Russian-made 'terminator' struggles on the battlefield
The executives of the Uralvagonzavod corporation have acknowledged that they are considering changing the name of the heavy combat support vehicle BMPT Terminator to something "more familiar to Russians." The Ukrainian agency Unian highlights that the machine, lauded by the Kremlin, has fallen short during the war and is beset by numerous issues that a new name will not conceal.
"In addition to the ongoing enhancement of combat parameters, the BMPT may undergo another significant change - the Terminator might be renamed to something more familiar to Russians," the Uralvagonzavod statement read.
BMPT Terminator may change its name
According to Igor Meshkov, a member of the corporation's board of directors, "the matter of discarding the American name of this powerful Russian machine has been a topic of discussion in society for a long time."
When one considers the BMPT Terminator's specifications, it is an impressive machine. Its designers have armed it with two 30 mm cannons, two 40 mm grenade launchers, a machine gun, and four Ataka-T anti-tank guided missile launchers. It is also quite well-armoured, as it uses the chassis of a T-72 tank.
In its statement, Uralvagonzavod asserts that "such vehicles play a very important role on the battlefield and can be deployed both alongside tanks and as standalone combat units." However, the Ukrainian agency Unian reminds us that Ukrainian and Western experts hold a completely different view, assessing the BMPT Terminator as equipment that is too costly in relation to its capabilities and weaknesses, which were exposed during the war in Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine also verified the capabilities of the BMPT Terminator
As explained by Łukasz Michalik, a journalist for Wirtualna Polska, encounters with Ukrainians have demonstrated that the BMPT Terminator is not a superweapon but rather a flamboyant failure, something even some Russians occasionally admit.
The BMPT Terminator has not shown any advantage over main battle tanks, even the older models most commonly used by the Russian army. It is also more vulnerable to damage (as confirmed by successful Ukrainian attacks), more difficult to repair, and requires a larger crew (five people, whereas tanks need only three), as noted by, among others, Topwar.ru author Yevgeny Fyodorov.
- The BMPT Terminator has only performed poorly. Due to its large mass and sluggishness, it was constantly at risk from artillery strikes. The support this vehicle provided to tanks proved insufficient, given the specifics of combat operations and the armament capabilities of the BMPT - assessed military expert Alexander Kovalenko.
