"First delivery of BMD-4 and BTR-MDM armoured..." Topic

… vehicles arrived to the Airborne formation of Tula.

"The acceptance of a new batch of 24 BMD-4M and BTR-MDM from Kurgan machine plant was held by the servicemen of the Tula Airborne formation. All the vehicles underwent maintenance procedures and were put in storage. After the acceptance they will be ceremoniously handed over to the crews. It is to be mentioned that two Airborne battalions are to be equipped with the newest amphibious infantry fighting vehicles BMD-4M and armoured personnel carriers BTR-MDM by the end of 2015.

The BMD-4M is the latest generation of Russian-made airborne armoured infantry fighting vehicle that can be para-dropped to provide firepower and support for airborne troops. It is an upgraded variant of the BMD-4 (BMD-3M). The BMD-4M was developed by the Russian defence Companies Volgograd Tractor Plant and the Tula KBP Instrument Design Bureau, the vehicle is manufactured by Kurganmashzavod Joint Stock Company. The BMD-4M is fitted with a two-man turret armed with a 2A70 100mm caliber gun, coupled to a 30mm 2A72 cannon and a 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun mounted to the right of the main armament. The 100mm gun uses an automatic loader with 34 rounds of 100mm ready to fire and 18 in reserve. The main gun can fire conventional types of ammunitions and also the 100mm laser-guided ammunition Arkan Tandem 9M117M1 which can be used against modern main battle tanks at a maximum range of 5,500m and against sheltered and exposed personnel and fortifications at a maximum range of 7,000m…"

Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

I've always been a fan of Russian/Soviet-style mechanized airborne hardware. Rapidly deployable in a way we wish Strykers were, and if you actually paradrop them they are far more dangerous running around the enemy's rear than straight-leg infantry.

Those are pretty heavily armed, for such light vehicles.

Rather ugly though, aren't they.

What the arms dealers claim and what the vehicles can really do are two different things.

I bet these vehicle will never be dropped into real combat.

I bet these vehicle will never be dropped into real combat.

I think the biggest problem there is the risk of the Il-76 transports getting shot down. Those are hugely expensive aircraft, too valuable to lose doing a contested airborne insertion (IMO). Here's a cool video of some BMD-2s being dropped in Serbia: ( link )

Thanks for the link my friend.

Amicalement
Armand