KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, June 27. /TASS/. Russia’s BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles will get extra protection with slat armor and steel screens to shield them against rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Chief Designer of the Special Machine-Building Design Bureau (part of Precision Systems Company) Sergei Abdulov told TASS at the Army-2019 forum on Thursday.

There are plans to sign the relevant contract for the delivery of such armor sets for the Russian troops, the chief designer said.

The Russian military emphasized the need to provide enhanced armor protection for BMP-3 IFVs following the results of Russia’s Syria counter-terror operation, Abdulov explained.

"Inter-agency trials have been held and a contract has actually been signed for the delivery of extra protection sets that include steel screens and slat armor," he said.

The main advantage of the BMP-3 IFV furnished with extra slat armor and screens is that "it is shielded against the impact of high-explosive grenades from rocket-propelled grenade launchers," the chief designer said.

Precision Systems Company is featuring an IFV model with screens all across the vehicle’s body at its display stand at the Army-2019 forum. Such extra armor prevents high-explosive munitions from exploding properly and shaping an explosive charge flow, which, as in the case with RPG-7 grenades, can pierce more than half a meter of steel.

The BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle went into service in 1987. The IFV weighs over 18 tonnes and features the floating capability. The BMP-3 is armed with a 100mm rifled gun capable of firing missiles. The vehicle’s assault force compartment accommodates five personnel.

The Army-2019 military and technical forum runs at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center outside Moscow on June 25-30. According to preliminary estimates, more than 1,300 enterprises and organizations are taking part in the form to feature over 27,000 products and technologies.