Footage of the work of the Russian single-bucket military excavator EOV-3523, produced by the EKSMASH company, put into service in 2012. The EOV-3523 military excavator is designed for mechanization of excavation and loading work when equipping positions, areas where troops are located and areas where command posts are deployed. The EOV-3523 excavator is located on the KAMAZ-KAMAZ-53501 chassis and has better characteristics in comparison with the existing EOV 3521M excavator. The excavator is equipped with an air conditioning system and has a system to protect the chassis cabin from damage due to erroneous actions of the excavator operator during installation of working equipment. The excavator uses a hydraulic system from the German company Bosch Rexroht and can be equipped with replaceable working equipment intended for other work. The volume of the excavator bucket is 0.8 cubic meters, the maximum digging depth is 5 meters, the digging height is 8.6 meters, the soil unloading height is 6.1 meters, the digging radius is 8.5 meters. The weight of the excavator is 18.8 tons.
Delivery and storage of fuel in field storage facilities of the Russian Army. Personnel of the work of units of the fuel logistics service of the Russian Army. The video shows the delivery and transfer of fuel to field storage facilities of the Russian army. Fuel is transported by railway tanks; upon arrival at the station, the presence and serviceability of seals on the railway tanks are checked, after which samples of petroleum products are taken. A fuel sample is taken in each tank, from the bottom, top and middle of the tank. After the laboratory concludes that the quality of the fuel meets the established standards, the fuel is drained.
Loading devices are connected and fuel is pumped into polymer elastic tanks of the field warehouse. Polymer tanks are very convenient; they can be quickly camouflaged and placed on any area of the terrain. The polymer tank is highly durable and has a capacity of 50 cubic meters. Next, the fuel arrives at a stationary warehouse, from where tankers deliver it to the units. Vehicles intended for refueling and transporting fuel are camouflaged and additionally armored.
A new batch of BMP-3 manufactured in 2024 was sent by Kurganmashzavod to the Russian troops. Quite often they ask why the BMP-3 does not have protection. According to the company, additional protection kits, anti-cumulative grilles and armored screens, are supplied to the customer as separate products and are installed on the equipment upon the arrival of the combat vehicles at the unit. Now the number of Russian BMP-3s transferred to the army since the beginning of this year is one and a half times greater than the volumes of the same period in 2023.
The Rhythm-Flight biostimulation complex, designed for quick rest for soldiers, has been introduced in Russia. The complex was developed by engineers of the Nizhny Novgorod NPP Polet and was previously used for civilian purposes and for the quick recovery of military pilots. The “Rhythm-Flight” complex is quite an interesting device and can be useful to many people. According to the developers, the Rhythm-Flight device allows you to achieve deep relaxation of the body in a 20-minute session, comparable to 4–6 hours of sleep. The device, using programmable light and sound effects, normalizes a person’s emotional state, relieves nervous tension and fatigue, increases resistance to stress, prevents fatigue, increases vitality and performance. The “RITHM-FLIGHT” device consists of a mask with a screen transmitting special light signals, headphones, and a remote control for controlling the time and procedure mode. The cost of the RITM-POLET device is about 54 thousand rubles or 580 dollars.
Footage of firing of a Russian BMD-2 armored vehicle, the work of a unit of Pskov paratroopers. The BMD-2 fires from a 30 mm 2A42 automatic cannon, the gun's rate of fire is up to 800 rounds per minute, the range of destruction of enemy personnel is up to 4000 meters, lightly armored vehicles up to 1500 and air targets up to 2000 meters. The gun barrel length is 2400 mm, 80 calibers, the gun uses 30x165 mm shells, the gun life is up to 9000 rounds. The 2A42 automatic cannon has been produced at Tulmashzavod since 1980 and is installed on various armored vehicles, including helicopters. A non-licensed copy of the gun is also produced in Ukraine under the symbol ZTM-2.
The Russian army successfully tested the S-500 Prometheus air defense system, testing the complex’s ability to shoot down hypersonic targets. Tests of the S-500 air defense system took place on February 22. The S-500 "Prometheus" air defense system hit the R-29RMU2 "Sineva" intercontinental ballistic missile launched by the submarine nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Tula" from the Laptev Sea at the "Chizha" training ground in the Arkhangelsk region. The S-500 air defense system confirmed all its characteristics, including the ability to hit hypersonic weapons. SAM 55Р6М "Triumfator-M" is a fifth-generation anti-aircraft system developed by the Almaz-Antey concern. A special feature of the complex is its ability to operate against a wide range of targets at altitudes up to 200 km and at a range of up to 600 km, target detection range up to 2000 km. The main task of the complex is to intercept cruise and ballistic missiles, but it can also hit low-orbit satellites. The S-500 air defense system must be covered by short- and medium-range air defense. It is also planned to develop a ship version of the promising S-500 air defense systems for Project 23000 Storm aircraft carriers. The complex includes: a combat control point 85Zh6-1, a long-range detection radar 60K6, an antenna post with a phased array radar operating in the X-band and optionally other systems. The air defense system uses 77N6-N, 77N6-N1 and 40N6 missiles. The S-500 air defense system is mounted on a BAZ-69096 chassis with a 10×8 wheel arrangement. The cost of one division of the S-500 air defense system is about 2 billion dollars, this is 4 times more expensive than the S-400 air defense system, but the complex is unique and better than the American THAAD missile defense system worth 3 billion dollars. It is known that the S-500 Prometheus complex will begin to enter the Russian armed forces in 2024, but the number of such systems has not been disclosed.
Russia has developed an automatic defense system against drones, the Stupor complex. The Stupor company, we previously talked about their complexes, announced the creation of a complex designed to effectively protect objects from drone attacks. Due to the ever-increasing threat from drones, the demand for these systems around the world is constantly growing. The complex works automatically without an operator and can transfer data to the operator’s phone; the complex uses elements of artificial intelligence. The Stupor system was developed based on complementary detection systems, such as phased array radar, radio frequency scanner, optical UAV recognition station and counter-drone capabilities. It is worth noting that adding an optical drone recognition station to the complex is a very correct decision, since not all drones can be detected by radars; due to the small EPR of UAVs and especially FPV drones, it is becoming increasingly difficult to detect them. The complex is capable of interrupting the drone control channel, replacing coordinates and intercepting control of drones. The Stupor complex is capable of detecting UAVs at a range of up to 5 kilometers and suppressing drones at a range of up to 2 kilometers; the complex forms a protective field of 360 degrees.
Russian sappers demonstrated a method for remote mining of terrain with POM-2 anti-personnel mines using an RPG-7 grenade launcher. Sappers screw a mine onto a powder engine from a rocket-propelled grenade for an RPG-7 and mine at a range of up to 2 kilometers. The POM-2 family of mines includes several ammunition, the mass of the mine is 1500 grams, the amount of explosive is 140 grams, the radius of continuous destruction is 16 meters. This method allows sappers to safely carry out mining without entering the line of fire
During the visit of the Russian Minister of Defense to defense industry enterprises in the Tula region, the new Russian bicaliber MLRS "Vozrozhdenie" was first noticed at NPO "Splav". Footage of the real installation appeared for the first time. Judging by the video, it is possible that the Vozrozhdenie MLRS will be an exact copy of the Russian mining vehicle "Agriculture", they will simply change the package with missiles, as shown in the video. Since visually it is a copy of the “Agriculture” mining machine, more details about it can be found in the link to the video in the comments to the video. The developed MLRS "Vozrozhdenie" will possibly reduce the number of platforms with MLRS in the Russian army, and the creation of this vehicle will also speed up the reloading of the MLRS. It is assumed that the new MLRS will be able to use 120 and 220 mm projectiles from the TOS-1A, TOS-2 flamethrower systems, the Uragan MLRS, the Grad MLRS and the Agricultural remote mining vehicle. As you can see in the video, the production of the Vozrozhdenie bicaliber MLRS was quickly mastered and there are already ready-made combat vehicles.
The Russian army will begin testing the modified Zubilo unmanned armored vehicle in April. Reportedly, the unmanned armored vehicle was modified based on the wishes of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Among the key improvements, weight reduction and increased cross-country ability probably increased autonomy, since this parameter did not suit the military. The Remdiesel unmanned armored vehicle was first presented in 2023 and is designed to support assault groups, transport ammunition, transport cargo and the wounded, as well as recharge radio stations and drones. The armored unmanned platform "Zibilo" was created on the chassis of a serial KamAZ truck; it got its name from the shape of the hull. For the first time it was shown with a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun as a weapon, but whether this will be its standard weapon is still unknown. The armored vehicle can quickly begin to be mass-produced, since it is created from available serial components. The Zubilo armored car is equipped with a 350 hp engine. has a curb weight of 13,300 kg and a load capacity of 2,700 kg, a maximum highway speed of 100 km/h, and a climbing angle of at least 30°.
Footage of exercises with the Russian armored train "Yenisei". It is worth noting that it can only be called an armored train conditionally; its main function is engineering reconnaissance, transportation of materials and restoration and protection of railway tracks. On the armored train on the platform, a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle is installed, there are crews of 82-mm mortars, anti-aircraft and tank machine guns. Military personnel also use drones.
The Russian army has modernized the design of Iskander-M ballistic missiles, Ukrainian media reported this. According to materials published by the Ukrainian side, Russia has made changes to the design of 9M723 ballistic missiles. Apparently the developers considered that the missiles had sufficient characteristics to overcome air defense systems and increased the noise immunity and accuracy of the missiles. The published photos show that the decoy submunitions previously used in missiles, which were fired in flight to distract air defense systems, have been removed from the missile. To increase the noise immunity and accuracy of the missiles, additional GPS/GLONASS satellite navigation modules are installed, similar to the Comet satellite data reception module; each of them has four 4-beam antennas. The Iskander-M complex was put into service in 2006 and uses two types of missiles, the 9M723 ballistic missile, also called Iskander-M, and the 9M728 Iskander-K cruise missile.
Footage of the use of the Russian TDA-2K machine, intended for setting up smoke screens; we previously talked about the TDA-2M thermal smoke machine. The TDM-2K thermal smoke machine is manufactured by the Tambovpolimermash company and put into service in 1982. TDA-2K is located on the chassis of a KAMAZ-4310 vehicle and is intended for camouflage of various objects with neutral aerosols, as well as for disinfestation of areas and structures with insecticidal aerosols. The operating principle of the machine is based on the evaporation of a safe smoke-forming substance in a stream of hot gases, followed by condensation of the resulting vapors in the atmosphere. The vehicle deploys in 5 minutes and is capable of placing a smoke screen at a distance of at least 1000 meters for 4 to 13 hours on a single charge, doing this while moving at speeds of up to 40 km/h. The working volume of the aerosol-forming substance tank is 4200 liters. The crew of the car is 2 people.
Russian KamAZ-5350 (6x6) trucks began to be equipped with additional armor designed to protect against drones. It is not yet known to what extent the kits are being mass produced, but they are already being supplied to the troops. In addition, the troops began to receive KamAZ-6350 (8x8) trucks with factory armored cabs of the 2nd protection class. The total weight of the armor set for the KamAZ-5350 truck is 750 kilograms, the armor is placed on the outer and inner parts of the cab, gas tank and engine. The armor is combined and contains Kevlar sheets. The armor class is not reported.
