Russian forces improve janky Soviet armored vehicles to prolong the war – Forbes
Фото: ілюстративне
Russia's jankiest armored fighting vehicle is evolving, Forbes reports, citing a recent Russian media report from Avdiivka, which depicts at least one old MT-LB armored tractor armed with an old 2M-3 naval turret fitted with over-under 25-millimeter autocannons.
Such vehicles were on guard duty alongside civilian construction crews in the temporarily captured territories, apparently to protect the crews, who were then busy building fortifications for the Russians from Ukrainian drones.
The MTLBM with the 2M-3 turret, seen in a recent media report, differs from most of its relatives, having 2M-3 guns flush with the MT-LB hull. The turret is somewhat integrated with the vehicle that carries it.
This is a change in the lineup of MTLB fire support vehicles, which are supposed to be able to launch 300 rounds per minute from their own gun.
Russian forces started assembling these vehicles back in the spring, mixing and matching old hulls and towers that were in storage, apparently in a desperate attempt to compensate for the growing losses of modern combat vehicles in the 22-month war against Ukraine.
The vintage 1950s MTLBs and their even older 2M-3 towers were minimally integrated. The technicians apparently welded or bolted the two-ton towers to the tractors without mixing their hydraulics and electrical systems and changing the center of mass balance in the MTLBs themselves.
In June of this year, there were several reports of the Russian army using outdated armored military vehicles packed with several tons of explosives, including improvised explosive devices.
"Most of the Russian improvised explosive devices almost certainly detonated before reaching their target, thanks to a combination of anti-tank mines and direct fire, casting doubt on the effectiveness of these weapons," British analysts reported.
The UK defense ministry emphasizes that such devices cause extremely strong explosions, which can psychologically impact the enemy. Most likely, the crew of the explosives-laden vehicle leaves it after setting it on a certain course.
Most cases of such tactics were recorded in Marinka, the city of constant battles in the Donetsk region, as units from occupied Ichkeria (Chechen army) became frequent assets on the battlefield.
Experts believe this may indicate that the Chechen army fighters started a new way of exploiting old Russian equipment.
Russian members of the ATESH partisan movement reported the discovery of a plant in Chelyabinsk that has started new missile production and published its coordinates.
