Rostec drops Sprut from a great height

Russian state-owned defence group Rostec announced on 14 September that it has dropped a Sprut Light Tank from a special tower in order to test the vehicle's ability to withstand overload during airborne insertion.

Bekkhan Ozdoev, Industrial Director of the Weapons, Ammunition and Special Chemistry sector of Rostec, explained in a press release that the Sprut-SDM1 upgraded self-propelled anti-tank gun passed the tests successfully and no systems were affected in terms of functionality.

‘We achieved the maximum level of overload,’ Ozdoev noted, adding that the next stage is the deployment of the tank from an aircraft.

Vladimir Budaev, Deputy Chief Designer of the Volgograd Tractor Plant (which is a part of the High Precision Weapons sector of Rostec), pointed out that the development of the parachute system for the upgraded Sprut is currently underway.

‘Furthermore, as part of state tests, Sprut will be transported by the Il-76 and An-124 airlifters, as well as via the sling of the Mi-26 helicopter,’ he noted.

The Sprut-SDM1 features a 125mm artillery and rocket system and can be transported by vessels. Its maximum speed on a highway is 70 km/h, and it reaches an afloat speed of 9 km/h.

According to Shephard Defence Insight, the vehicle was developed to meet the requirements of the Russian Army's Air Assault Forces but will also be offered for export.

It is a further development of the 2S25 Sprut-SD, with the most significant differences appears to be a new turret and the use of the BMD-4M hull.