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23 Aug 17. French firm to show off hybrid tech at Medef conference. Renault Trucks Defense will display its hybrid technology demonstrator at the summer university conference of Medef, the employers’ federation, the vehicle manufacturer said Aug. 23.
“The Elector demonstrator shows the compatibility of hybrid technology with the use of medium armored reconnaissance vehicles,” the company said in a statement. “The research and innovation plan of Renault Trucks Defense feeds the strategic reflection on the future use of the land forces.”
Design and evolution of vehicles for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, logistics and combat are among the major themes in RTD’s research and development strategy, the company said. There is also a search for protection against changing threats in operational theater, integration of complex tactical systems for communication and observation, and adapting solutions for the support of vehicle fleets using protected information technology.
Defense is one of the major topics at the high-level Medef conference, to be held Aug. 29-30 on the campus of HEC, a business school just outside of Paris.
Among the speakers in the conference’s debate “Wars and Peace” are French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly; French Air Force Gen. Denis Mercier, the head of NATO’s Allied Command Transformation; and French Navy Vice Adm. Anne Cullerre. How much to cut from the defense budget and the economic dimensions of war and peace are among the topics for discussion. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
23 Aug 17. Army-2017: VPK showcases BTR-87 APC. Russia’s Military Industrial Company (VPK) has unveiled the BTR-87 armoured personnel carrier (APC) at the Army-2017 international military-technical exhibition, outside Moscow.
The vehicle on display features a frontally mounted powerpack, with the troop compartment located in the rear. The APC is based on the chassis of the BTR-82A APC, also developed by VPK.
The BTR-87 is designed to transport and support motor riflemen (motorised infantry) on the battlefield. The vehicle’s armament suite can engage soft-skin targets, armoured vehicles, small surface combatants, and soldiers. Its ballistic armour protects the combat crew against small arms and shell splinters. The APC is additionally equipped with a nuclear, biological, and chemical protection system.
According to VPK, the BTR-87 is a four-axle, amphibious 8 x 8 vehicle with a combat weight of 16 tons, two crewmembers, and a passenger capacity of eight dismounts. Its 312 hp YaMZ-53602 engine has a power-to-weight ratio of 19.26 hp/t, producing a maximum road speed of 90 km/h and a maximum swimming speed of 10 km/h. The powerplant is combined with a mechanical gearbox that can be replaced by an automatic transmission. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
23 Aug 17. Army-2017: Tractor Plants modernises BMD-4M. Russia’s Tractor Plants Concern has showcased the BMD-4M airborne infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) upgraded with the new Sinitsa (Titmouse) combat compartment at the Army-2017 international military-technical exhibition held outside Moscow from 22–27 August. The Sinitsa is essentially a modernised BMP-3 IFV combat module modified to fit the BMD-4M. It has retained the powerful armament suite of the basic model, comprising a 100 mm 2A70 gun/launcher, with 40 high-explosive fragmentation rounds (including 22 stored in the autoloader) and four anti-tank guided missiles (including three in the autoloader); a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon with an ammunition load of 500 rounds; and a 7.62 PKTM medium machine gun with an ammunition load of 2,000 rounds.
The modernised BMD-4M is designed to transport airborne troops and to conduct fire support. The vehicle is equipped with an automated digital round-the-clock jamming-resistant fire-contro