After battlefield failures, russia has finally acknowledged that its BMD-4M airborne vehicles have almost no armor and are virtually unprotected against most threats. A specialized protection package has been developed, but it hardly resolves the problem.
This conclusion comes from a russian study published on the topic, shared by BTVT.INFO. It notes that the work was based on an analysis of damaged armored vehicles collected at a depot in Dzhankoi, in temporarily occupied Crimea.
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Defense Express noted, that the BMD-4M only has small-arms protection, a compromise made to preserve its low weight for crossing water obstacles and airborne deployment. At the same time, it carries 100mm and 30mm guns, creating a highly explosive combination with very questionable survivability.
With the full-scale russian invasion to Ukraine, this became a major problem, and the only saving grace for the vehicle was a decent combat module. The situation worsened with the widespread use of FPV drones.
To address this, russians proposed adding armored and mesh screens to the frontal, side, and rear parts of the hull. The turret received mesh screens that, together with other additional protection components, do not protect the vehicle from attacks from above.
So, while drones have a harder time hitting the vehicle from the side, nothing prevents strikes from the top, which can easily cause massive explosions due to the placement of large-caliber ammunition inside.
The problems of the BMD-4M lie in its design, which requires it to float, be air-deployable, and carry heavy weapons simultaneously. As a result, its armor suffers, though it is strange that the new additional protection package does not include any counter-drone measures.
Despite all these nuances, the designers of the auxiliary armor were nominated for an award, hinting at how little russians care about practical effectiveness. It would be far more useful to abandon the entire line of airborne combat vehicles, but this seems very unlikely.
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