"Protect servicemen": armored cars "VPK-Ural" and "Akhmat" took part in the Victory Parade for the first time

Armored vehicles "VPK-Ural" and Z-STS "Akhmat" for the first time took part in the parade on Red Square on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In a mechanized convoy, six cars of both models passed.

Recall that the armored car "VPK-Ural" was developed by specialists of the Military-Industrial Company (MIC). The car was first shown to the public at the Army-2019 forum.

Three years later, an updated version of the car was presented at Army-2022. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in the same year, more than 20 VPK-Ural vehicles entered service with the mountain motorized rifle unit of the Central Military District stationed in the Republic of Tuva.

As noted on the website of the military department, the VPK-Ural is equipped with "protection of the engine compartment located on the roof of the machine gunner's workplace and a reinforced mine bottom that can withstand an explosion of up to 6 kg of explosive in TNT equivalent."

• Armored cars "Tiger-M" and armored cars "VPK-Ural" at the parade in Moscow, dedicated to the 78th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War
• RIA Novosti
• © Grigory Sysoev

Depending on the tasks, the car body is adapted for the installation of various weapons, including a large-caliber machine gun or grenade launcher.

VPK-Ural was created on the basis of the serial two-axle chassis of the Ural-53099 car. The YaMZ-536 turbodiesel engine with a capacity of 400 hp installed on the armored car allows the car with a weight of 14,5 tons to reach speeds on the highway of at least 100 km / h.

The car is equipped with an automatic transmission and is capable of carrying up to 12 people.

"Taking into account the wishes and experience of our fighters"

Unlike the VPK-Ural armored car, the development of the Z-STS Akhmat (an abbreviation for "protected special vehicle") started after the start of the special operation in Ukraine. Despite this, the specialists of Remdiesel managed to prepare a draft of a new protected car in an extremely short time (25 days).

3-STS is made according to a three-axis scheme. As Dmitry Kornev, the founder of the Military Russia portal, noted in an interview with RT, this solution makes it possible to improve the off-road qualities of an armored car.

• Armored vehicles Z-STS "Akhmat" at a military parade dedicated to the 78th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, on Red Square in Moscow
• RIA Novosti
• © Ramil Sitdikov

"This provides increased cross-country ability. Accordingly, the possibilities of movement on unprepared dirt roads and wetlands increase. This is one of the main advantages of 3-STS," the expert said.

Another feature of the "Akhmat" is the frame structure of the machine. According to the chief designer of Remdizel, Igor Zarakhovich, the choice in favor of this option was made to speed up the production of cars.

"If we use a serial frame, then, accordingly, the factory that produces the protected machine should not assemble the frame. He does not divert his resources to this, "he explained in an interview with TASS.

The company notes that the decision of the developers has justified itself in practice: 3-STS cars are assembled ten times faster than the frameless armored cars "Typhoon" with a monocoque body, which are also produced at Remdizel. At the same time, the armor protection of both cars is approximately at the same level.

The first to purchase these cars were units of the Chechen Republic, after the head of the region, Ramzan Kadyrov, became interested in the project. According to Igor Zarakhovich, in this regard, the armored car was named "Akhmat".

Ramzan Kadyrov spoke about the merits of the new car in July 2022 in his Telegram channel.

"These armored vehicles were assembled taking into account the wishes and experience of our fighters who took part in the special operation in Ukraine. The technique is solid, powerful and reliable ... These are maneuverable vehicles that perform an important task on the battlefield - fast movement in urban environments with maximum safety for personnel, "the head of Chechnya wrote.

In the same year, 150 armored vehicles entered service with the formations of the Central Military District stationed in the Urals, Siberia and the Volga region. In addition to the basic versions of the armored car, the military also received a version of the Akhmat for medical units.

The materials of the Ministry of Defense note that the Z-STS is designed to transport personnel and cargo in conditions of enemy fire. The armor of the vehicle provides reliable protection for the crew, passengers and cargo transported from fragments of shells and mines, as well as from bullets, including those fired from large-caliber machine guns.

"Akhmat" can carry up to ten crew members and operate at temperatures from -50 to +50 ° C, including in mountainous areas at an altitude of up to 4,5 thousand meters. Depending on the tasks assigned to the armored car, various types of weapons can be optionally installed, including large-caliber machine guns "Kord" and "Pecheneg", as well as surveillance and communication systems.

"There are never enough armored cars"

It is worth noting that other armored cars are also used in the Russian army. In particular, in addition to various versions of the already mentioned Typhoon, the Russian Armed Forces are armed with a large number of Tiger armored vehicles, which have been entering the troops since 2007. This machine is produced by the military-industrial complex.

At this enterprise, the Athlete armored car was also developed. Its state tests were completed at the end of 2021. The arrival of this machine in the troops was not reported in the media, but it is known that on its basis the enterprise VNII "Signal" created a mobile artillery fire control complex "Tablet-M-IR", which allows you to control the work of camouflaged command posts.

• Armored car "Athlete"
• © LLC "Military Industrial Company"

According to analysts, armored cars such as 3-STS "Akhmat", "VPK-Ural", "Tiger", "Typhoon" and "Athlete" are intended mainly for the transportation of personnel.

"They are used to transport military personnel. Armored cars of this class are usually provided with special mine protection. In case of explosions, this allows you to protect personnel, "said Dmitry Kornev.

According to the military observer of the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, retired Colonel Viktor Barants, the development in Russia at the same time of several types of armored vehicles close in class is a justified decision.

"Each car has its own characteristics that determine their use in the troops. For example, "Akhmat" for some tasks may be too large and noticeable for enemy weapons. But in this case, we have other armored cars - squat, which will successfully complete the task, "the specialist explained in an interview with RT.

A similar opinion is shared by Dmitry Kornev.

"In many armies of the world, several models are used to cover all the needs of the armed forces, because small vehicles are needed to accommodate some complexes and transport personnel, middle-class vehicles are needed and more powerful three-axle armored cars are needed to transport large weapons and a larger number of military personnel," the expert says.

The analyst also added that such armored vehicles are in great demand in the armed forces.

"There are never enough armored cars. They should always be carried out according to the principle "the more, the better", because any movement of personnel in combat areas should, if possible, be carried out on armored vehicles that are able to protect military personnel from small arms bullets, shrapnel and mines, "concluded Dmitry Kornev.