Soviet Tanks today (Tanks Illustrated 04)

ILLUSTRdTED nQ 4

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1. A battery of Czechoslovak SO-I 52 Akatsiyas move into position during the Druzhba 82 (Friendship-82) exercises in Czechoslovakia in January 1982. Besides the SO-152, the Czechoslovak Army has also produced small numbers of a wheeled 152mm self-propelled gun called the DANA which was first seen in 1980. (Eastfoto)

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I

Introduction

Tanks Illustrated 4: Soviet Tanks Today ?,~ bli s hed

in 1983 by _"---:ns and Armour Press , Lionel Leventhal =--:.:nited , 2-6 Hampstead High Street, London ~\i:' 3 lQQ; 4-12 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne, \ ': ~toria 3000, Australia; Sanso Centre , 8 Adderley ~::-ee t. P.O. Box 94, Cape Town 8000; Cameron e..:::j Kelker Streets, P.O. Box 1831 , Harrisburg, Peill1svlvania 17105 , USA ~ Lionel Leventhal Limited, 1983 .';1! rights reserved. No part of this publication may i::>e reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or :..~smitted in any form by any means electrical, ==~hanical or otherwise , without first seeking the ·;.-:itten permission of the copyright owner.

u.\·out by Anthony A. Evans. T\-pesetting and make-up by \\n-ern Typesetting Limited , Bristol. P:i.!l ted in Great Britain by \\ill iam Clowes, Beccles, Limited

.-\cknowledgments The majority of the photographs are from T_-\ SSfNovosti via the Sovfoto Bureau in New York, and from ADN/Zentralbild (DDR), CTK Czechoslovakia), Interfoto MTI (Hungary) and C.';F ;Poland) via the Eastfoto Bureau in New York ',"ojch is an adjunct to the Sovfoto Office. The ,,'jmor would especially like to thank Vika Edwards "i th e Sovfoto/Eastfoto Bureau in New York for her ::d p, as well as George Balin, Joseph Desautels, j2;J1es Loop and others.

_. The T-SS remained in production until 1981, :'.:::0 these vehicles show the features of the final ;:rod uc tion batches induding the new ' live' track, sile .\ Lo.Z-543P -.:c:": .:arry ing the

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34. One of the older Soviet air defence :nechanized launchers is this vehicle ruing the 3MSM Krug (SA-4 Ganef) :nissile. This is the Soviet equivalent of :he British Bloodhound and rather more :han 1,000 of these launchers were built. It shares a common chassis with the 50-152 SP howitzer and the GMZ :ninelayer. It is intended to provide high-altitude air defence of Soviet force s, and th is battery is seen in operation d uring the Zapad-Sl manoeuvres. Sovfoto) 3; . Supplementing the ZSU-23-4 is the Strela I (SA-9) missile, fired from quadruple launchers on a modified BRDM-2 armoured car . This is an infra -red heat-seeking missile, ,:omparable to the US Chapparal system. Sovfoto) 36. Air defence of mechanized columns is undertaken by the ZSU-23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft tank. This upper rear view shows details of the rear of the B-76 Gun Dish) radar used to control the quad 23mm cannon. (US Army) 37 . The Soviet equivalent of the NATO Roland or Rapier air defence missile is the Romb (SA-SB), seen here on its wheeled transporter/launcher. This is the later variant of the Romb in ,:ontainerized launch tubes; in the earlier ' ·.:rsion the missiles were exposed. The :arge array in front of the missiles is the Land Roll acquisition , tracking and guidance radar system. A Romb ~eg im e nt, attached to some tank divisions :.JJd motor rifle regiments , has 20 of these :ransporter/launchers. (Sovfoto)

38. The most common Soviet armoured infantry transporter is the BTR-60PB , seen here in the service of a Soviet naval infantry unit being landed ashore during the Zapad-SI manoeuvres. They are used as the low end of a high-low mix of BTR-60170s-BMPs in Soviet motor rifle regiments . The BTR-60 was never very popular in Sovet units because of the difficulty in keeping both of its engines synchronized. Inside the landing-ship hold can be seen a BTR-60PU command vehicle wi th clothes-line antenna. (Sovfoto) 39. This imposing view of Soviet armoured equipment was taken at a parade at the end of the Zapad-SI manoeuvres. To the left is a motor rifle battalion with its 37 new BTR-70 armoured infantry transporters. In the right foreground is an airborne battalion with its 35 new BMD-2 airborne combat vehicles , and behind it is a tank battalion with the new T-72M tank. It should be remembered that a Soviet motor rifle division would field 220 tanks, 123 BMP, 251 BTR-70 and 205 other armoured utility , command and reconnaissance vehicles! (S ovfoto) 40. The BTR-70 is the new armoured infantry transporter which has begun to replace the BTR-60 on the assembly lines. It is of a lower and sleeker design, but is still plagued by the awkward location of the exit doors on the roof of the vehicle. These vehicles took part in Zapad-Sl exercises and behind them can be seen some T-72M tanks. (Sovfoto)

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: : =on Soviet uansporrer :"":>'3 . seen here : : ' 2 Soviet .::- - - it being - ":in a the ,"""=-~:; H~S . They ~ 2 "- end of a ~.-

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41. Each an ti -tank ba ttalion in a Soviet motor rifle regiment is equipped with a battery of wheeled anti-tank missile launchers. This unit is equipped with BRDM-2s firing the 9MI4M Malyutka missile. The battery consists of a command BRDM-2 in the lead , followed by nine BRDM-2 launch vehicles which have their missile launchers retracted into the hull. (Sovfoto) 42. The latest wheeled anti-tank missile launcher to enter Soviet service is the BRDM-3 fitted with a 9K III launcher for the Fagot ATGM. This is a Soviet copy of the NATO Milan ATGM. There are also tracked ATGM launchers , like the IT-2 based on the T -62 tank which fires the Drakon ATGi'vt. (Sovfoto) 43. In swampy terrain , the GT-T tractor can be used as an improvised infantry transporter as seen here . 44. The BMP-SON is a radar vehicle based on the BMP infantry combat vehicle. It mounts a 'Small Fred ' J-band counter-ballery radar, and each self-propelled artillery battalion is equipped with one. This vehicle is seen taking part in the Zapad-81 exercises. (Sovfoto) 45. The BMP-I is an amphibious infantry combat vehicle. Introduced in the Soviet Army in the mid- J 960s (in the earlier BMP variant without full NBC protection), this marked a revolutionary change in Soviet infantry combat tactics since it allowed an infantry squad to fight from a mounted, and protected, position . These BMPs are seen attacking, with a dismounted skirmish line behind, during a tactical exercise in April 1980. (Sovfoto)

:::=-- _:;':1k battalion ~: :,jr rifle !:C_-.:.ipped with a ...-~' ed anti-tank ~-:-;" This unit is

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c ~ e'.:i in the ::. -. ie mid- 1960s 3 ~ \P variant _0 C p rotection) , - 1 :-:";olutionary c: :nfantry c : e it allowed _ ~i to fight ~~ " al"ld c.:> n. These ~ , ::acking , :=.:~ skirmish :.:.;!'2 a tactical

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46. The new BMP-2, publicly displayed in November 1982 for the first time, has a 30mm auto-cannon in place of the earlier 73mm low-pressure 2A20 gun, and a 9Klll Fagot ATGM launcher in place of the earlier 9Ml4M Malyutka ATGM . The BMP-2 uses the larger two-man turret pioneered on the BMP-R, which allows the squad commander to ride in the main turret. However, it would appear that the use of the larger turret has dropped the size of the rear infantry squad from eight to six infantrymen because of size constraints. The BMP-2 mounts smoke mortars on the turret side and has buoyancy cells added to the mudguards . (Sovfoto) 47. Air defence of mechanized infantry uni ts is provided by the portable 9P54M launcher which fires the 9M32M Strela II (SA-7 Grail) missile. Here, a Guards sergeant practises firing a S!reia II from the rear compartment of a BMP-I. (Sovfoto)

::: .I·lP·2, publicly ~

.: -;ember 1982 ==. has a 30mm =- ;:-:ace of the :or·pressure - ~ 9K 111 Fagot :: in place of

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:: :• .-e\·er, it ::::~: the use of !': ::as dropped :-::a infantry -=: to six ::l:-..:o;.use of size B.\1P-2

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:?: ~.\i launcher --. ?)\32M Strela ::-j ssile. Here, ~..2 : practises irom the rear : :. a BMP-!.

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48. Although the BMP-l was ':'~signed to permit mounted :3fantry combat, Soviet motor :-:Be regiment tactics also ~:: \'isage their use in ,'lp porting dismounted ~fa ntry attacks. Here a motor ~.£e company in the Baltic .\ Ulitary District practises tactics in August 1979. T he infantryman in the :· ~ reground is equipped with a Jragunov SVD sniper rifle , .-hile the rest of the squad are .o:-med with AKM assault :-iles. The neighbouring -..: uad has a soldier with an ::U>G-7 launcher on its left :'..mk. (Sovfoto) 49. The squad commander in ~ B.\1P-I is stationed in the . ~ :i: front of the vehicle ~ :und the driver, and in :~Cl nt of the turret. This ~ ::otograph shows Captain N. :;;":cmichev, commander of a =-otor rifle BMP company, in :.::= Siberian Military District ~ ·.:.ring manoeu vres in ~~D tem ber 1979. Behind him :-"-; be seen the barrel of the ~.;20 73mm gun used on the :::'-tP-l , and the 9M14M .!. T GM launcher. (Sovfoto)

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50. Officers of a motor rifle battalion equipped with the BMP-l confer during e:'\ercises in the Siberian .\iilitary District in August J 979. Each motor rifle battalion has 36 BMP or BMP-Is. (Sovfoto) 51. Although designed with a :hemicallbiologicall radiological filtration system, thi s network is compromised bv the need of the turret gUnner to manually extend the fins of the 9MJ4M .\ialyutka ATGM while reloading it on the BMP as seen here . 52. A company of BMP-Is taking part in the Zapad-8J manoeuvres are marked with triple white bands which are used to distinguish 'friend' from 'foe' during the course of the exercises. (Sovforo)

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53. The equivalent of the B.\1P in airborne units is the B.\1D-l airborne combat \'ehicle which uses the same ru rret armament as the B.\1P-l, but is smaller and :