Battalion “Azov” creates a heavily armored infantry fighting vehicles based on the T-64 chassis

Through the efforts of enthusiasts from the battalion “Azov”, being developed is a heavily armored infantry fighting vehicle based on the chassis of the main battle tank T-64.

According to reports from workers involved in repair plants and experts of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which are responsible for the performance of a new concept of the combat vehicle.

Additional is the protection cutting boards organized by the dimensions of the fenders.

The layout of the tank as a whole remained the same, the engine was in the stern. As a result, there will be something in the style of BMO-T, but without weakened areas in the frontal projection is located where the driver’s hatch. True enthusiasts will decide how the issue of management of the new machine is a mystery.

Combat vehicles of this class are badly needed as Ukrainian law enforcement officers during the conflict in the east of Ukraine in the battles lost a large number of poorly protected infantry fighting vehicles BMP-2 armored personnel carriers BTR-80 type.

More photos of 80’s era Soviet “Buntar” tank revealed

The Russian news source Sputnik is reporting that “the image of a top-secret Soviet tank of the late-1980s appeared on the Web earlier this week, along with a short list of its technical characteristics.”  The article notes that photographs of the Buntar (Rebel) tank have appeared on several online forums, including recently posted pictures of the the vehicles modular armor, an antiaircraft gun placed under the commander’s seat and fiber optic observation instruments instead  of the conventional prism-type ones.  The article goes on to note:

Online forum participants all agree that, back in its day, the Buntar was a major breakthrough in the field of tank design.

The Buntar tank was designed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, as part of an effort to develop a new generation of battle tanks for the Soviet armed forces.

A number of prototypes were built as part of the program, launched in the early 1980s with two-stroke diesel engines, gas-turbine engines, T-64 chassis, electric transmission and two- and three-man crew configurations.

The year 1987 saw the advent of a principally new concept, built around 152mm smoothbore cannon.

Many of the tank designs developed as part of that program are still classified.

Unfortunately, the article does not contain any of the pictures that it mentions.  Combing though the forums, we have been able to assemble a photo gallery of the “Buntar”, also known at Object 490A.

Model of 490 “Buntar” This vehicle never got past “paper and wood” stage in development.

Another Object 490 model. This was a Karkov project. Suspension appears to be derived from T-64 but with extra roadwheel.

Object 490A model.

Object 490A model. 152mm gun with autoloader and low profile turret. 34 rounds in special 2-stage autoloader. RoF was expected to reach 14 rounds per minute.

Object 490A prototype. it could drive. It is unlikely that it could shoot. At the moment when we stopped working on it, FCS and autoloader were not finished. Redesign of suspension was planned, tank should have variants with completely external cannon.

Object 490A prototye.

Text reads “In 1982 it was decided to use 3-man crew. Tank had externally mounted main gun, driver was located at left part of hull, to the right from here there was 1290 litres fuel tank. COmmander was located to the left from gun, above [?] gunner”

Front armor thickness

Cutaway diagram.

Object 490A digital render

Object 490A size comparison to T-14 Armata

Object 490A size compared to T-64 and T-14 Armata

Forum member “LooSeR” at the Sturgeon’s House online forum provides this description of the Object 490A Buntar.

 Object 490A was most likely build in some kind of working prototype, but how far it reached is unknown. Project was not far from Leningrad Kirov factory programm to create new tank of the future – Object 299 / Project “Leader 2000-2005″. New tank had new turret with autoloader in the middle, 2 crewmembers in the low-profile turret, deiver in the front. Gun was mounted externally.

Tank is armed with 152 mm cannon with all 34 rounds in special 2-stage autoloader. 2 stage were 2 mechanized ammoracks with 12 rounds each, while first stage loading device had capacity of 10 rounds. RoF was expected to reach 14 rounds per minute.

FCS “Argus” had multichannel sights with TV, Thermal imager and (possibly) radar channels. Information from all channales was collected by computer, which generated picture for a crew, based on all data from TV, TI and Radar, which was expected to give very good perfomance in bad weather, smoke, dust enviroment + active jamming from enemy. FCS was expected to locate and remember positions of enemy targets, showing them to crew in easy-to-read display/image. On board computer will give information about location of the tank, and status of different systems.

Engine was planned to be 6TD, with later modification to 6TD-3 (1500 HP). Overall, it is rumored that tank would had:

• Weight of 50 tons

• Crew of 3

• 1200-1500 HP engine and ~28 hp/t power to weight ratio

• More than 75 km/h max speed on road and 50-60 km/h max speed offroad

• 0.8 kg/sm² ground pressure

• 152 mm gun with 34 rounds in fully-mechanized ammorack

• Protection against APFSDS in frontal projection – at least 1200 in RHA eq. (without ERA)

• Protection against HEAT in frontal projection – at least 1800 in RHA eq. (without ERA)

If anyone has any corrections or additions we can add to this post, please feel free to contact us or comment.

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