The VPK-7829 Bumerang (russian: Бумеранг, Boomerang) is a modular amphibious wheeled

infantry fighting vehicle 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 Forc ...

and armored personnel carrier being developed by Russian

Military Industrial Company , type = LLC , traded_as = , industry = Mechanical engineering , fate = , predecessor = , successor = , founded = , founder = , defunct ...

(MIC) 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 ...

. It is not currently in service with the Russian Ground Forces.

History

In the early 1990s, the

BTR-90 BTR-90 (GAZ-5923) (russian: бронетранспортёр, translit= Bronetransportyor, lit=Armoured Transporter) is an 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carrier developed in Russia, designed in 1993 and first shown publicly in 1994. It is a large ...

was developed as a replacement for the BTR-80 in 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 ...

. While it was a moderate improvement in armament, protection, mobility, and internal space over its predecessor, it all came at the cost of greatly increased unit price. It wasn't accepted into service (except in small numbers) as the modest increase in performance wasn't seen as enough justification for its cost and complexity. Purchases of the BTR-80 stopped in 2010 and the improved BTR-82 was obtained as a stop-gap measure. In mid-2011, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a requirement for a new modular wheeled family of armored vehicles instead of buying the BTR-90. Development of a new wheeled APC is being done alongside the new and similarly armed and armored but tracked

Kurganets-25 The Kurganets-25 (russian: Курганец-25) is a tracked, 25-ton modular infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier being developed for the Russian Army. The Kurganets-25 will evolve into various models, gradually replacing BMP, ...

and heavy T-15 Armata IFV.Bumerang
– Military-Today.com
– Globalsecurity.org In November 2011, media reports said the new project had been approved. On 21 February 2012,

Colonel General Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

Alexander Postnikov Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

said that the Russian Army would be taking the first deliveries of the Bumerang prototype in 2013. Large-scale deliveries are to begin in 2015. At least 2,000 Bumerang vehicles are to replace the BTR-80 and BTR-82/A in Russian service.Russian Army to Get Boomerangs in 2013
– En.Ria.ru, 21 February 2012 The Bumerang was first seen in public (initially with its turret and cannon shrouded) during rehearsals for the

2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade The 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allied victory in the Second W ...

. The vehicle faced several delays, and in 2020 it was stated that tests of the platform will be finished in 2021, with production starting afterwards. The reason for the delay was that after preliminary trials in 2019, it was decided to make changes to the main body, as a result of which the conditions for soldiers in the troop compartment would be improved, as well as the vehicle's

buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the p ...

Design

MIC claims it “will be nothing like any of the modern APCs.” The Bumerang vehicle will be based on

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 f ...

. It will be amphibious and be able to negotiate and overcome water obstacles using two waterjets. In a departure with the previous BTR (Like

BTR-70 The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier (russian: бронетранспортер/ ''Bronetransporter'', or literally "Armoured Transporter") originally developed by the Soviet Union during the late 1960s under the manufacturing ...

) series of vehicles, the engine will be located in the front instead of the rear. Engine location was a significant drawback of BTR vehicles, where soldiers had to exit the vehicles through cramped side doors. The Bumerang has rear doors and roof hatches for troop entry and exit. It will likely have a crew of three consisting of the driver, gunner, and commander and hold seven troops. Protection will come from ceramic armor and technologies to prevent shell splinters. Like BTRs, the Bumerang will be an 8×8 wheeled vehicle, and will be equipped with a 750 hp

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

Armament

Several components and subsystems will be interchangeable between the Bumerang APC and Kurganets-25 IFV, and both vehicles will be powered by the same engine.First prototype of the Russian wheeled armoured personnel carrier Boomerang will be ready for 2013
– Armyrecognition.com, 7 July 2012 There are two versions of the Bumerang 8×8 vehicle: the K-16 armored personnel carrier (APC), lightly armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun in a small remote turret; and the K-17 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), heavily armed with the

Bumerang-BM The Bumerang-BM ( rus, Бумеранг-БМ) or DUBM-30 Epoch is a remotely controlled turret for the T-15 Armata heavy IFV, Kurganets-25 and Bumerang platforms. It was first seen in public in 2015 during rehearsals for the Moscow Victory Day Pa ...

RWS with a 30 mm cannon and

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 missiles or AU-220M with 57 mm BM-57 autocannon and 7.62mm PKMT machine gun.

Variants

The VPK-7829 Bumerang is referred to as "a combat wheeled vehicle" because it will serve several different roles, similar to America's Strykers. Other vehicle platform variations will fulfill different roles in addition to armored transport, including as an armored ambulance, command post vehicle, reconnaissance vehicle, anti-tank missile carrier, air defense missile launcher, fire support vehicle, and mortar carrier. Further versions could include a

light tank A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease of ...

(plans to create a version with 57 mm autocannon as well as version with a 125 mm gun for use as a self-propelled

anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...

were confirmed in March 2018)Russia to create self-propelled antitank gun on Boomerang platform
. ''Army Recognition''. 5 March 2018. and a

self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

. *BTR-7829 K-16 Bumerang – APC version with a remote weapon station with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun. *VPK-7829 K-17 Bumerang –

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 ...

version with 30 mm or 57 mm autocannon. * Self-propelled

version – Similar to the

Centauro The Centauro is a family of Italian military vehicles originating from a wheeled tank destroyer for light to medium territorial defense and tactical reconnaissance. It was developed by a consortium of manufacturers, the Società Consortile Ive ...

, one of which had been previously leased to Russia.

Operators

References

External links

New Russian armor – Part III: Boomerang 8×8 AFV
{{PostWWIISovietAFVS Infantry fighting vehicles of the post–Cold War period Infantry fighting vehicles of Russia Amphibious infantry fighting vehicles Wheeled armoured fighting vehicles Armoured personnel carriers of Russia Amphibious armoured personnel carriers Armoured personnel carriers of the post–Cold War period Military Industrial Company military vehicles Eight-wheeled vehicles