News & Events in Belarus

IVATSEVICHI DISTRICT, 5 October (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko saw capabilities of new weapons, combat and utility vehicles made by Belarusian companies on 5 October, BelTA has learned.

The head of state went to the 174^th exercise area of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces. The head of state pointed out that threatening someone or launching a PR campaign was not the purpose of the occasion. “Several months ago I decided that once we are done with the economy and the harvesting campaign, we will have a look at the weapons we’ve modernized and created for modern warfare. We are military people and should be ready for war every day, frankly speaking,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

The demonstration began with modernized defense products. Alexander Lukashenko saw the combat tank T-72BME first. “In the last few months we acquired the ability to upgrade the combat tank using Belarusian resources to match the performance of modern combat tanks – T-72B3 and T-90,” said Roman Golovchenko, Chairman of the State Military Industrial Committee of Belarus. The new sighting complex uses heat imaging and various sensors. The tank’s armor has been reinforced. The tank has been fitted with a more powerful engine. Apart from that, T-72BME can fire guided missiles.

Alexander Lukashenko noted: “Certainly, we could buy a T-90 tank but it costs a huge deal of money -- $11 million. And it may live less than three minutes in a combat situation. This is why we have to upgrade the good old and reliable tank we know well up to the standards of the imported T-90.”

According to the head of state, creating a combat tank is one thing. Teaching the tank how to shoot and hit targets is as important. By saying that, the president hinted at the not so good performance of the Belarusian team during the latest tank biathlon (the Russian and Chinese teams beat the Belarusian one in the total score during the International Army Games 2018). “Did they drive different tanks? Did they have a different kind of people? Are our people dumber? They are not. Third place means is not a victory,” believes Alexander Lukashenko.

The crew, which drove the Belarusian tank during the International Army Games 2018 and demonstrated the upgraded vehicle on 5 October, explained that a technical malfunction had made their victory impossible. They lost too much time switching from one combat tank to another.

“Well, at least you didn’t lose the time in a genuine combat situation,” noted Alexander Lukashenko. He wondered when the crew would be able to win the first place. The tank crewmen did not give loud-mouthed promises but assured the head of state that they are always intent on doing their best.

The head of state went to see the armored personnel carrier Cayman next. Just like the upgraded T72 tank the APC was painted in colors of sand and therefore stood out from the crowd. The manufacturer explained that it is the color that the foreign customer wants.

The Belarusian army already uses Cayman APCs. Another 30 APCs will be made for the Belarusian army by July 2019. They will be used by recon units, special operations forces, and mechanized brigades.

“So the vehicle turned out to be very good and necessary?” asked Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov said that Cayman APCs had demonstrated excellent performance during trials. Later on the head of state will see how such armored personnel carriers can destroy targets on the go with the first shot.

The unique Belarusian radio warfare station Groza is designed to fight unmanned aerial vehicles. It can make drones go off course and can take over their control links.

“So you can protect any airfield, for instance, from drones? We don’t have to shoot them down?” asked the head of state and got a positive answer. “A good weapon. We should develop this technology. For us, for defending against aerial vehicles. If it affects aircraft, too, it is a superweapon.”

A rifle-sized version of the radio warfare station Groza is designed to fight multicopters. Military specialists jokingly dubbed it “a blaster”.

Demonstrating the RW rifle, an army specialist easily took control over a quadcopter circling nearby. “A good weapon. We need it!” opined the president.

Alexander Lukashenko also saw a number of other Belarusian UAVs of various sizes and for various purposes. Some of them are used for reconnaissance. Other ones are designed to destroy the enemy as kamikaze or as bombers.

The robot complex Berserk has been fitted with two four-barrel machine guns and can destroy UAVs or the enemy’s manpower. The robot can be controlled from a distance of up to 5km. Apart from that, the robot can operate on its own using a predetermined battle plan.

“For instance, this firing range can be protected by one or several robots. They will be able to control the perimeter,” the manufacturer said. “We are going to upgrade it further. We would like to add acoustic recognition ability.”

Then Alexander Lukashenko saw Belarus-made sniper rifles, regular rifles, assault rifles, and pistols. More effort has yet to be poured into their production in Belarus.

“Well done. When you start making your weapons, when you polish the final product and the army says they are as good as Kalashnikovs, then I will be grateful,” said the Belarusian leader.

After getting familiar with technical specifications of the weapons, the head of state decided to see them in action. The commander-in-chief saw combat capabilities of some of them.

Alexander Lukashenko shared his impressions with mass media afterwards. “You saw those kamikaze [drones]. They were not totally accurate but the explosion was close and can kill even an armored vehicle,” said the head of state. “This is why I see that the Belarusian defense industry has done a lot over the course of two years. It’s been even less than two years since I gave instructions to do it.”

Alexander Lukashenko made it clear that hardware is not the most important thing. Even bleeding-edge hardware needs trained personnel to operate it. “The most important thing for me is not the fact we’ve done well and what we’ve created here. The main conclusion is we are on the right track. We are going to advance along this avenue: our own firearms, our own munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles, upgraded vehicles, armored vehicles, Cayman NPCs, Volat trucks, which we’ve created in Belarus using our own resources,” said the president.

He singled out the robotized weapon platform Berserk. “Outstanding precision. This robot is a good piece of hardware. We are going to manufacture them, improve them, and use as part of the army. Foreign customers already want to buy them,” stated the head of state.