"The Ukranian T-64-based Infantry Fighting Vehicle " Topic

"Ukrainian company UkroBoronProm is restarting the development of a heavy infantry fighting vehicle based on the T-64 MBT chassis.eNow the firm has resumed development of the heavy IFV in order to ready the design for serial production. According to Ukroboronprom, this work could be completed in time to start mass production before the end of the year.

Instead of the 125 mm armed main turret of the T-64, a new IFV turret has been added to the vehicle. Boasting an impressive amount of firepower, the original prototype features a turret armed with a ZTM-1 30 mm automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun. Two anti-tank missiles are mounted on the left-hand side of the turret, while two banks of three grenade launchers are attached on the front of the turret. In addition, the commander's hatch on the roof of the turret features a cupola armed with a twin GSh-23 mm cannon and a 30 mm automatic grenade launcher.
The T-64 IFVs armour protection has also been increased with the incorporation of Nozh ('Knife') advanced dynamic protection system (explosive reactive armour – ERA), although a defensive aid suite (DAS) was not known to have been installed on the original prototype…"

Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Let's see here: 30mm main gun, 7.62mm Co-ax, 23mm AA/anti-building (but exposed gunner), and a 30mm auto-GL.

How do you say "supply nightmare" and "ammunition explosion" in Ukranian?

Now THAT'S a nice bit of kit and a great use for an old tank chassis.

Looks like a great design.

Looks like that T-64 in the background as the 23mm GSh too, so maybe it is a standard Ukrainian upgrade to the NSV machine gun mount?

Damon.

"23mm AA/anti-building (but exposed gunner)"

I can't find any grips or controls for the 23mm guns in any photo (multiple angles). Are you sure they're not in a remote mount? Even a simple mechanical control?

Driver's slot in the front, engine in the rear… so where do the troops go if this is an IFV?

"The machine is made by the classical layout, front engine, followed sequentially arranged separation of management, fighting and troop compartment in the rear wall of the ramp." ( link )

They turned the vehicle around. look at the drive wheel. Just did a 180 on forward and back of vehicle. It also has a remote turret with no crew in it, plus it can carry 12 passengers besides a crew of 3.

Seems good on paper.

How reliable were the T-64 engine and transmission?

Very reliable. The 64 was one of the best Sov Tanks made.

They turned the vehicle around. look at the drive wheel. Just did a 180 on forward and back of vehicle.

Good eye – and quite a clever idea (probably not a new one, but still clever). I wonder, though, how much one needs a 30mm gun with a twin 23mm? Seems to me that a twin 23mm, plus the GL, plus the AT missiles would be plenty – and you could lower the silhouette of the turret (and maybe add another couple of missile tubes). Anyway, it's a good looking ride.

Doug

I see, they jacked the whole vehicle up by several feet and put the engine in front to make room for troops in the back. A super-heavy Bradley clone to spearhead their next assault against the rebels?

A good way to recycle the approximately 2000 T-64's they have I suppose, but this is an extremely heavy vehicle that will eat fuel.

Great troop protection though. Given the disparity in population between Russian Federation and Ukraine I would wager they are being sensitive to force preservation (not unlike the Israelis).

Come to think of it, this seems like something the Israelis would do, too.

It isn't super heavy at 34.5 tonnes, just a couple of tonnes more than a Bradley.

Sooo when will they export these to Russia in exchange for their gas and oil they need to keep the country warm and moving?
Cheers its a medium design at best. But agree a good way to re-purpose an existing chassis.

Sooo when will they export these to Russia in exchange for their gas and oil they need to keep the country warm and moving?
Cheers its a medium design at best. But agree a good way to re purpose an existing chassis.

Sooo when will they export these to Russia in exchange for their gas and oil they need to keep the country warm and moving?

They won't. Russia needs Ukraine to buy oil and gas just as much as Ukraine needs it.

link
""Russia will continue to supply gas to Ukraine – the fact that Russia wants to skip Ukraine as a transit country doesn't mean Russia wants to lose Ukraine as its market," says Valery Nesterov, analyst with Sberbank CIB."

Looks good – what are the missile tubes on the side of the turret?

ATGM launchers or just somewhere to stow the reloads?

what are the missile tubes on the side of the turret?

"Two anti-tank missiles are mounted on the left-hand side of the turret"

(Ah, see what you mean…. think they are intended to fire from there, not just reloads)

IFVs have been mounting ATGMs on them for quite some time now in addition to some sort of cannon. Standard equipment that makes them true IFVs and not APCs.

Strangely for a Russian design, it looks like it's actually pretty roomy inside, at least based on the size of the entrance hatch and the guy standing next to it.

Well, when you turn the whole chassis around and torch off the big honking glacis plate, there's a lot of room there!

I wonder how good the protection is, if it's only a 35ton beast. Especially since it will be facing BMP3s with 100mm ATGMs and HE, in addition to 30mm AP.

The T-64 was 38 metric tons with a turret. Get rid of the tank turret which is a lot of weight and you have some weight to play with.

Everything above the treadline has been added-on. Can't be all tank-equivalent armor plate.

So did we decide if they have moved the engine (and drive wheels) to the front, or removed and rebuilt the glacis so it effectively drives backwards?

The chassis has been turned around. The drive sprocket of a T-64 is at the rear, while this vehicle has it at the front. Note also the slightly closer spacing of the road-wheels at the engine end – again, like the T-64 though in reverse.

I have a feeling it's intended to be mainly a gun platform, rather than able to withstand ATGM and the likes. Thick enough to fend off long-range autocannon rounds and it's probably fine.

Geoff, I'd assume that they just flipped the whole chassis around and have it drive backwards (they may have flipped the final drive over or stuffed another gear in there so that the transmission has the gears going the right direction).

So when are you going to make us one of those, Geoff?