Quote:
Originally Posted by Vespers War
I don't think it's shown up in this thread previously, but it was the last vehicle I statted out in my Soviet Missile Tanks thread. |
Thanks, VW.
Here's a strange one- probably too late for the Twilight War, but not outside the realm of possibility. In the 1990s, perhaps taking a page from Israel's Merkava MBT, the Ukrainians experimented with a heavy IFV based on the T-72. The BMT-72 featured a stretched hull (see image below) to accommodate a five-man troop compartment between the turret (from the T-80, with reduced ammo capacity) and the engine block. Entrance and egress is affected via a trio of roof hatches (see image).
Information is sparse. The following link is the most comprehensive source I've managed to find.
https://en.topwar.ru/142484-tyazhela...2-ukraina.html
I'm not surprised that this design didn't enter production. A five-person infantry squad is underpowered, and exiting the vehicle under fire from roof hatches makes the dismounting under fire extremely hazardous.
The Ukrainians also experimented with a version based on their T-84 MBT, the BTMP-84 (2001). The concept and design was similar to the BMT-72, but the engine was offset from center to allow the five troops to dismount via a door in the rear of the tank (like the Merkava). This, no doubt, would have improved survivability for the dismounted infantry, but the project, offered for export, attracted no customers.
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