Commanders!
Today we’d like to tell you more about the first vehicle from the upcoming Battle Path – the BKM-1.
As usual, a little bit of history first.
The name BKM-1 stands for “Boyevaya Kontrateroristicheskaya Mashina” – “combat anti-terrorist vehicle” and represents a simplified version of an early BMPT variant (known in the game as Ramka-99) from the early 2000s, the history of which is described in a dedicated article.
While the concept of the vehicle might seem the same at first glance, the idea behind BKM-1 is a bit different. Military-wise, the early 2000s were the time of the world waking up from the End of History dream to the War on Terror reality – and not just in the West. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, ethnic unrest began in the Caucasus, leading to (amongst other things) two Chechen wars and multiple terrorist attacks in Russia itself. To combat this threat, multiple measures were considered, including a dedicated vehicle for low intensity counter-insurgency operations.
The BMPT platform was considered as one of the options for the purpose. The main (and immediately visible) change is the replacement of anti-tank guided missiles with two banks of 80mm S-8 unguided rockets launched directly from long tubes in rapid succession.
This would allow the vehicle to absolutely devastate buildings and other entrenched positions – far better so than larger guided missiles would. At the same time, this didn’t require the installation of expensive targeting computers – an important aspect as the early 2000s were not a good time for the Russian military budget that just got out of the worst.
The protection level would also be improved by adding extra Relikt ERA elements both to the front and adding extra crew hatch protection plates to make them more durable.
The (unnecessary for the purpose of the vehicle) fuel capacity would also be reduced (and moved to armored fuel tanks), leaving more place for grenade launcher ammunition. And the vehicle would feature an improved Purga-3 smoke grenade system with 360 degree cover.
The other elements would remain the same compared to the regular BMPT, including the tank hull (with two grenade launchers operated by a crewmember each) and the unmanned turret armed with two 30mm 2A42 autocannons.
Last but not least, the vehicle would be equipped with a Pelena-6 jammer (those are the “horns” in front) that turned out to be an effective tool against one of the primary weapons terrorists would use – improvised explosive devices (IEDs). That’s what the theory was, anyway. What happened to the project is not entirely clear but it no prototype was ever built and the idea remained on paper only.
In Armored Warfare, the BKM-1 will be a Tier 7 Premium Tank Destroyer.
As you can probably guess from the design, the BKM-1 will essentially be a Tier 7 Terminator, replacing the guided missiles with rapid-firing (but relatively inaccurate) rocket launchers.
The protection level will be similar to that of Ramka-99, although the BKM-1 features a few changes:
- There are additional “soft” ERA elements on its sides
- There are thin spaced armor covers on top of the hatches
- The vehicle features improved smoke grenades with 360 degree cover
The firepower consists of the standard twin 2A42 autocannons (but with reduced rate of fire at 700 RPM) and the S-8 launchers.
The S-8 launchers have 15 tubes on each side (therefore, 30 in total) with the time between launches being 0.5 seconds. This can be compared to the MT-LB S-8 Tier 6 Premium AFV and, indeed, the stock S-8KO HEAT-MP rockets available for this vehicle will be similar to those used by the MT-LB S-8, but with improved characteristics:
- Penetration: 440mm
- Damage: 300
- Non-penetrating damage: 120
In this form, the accuracy will be relatively poor. This aspect can, however, be rectified by unlocking the overprogression S-8KOR “Ugroza” rockets, which are effectively the same, but guided.
Speaking of overprogression, the vehicle will feature the Top Speed ability in its stock version (much like the Ramka) but there will also be the option to unlock the Pelena-6 jammer module. This module will enable the Jammer ability, which works much like supercharged soft-kill APS. Only, instead of 10 seconds, it’ll stay active for 25 seconds.
To compensate this a bit, the mobility will be poorer than the standard Ramka-99 as it will feature only its 840hp stock engine.
And that’s it, commanders, the first vehicle of the next Battle Path, which is called “Force Recon” – we hope you’ll like it and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
