The Kurganets-25 (russian: Курганец-25) is a tracked, 25-ton modular infantry fighting vehicle and

armored personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Ac ...

being developed for the

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

. The Kurganets-25 will evolve into various models, gradually replacing BMP, BMD,

MT-LB The MT-LB (russian: Многоцелевой Тягач Легкий Бронированный, translit=Mnogotselevoy tyagach legky bronirovanny, literally "multi-purpose towing vehicle light armored") is a Soviet multi-purpose, fully amphib ...

and other types of tracked Soviet armored platforms. The Kurganets-25 will have modular armor that can be upgraded for specific threats. The Kurganets-25 IFV and APC variants were first seen in public (initially with the turret and main armament shrouded) during rehearsals for the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade. Serial production was supposed to begin in 2016, however as of 2020, certification by the military is still pending.

Design

The Kurganets-25 is designed to bring the Russian tracked troop carrier fleet up to standard with Western designs like the American

M2 Bradley The M2 Bradley, or Bradley IFV, is an American infantry fighting vehicle that is a member of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. It is manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, which was formerly United Defense. The Bradley is designed ...

and British

Warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

, which outclassed their Soviet

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

BMP-series counterparts. The Kurganets-25 is based on the

Armata Universal Combat Platform The "Armata" Universal Combat Platform (russian: Армата) is a Russian advanced next generation modular heavy military tracked vehicle platform. The Armata platform is the basis of the T-14 (a main battle tank), the T-15 (a heavy infantry ...

while being lighter than the

T-15 Armata The T-15 Armata ( rus, T-15 Армата), with industrial designation "Object 149", is a Russian heavy infantry fighting vehicle first seen in public (initially with its turret covered) in 2015 during rehearsals for the Moscow Victory Day Parade ...

"heavy IFV" based on the same and similar to the wheeled

VPK-7829 Bumerang The VPK-7829 Bumerang (russian: Бумеранг, Boomerang) is a modular amphibious wheeled infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier being developed by Russian Military Industrial Company (MIC) for the Russian army. It is not cur ...

. There are two versions of the vehicle: a heavily armed infantry fighting vehicle carrying 6-7 troops, and a lightly armed APC carrying 8 troops. Other variants proposed for the Kurganets include an armored ambulance, an 82 mm Vasilek mortar carrier, an anti-tank vehicle, an armored recovery vehicle, a reconnaissance vehicle, a command vehicle, and an armored engineering vehicle. The vehicle represents a departure from traditional Russian low profile designs, having a higher floor more suited for mounted combat rather than troop carrying, which provides better IED and mine protection. While the T-15 is expected to be deployed with T-14 tanks in armored formations, Kurganets-25 platforms will equip mechanized units.

Armament

The Kurganets-25 IFV features the Bumerang-BM remote control turret with its 2A42 30 mm autocannon, a 7.62 mm coaxial

PKT machine gun The PK (russian: Пулемёт Калашникова, transliterated as ''Pulemyot Kalashnikova'', or "Kalashnikov's machine gun"), is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge. Designed in the Sov ...

and a bank of two

Kornet-EM The 9M133M Kornet-M (also known by the export designation 9M133 Kornet-EM) Russian anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is an improved version of the 9M133 Kornet ATGM, with increased range and an improved warhead. Kornet-EM missiles are chiefly used ...

anti-tank guided missile An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder ...

s on either side. The Kurganets-25 APC variant has a 12.7 mm MG RWS instead of the Bumerang-BM turret. An

SPAAG An anti-aircraft vehicle, also known as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) or self-propelled air defense system (SPAD), is a mobile vehicle with a dedicated anti-aircraft capability. Specific weapon systems used include machine guns, ...

version with a 57 mm autocannon and a Kurganets-25 SPG with a 125 mm are planned.

Mobility

The Kurganets-25 weighs 25 tonnes. This allows the Kurganets-25 to be light enough to be mobile on water. The maximum speed of the vehicle is 80 km/h on land and 10 km/h on water. Both the IFV and APC variants have a front-mounted 800 hp engine

Protection

The Kurganets-25 IFV has 360-degree coverage from its active protection system launcher tubes. This APS is smaller than the one found on the

T-14 Armata The T-14 Armata ( rus, Т-14 «Армата»; industrial designation russian: Объект 148, Ob'yekt 148, Object 148), is a next-generation Russian main battle tank based on the Armata Universal Combat Platform. The Russian Army initially ...

and T-15, but like the T-15, it is attached close the top of the hull. A two-part projectile detection system is placed on various places on the hull and turret. The Kurganets-25 APC variant, when revealed in the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade, had a scaled down APS system which was mounted only on the turret with none on the hull.

Ergonomics and Crew

According to the first vice president and co-owner of Concern Tractor Plants, Albert Bakov, the Kurganets-25 uses a console similar to a

Sony PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divi ...

gamepad A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles. Features Gamepads generally feature a set of ...

. It is wider than previous generations of Russian APCs and IFVs. The front located engine increases crew comfort and ease of access.

Variants

A few different versions of Kurganets-25 are in development. * Kurganets-25

IFV An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed For ...

(Industrial designation – Object 693); * Kurganets-25 APC (Industrial designation – Object 695). * Kurganets-25 ARV – Equipped wth a crane, a

winch A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attache ...

and armed with a 12.7mm

heavy machine gun A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light machine gun, light, medium machine gun, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require weapon mount, mountin ...

Operators

* **

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

were to receive the first batch of Kurganets-25 IFVs for trials in 2019.

References

External links

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Infantry fighting vehicles of the post–Cold War period Infantry fighting vehicles of Russia Armoured personnel carriers of Russia Amphibious infantry fighting vehicles Amphibious armoured personnel carriers Tracked infantry fighting vehicles Armoured personnel carriers of the post–Cold War period Kurganmashzavod products