Upgraded Sprut anti-tank gun undergoing testing

At Army 2016 Forum one can see self-propelled anti-tank gun Sprut-SD, however in June 2016 state trials of its modernized version Sprut-SDM1 commenced near Pskov, North-West Russia. The armored vehicle is developed by Tractor Plants Concern. According to Vladimir Shamanov, the Russian Airborne Troops Commander quoted by RIA Novosti, artillery units of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division and the specialists of the 3rd Central Research Institute of the Russian Defense Ministry take part in the trials.

The new Sprut-SDM1 is equipped with the 2A75M gun instead of a 125-mm smoothbore 2A75 anti-tank gun. Talking about its characteristics, Tractor Plants corporate newspaper wrote in the beginning of 2016 that the characteristics of 2A75M gun are virtually identical to the 2A46M-5 gun, designed for the T-90A main battle tank. 2A75M gun ammunition load consists of 40 rounds; 22 of them are stored in mechanized rack, 18 - in the additional one. The standard set includes 20 high-explosive rounds, 14 armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles with fin-stabilized core and 6 anti-tank guided missiles. Another advantage of Sprut-SDM1 is the use of advanced digital fire control system, which includes the commander’s panoramic sight with optical, thermal imaging and distance measuring channels, as well as a combined gunner’s sight, which is additionally equipped with a laser missile control channel. Other elements of the system are the automatic target tracking, remote detonation control equipment to blow the shells up on the trajectory and a ballistic computer.