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Russia’s top brass considers switching armor to 57mm caliber firepower

Today, the 30mm caliber gun is the basic diameter of firepower for Russia’s light-and medium-armored vehicles

© Ladislav Karpov/TASS

MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. The Russian engineering company Tecmash and the state hi-tech corporation Rostec are considering replacing 30mm guns with 57mm weapons in Russian armored vehicles’ munitions systems. Russia’s Defense Ministry is also studying this possibility, Tecmash Deputy CEO Alexander Kochkin told TASS on Tuesday.

"We are carrying out an assessment together with Rostec State Corporation and the customer represented by the Defense Ministry is conducting the relevant work," Kochkin said, replying to a question about the possibility for Russian armored vehicles to switch to the 57mm caliber.

Today the 30mm caliber is the basic diameter of guns for Russia’s light-and medium-armored vehicles. The switchover by Russia’s entire armor to the new caliber depends on available financial resources.

"The caliber change will require huge expenses on the upgrade of the operational armament and military hardware," Kochkin explained. That is why, Rostec enterprises are working in this area "on their own initiative," he added.

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Several weapon systems with the new caliber were on display at the Army-2018 defense exhibition in Kubinka near Moscow last year. In particular, Russia featured the Derivatsiya-PVO air defense artillery system based on the chassis of the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle and the promising T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle based on the Armata platform and armed with the Kinzhal combat module containing the 57mm gun and anti-tank missiles.

Alexander Potapov, CEO of the defense manufacturer, Uralvagonzavod, (part of Rostec) said at the recent Milex-2019 arms show that the company had intended to study various options of using 57mm guns for the Air Force, the Army and the Navy.
The Burevestnik Central Research Institute within Uralvagonzavod is engaged in developing the Derivatsiya-PVO anti-aircraft artillery system and the AU-220M ‘Baikail’ 57mm combat module.

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