Who became the winner of the tank biathlon. Weapons of the fatherland, domestic weapons and military equipment (OVT) weapons, military equipment, military-technical collection, current state, history of the development of the defense industry, bastion of military-technical cooperation, Nevsky bastion, magazine, collection, military-industrial complex

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and CEO UVZ Oleg Sienko presenting awards to tank biathlon winners.

"Tank biathlon-2016", held in Alabino, came to an end. He summed up a justified and well-deserved result: our tanks and crews are practically out of competition.

The first competitions, which were proposed to be held regularly in Alabino in 2013 by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, were held with the participation of crews from only three countries: Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia. In 2016, participants of the previous years met again at the biathlon and new ones arrived, from almost two dozen countries. There are 121 teams in total, and there are total strength amounted to three and a half thousand people. Compared to 2015, their number has doubled.

No tank claims.

Oleg Sienko in an interview with the press noted that general level professionalism differs markedly from the degree of preparedness demonstrated by the military of past years. He also expressed hope that in the future the corporation will be able to present crews with drivers working for UVZ. He noted that the teams had no complaints about tanks, which is very important. When the market is full of competitors' products, given fact serves as an additional positive recommendation for the corporation on the market, especially during its promotion.

In the rivalry of the army, the Sakhalin crew of the 39th separate motorized rifle brigade won. Its commander, Major General Ruslan Dzeitov, was rightfully proud of the victory, as he proved by deed that his crew was one of the best in the world. The big country Russia honored the winners of the international army games "ARMI - 2016". They were greeted with congratulations and words of gratitude not only by friends and relatives, but also by the leaders of the regions, noting their skill and fighting spirit, their ability to win.

The gratitude of the command was generous, as always: UAZ-Patriot jeeps have already become a traditional prize, which is given by the Uralvagonzavod corporation as the first among the best. The head of the corporation, Oleg Sienko, expressed his personal gratitude to the champions and personally handed over the keys to the cars.

Oleg Sienko has been the head of NPK Uralvagonzavod for seven years. He has been awarded government awards more than once, has medals and orders (“For Merit to the Fatherland”), has topped the list of the best managers in Russia three times (review of the Kommersant publication), winner of numerous awards in his industry.

It was he who stood at the beginning of the development and launch in the workshops of the Uralvagonzavod corporation of a production line for debugging and serial production of the Armata tank, as well as other novelties of both military and civilian equipment.

The world's elite snipers

"Tank Biathlon" managed to gain great popularity in a short time not only in our country, but throughout the world, attracting the press and spectators to the stands and to TV screens. This is not just a tournament, but part of a lot of painstaking work in the preparation of large-scale military games "ARMI-2016". They demonstrate the strength, morale and power of the army and give an idea of ​​the leadership among the military at the international level.

Tanks go to biathlon from training grounds that are directly connected with Uralvagonzavod. Being a supplier and manufacturer of tanks, its engineers, technologists and, first of all, the head Oleg Sienko, are in constant contact with the military, introducing all the achievements into the production chain modern science and technology.

The games require careful preparation, its course and scope can be assessed if you know that only at the preliminary stage 70,000 soldiers and specialists of various levels, including tank crews, were involved. There were more than 3,000 of the latter at the qualifying exercises.

Number of participants per qualifying stage competitions increased due to changes in the rules of the Games, which was noted by the head of the combat training department of the Ground Forces Evgeny Poplavsky. The changes affected both the relay race and the race itself: the number of target shooting has increased, and adjustments have been made to the competition conditions for BMP crews.

In total, there are 23 types of disciplines in the program of the Games. All types of troops were preparing for them, and throughout Russia, as well as on the three seas (Black, Baltic and Caspian), military units from marines and paratroopers competed. Snipers competed in Kazakhstan.

Oleg Sienko noted that the production of modernized T-72B3 tanks produced by UVZ, which were prepared specifically for increased loads, was timed to coincide with these games. Compared to the previous car, the tank received the most important thing - a powerful engine of 1130 hp. With. (was 840). Also installed in the car: automatic system gears, a panoramic device with thermal imaging for the commander and a traffic control system that can tell you in time when a particular node is in a critical mode.

During the preparation of the 2016 Games, Oleg Sienko repeatedly received convincing evidence of the reliability and accuracy of tanks manufactured by the Uralvagonzavod corporation. Tanks led by crews from Russia and Serbia, India and Kuwait, Mongolia and Iran, Nicaragua and Greece and other countries easily took on obstacles: concrete walls and fords, climbed the escarpment, accurately shot at targets. In total, according to the conditions of the competition, it was necessary to walk from three to five kilometers, shooting at targets. The final result included taking into account the time for which the distance was covered, and the accuracy of shooting. The Russian military noted that the Chinese and representatives of Kazakhstan became the strongest rivals for them.

The winners of the current season of the Games received awards and keys to ATVs, cars, and other valuable prizes from the hands of Sergei Shoigu and Oleg Sienko. But the organizers promise that there will be more awards next season. Colonel General Oleg Salyukov, Commander-in-Chief ground forces Russian Federation, noted that representatives of any countries will be able to participate in the Games, and equipment can arrive from abroad.

Durability and ruggedness

At least thirty specialists of the corporation took part in the process of preparing the event in shifts. Higher military leadership and team leaders noted quality work"Uralvagonzavod" and the excellent management of its leader Oleg Sienko. Independent experts and heads of foreign delegations agreed that the level of biathlon training deserves the highest praise and maximum appreciation, and without their work, the transition to the next stage would be impossible.

They note the improvement in the quality of equipment and its maintenance, they are impressed by the maneuverability of the tanks, as well as the irreducible level of productivity. The success of management (and this affects personal success Oleg Sienko and the team selected by him) that all the obstacles, problems or discrepancies that arose during the work did not cause senseless disputes, but were eliminated in the shortest possible time.

Armored vehicles produced by the corporation have proven themselves from the very better side, attracting the attention of an increasing number of representatives of foreign firms and organizations. They demonstrated at the training grounds the power and coherence of control systems, reliability, unpretentiousness in conditions close to combat. A member of the Mongolian team noted that the equipment is easy to operate and does not require complex repairs if necessary.

Much cheaper than similar tanks

Almost all participants in the competition - from soldiers to generals - noted the high reliability of tanks manufactured by Uralvagonzavod. Oleg Sienko also spoke about a very significant detail: our vehicles are six or seven times cheaper than foreign tanks of the same level. This is if we talk about the T-72B3 tank. Another model - the T-90 - is supplied to our army at a price that is 5 times lower than on the foreign market.

Oleg Salyukov also stressed that the military has repeatedly expressed gratitude to the specialists of Uralvagonzavod for the equipment - Oleg Sienko personally and the entire team as a whole. He singled out such a remarkable moment: the technique is mastered very quickly. For example, in tank biathlon, the Azerbaijani team in target shooting showed best time on the 72b3 tank, which speaks of excellent qualities: ease of use and an excellent control system.

Oleg Sienko also noted the potential of tanks, saying that the T-72 and T-90 are much higher in terms of survivability on the battlefield, in terms of combat endurance and potential, than tanks produced in other countries. And the price-quality ratio of the Uralvagonzavod corporation is unrivaled.

Further work is devoted to the service

Noting progress made, the head of the corporation emphasized in conversations and interviews with the press that the concern of the company in the future lies in the field of after-sales service, since such an important export item as military equipment, including flamethrower and artillery, should not be left without attention. The most important thing for those who purchase it is the possibility of service.

High specifications tank export potential of the corporation was appreciated and noted by the trainer from Mongolia Gantsukh Erdenetsogsh, lieutenant Batkhtsu Batgisrgal and the crew commander. Oleg Sienko, General Director of UVZ, confirmed that one of the components of security armored vehicles is her mobility.

Russian participants and winners in biathlon expressed special gratitude not only to Oleg Sienko as an excellent leader, but also to the entire UVZ team. They noted the simple elegance, reliability and strength of the equipment, the victory came due to the skill of the crews and the quality of the armored vehicles. They also noted with satisfaction that if earlier Chinese tanks were ahead of ours in speed, now Russian cars left them behind.

About Army Games 2016 in numbers

• Armament units - more than 700.
• The consumption of fuels and lubricants is about 16 thousand tons.
• Ammunition spent - 150 thousand.
• The audience is over half a million.
• More than 7 thousand participated in the competitions of mechanics-drivers.

Design features of offensive defense

If at the last year’s Games Belarus and China, represented by their crews, shared the victory with Russia, then at the 2016 games our team was out of competition, and this, of course, is not only the merit of the military, but also a reflection of the fact that the corporation under the leadership of Sienko constantly working to improve product quality.

All teams competed on Russian T-72s and infantry fighting vehicles, only the Chinese used their own equipment. Belarus also used its armored vehicles, also produced by the corporation, in some types of competitions.

Chinese technology, as mentioned above, surpassed our tanks in speed. This year, Chinese specialists arrived on their modernized Type 99 machine, which are equipped elite units. also in Chinese army Type 96B is used, in the design of which many technical finds of tanks are applied Soviet period. One of the Chinese military experts said that they are not inferior to the technology of Russia or the United States.

He is probably not familiar with such novelties of technology as the Armata, as well as the T-90. These machines are also produced by the corporation headed by Sienko. Application of the laser system active protection can disable electronic systems, deprive their crews of the ability to see.

The weapons they have combat vehicles, impressive: 125 mm smoothbore gun with coaxial machine gun, 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The T-99 tank is also armed with the most modern system firing.

And although Chinese tanks are equipped with last word military equipment, their cost is an order of magnitude higher than ours, they are expensive even in order to mass-produce it for the Chinese army. Therefore, Oleg Sienko rightly believes that they fall out of the list of competitors, especially since they do not surpass cars made in Russia.

The very good training of our crews was also noted by the head of the corporation. He said that if last year our team easily won the competition, then at the current biathlon it turned out to be daunting task. Sienko also noted that such a victory spurs competition, making the tasks of production workers more interesting, encouraging them to creative breakthroughs.

About the incentive to upgrade

The fact that the Games within the framework of army competitions are becoming more and more popular is undeniable, and their results are a measure for the decisions that many armies of the world make in their development. The Belarusian team can serve as an example. She competed in Russian technology and managed to get ahead of the Chinese in the semifinals. Their modernized version of the machine - T-72BM was produced at Uralvagonzavod back in those days when Oleg Sienko was not the head of the enterprise. The new development of the plant, a thermal imaging device for aimed fire, is its main innovation, which helped to go through all the stages of the difficult path of competition almost “excellently”.

Sienko has repeatedly focused on the fact that, despite the widespread opinion about the uselessness of modernizing armies and especially tanks, they will be a relevant component in all the armies of the world for a long time to come. Therefore, new samples and modernization of machines already in production are once again becoming the main priorities of the corporation. They receive worldwide recognition and new orders: an order for 200 vehicles has been placed in Algeria. The country is also considering the possibility of buying a license to assemble tanks on its own territory.

Recent events in the countries of the Middle East have clearly shown that a tank is indispensable on the battlefield even in the presence of serious losses due to the use of anti-tank weapons. In addition, tanks get a run-in in combat conditions, clearly demonstrating reliability: when hit by an American anti-tank missile in the T-90, the tank suffered little damage and was quickly restored.

This fact is well understood by Sienko as the head of the corporation, constantly keeping control over how the machines are modernized in order not only to meet world standards, but also to get ahead of them.

Excellent technique for craftsmen

The world level of tank building by 70% is an indicator of the work of UVZ. General Director Oleg Sienko says that the corporation is not going to cede the championship. He personally takes part in the development of this project. He also stressed that the car, on which he personally accelerated to a speed of 80 km / h, does not tolerate neglect or inept attitude. This car is not for those who just joined the army for military service, but for professionals in their field. For those to whom the army has become a daily job, who are passionate about their work and know how to handle equipment.

It is worth talking a little about technology that can not only protect or destroy, but also build. For example, a new excavator has been developed, which the Chinese are interested in. It is being prepared for serial production next year and its cost is an order of magnitude lower than similar foreign products. And what is important, Sienko stressed, all components are made in Russia.

Another trading partner important for UVZ is India. The corporation has signed a memorandum stating that the products will receive promotion and support in India. And not only military, but also civilian equipment. A trial batch of wagons has already been sent to a distant country, of which a lot will be required for the railway development program.

For the domestic consumer, Uralvagonzavod delivered tram cars to the capital, significantly reducing the price - by 20%.

Sergey Petrov

“The armor is strong and our tanks are fast” - these famous lines from the “March Soviet tankers”, written back in 1938, have not lost their relevance even today when summing up the results of the International Tank Biathlon, which took place at the Alabino training ground near Moscow as part of the International Army Games-2016. Russian military specialists once again demonstrated their mastery of armored vehicles and won a well-deserved victory in the final of the relay, leaving behind the most experienced crews from China, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The intensity of the struggle at all stages of the competition sometimes exceeded the Brazilian Olympic passions, as evidenced by tens of thousands of spectators in the stands of the tankodrome (about 25 thousand guests were present at the final alone) and millions of television fans. The “founding father” of this military-applied sport, Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, hundreds of Russian and foreign military leaders and military experts watched the course of the decisive battle with great attention and undisguised excitement.

The geography of the countries participating in the world championship in tank biathlon (such a status has long been assigned to the Alabinsky competitions by Russian and foreign experts) this year covered almost all continents. Crews from 17 countries took part in the official program: Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Venezuela, Angola, Belarus, Iran, Azerbaijan, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Mongolia, India, Serbia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Tajikistan. For comparison: teams from 4 countries participated in the races in 2013, in 2014 there were already 12 of them, in 2015 there were 13 teams.

Each of the teams consisted of 24 people, including the head of the national team, four tank crews of 3 people each (one spare crew), two coaches and a technical support department consisting of 6 specialists. Out of competition, three Veterans League crews representing DOSAAF of Russia and made up of reserve servicemen took part in the races. By the way, as part of military training for citizens in the reserve, it would be possible to complete the best teams of reservists for their subsequent participation in such competitions of the district, Russian and international levels. As one of the devoted fans of tank biathlon, in the recent past, an experienced mechanic driver of the famous Kantemirovskaya division, Artem Vorobyov, said: “Former colleagues and I are in constant contact, improving our tactical skills through virtual tank battles. If the opportunity presented itself, many of my former colleagues would have undergone a real retraining and, I am sure, would not lose face at their native training ground during army competitions. In addition, almost all teams (except China and Belarus) performed on the most reliable T72B3 machines presented by the host. “These tanks have been in service with us for more than 30 years and have not lost their combat readiness and demand, the deputy chairman shares his opinion. public organization"Officers of Russia" Odintsovo district Vladimir Marennikov. The most important thing in these competitions is the solidarity of tank crews, mutual assistance, the ability to fire and lead the tank to the finish line.

It should be noted that not only the servicemen of the four Russian military districts, but also specialists of the national defense industry were carefully preparing for the tank championship. Through the efforts of the engineers of the Uralvagon-Zavod corporation, a new modification of the T-72 tank (or its "biathlon" version of the T-72B) was created specifically for the competition, the modernized model T72-B3, which differs from serial samples in increased reliability, increased engine power (up to 1130 l . with.), significant improvements in the undercarriage and tracks. A digital chassis control system was installed on the tank, which provides automated control of the operation of the power plant, transmission and automatic gear shifting modes, an additional aiming and fire control system, as well as advanced video viewing devices.

The new version of the combat armored vehicle, which practically failed at the Alabinsky training ground, was highly appreciated by both Russian and foreign participants in the competition, as well as independent military experts. “This is a trouble-free, combat-ready machine,” says the coach of the Mongolian team, Gantsukh Erdenetsogsh. The main advantage is reliability and simplicity. It can be easily driven and, if necessary, repaired. A similar opinion is shared by the coach and captain of the Azerbaijani team Bakhtyar Mammadov and Rashat Atakshayev: “The machine has become stronger. A powerful motor, a different radio station, an improved control system, which positively affects the accuracy of hitting. The tank is now more comfortable." “All stages of the T72B3 are going well, says Ivan Lagutin, head of communications of the mechanized battalion of the Republic of Belarus. The best tanks are the tanks of the Ural-wagon-factory. Ashton Mlinden, an independent expert on military affairs in South Africa, emphasized the speed and the possibility of long-term maneuvering of the Russian vehicle.

Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation, also spoke about the reliability of our tanks when summing up the results of the relay race: “Until now, I have shown very good results Chinese tank. All crews compete on our vehicles, except for the Chinese team, they use their own vehicles, and favorably outperformed in speed. Now we are ahead of them.”

Chinese colleagues brought to the championship their own novelty, a deeply modernized Type 96B tank with power plant increased power and an improved air supply system, a new transmission, as well as new tracks. AT official documents a clearly underestimated engine power of a Chinese car of 1000 hp was declared. (according to experts, this figure does not match at least 200 positions). These innovations allowed crews from the Celestial Empire to develop simply cosmic speeds at the training ground. However, in the final race, the tank of our main competitors lost one of the road wheels when passing through the "comb".

Partners from Belarus brought their modernized version of the T-72, equipped with the SosnaU optoelectronic aiming system and a wind sensor, produced at the enterprises of the union state. The engine power of the tanks presented by them did not exceed 840 hp, which, however, did not prevent the Belarusian tankers from leaving Chinese competitors behind at certain stages.

For reference: German Leopard 2A5, Leopard 2A6, Italian Ariete, Slovenian M-84 (modernized T-72) and American Abrams M1A2SEP take part in such competitions of NATO countries. However, these competitions do not have a “biathlon” component and are more reminiscent of tactical maneuvers with target practice. And most importantly, they do not have those wrestling, emotional intensity and team spirit that have been distinguishing the international tank competitions held in Russia for several years now.

From the first meters of a more than sixteen-kilometer distance, the crew of the Chinese People's Republic, trying to take advantage of the heavy-duty engine of his armored vehicle. The Russian team, consisting of tank commander Senior Lieutenant Artem Kirillov, driver junior sergeant Stepan Gavrilov, representing the Western Military District, and gunner-operator Sergeant Konstantin Vertunov from the Eastern Military District, are chasing, trying not only to catch up with the opponent, but also to try to make a certain touched on the high-speed section of the relay race determined by lot for our tankers.

Russian tank at the first firing line, flanking cannon fire. The last shot, the exhalation of regret of thousands of spectators, there is one miss. Before that, the Kazakh crew made three unforgivable mistakes at once and became a temporary outsider of the race. The Chinese are sniper accurate.

The second shooting of the Russians from an anti-aircraft machine gun. Artem Kirillov, as befits an experienced and cold-blooded commander, hits the “helicopter” and “ATGM” of a mock enemy. But the Chinese are literally stepping on their heels. Both teams approach the third line almost simultaneously. Our shooting from a coaxial machine gun 3 accurate hits. The main rival unexpectedly “lost sight” one miss, a penalty circle and almost a minute lag in the transfer of the stage. Third with a significant lag so far are Belarusians.

Separately, mention should be made of the new regulations for tank competitions. The championship was divided into three main stages: an individual race with the participation of all teams, a relay semi-final with 12 participants and a final relay competition. 3 crews from each team took part in individual races. In races with an interval of 12 minutes, 4 crews started, which had to overcome 3 circles of 35 km each, firing from a cannon with three standard artillery shots at 3 tank targets, from an anti-aircraft machine gun at a conventional helicopter and an ATGM, from a coaxial machine gun at 3 manual imputation anti-tank grenade launcher enemy. The results of the teams were made up of the total time for passing the distance and the number of penalty points accrued.

According to the rules of the competition, 10 penalty points were awarded for each knocked down (touched) obstacle pole (limiter), 30 for movement without speed reduction up to 5 km/h for 510 meters before the scarp.

At a distance, the tankers had to overcome a whole series of serious artificial obstacles: a section of obstacles and maneuvering, a ford, a rut passage to the cost center, a mound, a fire lane, an anti-tank ditch with a passage, a model of a rut bridge, a comb, an scarp, a slope.

The twelve teams with the most points in the individual race advanced to the relay semi-finals.

The very first individual races refuted the opinions of skeptics about the lack of competition in modern tank biathlon. The Russian team with the result of 23 min. 18 p. expectedly came in her debut start to the finish line first, but the Indian crew (2 minutes behind) was ahead of the Kazakh colleagues, who were considered one of the favorites of the competition. In the third run, the team of Belarus excelled, but its result was 26 minutes. 58 p. was by no means a grandmaster. In the sixth race, another crew of the Union State was only 7 seconds ahead of the tankers from Armenia. In the confrontation between Kazakh and Belarusian colleagues, the first ones prevailed with a confident two-minute lead. In the face-to-face confrontation between Russia and China in the 12th race, our colleagues won a confident victory, showing an excellent time of passing the distance of 21 minutes. 3 s., the remaining record of the current championship.

Based on the results of the team standings of individual races, the leadership was taken by the team of the People's Republic of China (two of its crews confidently placed on the first lines of the podium), followed by Russia (3rd and 4th positions) and Kazakhstan, Belarus remained fifth, letting the Indian team go ahead. The list of the twelve strongest was closed by the team of Angola.

The best Russian crew was a team assembled from representatives of the 39th Separate Red Banner Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps of the Eastern Military District, which received bronze awards.

“Don't despair,” reassured the gray-haired veteran tanker sitting nearby on the podium, who never missed a single race. The Russians have always been strong in their team spirit. Every dog ​​has his day. After all, ahead of the relay!”

From the chronology of the tank relay final

At the second stage, the Russian crew, consisting of tank commander senior lieutenant Pavel Martyanov, gunner-operator junior sergeant Yevgeny Yazhgunovich and driver junior sergeant Artem Ubiennykh, representing the Eastern Military District, has a small handicap in front of the nearest pursuer. But the trio of “virtuosos of armored vehicles” that is absolutely the best according to the results of individual races, is playing for the Chinese team. The Russians pass the high-speed section perfectly, but they make an unfortunate miss at the firing line, one tank target remains undefeated. Meanwhile, the Chinese put all three cannon charges exactly on target and break into the lead.

But there is a hole in the old woman too. Announced as a supertank, the Celestial Type 96В unexpectedly loses one of its road wheels when passing the comb. However, without waiting for a spare car, the Chinese continue to confidently lead the race, demonstrating to the whole world the margin of safety of their even partially damaged car. Belarusians, although far behind, hold the third position.

Shooting Russians from an anti-aircraft machine gun and again one unfortunate miss. But the penalty loop cannot be avoided, and the Chinese also suffered one setback at the firing line. However, the rivals are still ahead. A quick change of tank to spare, and they again lead the race. Artem Ubiennykh squeezes the maximum out of his native “seventy-two”. The leading teams approach the third shooting range almost simultaneously. Yevgeny Yazhgunovich's shots fall right on target. But the Chinese snipers confirm their high qualifications.

One of the climaxes of the Chinese race is coming (new after a forced replacement) and Russian tanks simultaneously break out into a straight wide open space. It's time for a real battle between drivers and engines. Artem Ubiennykh, using all the power of the unique offspring of the Ural defense industry, classically bypasses Celestial Hope on the left flank, breaking away a hundred and a half meters from the formidable pursuer. And the Chinese crew ... goes to the penalty loop. The jury recognized the failure of the tank as the fault of the crew, and the time to replace it did not compensate.

The rules of this most spectacular stage of the competition provide tank battle three crews from each team, changing during the stages. Representatives of the four teams start at the same time and go through four circles (35 km long), overcoming obstacles and hitting targets at three firing lines. In this case, the sequence of shooting is determined by lot.

Each of the teams must overcome the section of the high-speed race, carry out flank firing from a cannon at three targets on the move, hit two targets with an anti-aircraft machine gun and three targets with a coaxial machine gun. In case of inaccurate shooting, penalties are awarded for each miss. An additional 500 meters of distance is also punished for errors by drivers. The requirements for passing the track are incredibly strict. A penalty circle is added to the crew in cases of stopping at a ford, rolling back when entering the opposite bank or bypassing it; for reversing, stalling from the layout of the track bridge or bypassing it; for stopping at a mound or escarpment; for touching the side wall of an anti-tank ditch with a passage, which led to damage that did not affect the movement of the combat vehicle; for moving without slowing down, stopping on an anti-tank ditch with a passage; for hitting a mine of a rut passage in a mine-explosive barrier; for a stop on a slope; for driving with an open hatch and violating the procedure for unloading weapons.

A more serious penalty (two additional laps) is provided for violation of security measures: starting to move or shooting without the command of the chief referee; firing by the crew with open hatches beyond the side protection zones outside the line of opening and ceasefire; tank movement when crew members did not take their regular places; loading ammunition with the engine running.

In the relay race, the crew must demonstrate all their shooting skills and, on the move, hit 3 “Tank” targets with artillery fire (frontal imitation of armored vehicles at ground level with dimensions of 2.37x3.42 m at a distance of 1600 to 1800 m); to knock out 3 RPG targets from a coaxial machine gun (imitation of the calculations of an enemy hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher with dimensions of 0.85x0.85 m at a distance of 600 to 800 m); from an anti-aircraft machine gun to hit the target "Helicopter" ( front projection at a height of 12 m with dimensions of 3.2x3.8 m at a distance of 800 to 1000 m) and an ATGM target (frontal projection of an anti-tank gun with dimensions of 1.1x1.5 m at a distance of 800 to 1000 m).

As expected by the experts, all the favorites of the competition at the stage of the semi-finals brilliantly coped with these most difficult tasks. In the very first race, the Chinese team outperformed their competitors without any problems and showed a grandmaster result of 1 hour 45 minutes. 55 p. However, in the next four, our Belarusian friends surpassed this time by almost 4 seconds, leaving behind the Kazakh team, which was more than three minutes behind. But the audience was most interested in the third race with the participation of the Russian team. And our tankers did not let us down, only 1 hour 39 minutes and 50 seconds it took them to overcome this super-heavy distance. For a whole 20 minutes they "brought" the team of India, which became the second in the race. Tribunes applauded the skill of domestic crews. As Artem Vorobyov, a former tanker from Kantemirov, who closely follows the course of the competition, exclaimed at the end of the race: “Russian guys always harness longer, but they drive much faster. Affects cool army training. Russian tankers have always been, are and will be the best in the world!” However, the victorious reports were still far away. Ahead is the most difficult final of the relay race with the participation of Chinese, Belarusian and Kazakh national teams eager for revenge.

From the chronology of the tank relay final

Our finisher in this dramatic race is a tank crew consisting of commander senior sergeant Alexei Cheban, gunner-operator senior sergeant Alexander Tobodyakov and driver junior sergeant Sergei Bronnikov (all represent the Eastern Military District). This well-coordinated "mechanized trio" (in the individual race remained below the line of winners, but took an honorable fourth place) went to the distance with almost a minute advantage over rivals from China. The third to pass the baton are Belarusian tank crews.

The first shooting of the Chinese from a coaxial machine gun, all the cartridges fall right on target. The Russians, after passing the high-speed section, also methodically and clearly shoot tank targets. Opponents for the umpteenth time almost simultaneously approach the second firing line. The moment of truth is coming for our shooters. Sergei Cheban two well-aimed shots from an anti-aircraft machine gun it hits two targets, but the Chinese gunner leaves no chance for the tanks of a mock enemy. The "war of engines" begins again.

Starting to shoot from a coaxial machine gun, Alexander Tobodyakov probably felt how formidable rivals were resting on his back. But he did not flinch, as if he hit all the targets. The shooting of the Chinese commander "helicopter" is hit, the last target of the "ATGM" shot remains unaffected. The main rivals go to “rewind” the penalty loop. In the meantime, Russian biathletes are racing at full speed towards their fourth victory in the history of this military-applied sport. The last minefield, an anti-tank ditch and the Russian crew, to the enthusiastic cries of the fans, breaks into the square under the stands of the Alabinsky training ground that has become famous all over the world. The best tank crews of Russia “brought” the Chinese team to their closest competitors for more than two minutes and were almost 12 minutes ahead of the third team from Kazakhstan.

“Our team completed the task 100 percent. We have proved once again that Russia is a worthy opponent,” Pavel Martyanov, commander of one of the crews, said after the race. “There is no place for emotions on the training ground. Perfect discipline and team cohesion is the key to success. Everyone must act in concert,” other members of our victorious team supported their commander.

Russian tankers once again confirmed the title of the best in their profession at major international competitions. At the closing ceremony of the International Army Games in 2016, awards in this category were presented by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu and the General Director of the Uralvagonzavod corporation Oleg Sienko. The winners, along with well-deserved medals, received the keys to modern UAZpatriot cars. Silver medals and valuable gifts were awarded to representatives of the Chinese team, "bronze" from Kazakhstan. Aleksey Cheban and his comrades Alexander Tobodyakov and Sergey Bronnikov were recognized as the most coordinated crew.

Representatives of the Russian defense department, who closely followed the course of the competition, learned a lot useful information, which will undoubtedly be used in the preparation of new requirements for manuals on combat training of types and branches of troops, as well as types of weapons and military equipment. According to the head of the Main Directorate of Combat Training of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Ivan Buvaltsev, the proposed innovations are objectively due to the experience gained during the International Army Games, and, in particular, the tank biathlon stages. According to him, the new requirements for the combat training of military personnel have already planned a significant reduction in the time for performing live firing, as well as increased standards for the ammunition supply of crews.

“Each of the tank biathlon competitions made adjustments to the “Courses of shooting requirements” adopted for the tank units of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the veteran of the tank forces, editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, Viktor Murakhovsky, is sure. Competitions are far from real fighting. For example, it is impossible to see the firing of a tank while moving on top speed, swampy terrain or highway driving. On the other hand, clear regulatory requirements for passing the stages of the distance reveal other secrets - the specific preparedness of tank crews. The year before last, I managed to get acquainted with the summary data of the shooting of the biathlon teams, and they turned out to be worse than “satisfactory”. It was after this that Sergei Shoigu demanded that his subordinates not save on ammunition. The intensity of the use of armored vehicles in the course of various exercises has also increased. Today, none of them can do without tanks and their practical application.

According to the expert, the development of new requirements is impossible without a comparative analysis of what and how is happening in other armies. In this regard, tank biathlon competitions are a unique opportunity not only to test yourself, but also to compare your methods with other armies.

According to Colonel General Sergei Maev, who previously headed the Main Armored Directorate of the RF Ministry of Defense: “An ordinary tank crew uses its equipment by no more than 60%. The competitive moment is able to increase the effectiveness of its combat use up to 8090%. Soldiers go all-in for victory. This moment deserves analysis in order to make changes to combat training plans, create new methods for training tank crews, and clarify firing courses. Only in the course of direct comparison can one understand the strengths and weak sides, draw conclusions and make adjustments to their own combat training plans.

Particularly the participants of the competition noted the technical side of their organization. More than 30 specialists from Uralvagonzavod were engaged in maintenance of vehicles and training of crews. “Last year we were unable to cross the ford,” says Colonel Dragan Bojic, head of the Serbian delegation. There were no such problems this year. Each issue that arose was resolved in 510 minutes. Without such assistance, our crew would not have been able to move on to the next stages.”

Let's hope that the future tank biathlon world championships, traditionally held in Alabin near Moscow, will be even more representative, competitive and spectacular. Especially with the participation of teams from the North Atlantic Alliance. According to the organizers of the competition, since 2013 they have been inviting representatives of the NATO armed forces to fight at a tank training ground near Moscow, but they stubbornly keep silent. Meanwhile, fair competition on Olympic principles with the leading Western powers could not only raise the level of international army games, but also help strengthen mutual understanding between peoples and defuse international tension.

“The military needs to show their skills somewhere,” General of the Army Sergei Shoigu said at the closing ceremony of Army Games 2016. There are two places for this: one of them, as you understand, is war. Another is our International Army Games. That is why I am absolutely convinced that their geography will grow. The number of teams this year is 2.5 times more than last year. About 3.5 thousand specialists arrived different professions: pilots and sailors, scouts and paratroopers, artillerymen and engineers, sappers and dog handlers, doctors, all those who in one way or another are engaged in military affairs, military affairs. I would like to thank you for the work and service aimed at ensuring the security of your countries. I would very much like us to meet only on these fields, on the fields of such competitions.

Andrey PETROCHININ