Questions arise with dysfunctional BMD-4 family
There are a number of reasons for doubting whether the BMD-4 is still a good fit for Russian airborne troops.
Equipping the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) with weapon systems based on the BMD-4 chassis appears to remain a high priority for the Russian MoD in view of announcements in recent months — but there are grounds for believing that this strategy is flawed.
Defence conglomerate Rostec announced in late November 2020 that acceptance trials have been completed for the 2S42 Lotos self-propelled artillery system. Shortly afterwards, in early December, Russian media reported that the MoD has decided to procure the 2S25 Sprut-SDM1 light tank.
Another system, the BMD-4 based Ptivelov (‘Bird Catcher’) self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, is under development and expected
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