Ukraine War
What is the Russian Terminator Tank?
We’ve heard about them being deployed in eastern Ukraine, but what are they and what is their purpose? Here’s a quick overview
The Terminator or the Boyevaya Mashina Podderzhki Tankov (BMP-T) is a ‘new generation’ of tank that started development in Russia in the early 2000s. The design of the Terminator was based on the T-80UD, but with several significant improvements.
Design objectives
According to ex-tank commander and military analyst Justin Crump, quoted in forces.net, it
should shrug off anti-armour weapons that would destroy a lighter-skinned vehicle.
It’s really optimised to suppress the upper stories of buildings, put down a high rate of fire and cover those angles so the tanks can focus on the fight down the street, where they can bring firepower to bear that way without having to look all the directions you can’t look when you’re closed down in a tank
There are alternative views on the design philosophy. For examples, British Intelligence Updates suggest:
With that approach, it’s like destroyers providing protection for an aircraft carrier in a carrier battle group, umbrella…
