control equipment. It was exported to the Kazakhstan Army (10 units) and the Algerian Army (300 units). The BMPT-92 uses the body of the T-90 series tank, and the performance of some optics and sighting equipment has been improved compared to the BMPT-72. The latest model, the BMPT-14, used the T-14 Armata body, but it is known that the introduction was delayed due to the delay in the production of the T-14.
As such, by using the body of the T-72/90 tank or the Armata T-14 tank, the BMPT has a higher protection capability than any other armored vehicle. -story apartment building within 5 minutes. The US Army also rated the BMPT family of combat vehicles as one of the most lethal ground weapon systems threatening the US Army in the near future.
However, it is assessed that BMPT has not yet had a significant impact on the charter in the match against Ukraine. In February, for the first time, a video of a BMPT-72 being destroyed by Ukrainian forces was released. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haiday released a video on social media, saying, “A Russian armored vehicle ‘BMPT-72 Terminator’ was blown up by Ukrainian forces in a forest near Kreminna in Luhansk.”
◇ Based on lessons learned from the defeat in the Battle of Grozny, develop weapons specialized in urban warfare and close combat
The disastrous defeat at the Battle of Grozny during the First Chechen War had a major influence on Russia’s development of such a monster weapon. The Russian 131st Motorized Rifle Brigade committed to the Battle of Grozny lost 20 out of 26 tanks, 102 out of 120 armored vehicles, and all six of the Tunguska field air defense systems. It was literally destroyed with 1,500 soldiers including Brigadier Colonel Sabin killed or wounded and 78 captured. Only 24 soldiers and 1 officer from the 33rd Rifle Regiment of the 19th Infantry Division survived, which is only 20% of the total force.
The overwhelming defeat of the Russian army was due to the fact that the Chechen army was clearly aware of the limitations of Russian armor and adopted street fighting tactics, as well as the chronic shortcomings of Russian weapons. The Chechens fired RPG anti-tank rockets into the upper armor of the tank from the second or third floor of the closely located buildings, where the Russian T-72 or T-80 tanks could not raise their barrels and fire back.
◇ South Korea also needs to prepare for warfare and urban stabilization operations in North Korea in case of a crisis
Tanks with reactive armor were fired with anti-tank sniper rifles, blasted with reactive armor, and then fired with anti-tank rockets. As the tanks were destroyed, the BTR armored vehicles following them were helplessly destroyed by bullets and anti-tank guns from all sides, and dismounted infantrymen were often are beaten to death by Chechen citizens or assaulted with small arms. BMPT learned from this and significantly strengthened its urban and close combat capabilities, such as being able to reach the second and third floors of buildings at close range.
Experts say the Russian BMPT combat vehicle used in the Ukraine War can also teach us a lesson. In an emergency, urban warfare or regional stabilization operations need to be conducted in North Korea, but fire support combat vehicles such as the BMPT may be required. A military source said, “It appears that North Korea will closely analyze the war in Ukraine and closely analyze the lessons learned from street fighting.
