As the war in
Ukraine approaches one year, several sophisticated Russian weapons have bite the dust.
This includes the Ka-52 Alligator assault helicopter, Su-35S frontline fighter jet,
and T-90M Main Battle Tank to name a few.
Importantly, many of these weapons have been found to
be extensively using Western chips and other components.
Ukrainian forces have managed to rack up another trophy kill.
As per the Marines, Ukrainian forces have put an advanced Russian BMP-T
armored fighting vehicle out of commission for the first time.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how Ukrainian forces managed to knock out the
much-hyped Russian BMP-T Terminator? Let’s get started.
The BMP-T was allegedly destroyed near the Luhansk region’s Kreminna, where intense
combat has recently been observed. The head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration,
Serhii Haidai, announced the first recorded kill of the vehicle on his Telegram channel.
On February 9, a footage was posted by several social media accounts that
described it as the first visually documented destruction of the Russian BMP-T 'Terminator'
In the video, a BMPT could be seen alone on the road in what appears to be a forest, with
surrounding areas still covered with snow. The camera captures two near hits on the Terminator,
followed by the moment the vehicle is stuck by a Ukrainian shot and soon goes up in flames.
The BMP-T unofficially called 'Terminator' is an armored fighting vehicle (AFV),
designed and manufactured by the Russian company Uralvagonzavod.
The vehicle was designed for supporting tanks and other AFVs in urban areas.
The history of the BMP-T's development can be traced back to the Soviet-Afghan War.
The need for a vehicle such as this became even more evident during the
First Chechen War where it suffered heavy losses when confronting Chechen guerrillas.
Russian tanks designed for open terrain were unable to raise or
lower their main gun barrels high enough to engage Chechnyan anti-tank gunners.
Without proper infantry support, they were knocked out one after the other.
Terminator was conceived to counter this problem by driving alongside armored forces.
The BMP-T is mounted on the T-90 tank chassis and is heavily protected with reactive armor.
The protection of the BMPT is superior to most MBTs, as active and passive
protection is used, and additional armor is distributed to the hull of the vehicle.
It is powered by a V-92S2 diesel engine which produces 1,000 hp or 736 kW
It has an operational range of 550 km or 340
mi and can reach a maximum speed of 60 km/h or 37 mph.
Terminator has a crew of five which consists of a vehicle commander, a driver, a gunner,
and two grenade launcher operators. NBC protection is provided to the crew to
ensure survival against radiation, chemical, and biological weapons.
Terminator has 4 weapons to counter the opponent's Anti Tank forces.
It has four Ataka ATGM launchers as a set of
primary armaments to defeat enemy tanks and infantry.
The platform has twin autocannons which have a combined fire rate of 600 rounds per minute.
Terminator has a pair of either AGS-17D or AGS-30 grenade launchers, one located on each side of
the BMPT, and operated by a single crew member. The platform has a single 7.62 mm PKTM machine
gun mounted coaxially with the main armament and holds 2,000 rounds. It has a range of 4,000 m.
Members of the Ukrainian Marine Corps’ 140th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion
helped destroy the BMPT, according to a post on the service’s official Facebook page.
The post states the Marines belonging to the unit shared the Terminator’s
coordinates with nearby artillery forces, who then carried out the attack, stating:
Hasta la vista, baby! Soldiers of the 140th separate reconnaissance battalion
of the marines found the detonated Russian BMPT "Terminator", transferred the coordinates to
the artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and further adjusted the fire. So,
we see that this allegedly "invincible" and "unique" combat vehicle burns just as
well as the rest of Russian scrap metal. Glory to the marines! Glory to Ukraine!
The Terminator is a relatively new addition to Russia's ground
arsenal and only a small number of them are known to be in service.
As per some reports about a dozen are operationally deployed.
Not long ago, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a video showing
a Russian tank destroying a Ukrainian tank with the fire support of a BMP-T Terminator.
The footage showed the Russian military tank firing first,
followed by the BMPT firing 33-millimeter guns against Ukrainian positions.
Several such instances have been recorded on camera where the Terminator could be seen
working in tandem with a Russian tank in fights against the Ukrainian armor.
While the BMP-T Terminator seems to be a worthy platform and acts as a force multiplier.
But its destruction shows that when new-age weapon like drones
is effectively employed in conjunction with tried & tested weapon of war - artillery,
even the most modern enemy weapon can be knocked out.
It also brings to the fore the importance of effective troop
training when it comes to today's battlefields.