The much-vaunted Russian Terminator tank was recently introduced into combat in Ukraine
There was a lot of talk in the press recently about a Russian armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) with the dramatic title of the 'Terminator'. At first glance, it appears to be a tank hull fitted with a remote turret equipped with twin 30mm cannons and paired rocket launchers mounted on either side. It has been speculated that this new armoured vehicle is intended for infantry support, possibly in an urban environment.
The idea for the Terminator or ‘Boyevaya Mashina Podderzhki Tankov’ (BMPT), initially stemmed from the war in Chechnya in the late 1990s. During the fighting there, numerous Russian tanks were destroyed by Chechen rebels armed with rocket-propelled grenades, often fired from the cover of buildings.
It appears the original concept was to protect other tanks and AFVs from dismounted infantry. The primary Russian tank manufacturer Uralvagonzavod put together several prototypes based on the standard T-72 tank chassis.
