The Rostec State Corporation is considering the possibility of creating a wheeled tank for export purposes based on the Sprut-SDM1 tracked armored vehicle.

Industrial director of the Rostec armament complex Bekkhan Ozdoev said this in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“There is an idea to put the Sprut-SDM1 fighting compartment on a wheelbase, which is likely to be floating.

Which one exactly is an open question.

There are several potentially suitable wheeled chassis available today.

The choice depends on the customer and the tasks that he intends to solve using such equipment, "said a representative of Rostec.

He explained that such a vehicle would have the firepower of the main tank, surpass it in speed and maneuverability, but be inferior in terms of security and maneuverability.

The wheeled Octopus will, of course, first of all become an export product.

The most likely sales markets for wheeled tanks may be the countries of the Middle East and the African continent, ”Ozdoev said.

The specialist clarified that the appearance of such a machine in the Russian Armed Forces is less likely, since due to the peculiarities of the country's geography, preference is traditionally given to tracked chassis.

“When driving on hard ground, on plains and on dry dirt roads, this technique has advantages in terms of range and speed.

But in off-road conditions, muddy roads, in mountains, forests and swamps, a tracked vehicle is needed, ”the specialist explained.

Recall that the SPTP Sprut-SDM1 light amphibious tank, on the basis of which Rostec can create a wheeled vehicle, was presented to the public at the IDEX 2021 International Defense Industry Conference and Exhibition in the UAE.

  • Light tank SPTP "Sprut-SDM1"

  • © Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wikimedia

Pyotr Tyukov, the executive director of the developer and manufacturer of the equipment of PJSC Kurganmashzavod, then noted that the Sprut-SDM1 is “the world's only model of a modern light tank”.

"Sprut" is equipped with a 125-mm 2A75 cannon, the firepower of which corresponds to the T-90MS tank.

The possibility of using armor-piercing sub-caliber, cumulative or high-explosive fragmentation projectiles, as well as ammunition with remote detonation is provided.

"Sprut-SDM1" is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 5 km.

Demanded technique

The term "wheeled tank" can be interpreted quite broadly and has not yet been officially enshrined in generally recognized military doctrines, experts say.

Recently, it has been used to designate a family of armored vehicles and combat vehicles, the main weapon of which is a tank gun in a fully revolving turret installation.

Today, this technique is quite rare in the world's armies.

Nevertheless, vehicles that can be called wheeled tanks are in service with France, Italy, Switzerland, China, Japan and South Africa.

The main task of these armored vehicles is to destroy enemy tanks and cover the infantry on the battlefield.

Wheeled tanks have a great advantage in flat terrain and developed road infrastructure.

In an interview with RT, military expert Yuri Knutov explained that such tanks sacrifice a stronger level of security, acquiring in return significant advantages in range, speed and maneuverability.

“Most importantly, the simpler undercarriage significantly reduces the training requirements for mechanics and crew.

That is, the drivers of "heavy trucks" will quickly master this technique, they do not need to be specially trained.

Also, compared to traditional tracked tanks, such vehicles have less expensive repair and maintenance, ”the expert explained.

Wheeled armored vehicles are not capable of replacing main battle tanks in the nomenclature of military equipment, but they face other tasks - fast movement to deliver "surgical" strikes and conduct reconnaissance in force.

They can also be successfully used in anti-terrorist and peacekeeping operations and in local conflicts with a low intensity of hostilities.

Today, the main manufacturer and popularizer of such vehicles is France, which actively supplies wheeled tanks to Africa, Knutov noted.

  • French wheeled tank AMX-10RC

  • © davric / Wikimedia

So, the French defense industry complex presented the Panhard M8 wheeled tank to the international public in the early 1970s.

A few years later, the AMX-10RC was launched into mass production (classified as a wheeled tank or heavy armored vehicle), which is still operated by the Armed Forces of France and some countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

“Wheeled tanks of Russian production will be in demand on the international market, because such vehicles are already successfully used in African and Asian countries, but they are mainly produced by France.

They are in demand and show good results, ”said Yuri Knutov.

Russian developments

It is worth noting that a wheeled tank is being developed in Russia for the needs of the domestic Armed Forces.

So, in 2018, the General Director of the Military-Industrial Company (MIC) Alexander Krasovitsky spoke about the work on the Boomerang platform, on the basis of which a wheeled tank will be created.

“Today we plan to build a wheeled tank on the basis of this platform.

This will be our know-how.

It will have a larger cannon.

We will be able to talk about this in the very near future, ”Krasovitsky said in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.

  • BMP on a wheeled platform "Boomerang"

  • © Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wikimedia

Yuri Knutov believes that in Russia such machines will be in demand in the Airborne Forces, as well as in formations located in strategically important areas with developed infrastructure and roads.

At the same time, such equipment will also be in great demand abroad, the analyst added.

“Export prospects will be very good.

I repeat once again that today only France is actively producing and supplying Africans with similar equipment of a decent level.

We can create a modern car that will surpass the French one, will be cheaper and will be in demand in the countries of Africa and the Middle East, ”Knutov emphasized.

In turn, the editor of the newspaper "Nezavisimoye Voennoye Obozreniye" Dmitry Litovkin noted in an interview with RT that to obtain a new wheeled tank it would be possible to combine the Boomerang wheeled platform with a turret combat module from the Sprut-SDM1 tank.

“Putting a combat module from the Octopus on the Boomerang wheeled chassis does not present any problem.

Many countries will pay attention to such wheeled vehicles.

They are lighter, can use most bridges and roads and are more mobile than caterpillar tracks, ”Litovkin is sure.

Russian wheeled tanks will certainly arouse interest in the Middle East and in some developing countries, the source said.

“These are export-oriented machines.

In Russia, the widespread use of such tanks is impractical - it is impossible to move on virgin soil on wheels, all equipment will get up in the mud.

But the armed conflicts that are taking place in the Middle East and Africa are conflicts on the "highway", wheels are needed there.

There is a demand for Russian equipment that will be most effective in such conditions, ”concluded Litovkin.