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BMD-4 (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta)

2005 MODERN

History

The greatest challenge facing modern warfare planners has always been to properly equip their airborne soldiers (traditionally called "paratroopers") to accomplish the task at hand. Since the primary task of these battlefield personnel was to jump from aircraft, the equipment and weapons they could carry into combat were severely limited - lacking any form of armored support and artillery except for some light mortars. It wasn't until the 1960s that the military (mostly Soviets and Americans) began to flesh out the prospect of landing capable "airdropped" tanks to help airborne troops manage their bases ahead of the arrival of key ground forces.

For the Americans, this became the M551 Sheridan series, while the Soviet Union introduced their BMD series (i.e. the BMD-1), both of which entered service in 1969.

While the M551 is more of a classic "tank" design, it was specifically used as a light reconnaissance assault vehicle, serving in the Vietnam War, Panama and Desert Storm operations. The Soviet BMD was more in line with the "infantry fighting vehicle" concept, retaining key qualities consistent with the Red Army doctrine - strong firepower, good off-road performance and inherent amphibious qualities. The BMD-1 was improved upon in the upcoming and improved BMD-2 in 1985, which was further developed into the improved BMD-3 in 1990. In 2005, the BMD-4 was adopted by the Russian Army to fulfill the same long-term role as the previous BMD - however, a lot has been considered in order to further develop the breed to meet the challenges of the modern battlefield. As such, the BMD-4 offers significantly improved armor and firepower compared to the previous BMD-3 series - the BMD-4 is essentially a hybrid of the BMD-3 itself and the successful BMP-3 armored personnel carrier.

While the U.S. M551 has been retired from the U.S. Army, the Russians have continued the tradition of air-drop tanks on their roster - meaning the BMD-4 has no real "equal" on the world stage.

The design of the BMD-4 follows the proven characteristics of the previous BMD series and has a certain visual similarity to all previous brands. The hull is compact, protected by sloping glacier panels and a flat hull roof, and borrows from the previous BMD-3 design.

The sides of the hull are straight, the turret is centered on the top of the hull, and the various armored surfaces of the vehicle are good for storing the various "pioneer" tools (shovels, etc.) required by the occupants. The turret itself provides basic ballistic protection with sloping sides and well-defined curves, and has a pair of side-by-side inlet and outlet hatches. Dominating each side of the vehicle is a track linkage system, driven by a rear drive sprocket and a front track idler. Four small chain idlers sit below the upper part of the chain, while five suspended wheels provide the necessary support for off-road and on-road driving. The vehicle is basically driven by three people, consisting of a driver, a vehicle operator, and a gunner.

The armor protection level is for small caliber firearms and artillery "spray" (shrapnel). The entire crew compartment is also protected from NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) threats on a nuclear battlefield. A fire suppression system ensures that a direct impact on the hull and turret does not endanger the crew of ammunition from detonating. A passenger compartment allows another five combat-ready troops to be carried in relative comfort with some protection.

The engine - a 450 hp 2V-60-2 series diesel engine - was installed in a compartment aft of the hull to minimize damage. The BMD-4 has a total range of 500 km, a top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h) and a total weight of 13.6 tons.

The powered turret houses the primary offensive hardware, the 100mm main gun (with a range of up to 7,000 meters). Combined with a 30mm automatic cannon mounted as a coaxial mount, the BMD-4 has a powerful combo capability against light to medium armored vehicles. The weapon mix is ??the same as the larger BMP-3.

The fire control system is fully digital and can automate operations, requiring only the aircrew to identify targets on the battlefield. Like other Soviet/Russian armed armoured ships, the BMD-4's main guns are capable of firing laser-guided anti-tank missiles, in this case the "Fortress" series, giving BMD-4 crews unprecedented "range" of the modern battlefield (for such vehicles) and the counterattack of the main battle tank.

The autocannon has true autoloading and can also be loaded with anti-tank missiles as needed. The autoloader also reduced the expected crew size from four to just three, as a dedicated loader was not required. In addition to the cannon armament, the BMD-4 can also use 9M113 Konkurs (AT-5 "Spandrel") anti-tank missiles (ATGM) to mark along the top of the fuselage. The BMD-4 crew can also use bow-mounted 40mm caliber automatic grenade launchers, Bow-mounted 7.62mm machine gun and Maas 5.45mm machine gun for anti-infantry.

Six smoke grenade launchers are located on either side of the front turret, in groups of three.

The BMD-4 exhibits three strong qualities in its design, including the impressive armor package mentioned above. Another is the ability to skydive from a low-flying aircraft and be ready for combat within minutes of the crew landing. After landing, it takes only three minutes to launch the vehicle, manage the position and arm all weapons. Another quality is its amphibious capability, which enables the BMD-4 to wade through water and change tactical methods in flight.

All in all, the BMD-4 fit perfectly into the then accepted Russian tank theory, which was designed to overwhelm key enemy positions with speed and firepower.

Improvements have been made in the new brand "BMD-4M" introduced in 2008 since it was put into service. The BMD-4M features a sophisticated fire control system and a new 500-horsepower UTD-29 series diesel engine, as well as other minor changes to its internal functions.

The earlier BMD-3 is currently (2012) being upgraded to the BMD-4 standard. To date, at least 60 BMD-4s have been delivered to active service, with many more on order. There are no known foreign operators of the BMD-4 series.

The name "BMD" is derived from the word "Boyevaya Mashina Desanta", referring to it as "Airborne Combat Vehicle". Production takes place at the Volgograd Tractor Plant.

April 2017 - The Russians introduced the latest updated version of the BMD-4 in the BMD-4M2 variant. Changes include the powertrain of the BMP-3 IFV (to reduce maintenance and repair time/cost) and the installation of a "Sinica" series manned turret.