Russia rebrands BMPT Terminator amid battlefield setbacks
Reports about the Kremlin's planned name change of the heavy combat support vehicle BMPT Terminator to something "more familiar to Russians" have turned out to be true. Although this machine is still presented as a superweapon, the war in Ukraine has significantly exposed its weaknesses.
In an official statement issued by Rostec, three of the most interesting proposals selected by the heads of the corporation were presented, along with a reminder of the most important capabilities of this vehicle. However, Ukrainian and Western analysts have repeatedly noted that the BMPT Terminator has been brutally exposed during the ongoing war, and a new name may not hide its problems.
Russian BMPT Terminator to get a new name
The proposals listed by Rostec for the new name of the BMPT Terminator are "Dobrinja", "STIM", and "Pierieswiet". None of them are arbitrary.
In the case of "STIM," the Russians directly state that it is an acronym for "Sojuz Tanka i Masziny" (Union of Tank and Machine/Vehicle). "Dobrinja" is most likely a reference to Dobrynia, the great prince of the Novgorod Rus or Dobrynia - the voivode and tutor of the great prince Vladimir. "Pierieswiet" seems to be a reference to Alexander Peresvet, a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church.
According to Uralvagonzavod board member Igor Meshkov, "the issue of abandoning the American name of the powerful Russian machine has long been raised in society". In February of this year, information emerged suggesting that the Kremlin decided to abandon the name referring to American pop culture and ordered the search for "something more dignified".
BMPT Terminator is intimidating only on paper
Rostec, in its propaganda statement, claims that "the BMPT can easily remove everything in its path: from infantry and lightly armoured vehicles to tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers".
However, such assurances by Russians do not reflect reality. Clashes with Ukrainians have highlighted the weaknesses of this Russian vehicle and showed that the BMPT Terminator is not a superweapon but an impressive flop, sometimes even criticized by Russians themselves.
The BMPT Terminator is heavily armed, with two 30 mm calibre cannons, two 40 mm calibre grenade launchers, a machine gun, and four Ataka-T guided anti-tank missile launchers. However, clashes in Ukraine have shown that it is significantly less armoured than the designers presented. Another problem is its operation by a large crew (five people), which was once criticized by the author of the Topwar.ru website, Yevgeny Fedorov. Among the significantly larger problems than the name, Western analysts also cite the susceptibility to electronic malfunctions and costly, complicated repairs.
