The Russian BMPT Terminator “Tank” will not do anything ‘significant’ in the war in Ukraine

What you need to know: The Russian BMPT Terminator is an advanced armored fighting vehicle (AFV) designed to support tanks in urban combat, using the T-72 tank chassis for increased durability. Introduced by UralVagonZavod, the Terminator has a crew of five and carries 30mm cannons, anti-tank missiles and grenade launchers, providing extensive firepower against multiple targets.”

-With only 23 units built to date, including units for Algeria and Kazakhstan, battlefield presence remains limited.

-The BMPT, deployed in Ukraine, has demonstrated effectiveness, but also vulnerability to Ukrainian forces. The Terminator represents a shift in Russian combat strategy, although its limited numbers may limit its impact.

BMPT Terminator “Tank” (AFV) profile

When anyone reads or hears the phrase “The Terminator,” it’s almost certain that he or she will think of the blockbuster sci-fi/action-adventure film series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger that first began in 1984.

So it’s not surprising that at some point at least one real-world weapon system would be labeled “Terminator.” The nice thing is that even though the film franchise “The Terminator” is of Western origin and made in the USA, the weapon system of the same name that we are now going to discuss was made in Russia. Say Privyet to the Boyevaya Mashina Podderzhki Tankov (BMPT) armored fighting vehicle (AFV).

BMPT initial history and specifications

Designed by UralVagonZavod between 1998 and 2002, and according to the Army technology website, was unveiled in July 2000 at the Second Exhibition of Armaments and Military Equipment of the Urals and entered official operational service with the Russian Army in 2005.

The vehicle is based on the chassis of the T-72 main battle tank (MBT). While not a bona fide tank in itself, an armored vehicle such as the BMPT increases the efficiency of tanks in urban warfare, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism operations by allowing the tanks to advance by destroying anti-tank targets such as manpower and destroying light and heavily armored tanks. ground targets, such as tanks, but also air targets. As a bonus, the “Terminator” can also operate independently of the MBTs to support infantry, combat terrorists and escort convoys.

The “Terminator” comes with the following specifications and vital statistics:

Crew capacity: five (vehicle commander, driver, gunner, two grenade launcher operators)

Mass: fifty-three tons

Length: 6.96 meters (22.8 feet)

Width: 3.8 meters (12.5 feet)

Height: 3.44 meters (11.25 feet)

Maximum speed: sixty kilometers/h (37.2 miles/h) on highways

Range: 550 kilometers (341.7 miles) with external fuel tanks

Armament:

two 30 millimeters (1.181 in) Shipunov 2A42 automatic guns with 850 rounds

four 130 millimeters 9M120 Ataka-T launchers for anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM).

two AG-17D or AGS-30 Atlant 30 millimeter grenade launchers with 600 bullets

one 7.62mm PKTM machine gun with 2,000 rounds

To increase the crew’s chances of survival, the vehicle is equipped with a combination of explosive reactive armor and standard steel armor.

As of December 2023, twenty-three of these armored vehicles have been built. In addition to the Russian ground forces, the Algerian People’s Army and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan have also adopted the Terminator.

Operational history

My colleague Stavros Atlamazoglou reviews the Terminator’s combat performance thus“Unlike the T-14 Armata main battle tank and the Su-57 Checkmate…the Russian army did not hesitate to throw the BMPT terminator in battle. The armored fighting vehicle has been deployed in eastern Ukraine and the Donbas and is showing positive signals. However, the Ukrainian forces have destroyed at least two BMPT Terminators… The Ukrainians have destroyed the first armored fighting vehicle last February. Ukrainian Marines took out a BMPT Terminator with small arms fire before Ukrainian artillery destroyed it in eastern Ukraine. Subsequently, Ukrainian special operators were used in August suicide drones to first eliminate and then destroy another BMPT Terminator in the Donbas.

The way forward

To quote Stavros again: “With only a handful of BMPT Terminators in service, the Russian military is unlikely to use the armored fighting vehicle in a meaningful way in the conflict. Of course, a BMPT Terminator may pop up here and there, but unless Moscow finds a way to produce more, the weapon system will not have a serious impact on the battlefield.”

Time will tell.

About the author

Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor for National Safety Gazette (NSJ). He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, a federal law enforcement officer, and a private military contractor (with assignments in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an MA in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from the American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The daily torch, The Journal of Intelligence and CybersecurityAnd Easy flying. Last but not least, he is a Knight in the Order of the Order of the Sea of ​​the United States (NOUS).

Image credits: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.