The airborne troops of Russia will soon have at their disposal armored vehicles of special purpose "Typhoon-Airborne." This was reported in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.  

“In the near future, developers will begin state testing of prototypes, based on which a decision will be made on the adoption of automotive equipment for the formations and military units of the Airborne Troops,” the statement said on the website of the department. 

The Ministry of Defense notes that the development of the weapons system, military and special equipment of the Airborne Forces is aimed at ensuring a new qualitative state of the troops. It will guarantee to fulfill the tasks assigned to them, noted in the department.

Recall that the creation of a new armored car for the Airborne Forces was announced in 2016 by General Vladimir Shamanov, who at that time held the post of commander of the airborne troops.

Then the general said that the armored car will be a landing vehicle with a 4x4 wheel arrangement, weighing about 11 tons, with a capacity of up to 8 people and a turret combat module. 

Airborne Armored Car 

The Typhoon-Airborne Forces armored car was developed by the Special Automobile Plant Plant (Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan), which also produces other Typhoon vehicles as well as the Shot armored car.  

In 2017, the finished Typhoon-Airborne Forces was presented to the participants of the Army 2017 international military-technical forum in Kubinka, Moscow Region.

The car is made according to the principle of the scheme of the bearing armored hull with the installation of all the necessary units on it.

According to the developers, this solution made it possible to lighten the car, while preserving the protective characteristics using fifth-class armor.

The layout of the cabin made it possible to equip the armored car with special anti-traumatic seats, between which special mounts for individual weapons were installed. 

The developers note that the car is able to withstand an explosion of six kg of TNT under the wheel, and up to four kg of TNT under the bottom. 

As a power plant, Typhoon-Airborne Forces uses a KamAZ-650.10-350 6-cylinder engine with a capacity of 350 horsepower, which allows you to accelerate a basic configuration vehicle weighing 13.5 tons to a speed of 100 km / h on the highway. The power reserve at one gas station is up to 1.2 thousand kilometers.

A car equipped with an automatic transmission and adjustable hydropneumatic suspension can overcome 30-degree ascents and force water obstacles 1.9 meters deep.

“Typhoon-VDV armored vehicles have a powerful engine, they have enhanced armor protection, they are able to pass through any reliefs. In addition, the car is designed in such a way that it minimizes damage to the armored car when it hits a mine, ”military observer Viktor Baranets said in a conversation with RT.

According to military expert Aleksey Leonkov, the armored car has improved mine protection against various landmines that lay along the road on a highway or rugged terrain.

“In addition, such a factor as the conduct of hostilities in urban areas was taken into account. The tasks of the Typhoon-Airborne Forces are transportation and protection of personnel with the simultaneous ability to fire to kill. In an armored car, first of all, in addition to the protective properties, the speed indicators that Typhoon has are valued, ”said the expert. 

Weapons and equipment 

One of the distinguishing features of the Typhoon-Airborne Forces is the ability to install various weapons modules on it to solve various tactical and operational tasks. 

During the Army-2019 forum, one of such promising modules was demonstrated - the 82-mm mortar mortar Drok. This gun can conduct targeted artillery fire at a distance of up to six kilometers, and loading and guidance are carried out by the crew inside the machine.  

  • Armored Car "Typhoon"
  • © JSC "Remdiesel"

The installation of the “Drok” on the armored car of the airborne forces turns it into a mobile self-propelled mortar capable of delivering sudden point strikes at enemy positions and firing points, experts explain. Now this mortar is undergoing preliminary tests.  

The standard combat module "Typhoon-Airborne" is a remotely controlled turret BM-30-D. This module was developed by JSC Central Research Institute Burevestnik. The main gun is an automatic gun 2A42 of a caliber of 30 mm, an auxiliary one is a PKTM machine gun of a caliber of 7.62 mm. 

BM-30-D is equipped with an automated fire control system with a combined sight with television and thermal imaging channels, a laser range finder, a control panel and an automatic target tracking device. The module is designed to search, detect and destroy targets at any time of the day.

Ammunition consists of 300 rounds for 2A42 guns and 1.2 thousand rounds for PKTM. The module is isolated from the main compartment, which significantly increases the safety of the paratroopers and the crew of the machine. BM-30-D was created specifically for the "Typhoon-Airborne", but instead of it you can mount almost any other of the weapons on the market. 

Viktor Baranets, in an interview with RT, noted that this armored car is a response to the challenges and tasks that appear before the military on the battlefield in modern conditions.  

“The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia understand the nature of modern combat, its dynamics, take into account the peculiarities of the combat work of paratroopers, who, after landing, need to instantly reach a certain milestone, for which Typhoon is intended,” the expert explained. 

We can say that with the help of such cars the airborne forces will be able to act in accordance with the concept of a quick strike and behind enemy lines, by analogy with the US army, Viktor Baranets noted.   

“But in the US Army there are no cars that would have such speed, power and cross. They have similar cars, but they can not be compared with Typhoon. In fact, these are fast, powerful airborne horses that have certain weapons, but most importantly - they contain a fairly large number of paratroopers and reach maximum attack speed after landing. Undoubtedly, this is a rather serious new element that will allow the Airborne Forces to operate more efficiently, ”the expert concluded.