| Language of Video Presentation: Russian (Русский Язык). The БMД-4 (Russian "Боевая Машина Десанта", transliteration: Boyevaya Mashina Desanta), or BMD-4 in English, is an Airborne Combat Vehicle (ACV) that entered service with Russian airborne units in 2005; the Russian abbreviation meant "Combat Vehicle of the Airborne" in English. The vehicle uses the BMD-3 chassis, but carries a significantly more powerful armament that in some cases are capable to replace main battle tanks and artillery units with its firepower during landing operations. Some older BMD-3 are being upgraded to BMD-4, along with a low-rate production of new vehicles. In terms of armaments, the vehicle is equipped with the same weapons as BMP-3, the 100-mm main gun and coaxial 30-mm cannon. The 100-mm gun comes with an auto-loader, which also loads Bastion laser-guided anti-tank missiles. This missile has a range of fire in 5.5 km and can also target helicopters while the ordinary 100-mm rounds have a maximum range of fire in 7 km. There is also a 9M113 Konkurs (AT-5 Spandrel) anti-tank guided missile launcher mounted on the roof of the hull. Additional armament consists of a 7.62-mm and 5.45-mm machine guns and a 40-mm automatic grenade launcher. In terms of firepower the BMD-4 is the most heavily armed vehicle in the world in it's class. In terms of armor, this airborne combat vehicle provides protection against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. It's also fitted with NBC protection and ... |
