Russia Plans to Airdrop Armored Vehicles—With Crew Inside

Getty Alexander Ryumin

By: Wording OD.

Russia's state news agency TASS reports that Russian airborne forces plan to drop armored vehicles from the sky via parachute—with soldiers inside. The head of Russia's Airborne Forces claims that only Russia has this capability. That's for good reason: The marginal usefulness of this capability outweighs the sheer dangerousness of it.

Russia's paratroopers are unique among the world's airborne forces for being air mechanized formations. Unlike most paratroopers, who act as light infantry once on the ground, Russian paratroopers have their own lightweight infantry combat vehicle, the BMD-4M. Once on the ground the paratroopers clamber on board the BMD and ride to their objective. This gives Russian airborne forces unmatched mobility on the ground and the use of the vehicle's 100-millimeter and 30-millimeter guns in the fire support role.

Now, the Russian Airborne Forces plan on using the new Bakhcha-UPDS multi-cupola parachute system to drop BMDs with paratroopers already inside. "Immediately after landing, this fighting vehicle with paratroopers inside can accomplish assigned missions, including combat and special assignments. Its ability to quickly leave the parachuting area after landing considerably increases its survivability," Airborne Force Commander Colonel-General Andrei Serdyukov told TASS.

The BMD-4M using the Bakhcha-UPDS can drop with seven paratroopers. The vehicles are being modified to use the new parachute system and new seats for passengers and crew are being installed inside.

This is a bad idea. In the 1989 invasion of Panama, a M551 Sheridan light tank dropped into the country experienced a parachute failure, turning a nearly eight foot tall tank into a three foot tall tank when it hit the ground. Anyone inside would have been killed. Fortunately, U.S. Army regulations specified that the tank crew had to jump separately and link up with their vehicle later. It's simply far too dangerous to drop with crews loaded. If the airdrop goes reasonably well the crew only has to walk a few hundred yards to their vehicle. The crew then removes the parachute, checks the vehicle for damage, mounts up and drives away.

Source: Popular Mechanichs USA