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​Ukrainian Military Told How Their BMP-1TS IFV With 'Spys' RCWS Helps Destroy russians

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30 mm automatic cannon ZTM-1 (2A72) of the Spys RCWS / Screenshot from video by Army TV
30 mm automatic cannon ZTM-1 (2A72) of the Spys RCWS / Screenshot from video by Army TV

The Spys ('Spear' in Ukrainian) remote controlled weapon station (RCWS) is a Ukrainian development, equipped with a modern fire control system

The fighters of the 40th separate coastal defense brigade of the Ukrainian Navy are armed with a BMP-1TS infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), which is armed with the Ukrainian Spys RCWS. In the video of the Army TV, the military told what advantages this vehicle has, which helps them destroy the russian occupation army.

"The [fire control] system is very interesting. In fact, in the modern world, the standard design is a screen, additional switching of cartridges, the number of cartridges, and the control wheel itself. The ballistics are set with this button - that is, when I press it, having previously measured the distance to the target, the RCWS's gun itself determines what angle it should be at in order for the bullet to reach the target," says the BMP-1TS gunner with the call sign "Donetsk".

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He also notes the importance of the presence of stabilization of the remote controlled weapon station, which allows hitting enemy targets while moving. "While driving, if I need to fire, I press a button and the weapon station starts tracking the position of the pre-set target. Accordingly, during the movement, the turret changes its tilt, turns. The vehicle goes its own way, and the turret lives "its own life," the soldier notes.

He also compares the BMP-1TS with the BMP-2 IFV: "During training, we went out with the "deuce" (BMP-2, ed.) together. "The deuce shoots chaotically. This one is all on target. The "deuce" shoots faster, but this one is more accurate."

The BMP-1TS that was presented in the story does not have an ATGM. The military notes that it can be installed if necessary - the car has all the necessary mounts, protection for the launcher, etc.

The Spys remote controlled weapon station of BMP-1TS IFV, Defense Express
The Spys remote controlled weapon station of BMP-1TS IFV / Photo credit: Defense Express

The commander of the armored group of the 1st battalion of the brigade with the call sign "Grizzly" spoke about the peculiarities of the work on the battlefield of armored vehicles:

"We equip ourselves, we prepare the crews - they also rotate, not constantly the same, but one after another. There are also BMP-2 crews, we always have them on backup.

For example, we left with two BMP-1TS, one BMP-2 is already on backup. We encountered a situation where one vehicle was on the mission and de-tracked, and the vehicle had to be pulled from the battlefield."

As the commander says, later they reached the point where they needed to send two vehicles for the mission, in addition, another one must be warmed up so that if necessary it can go to help. "They try to work synchronously, they have different lines, but the last time they left, it turned out well - one worked from one side, the other from the other, to one point".

BMP-1TS IFV is equipped with the Spys RCWS by Techimpex with the Syntez fire control system, which has a new weapon stabilizer, weapons control system and optoelectronic module.

The system implements automatic capture and tracking of targets, during the tests, all shootings were excellently performed.

The development of the Spys RCWS began in 2018 and in 2021 the supply contract of 10 units of BMP-1TS was signed.

As Defense Express reported, the firs footage of the modified BMP-1TS IFV in use with the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces revealed in June 2022.

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