In the post-war years, the BTR-40 and BTR-152, which were equipped with power units of freight vehicles, were especially valued in the Russian army. A little later, the USSR government decided to bet on well-protected and heavy vehicles. But practice has shown that the demand for mobile vehicles for transporting personnel has not disappeared.
Having decided to turn to the experience of the post-war years, Bauman Moscow State Technical University together with the Kama Automobile Plant began the creation of the BMP-97. Due to interruptions in funding, a new armored personnel carrier was adopted by the Russian army only in 2009, 12 years after its development.
Historical reference
The development of a new armored personnel carrier began in 1997 at the research and production center of the University "Special Engineering". The development team included not only MSTU designers, but also KamAZ employees. The first result of the painstaking work of scientists was the order of Andrei Nikolaev, the head of the Federal Border Service, who planned to replace the entire fleet of equipment.
But as a result of the 1998 default, funding ceased, and the order was canceled. The development was delayed, the first model of the BMP-97 was presented to the public only in 1999. In an effort to minimize costs, the armored personnel carrier began to be delivered to private companies.
A little later, the models were sent to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. But in the process of their exploitation, many significant shortcomings were revealed, and the entire party remained on the balance of our country. A revised version of the technique was made available to the public in 2008. Then he was adopted.
Design
The basis of the design of the BMP-97 is a welded body from the Kurganmashzavod. The car is classified as an armored four-wheel drive vehicle with a division into two compartments - a motor vehicle and a crew. The hull has several hatches - for landing, the driver and the commander of the machine, as well as side and aft doors.
When designing armored personnel carriers, a significant number of executive units and assemblies of the KamAZ-4326 truck were used. This increased the degree of unification of serial parts of machines, which allowed:
- Significantly reduce the cost of BMP-97.
- Make production processes easier.
- Increase maintainability.
- Make inspection and maintenance affordable and easy.
Thanks to the unification of parts, the service life of the equipment has also increased - the mileage to overhaul the armored car is more than 270,000 km.
Reservation
The main difference between the armored car and the BTR-80 (the main armored personnel carrier of the army) is the front engine position. This arrangement of the power plant creates additional protection for the crew from cumulative shells. When hit in the forehead, the BMP-97 engine (“Shot” is another name for this model) takes on the energy of the fire stream and, when burning, creates smoke that covers the evacuation of the crew.
The next innovation was the V-shaped bottom - it better disperses the energy of the explosion and better copes with the protection of the landing when undermining a mine. The front armor plate and the upper part of the sides are made of steel 16 mm thick, which even the Utes machine gun is not able to penetrate 12.7 mm. Windshields are made of glass with a thickness of 46 mm, which is equal to the strength of the armor.
Armament
The main mission of the BMP-97 "Shot" is the movement of personnel of the Russian border troops in performing various tasks. The machine can be used as a headquarters for reconnaissance and patrolling, as well as for transporting wounded soldiers (sanitary execution).
The main means of firing are large-caliber machine guns KPVT, "Kord" and grenade launcher "Flame". All weapons are installed in a rotating tower to repel the opponents of BPM-97. The armored personnel carrier is equipped with a mobile anti-tank complex and is equipped with an MB2 combat module with a 30-mm cannon and auxiliary guns.
From an armored car, you can assemble an anti-aircraft missile system based on the Strela-10M air defense system. The main purpose of the complex is the detection and destruction of enemy air equipment at low altitudes. The converted wheeled armored personnel carrier BPM-97 may be part of the air defense of the ground forces.