Jiang Bopei and He Tianrui, College of Military and Political Basic Education, National University of Defense Technology
A large number of rare prototype armored vehicles have been found in the Russian-Ukrainian warring areas, which does not refer to the latest and most sophisticated weapons, but to those armored vehicles that have been sealed by history and "neglected" for various reasons. Their fate may have been simply to be trapped in the dust of the shooting range, or forgotten in the corners of the storage base. And now they are active in the Russian-Ukrainian war zone and have become the new stars of this battlefield.
Object 169: A rare transitional tank returns to the battlefield
In June 2022, in Severodonetsk, a rare Object 169 tank unexpectedly appeared. Although this tank does not adopt the classic nomenclature of "T-XX", it occupies an important position in the history of the development of the military industry, and is a key intermediate model in the transition from the T-62 tank to the more functional T-62M tank.
Compared to the common T-62, the Object 169 has several significant differences. The front of the turret is equipped with a "Tucha" smoke grenade launcher, and the hull is flanked by shock-resistant rubber fabric screens, and the barrel is also equipped with a heat shield. In addition, the tank's armament included a laser rangefinder above the gun, but it was not equipped with an automatic fire control system.
Looking back at the history of the Object 169, only a few units of this tank were produced at the end of the 70s of the 20th century, which were mainly used to test new design schemes. However, for various reasons, its existence was once covered up as a military secret and little was known. It is only in recent years, with the publication of relevant data, that people have gradually learned about the existence of this tank.
However, many years later, during the mass decommissioning of the T-62, at least one Object 169 is still in service in the Russian-Ukrainian warring zone.
图 1 Object169
T-80UM-2: The tragic fate of a unique tank
T-80UM-2, which has a longer history than the above-mentioned tank 169 project, has an indelible role in the development of the main battle tank of the Russian army. It is undoubtedly a truly one-of-a-kind creation, and only one of its kind has been created in the entire production line.
The T-80UM-2, as a modification of the T-80U tank, the birth of which dates back to the 90s of the 20th century, was developed by a team of specialists from the Omsk Transmash company, that is, the Transport Machine-Building Plant. In terms of armor protection, sighting system and power plant, it maintained a high degree of consistency with the prototype. Its truly striking "uniqueness" lies in the fact that it is equipped with the "Drozd" active defense system (i.e., the "Thrush" active defense system) developed by the former Soviet Union. The core function of this system is to detect and destroy shaped armor-piercing shells approaching the tank, providing the tank with high-strength survivability.
At the beginning of its development, the T-80UM-2 was highly regarded, was actively recommended for use in the export market and was seen as a promising project in the modernization of the Russian army in the eighties. However, due to the lack of funds of the Ministry of Defense and the lack of interest in the project, the T-80UM-2 tank ultimately failed to reach mass production.
Figure 2 T-80UM-2 at the 1999 Omsk exhibition
This only T-80UM-2 tank has gone through twists and turns in the long river of history. It has been exhibited in various exhibitions and private exhibitions, and has lingered in the public eye for a long time. It was eventually incorporated into the Kantemilov division, but by that time the "Drozd" system had long since lost its ability to work, leaving only an empty launcher and an electronic device full of faulty parts.
Figure 3 Burned T-80UM-2 in the Sumy region
The last stop of this T-80UM-2 was in the Samui region. During the Russian offensive in March 2022, this one-of-a-kind tank was severely damaged, and its tragic journey came to an end.
BTR-90: The forgotten battlefield all-rounder
In October and December 2023, several armored personnel carriers of the BTR-90 "Rostok" were spotted in the Avdiivka direction. Unlike the above-mentioned little-known tanks, this product attracted a lot of attention at that time and was even officially adopted by the Russian army.
Figure 4 Approximately the BTR-90 found in the direction of Avdiivka
The BTR-90 armored personnel carrier was born at the turn of the eighties and nineties of the last century, and its strengthened armor, rational layout and wide range of armament (from automatic cannons to the "Bakhcha" module with a 100-mm gun and a 30-mm automatic rifle) made it significantly different from its predecessors.
According to the original plans, this wheeled combat vehicle will become a good replacement for the BTR-80 of the Russian Armed Forces. However, due to the lack of funds and the prioritization of new combat vehicles, such as the Boomerang armored personnel carrier, the project was finally terminated and did not enter the mass production stage.
Despite the fact that only 12 BTR-90s were produced, one of them was sent to Patriot Park, the rest remained in Arzamas and Nizhny Novgorod after testing. Today, in the Russian-Ukrainian war zone, these few and almost forgotten BTR-90s still play their role.
BMP-1U: the battlefield power of Ukrainian modified armored vehicles
The BMP-1U is an infantry armored vehicle produced by Ukraine in the 2000s, which is a modernization of the Soviet BMP-1 and, unlike the other armored vehicles listed, is not included in the list of achievements of the Russian defense industry because it was not developed by the Russian side. However, this did not prevent it from showing its unique power on the battlefield.
The heart of the BMP-1U is its installed "Shkval" combat module, which completely replaces the original "kopeika" turret and is equipped with a 73-mm smoothbore gun. Not only that, but its fire support system is just as powerful, including a 30mm automatic cannon and 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine guns copied from the Soviet 2A72 or 2A42, as well as AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers and the "Konkurs-M" anti-tank missile system.
In addition to this, the BMP-1U is equipped with an advanced sighting system, including an optical anti-aircraft sight PZU-7M for precision strikes against air targets, a laser rangefinder, the gunner's main optical-television sight OTP-20, as well as the commander's observation sight TKN-3B (mounted on an electron-optical converter). The addition of these advanced equipment makes the BMP-1U have a higher precision strike capability on the battlefield.
图 5俄军缴获的BMP-1U
It is noteworthy that Russian units captured more than a dozen BMP-1U armored vehicles from the Georgian Armed Forces back in the 2008 war. Over the past 14 years, these armored vehicles have been tested mainly at test sites and rarely appeared in the public eye. However, during the recent special military operation, these Ukrainian-made BMP-1U were actively used, demonstrating their formidable battlefield adaptability.
"Ladoga" highly protected vehicle: a front-line rebirth of the "limousine" of the nuclear war
In the Russian-Ukrainian war zone, one of the rarest armored vehicles is undoubtedly the highly protected "Ladoga". Not so long ago, Ukrainian FPV drones captured it in the Liman region.
Fig. 6 Highly protected vehicle "Ladoga"
"Ladoga" is a mobile command and control center designed in Soviet times for the transportation of high-ranking military and political officials in areas of radioactive and biological contamination. Some even jokingly call it a "limousine" in a nuclear war.
Its chassis is based on the T-80 tank, which is powered by a 1,250-horsepower gas turbine engine and has the ability to self-clean radioactive fallout. At the top of the vehicle is a spacious cockpit that can accommodate four passengers. The cockpit is equipped with an advanced life support system, communications facilities (it is said that it can even communicate directly with the Strategic Missile Forces), a remote monitoring system for the environment and an integrated system of anti-nuclear protection, including filtration and ventilation devices, oxygen supply to gas cylinders and neutron protection.
Despite the fact that "Ladoga" was produced in extremely small quantities, its unique design and features made it unique in the field of armored vehicles. However, in the "Ladoga" that appeared at the front, there may have been very little of its original equipment left. However, on the whole, this machine, developed in the early 80s of the last century, is still extremely valuable. It may have been used as an armored personnel carrier or ambulance, after all, its sturdy armor and excellent mobility made it versatile.
conclusion
Of course, these armored vehicles are only the tip of the iceberg in the armored forces of the Russian army. In addition to those rare prototype armored vehicles, in addition to those rare prototype armored vehicles, there are many smaller but equally important pieces of equipment that silently play a key role on the battlefield. For example, the IMR-3M engineering vehicle is capable of quickly building or destroying fortifications on the battlefield, providing a strong guarantee for the offensive or retreat of the Russian army. Another example is the "Vienna" self-propelled artillery, which provides powerful fire support for the Russian army and can effectively hit important targets of the enemy.
Although the production of these armored vehicles is not high, their existence undoubtedly demonstrates the flexibility and innovation of the Russian army in the use of equipment in the special operation in Ukraine. The selection and deployment of these equipment not only takes into account the particularity of the battlefield environment, but also reflects the high requirements of the Russian army for the performance of the equipment.
However, the heavy use of these low-volume equipment also reflects the enormous pressure on the need for armored vehicles in the special military operation. In a tense combat environment, the rate of loss and consumption of equipment is very fast, which makes the Russian army have to put more low-yield equipment into the battlefield to make up for the decline in combat effectiveness caused by equipment losses.
Nevertheless, regardless of the origin of these armored vehicles, they played their due role on the battlefield and became an indispensable military force of the Russian army. In their own unique ways, they will continue to play an important role in future battles, providing a strong guarantee for the Russian army's fighting.