MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS/. Russia’s TsNIITochMash defense contractor (part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec) is planning to resume work on the promising 45 mm telescoped munitions for small-caliber guns mounted on light armored vehicles, TsNIITochMash CEO Albert Bakov told Izvestia daily on Thursday.

"We also want to decide on 45mm telescoped rounds. Unfortunately, this work was suspended. The task for the small-caliber gun has not been solved yet. We are working on this issue," the chief executive said.

Today either 30 mm automatic canons or 57 mm automated combat modules developed by the Burevestnik Central Research Institute (part of the Uralvagonzavod defense group) are offered for Russian light armored vehicles. However, 45 mm guns are more advantageous by the number of munitions aboard the armor and the ammunition stowage, Bakov said.

Such systems are being actively developed in Western countries and so Russia should not lag behind in this area, he stressed. Compared to traditional rounds, a telescoped munition has its propelling charge made in the form of a case tube, inside which a projective is placed.

The use of telescoped munitions in the guns of light armored vehicles ease the problems of placing the ammunition suite on armored vehicles, which grow more acute as the caliber of projectiles increase. In tank shells, this scheme helps give up the gun’s separate loading, which boosts the rate of fire.