Armored car "Bear" VPK-3924: designation, specifications

The armored car SPM-3 / VPK-3924 / "Medved" is the Russian analogue of machines of type MRAP. This abbreviation means Mine Resistant Ambush Protected and is literally translated as "protected from an ambush and an attack". The car is intended for the protection of personnel in conditions of guerrilla warfare, anti-terrorist operations and suppression of riots. In this article we will get acquainted with the "Bear", we will consider the history of its creation, technical and tactical characteristics, as well as many other interesting data. To begin with we will find out what caused the demand for this kind of cars.

Prerequisites for creating

For the first time armored vehicles with increased protection against explosions on standard anti-vehicle mines appeared in the 70s of the last century in the Republic of South Africa. The first model was an APC "Casper", created for anti-guerrilla warfare in Namibia. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, US troops and their allies, fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, faced the problem of large-scale guerrilla resistance. Then they decided to adopt the experience of their colleagues from South Africa. The United Kingdom, together with the United States, began to purchase large quantities of licenses for South African armored cars to create their updated versions. Then the abbreviation MRAP appeared, which denoted the program of armored cars with the highest level of ballistic protection and resistance to explosions on anti-tank mines and landmines.

First attempts

In Russia, these cars were first thought about during the second outbreak of the Chechen war. In 2004, the command of the Internal Troops of the Russian Federation initiated the beginning of development work on the creation of an armored car. The decision was the result of a thorough analysis of the actions in the Caucasus. In the conditions of the military conflict, which was rather sluggish, the main losses were caused by the attacks of bandit formations on automobile columns. The use of infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and tanks to accompany the columns is a very costly measure. And besides, the resource of automotive equipment is several times more than the resource of regular armored vehicles. In this regard, the armor was "dressed" "Ural" and KamAZ. I must admit, such a modification of the trucks had a positive effect.

However, mined roads still led to significant losses of personnel. KamAZs suffered especially badly. Then an attempt was made to create an all-wheel drive vehicle BMP-97 (it is also KamAZ-43269, or "Vystrel"). However, this development was also unsuccessful. The machine could withstand the explosion of a hand grenade type F-1, which has a charge power of only 60 g in TNT. There were also problems with the deployment of personnel in the cab, as well as servicing the transmission and chassis components.

Development of the machine "Bear"

After the failures listed above, the specialized holding "Military-Industrial Company" and employees of the chair of wheeled vehicles of the Moscow State Technical University took up business. They also developed the armored car "Bear". The main designer was an employee of the LLC "Military Industrial Company" Stanislav Anisimov. His work continued Mikhail Kireev - head of the improvement program BRDM-2. The team of designers from MSTU was headed by Alexander Smirnov.

The first and main task faced by the developers is to achieve the same level of protection as the cars of the MRAP program. The armored car "Medved" did not become an upgrade of the already known models of SPM-1 and SPM-2. It is a completely new development.

Why do you need a car

Mishins of this class are used as a vehicle or operational vehicle for the transport of internal troops in the following cases:

1. Conducting counter-terrorist operations.
2. Carrying out operations to curb riots.
3. The solution of territorial defense tasks.
4. Assistance to border troops.
5. Transportation of personnel in conditions where it is necessary to protect the crew from armor-piercing firearms and any damaging factors.

Specifications

In the inhabited compartments of the car can fit 7-8 people in full uniform. And this is not counting the commander and the driver. Thanks to the wide swing doors, located in the stern, the paratroopers can make a comfortable landing and fast dismounting under the cover of the car. Unlike simple armored personnel carriers, the MIC-3924 is considered a full-fledged participant in the road traffic. Therefore, the car does not need to be accompanied by the traffic police. Auto develops quite a decent speed - about 90 km / h on a good road.

In the car, serial assemblies and units from the Urals are used. They provide a high level of reliability, a large resource (800,000 km), simplicity, as well as minimal costs for the operation and repair of the car. On SPM-3 "Bear" is installed a powerful 300-strong diesel engine YaMZ-7601 and an independent torsion suspension with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers, borrowed from BTR-90. Thanks to this machine has a smooth running, high speed and excellent cross-country ability. Pits, concrete beams, mud, steep slopes - all this armored car "Bear" overcomes with a bang. Car Features:

• Weight - 12 tons.
• The dimensions of the case are 5900/2500/2600 mm.
• Ground clearance - 500 mm.
• Speed on the highway - up to 90 km / h.
• Off-road speed is 35 km / h.
• Cruising range on the highway - 1400 km.
• The drive is full.

Testing

Before the armored car appeared before the military officers, the engineers practically subjected it for a year to the most serious tests in order to establish the threshold of strength. The car was shot at point-blank range from submachine guns and sniper rifles. The armor survived, and this is the most important thing. When shelling from an armor-piercing sniper rifle OSV-96 with a caliber of 12.7 millimeters from a hundred-meter range, the bead was punched, but the bullet cores either remained sticking out in the armor, or stuck in the backs of the seats. As a result of the tests, it was decided in the future to improve the ballistic protection of the machine.

Protection of the car "Bear"

The type of armor used in this car is a spaced differential. The machine is made in the form of a monocoque. According to the national GOST 50963, the car is classified as the sixth class (STANAG class 3) by the level of ballistic protection, and by the level of mine protection - to the 2 class STANAG. In simple words, the body and glass can withstand the hit of an armor-piercing bullet with a caliber of 7.62 mm, released from the SVD rifle from a distance of 100 meters. As for the resistance to undermining - the car can continue its work after an explosion under the bottom or wheel of a projectile equivalent to 6 kilograms of TNT. The crew will not receive serious injuries and will retain their fighting capacity.

A high level of protection against mines is provided by the use of a bearing shell, which has a V-shaped bottom and a high height of the habitable compartment with respect to the ground. The car's clearance is 50 cm, which exceeds the same parameter for BTR, BMP and tanks. Therefore, the designers who are developing the Russian armored car "Medved" argue that it can only be stronger than a tank. Thanks to the system of instant staging of smoke screens, the machine can hide in seconds from the enemy's targeted fire. The veil formed by using this system is able to hide the armored car "Bear" not only from simple optical devices for sighting and observation, but also from optic-electronic modern devices, including thermal imagers.

Armament

The main armament that designers suggest to put on the armored car "Bear" is a machine-gun remote installation, based on the 6P50 Kord machine gun with a caliber of 12.7 mm. The fire control system includes two television cameras (conventional and low-level), a laser rangefinder, an on-board computer, and a liquid crystal color screen, which displays all the necessary information. The main advantage of the system is that it allows the gunner to aim, without leaving the armored protection zone. Depending on the tasks to be solved, an automatic grenade launcher with a caliber of 30 mm or a PKTM machine gun of 7.62 mm can be used as the main weapon instead of a machine-gun installation on the machine. The fire control system is equally good and works with any of these weapons. It is worth noting that this is the first time that a universal installation has been used in the Russian army.

Special equipment

The armored car "Medved" is equipped with different sets of special equipment designed to effectively conduct combat operations and ensure the safety of the crew. Among them may be:

1. Remote armament systems.
2. The blocking device for explosive devices on the radio control.
3. Device for radiation chemical reconnaissance.
4. The system of setting smoke screens.
5. Installation for filtration and ventilation of air FVU-100.
6. Perimetral protection "Roll RU".
7. The system of extinguishing inflamed wheels "Doping".
8. Air conditioning.
9. Searchlight OU-5M. Has xenon lamps, remote control, the ability to focus the beam and work in the stethoscope mode.
10. Radio station "Erica-201".
11. Loudspeaker device.
12. Flashing beacons and other less noticeable options.

It is worth noting that all of the above equipment, ranging from serious systems and ending with the smallest details, is made at Russian enterprises.

Presentation

The armored car "Medved", whose technical characteristics deserve admiration, was first presented at the end of autumn 2008 at the exhibition of means for ensuring the security of the state called INTERPOLITEX. Later, the car was shown to the Russian Defense Minister A. E. Serdyukov and the top leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The head of the military department asked for the speedy completion of the tests of the unique car. And the Minister of the Interior of the Russian Federation, RG Nurgaliev, showed confidence that the "Bear" would soon become a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

An armored personnel carrier with a wheel formula 4 * 4 was also exhibited in front of ODON personnel - a separate special purpose division of the Internal Troops. General NE Rogozhin - the commander-in-chief of the Air Force - personally checked the driving performance of the car. He drove it on all kinds of obstacles, overcame the vertical wall and the "comb." After the tests, the general noted that he was very pleased with the result of work on special-purpose vehicles. In 2013, following the results of the latest ballistic tests, the car was included in the state defense order for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Conclusion

Today we learned what the armored car "Bear" is. The car deserves attention due to its technical and protective characteristics. It confirms the high level of combat training of the Russian Federation and the professionalism of domestic design engineers. Of course, this is a brilliant development, which will retain its competitiveness for a long time. And we just have to hope that this kind of machine will never be needed in practice.