How an infantry fighting vehicle lands with a parachute. The first landing of the Reaktavr

Airborne troops have always been the elite - first in the Soviet, and then in Russian army. They differ from conventional ground units not only increased level combat training, but also special equipment, part of which, starting in the 60s of the last century, were airborne combat vehicles. The most modern example of this light armored vehicle is the BMD 4M. Their serial production has been ongoing since 2015, however, the “biography” of the new combat vehicles began much earlier and was quite difficult.

History of the development of the BMD-4M airborne combat vehicle

In the 80s of the last century in Soviet army There was a change in generations of light armored vehicles: motorized rifle troops received the BMP-2, and the airborne troops received the BMD-2. These vehicles differed from each other in layout and overall weight, but were unified in terms of armament, the main element of which was the 2A42 automatic thirty-millimeter cannon.

Apparently, both military customers and armored vehicle designers planned to continue to ensure “firing parity” between conventional infantry and paratroopers. Meanwhile, back in 1977, work began on the creation of the BMP-3, the armament of which was radically enhanced by the new 2A70 gun with a caliber of 100 mm. An attempt to install the same gun on a BMD threatened to unacceptably increase its mass.

Despite these concerns, already during the design of the future BMD-3, the possibility of using the same types of weapons on it as on the BMP-3 was studied. Calculations have shown that the weight of such a machine will exceed 18 tons. This meant that the main military transport aircraft Il-76 could only carry two BMDs, which did not suit the command airborne troops.

As a result, the BMD-3 remained with the same 2A42 cannon as the BMD-2, differing from latest system weapon controls and slightly enhanced armor. As a “half measure” to increase the level of armament, the new vehicle was equipped with an automatic grenade launcher. In 1990, the BMD 3 was put into service, however, the entire volume of its subsequent serial production amounted to only 137 units.

As a result, by the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Russian Airborne Forces arrived with obsolete BMD-1 and BMD-2. Both of these machines could no longer provide full fire support on the battlefield. Anticipating such a situation, the designers of the Volgograd Tractor Plant back in 1997 decided to return to the old idea and try to modernize the BMD-3 by installing a Bakhcha-U fighting compartment on it, as on the BMP 3.

On the last day of 2004, the updated airborne combat vehicle was named BMD-4. Within a few months, the first samples entered the airborne troops. It should be noted that even during the development period, the designers managed to get customers to somewhat relax the requirements for the weight of the machine. At first, the military wanted the mass of the BMD-4 to be the same as that of the BMD-3, but after long and painful negotiations, the parties agreed on a limit of 13,200 kilograms. Others received on BMD 4 specifications The customers were quite satisfied.

In reality, the weight was 13.6 tons, which immediately caused a lot of complaints, although it was already clear that it was physically impossible to install a hundred-millimeter cannon with ammunition and not make the vehicle heavier.

In an effort to reduce weight, the designers removed the automatic grenade launcher from the BMD and slightly reduced the ammunition load of the thirty-millimeter cannon, but it was not possible to achieve full “compensation.”

Despite a number of positive reviews, the Ministry of Defense was in no hurry to place orders for the BMD-4. The reasons for this were revealed a little later, but this did not help the Volgograd Tractor Plant - in 2005 the enterprise went bankrupt and was actually abolished. Since the airborne troops still needed to update their fleet of armored vehicles, the BMD-4 project was transferred to Kurganmashzavod, the manufacturer of the BMP-3.

Already in 2008, a converted version of the airborne combat vehicle was demonstrated, designated BMD-4M. The designers of Kurganmashzavod significantly changed the geometry of the armored hull, bringing it closer to the BMP-3, and installed a more powerful engine, which made it possible to slightly increase speed and maneuverability. At the same time, the set of weapons remained the same. It seemed that the project had finally moved forward, however, it was then that the contradictions that had remained “under the carpet” among the military leadership surfaced.

In April 2010, V.A. Popovkin, Russia's first deputy defense minister, said on behalf of that department that no purchases of BMD-4M are planned. The new car immediately began to be fiercely criticized - this time quite publicly. Particular indignation was expressed regarding the low level of crew protection and the high purchase price (about 10% more than the T-90A tank). It came to statements about the need to purchase foreign military equipment for the Airborne Forces.

In 2012, BMD-4M in Once again“buried” N.E. Makarov, chief General Staff The RF Armed Forces, which incidentally also cursed the BMP-3. Meanwhile, the new car also had supporters. At the same time, it was not difficult to notice that the BMD-4M was opposed by generals from the “ordinary” ground forces, while their opponents were representatives of the Airborne Forces. The most authoritative “defender” of the new car was V.A. Shamanov.

It should be taken into account that from 2007 to 2012 the Ministry of Defense was headed by A.E. Serdyukov, who belonged to the air force landing troops with outright hostility, since they clearly “did not fit in” with the reform he was carrying out. For some time there was even a question about the complete abolition of the Airborne Forces. Of course, the paratroopers could not come to terms with such an attitude, which led to a long and meaningless “war”, one of the victims of which could well have been the BMD-4M.

Only in 2016 was it decided to adopt a new airborne combat vehicle. The volume of serial production of BMD-4M amounted to over 180 units, production continues. Moreover, it is planned to manufacture new types of amphibious armored vehicles on the chassis of this vehicle. It is difficult to say whether these plans will come true, because financial position Kurganmashzavod is quite difficult - for many years now the enterprise has literally been balancing on the very edge of the abyss, and there is simply no other manufacturer in Russia now.

Goals and objectives

The BMD-4M airborne combat vehicle was created to solve the following main tasks:

Transportation of airborne troops in the near and operational rear;
Destruction of enemy firing points, armored vehicles, fortifications and manpower;
Ensuring protection of airborne troops on the battlefield from fire small arms and fragments of the most common types of shells and mines.

The main quality that distinguishes the BMD from a conventional infantry fighting vehicle is that it can be dropped both by parachute and by landing, together with its crew.

Description of design

In terms of its internal structure, the BMD-4M is in many ways similar to earlier tracked vehicles for the Airborne Forces, primarily the BMD-3, however, Kurganmashzavod engineers made a number of changes to the design aimed at achieving the maximum level of unification with the BMP-3. This approach greatly simplifies serial production, repair and maintenance.

Hull and turret

The layout of the BMD-4M is the same as that of other Soviet/Russian airborne combat vehicles. At the front of the case there is a control compartment. It provides space for two paratroopers and a driver (in the center). middle part The vehicle is the fighting compartment. Directly above it is a rotating tower. Here, along with the main weapons systems, the commander and gunner are located.

The turret, unlike the aluminum body, is made of steel armor. It is part of a single combat module“Bakhcha-U”, which is also installed on other types of Russian light armored vehicles. The tower can be rotated 360 degrees in a horizontal plane.

Fire control system (FCS)

A set of equipment designed to conduct accurate fire at various targets includes the following main elements:

Commander's sight. With the help of this device, the commander can independently shoot at various targets from cannons and a machine gun, or give target designation to the gunner. Rangefinder, day and night channels are used;
Gunner's sight. Unlike the commander, this BMD-4M crew member can use anti-tank guided missiles, for which there is a separate sight in his sight information channel. If necessary, you can use twelve times optical zoom. In addition, there is a thermal imager coupled to the sight;
Weapon stabilizer. Alignment is performed in two planes;
A device for automatic target tracking, integrated with sights;
Ballistic computer.

In addition, the commander and gunner have monitors and control panels. All these devices work in close interaction, which is achieved through the use of a single information system, supplemented by sensors to obtain external data about the environment.

The characteristics of the on-board fire control system ensure accurate destruction of targets both from a standstill and during movement, including afloat. It is also possible to fire high-explosive fragmentation shells from closed positions.

Powerplant and transmission

The BMD-4M is equipped with a liquid-cooled multi-fuel diesel engine UTD-29, the same as on the BMP-3. This ten-cylinder engine reaches its maximum power of 500 horsepower at a main shaft speed of 2600 rpm. The highest torque is 1460 Nm. The engine has a dead weight of 910 kilograms. It is capable of operating in high altitude conditions, maintaining all its performance characteristics even at an altitude of 4500 meters.

The transmission of the airborne combat vehicle is also unified with the BMP-3 and is assembled in the same block with the engine. The gearbox is automatic, four-speed, with a hydrodynamic transformer. When driving in reverse, the car can reach a speed of 20 km/h.

Chassis

Representatives of Kurganmashzavod have repeatedly stated that they managed to achieve unification of the BMD-4M with the BMP-3 and the chassis, but if this happened, the changes apparently affected mainly the design details hidden from view. Externally, the previous five road wheels on each side of the vehicle are clearly visible on the BMD 4M. Nothing new is noticed in the design of the tracks.

The BMD-4M airborne combat vehicle is equipped with a hydropneumatic suspension that allows you to change the ground clearance from 190 to 590 mm by raising and lowering the body.

Armament

The Bakhcha-U universal combat module installed on the BMD-4M includes the following types weapons:

2A70 gun with automatic loader. Caliber – 100 mm, sighting range – up to 7 km, shot weight – from 15.8 to 18.2 kg, rate of fire – up to 10 rounds per minute;
Automatic gun 2A72. Caliber – 30 mm, sighting range – up to 4 km (in terms of manpower). Feeding – selective, high-explosive fragmentation or armor-piercing cartridges 30x165 mm;
PKTM machine gun. Caliber – 7.62 mm, sighting range – up to 1.5 km;
Anti-tank guided missiles "Arkan" 9M117M3. Launched through the barrel of the main gun. Sighting range– up to 5.5 km, armor penetration – 750 mm (average). Warhead– tandem.

The main gun's ammunition includes 34 rounds, of which 4 are Arkan ATGMs, and 30 regular rounds are placed in the "carousel" of the automatic loader.

The ammunition load of the 2A72 gun consists of 350 shells. If landing is necessary, their number should be reduced to 254 to reduce weight. Compared to the 2A42 gun, which was installed on the BMD-2, the new gun has much lower recoil, but this advantage is obtained by reducing the rate of fire, which calls into question the effectiveness of hitting air targets. However, for the BMD 4M, the characteristics of “anti-aircraft fire” are not so important.

The PKTM machine gun is equipped with two thousand rounds of ammunition.

In addition, on the sides of the turret there are six mortars for launching 3D6M smoke grenades.

Performance characteristics

The main parameters are given for both the BMD-4M and the original version of the combat vehicle.

	BMD-4M	BMD-4
Weight	13,500 kg	13,600 kg
Case length	6.1 m	6.1 m
Width	3.11 m	3.114 m
Height	2.45 m	2.4 m
Clearance	19-59 cm	19-59 cm
Maximum speed	70 km/h	67.5 km/h
Water speed	10 km/h	10 km/h
Power reserve	500 km	500 km
Engine power	500 hp	450 hp
Capacity	Crew – 3 people, landing party – 5 people	Crew - 3 people, landing party - 5 people.

Thanks to the replacement of the engine, the BMD 4M airborne combat vehicle has a higher specific power - 37 horsepower per ton (the BMD-4 had 33 hp per ton).

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage that the BMD-4M has over all more early models airborne combat vehicles are very powerful weapons that allow you to hit any targets at significant distances.

This sample of light armored vehicles has other advantages:

A high level of compatibility with the BMP-3 ensures increased maintainability, ease of operation and maintenance, and also improves the supply of components;
Excellent cross-country ability on any off-road;
The BMD-4M has excellent handling, confidently taking sharp turns and overcoming steep slopes. The car no longer sways, “entering resonance”, as happened with the BMD-1 and BMD-2;
It is possible to enhance security using a set of applied armor. True, during landing it is impossible to use it;
The BMD-4M has a certain reserve of modernization - many other types of military equipment can be made on its basis.

The disadvantages of the new vehicle are in many ways traditional for this entire class of weapons:

Weak armor protection for the crew. The BMD-4M is relatively easily hit by small-caliber automatic guns, and the sides are also vulnerable to large-caliber machine guns;
The main gun's ammunition is located in the middle of the vehicle and has no additional means of protection. Thus, when 100 mm shells detonate, the entire crew is guaranteed to die;
Mine protection is not enhanced in any way compared to earlier models;
The interior of the BMD-4M is very cramped, especially if the fighters are in full combat gear.

In addition, the layout of the machine itself causes criticism. It has been repeatedly suggested that the engine and transmission compartment should be placed in front, which would provide additional protection for the crew. But such a solution is incompatible with landing due to the shift in the center of gravity.

Modifications of BMD-4M

So far, there are only two variants of the BMD-4M - the base model and the “commander” BMD-4K, upgraded to its level, designated BMD-4KM.

A whole family of new modifications should appear in the near future:

Self-propelled anti-tank gun 2S25M "Sprut-SDM1". Prototypes of this vehicle are the fighting compartment of the existing Sprut-SD self-propelled gun, rearranged on a modified and extended BMD-4M chassis;
Self-propelled gun for the Airborne Forces 2S42 "Lotos". The chassis is the same as that of the Sprut-SDM1, the armament is a long-barreled universal cannon with a caliber of 120 mm. This machine should replace the well-known “None-S”;
"Cornet-D1", index 9P162M. Installation for anti-tank guided missiles "Kornet" on the BMD-4M chassis;
"Birdcatcher." Anti-aircraft missile system short-range for airborne troops. There is little information about it, but it is known that it will also be produced on the basis of the BMD-4M.

In addition, the press received reports about the use of the BMD-4M to create a repair and recovery tractor and a reconnaissance vehicle.

All this new technology, most likely, will appear in the next decade.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

This day in history:

January 5, 1973 For the first time in history, at the Slobodka parachute track near Tula, for the first time in world history, the idea of landing people inside an airborne combat vehicle (BMD-1) was put into practice -complex "Centaur". The idea and practical implementation of landing people inside combat vehicles belongs to the legendary commander of the Airborne Forces, Army General Vasily Margelov, who sent his son to the first test run of the Centaur. The first crew included Leonid Gavrilovich Zuev and Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov
Not a single army in the world has mastered this method of landing.
January 5, 1973! This Day can be considered the “Beginning of a New Era” in the history of our Airborne Forces!!!
Our Father's son became an "Airborne Forces cosmonaut"!Nobody except us!!!

Hero of Russia Alexander Margelov. Retired Airborne Colonel. The son of the founder of modern airborne troops, Army General Vasily Margelov. In January 1973, during testing of the Centaur complex, he was the first in history, together with Lieutenant Colonel Zuev, to parachute from an airplane while inside an airborne combat vehicle.
The crew, consisting of commander Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Zuev and gunner-operator Senior Lieutenant Alexander Margelov, using an advanced parachute system - combat vehicle - man complex, codenamed "Centaur", parachuted from the sky onto the head of a mock enemy, while inside a BMD-1 combat vehicle The landing was carried out from an An-12 aircraft using a multi-dome parachute system and a P-7 parachute platform. During the landing, the crew inside the combat vehicle was in special space chairs of the Kazbek-D type. The world's first landing of people inside military equipment was preceded by a series of tests and tests. reliability checks of the Centaur complex, including the landing of animals inside the BMD.
Just two years after the first successful experiment in the Airborne Forces in January 1976, also for the first time in world practice, together with Lieutenant Colonel Shcherbakov, he landed inside a BMD, testing new complex"Reactavr" without individual means of rescue, the entire crew of the combat vehicle, numbering 6 people, was landed inside the BMD using a parachute-reactive system without using a parachute platform.
Only after 20 years for the courage shown during testing of military equipment, Alexander Margelov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. In the photo: One day before the experiment. Guard crew commander, Lieutenant Colonel A.G.Zuev and gunner-operator Lieutenant A.V.Margelov

Humorous photo collage by V. Romanov on the theme of the Centaur

A group of participants from the first "Centaur" after a successful experiment

Airborne Forces – “two hundred options are possible”, one of them is “upwards with caterpillars”. The crew of Centaur 5 passed the test with honor. 1974, Gaizhunai, Lithuanian SSR

Without a crew, this is not a Centaur, but simply a BMD-1 before being loaded into an Il-76

The "Centaur" descended to the ground. The commander’s “counter” is turned on - only 2 minutes are allotted for unmooring

KSD in the air... Major A.A. Petrichenko, Honored Master of Parachute Sports, “hovering” nearby, separated from the complex in accordance with the assignment

Why is the project called "Centaur"? Because the driver-mechanic is not like this character is one with the car.

Elgin Marbles - mythological battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs. Greece, Parthenon. 440 BC

In August 2011, the book by A.V. was published. Margelova "Assaulters - cosmonauts of the Airborne Forces" . *
This book-album tells how various systems for landing equipment for our airborne forces were developed and tested.

For the first time in the history of the Airborne Forces, a photo album and memoirs of the Hero of Russia, Colonel Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, the only paratrooper officer in the world who participated in landing in 3 different complexes: "Centaur", "KSD", " Reactaurus." Bronnitsky branch of the all-Russian public organization "The Brotherhood of War"under the leadership of combat veteran Patrushev Nikolai Vladimirovich, they prepared a gift for the legendary paratrooper Hero of Russia A.V. Margelov, in honor of his 65th birthday (born October 21, 1945) - a book of memories about the daring projects of Army General V.F. Margelov, who was the first in the world developed and carried out landing of combat vehicles with a crew.

Among the glorious pages of the history of the Airborne Forces, the development of landings of BMD with crews stationed inside occupies its rightful place. And how could it be otherwise? It was in the Airborne Forces that this daring, incomprehensible to many, and therefore terrible, idea was born to put guardsmen in BMD without parachutes and other personal means of rescue. This enormous task was set by the Commander of the Airborne Forces, Hero Soviet Union Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov in the early 1970s, immediately upon entering the BMD-1 Airborne Forces. The idea was supported by his like-minded paratroopers, those who realized what it meant to quickly bring combat vehicles, and, consequently, airborne units, into readiness for battle after landing.
The task turned out to be extremely difficult. But the Soviet defense industry and military specialists successfully dealt with it in the shortest possible time. In the fighting compartment of the BMD-1, Kazbek-D space seats (in a somewhat simplified version) were installed, military doctors (State Research Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine) studied all stages of the landing and gave recommendations for overcoming overloads.
Despite the solution to the technical problem, the State Research Institute of the Air Force stood in the way of the first experimental landing of two crew members inside the BMD-1 on serial parachute-platform vehicles. Chkalov, who conducted state tests of landing equipment. He motivated this by the fact that the combat vehicle does not have means of individual rescue of the crew.
It took a lot of work for the Commander to convince the Minister of Defense A.A. Grechko give permission for the first landing. The marshal did not agree to any, fearing for the lives of people. The commander proposed his candidacy to participate in the experiment, but received a categorical refusal.
- In this case, Comrade Minister, my son Alexander, a paratrooper officer, an employee of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Airborne Forces and a master of parachuting, a teacher at our airborne school, Major Leonid Zuev, will jump. Alexander is engaged in experiments at the Scientific and Technical Complex, and Zuev has already begun experimenting at the school, for which he “received slander” from political workers. Well, I took him to prepare personally for this unique jump.
- But why still a son? - asked Grechko.
- I saw many tears of mothers mourning their dead husbands and sons. And since the matter is new and very risky, where anything can happen, I personally bear full responsibility and answer with my head for the outcome of the experiment.
Complex "parachute-vehicle-crew" received the name "Centaur". For the first time in world practice, an experimental landing of two crew members inside a BMD-1 from an AN-12 aircraft took place on January 5, 1973 at the base of the 106th Guards. Airborne Division near Tula. The crew, consisting of Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Zuev and senior engineer-lieutenant Alexander Margelov, actually confirmed the correctness of the research results and technical solutions national science and military medicine. After this landing, a Centaur appeared on the coat of arms of the Tula division...
They say that in the West they tried to repeat a similar experiment. In France, a prisoner sentenced to death was put into a combat vehicle. The car crashed - “the sentence was carried out.” Much later, the experiment was carried out in the USA. However, the result was so disastrous that no one else tried in the West.
Then in the USSR there were other experiments and regular landings of crews of combat vehicles and artillery crews inside and together with airborne military equipment.
Among them, a worthy place is occupied by the unprecedented jump with a personal parachute from a descending joint landing complex (JSC) of NTK officer Alexander Petrichenko. As in the Centaur complex, the KSD combat vehicle was landed using parachute-platform means, but a cabin for four people was attached to the end of the platform, which made it possible to accommodate six crew members at once. Theoretically, these four people, if necessary, could leave the complex using personal parachutes. This is what the Commander decided to check during military regimental exercises on August 26, 1975. This was not the first landing of the KSD in the troops, but such a jump was performed on the first and last time! The latter because Honored Master of Parachute Sports A. Petrichenko, after leaving the complex, barely avoided falling under the equipment dangling under the platform on metal cables. After receiving a negative opinion from an experienced paratrooper, the KSD were used by the troops for some time to drop howitzers and guns with crews, until all the artillery was transferred to the base of tracked combat vehicles. A. Petrichenko truly accomplished a feat that was never fully appreciated.
At the request of the Commander, already during the preparation of the first "Centaurs" the development of a parachute-rocket system began. The work, which lasted for many years, was crowned with success - such a system (PRSM-915) was created! Its advantages were obvious: only one dome of 540 square meters. m (instead of 4-5 760 sq. m on the KSD and Centaur) and a block of soft-landing jet engines (plus optional equipment) were placed directly on the body of the vehicle, which moved under its own power with the crew to the airfield and was loaded into the aircraft under its own power. Moreover, the rate of descent of such a system reached 25 m/s (on the ISS - 5-6 m/s), which made it practically invulnerable from enemy fire.
January twenty-third, 1976 based on the 76th Guards. The Airborne Division near Pskov carried out a historical experimental landing of the Reaktavr complex with two crew members: the commander - Major A. Margelov, the driver - Lieutenant Colonel L. Shcherbakov. Winter time It was not chosen by chance - the calculation was for deep snow on the landing site, which was supposed to soften the landing. However, the testers were properly “attached” to the compacted ice road, so that the overload passed through them to the fullest extent. Fortunately, this did not particularly affect the subsequent actions of the crew: the driving and shooting elements were carried out clearly, in accordance with the task. The Airborne Forces received a new landing vehicle, which significantly increases their combat capabilities. The crew members were nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but only 20 years later they became Heroes of Russia.
Later, the Universal plant created strapdown landing equipment that combines the reliability of parachute systems, lightness and maneuverability, as when using PRS. In the presence of the Commander of the Airborne Forces, near the village of Medvezhye Lakes near Moscow, on December 22, 1978, an experimental landing of the "Centaur" was carried out using strap-down landing equipment (ZP-170) - crew commander Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Brazhnikov, driver-mechanic - guardsman conscript service Vasily Kobchenko. The landing showed the high reliability of the ZP-170 system and confirmed its excellent performance characteristics, not inferior to the parachute-rocket system. Moreover, the most difficult issue of preventing the combat vehicle from tipping over during a lateral drift of the system was constructively resolved. To date, the ZP-170 is the only system that allows a combat vehicle to be landed on water. However, Commander Margelov did not have time to accept the ZP-170 system into service with the troops.
Work to implement the ideas of General V.F. Margelova continued. They practiced landing armored vehicles on land and water in winds up to 15 m per second, landing military equipment and cargo from ultra-low altitudes (though without crews), and finally, landing a full crew inside the BMD-3.
On August 20, 1998, during demonstration tactical exercises of the 104th Guards. PDP 76th Guards For the first time in military practice, the airborne guards paratroopers took part in the landing: 22-year-old senior lieutenant Vyacheslav Konev (crew commander), junior sergeants Alexei Ablizin and Zamir Bilimikhov, corporal Vladimir Sidorenko, privates Denis Gorev, Dmitry Kondratyev, Zurab Tomaev. And as always in such cases - volunteers.
The landing took place on a new strapdown parachute system PBS-950 developed by the same plant "Universal" (now the Moscow design and production complex "Universal"). Directly new system was created by specialists from the 9th department of the plant (now the 2nd department) under the leadership of the head of the department, Genrikh Vladimirovich Petkus, whose signatures were on the readiness sheets of the first and subsequent “Centaurs”.
A little time passed, and the newly appointed new commander of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant General Alexander Kolmakov, is present at the next landing of the full crew inside the BMD-3. This happened during the Central meeting of the leadership of the airborne services of the Ministry of Defense on September 24, 2003 at the base of the 106th Guards. vdd.
In total, at the end of 2004, about fifty landings of crews and artillery crews were carried out in various systems landings, in which more than 110 people took part. Many participants in the preparation and conduct of such landings - scientists, engineers, officers, generals - became laureates of the USSR State Prize, were awarded orders and medals, and were awarded academic titles. Honor and praise to them, the patriots of Russia, especially to those who still, despite all the troubles that have befallen them, hold high the banner of the Soviet Russian Science and values the Honor of a defender of the Motherland and a paratrooper!

On January 23, 1976, near Pskov, the Reaktavr system for landing military equipment with a crew of Major Alexander Margelov and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov was successfully tested for the first time. After 20 years, both were awarded the title of Hero of Russia for their courage in carrying out a risky task. The Margelov surname turned out to be forever associated with the history of the Airborne Forces.

Gaining time in battle

The system for landing the crew inside an airborne combat vehicle (BMD-1) using jet parachute traction got its name from the words “jet Centaur”. “Centaur” was the name given to the BMD-1 lowering system via a parachute landing platform. The experiment was carried out at the Tula parachute track training center 106th Guards Airborne Division.

No one has ever been thrown out of an airplane before military equipment along with the personnel inside. The idea belonged to the Commander-in-Chief of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Margelov.

At that time, airborne equipment in the form of artillery self-propelled units, airborne combat vehicles, vehicles and engineering equipment were delivered to the ground in two ways: through parachute landing platforms and parachute-rocket systems. The latter, upon landing, in a fraction of a second damped the rate of descent of heavy loads and automatically released them from the suspension slings. The personnel descended separately by parachute.

But in order to take their places in combat vehicles, in real combat, crews sometimes need minutes, which the enemy may not provide. How to gain time? Margelov came to a paradoxical conclusion: the personnel must be parachuted in the equipment itself!

Who will sacrifice themselves?

Risk? Yes, huge. Many in the country's military leadership did not approve of this idea. Some of the multi-star generals even twirled their fingers at their temples: they say that the main paratrooper of the USSR had fantasized to the point of the impossible. Others approved the idea in principle, but believed that it was not yet technically feasible.

Finally, brave souls were needed - after all, no one could guarantee that they would not crash upon landing. You cannot give orders in such a matter. This is not a war - just an experiment, albeit a very dangerous one. When asked by Defense Minister Marshal Andrei Grechko who will be inside the BMD-1 launch, Vasily Margelov firmly answered that he himself. He could not answer otherwise. He had to do everything to ensure that the airborne troops reached high quality new level combat training.

One of the best

During the Great Patriotic War The paratroopers established themselves as one of the most persistent fighters of the Red Army. They fought back into the interior of the country at the beginning of the war, fought valiantly in the ranks of the defenders of Moscow and Stalingrad, participated in the Battle of Kursk, took part in the capture of Vienna and the battles for Berlin.

But despite the fact that Soviet paratroopers repeatedly carried out airborne operations during the war, in most battles they fought as infantry, albeit highly trained ones. Therefore, after the war, with the advent of the atomic era, the Airborne Forces faced new tasks: to become what is now called rapid reaction troops.

Until 1954, the country's airborne troops were alternately led by 7 generals, among whom we can note the first commander of the Airborne Forces, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Glazunov, as well as Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Gorbatov.

Uncle Vasya's troops

However, despite their military merits, the commanders did not stay long in the post of commander-in-chief of the Airborne Forces. As a result, the personnel leapfrog had a negative impact on combat training troops entrusted to them.

The fact that by the 80s of the twentieth century the Airborne Forces had become the most massive and combat-ready among their kind in the world is primarily the merit of the man who led them for many decades - General Margelov.

It is no coincidence that in the airborne forces the abbreviation VDV is still unofficially deciphered as “Uncle Vasya’s troops.” “Our Chapai,” Vasily Filippovich’s subordinates respectfully called him.

Like most previous commanders of the Airborne Forces, Margelov came from other branches of the military, but was quite familiar with the specifics of the airborne forces - before his appointment he commanded the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division, and then was the commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svirsky Red Banner Corps.

Paratrooper at 40 years old

It is curious that he made his first parachute jump at the age of 40 - before taking command of the paratroopers. At the same time, he made a bet on several jumps with another newly promoted airborne division commander, Hero of the Soviet Union, General Mikhail Denisenko, who crashed during another parachute jump in 1949. Fate protected Margelov - until the end of his life he made more than 60 air landings.

During the Battle of Moscow he commanded the 1st Special Ski Regiment Marine Corps. Being the commander of the Airborne Forces, Margelov did not forget his brave sailors, introducing a vest into the paratroopers’ uniform as a sign of continuity from one brave branch of troops to another. Another striking feature of the paratrooper was his beret - first crimson (following the example of Western paratroopers), and then blue.

Margelov's reforms included not only changes in uniforms. The new commander of the Airborne Forces abandoned the outdated doctrine of using airborne troops only as a means to hold bridgeheads until the main forces arrived. In conditions modern warfare passive defense inevitably led to defeat.

New military equipment

Margelov believed that after the drop, the paratroopers should conduct active, offensive actions, not allowing the stunned enemy to come to their senses, and counterattack them. However, in order for paratroopers to be able to maneuver widely, they needed to be equipped with their own armored vehicles, increase their firepower and update the aircraft fleet.

During the Great Patriotic War, for example, winged infantry fought mainly with with the help of the lung small arms. After the war, the troops began to be equipped with special airborne equipment. By the time Margelov assumed the post of commander, the Airborne Forces were armed with a light self-propelled artillery installation ASU-57 with modifications.

Vasily Filippovich gave the task to the military-industrial complex to develop a more modern airborne artillery vehicle. As a result, ASU-57 was replaced by ASU-85, developed on the basis of the PT-76 light amphibious tank. On the battlefield, a combat vehicle was also required for the movement of personnel in radioactively contaminated areas. The BMP-1 army infantry fighting vehicle was not suitable for airborne troops due to heavy weight(13 tons) during landing.

"Thunder" of landing vehicles

As a result, at the end of the 60s, the BMD-1 (airborne combat vehicle) was adopted, whose weight was slightly more than 7 tons, the armament was a semi-automatic 2A28 "Thunder" cannon, and the crew consisted of seven people. Self-propelled artillery guns, fire control vehicles, reconnaissance and command post vehicles were developed on the basis of the BMD-1.

Through the efforts of Margelov, the battered Li-2, Il-14, Tu-2 and Tu-4 aircraft were replaced with powerful and modern An-22 and Il-76, which made it possible to take on board significantly more paratroopers and military equipment than before. “Uncle Vasya” also took care of improving the paratroopers’ personal weapons. Margelov personally met with the developer of the famous assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, and agreed to create an “airborne” version of the AK, with a folding metal butt.

Son instead of father

After the Minister of Defense did not agree with the participation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Airborne Forces in testing the Reactavr system, he offered one of his five sons, Major Alexander Margelov, to the crew. Alexander Vasilyevich was an employee of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Airborne Forces, which was responsible for preparing equipment and personnel for landing.

The personal example of Margelov’s son was supposed to convince the Airborne Forces of the success of the new landing option. Another participant in the experiment was Margelov Jr.’s colleague at the Scientific and Technical Commission of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov.

On January 23, 1976, for the first time, a parachute-propelled landing was carried out from an An-12 BMD-1 military transport aircraft. After landing, the crew immediately fired blank shells briefly, demonstrating their readiness for combat.

During Margelov's tests on command post chain-smoked his favorite "Belomor" and kept a loaded pistol at the ready so that in case of failure he would shoot himself. But everything turned out well.

In several photographs with my comments, I will tell you about the process of landing military equipment of the airborne troops, using the example of BMD ( Fighting machine Landing). This post will not affect the preparation of the vehicle for landing, only everything that follows after executing the “reset” command, and will also contain practically no technical and special terms for ease of reading for people unfamiliar with the military abbreviation...

The release of the fastening lock to the aircraft body and the pulling out of the landing platform occurs with the help of ejected domes, whose work begins with a small dome (exhaust).

To land military equipment, two systems are used, one uses a special “cushion” to soften contact with the ground, the second (practically not used today) uses jet thrust for braking. The multi-dome system (ISS) looks very beautiful in the sky...

It is no less beautiful on earth.

The landing of equipment and personnel is preceded by the landing of reconnaissance units carrying out reconnaissance and clearing (if necessary) of the landing site. During the exercise, equipment and personnel on the ground are met by “assistants” - technical personnel who assist in preparing the vehicles for movement.

The tracks are wrapped in special covers and also secured with ties. Technical personnel frees the tracks from covers and ties. In a combat situation, this is all carried out by the crew of the vehicle.

The driver is the first to approach the combat vehicle. The search for the car is carried out using a special radio beacon. The driver's hatch is located in front, but can only be opened from the inside. Accordingly, in order to get inside the car, the mechanic needs to open the tower hatch with a special key.

The driver is wearing a special thermal suit that can withstand high temperatures. The rest of the crew is dressed normally.

The mechanic-driver of the BMD in the “stowed” seat position. The photo shows a soldier wearing a paratroop helmet. The landing helmet differs from the tank helmet by the presence of headphones and a laryngophone (a version of a microphone that reads the voice from the throat).

The engine is started using batteries, and if such starting is impossible, using a pneumatic system. The driver's task is to maximize short term start the car engine, preparing it for movement. When landing, the BMD is in the lower position of the ground clearance control system. To start moving and separate from the base of the platform, the machine must be moved to its normal position (raised).

The driver started the engine, raised the vehicle, changed the landing helmet onto the headset and is ready to move to the assembly point (meeting with the crew).

In addition to the crew, the BMD can accommodate troops. The landing compartment is located at the rear. The landing hatch is located immediately behind the turret.

After manning the crew and troops, the BMD moves to the assembly point military unit or begins to carry out the assigned combat mission.

All photos are clickable to view in full size. The photographs were taken by the author during regimental exercises of the 106th Guards Airborne Division in the Ryazan region.

In the near future, I will continue my stories.

I thank the Press Club of the Russian Defense Ministry and Dmitry Petrakov personally for organizing the filming.

For the first time in the history of the Airborne Forces, servicemen of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Air Assault Division landed a BMD-2 with its crew. This happened during a command post exercise of the Airborne Forces on March 25, held on the basis of the 76th division. The landing of personnel and the release of equipment in the area of the village of Kislovo was observed by the commander of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov, and 21 military attaches from the USA, Germany, France, Belarus, China, Pakistan, Mongolia, Sweden, Italy, and Kazakhstan. A PAI correspondent reports this.

In total, 775 military personnel and 14 units of military equipment took part in the landing. Three BMD-2s were landed with a crew inside, two people each. After landing, Lieutenant General V. Shamanov personally met the heroic paratroopers, gave each of them a personalized watch and signed a presentation for awarding them the Order of Courage. The high government award was presented to airborne headquarters officer Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ivanov and servicemen of the 234th regiment of the 76th division, Lieutenant K. Pashkov, senior sergeant V. Kozlov, junior sergeant K. Nikonov, privates A. Borodnikov and I. Tarsuev.

As assistant commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel Alexander Cherednik, explained to a PAI correspondent, the first landing of military equipment with a crew inside took place in January 1973. Then the dangerous jump was made by the son of the legendary Airborne Forces commander and uncle of the senator from the Pskov region, Alexander Margelov. For this jump he was awarded the title "Hero of the Soviet Union". For the last time in Airborne combat The equipment and crew were parachuted in June 2003. Then 7 airborne control officers landed inside the BMD-3. For the whole history of the Airborne Forces No more than sixty people were parachuted inside the military equipment.

Today's landing is also characterized by the fact that the BMD-2 has never been parachuted with a crew before. “This was the first experience of landing a BMD-2 with a crew, and this experience turned out to be successful,” said Alexander Cherednik.

Today, in order to modernize landing equipment, an experimental release of the BMD-4, the so-called “Sprut” landing tank, took place and demonstrated options for using ATVs, paragliders, snowmobiles and reconnaissance armored vehicles in the Airborne Forces. An exhibition of new models of combat weapons was also launched at the training ground near the village of Kislovo equipment, weapons, uniforms and equipment that will soon arrive at airborne weapons. Samples were also presented and demonstration flights of unmanned aerial vehicles were carried out. aircraft, developed by Russian enterprises.

Tomorrow, command post exercises of the Airborne Forces will continue at the training ground near the village of Strugi Krasnye. There will be live firing of all types of weapons and the theme of “defensive combat” will be practiced.