Landing inside a vehicle: how it all began. Ubiquitous landing vehicles Some of the best

Exactly 40 years ago, a parachute was first successfully tested near Pskov. jet system"Reactavr", which allowed personal composition of the Airborne Forces parachute directly into the equipment itself. Sergey Varshavchik recalls the details.

On January 23, 1976, near Pskov, the Reaktavr system for landing military equipment with a crew of Major Alexander Margelov and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov was successfully tested for the first time. After 20 years, both were awarded the title of Hero of Russia for their courage in carrying out a risky task. The Margelov surname turned out to be forever associated with the history of the Airborne Forces.

Gaining time in battle

The system for landing the crew inside an airborne combat vehicle (BMD-1) using jet parachute traction got its name from the words “jet Centaur”. “Centaur” was the name given to the BMD-1 lowering system via a parachute landing platform. The experiment was carried out at the Tula parachute track training center 106th Guards Airborne Division.

No one has ever been thrown out of an airplane before military equipment along with the personnel inside. The idea belonged to the commander-in-chief of the Airborne Forces, Hero Soviet Union Army General Vasily Margelov.

On that moment airborne equipment in the form of artillery self-propelled units, airborne combat vehicles, vehicles and engineering technology was delivered to the ground in two ways: through parachute landing platforms and parachute-rocket systems. The latter, upon landing, in a fraction of a second damped the rate of descent of heavy loads and automatically released them from the suspension slings. The personnel descended separately by parachute.

But in order to take their places in combat vehicles, in real combat, crews sometimes need minutes, which the enemy may not provide. How to gain time? Margelov came to a paradoxical conclusion: the personnel must be parachuted in the equipment itself!

Who will sacrifice themselves?

Risk? Yes, huge. Many in the country's military leadership did not approve of this idea. Some of the multi-star generals even twirled their fingers at their temples: they say that the main paratrooper of the USSR had fantasized to the point of the impossible. Others approved the idea in principle, but believed that it was not yet technically feasible.

Finally, brave souls were needed - after all, no one could guarantee that they would not crash upon landing. You cannot give orders in such a matter. This is not a war - just an experiment, albeit a very dangerous one. When asked by Defense Minister Marshal Andrei Grechko who will be inside the BMD-1 launch, Vasily Margelov firmly answered that he himself. He could not answer otherwise. He had to do everything to ensure that the airborne troops reached high quality new level combat training.

One of the best

During the Great Patriotic War The paratroopers established themselves as one of the most persistent fighters of the Red Army. They fought back into the interior of the country at the beginning of the war, fought valiantly in the ranks of the defenders of Moscow and Stalingrad, participated in the Battle of Kursk, took part in the capture of Vienna and the battles for Berlin.

But despite the fact that Soviet paratroopers repeatedly carried out airborne operations, in most battles they fought as infantry, albeit highly trained ones. Therefore, after the war, with the advent of the atomic era, the Airborne Forces faced new tasks: to become what is now called rapid reaction troops.

Until 1954, the country's airborne troops were alternately led by 7 generals, among whom we can note the first commander of the Airborne Forces, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Glazunov, as well as Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Gorbatov.

Uncle Vasya's troops

However, despite their military merits, the commanders did not stay long in the post of commander-in-chief of the Airborne Forces. As a result, the personnel leapfrog had a negative impact on combat training troops entrusted to them.

The fact that by the 80s of the twentieth century the Airborne Forces had become the most massive and combat-ready among their kind in the world is the merit, first of all, of the man who led them for many decades - General Margelov.

It is no coincidence that in the airborne forces the abbreviation VDV is still unofficially deciphered as “Uncle Vasya’s troops.” “Our Chapai,” Vasily Filippovich’s subordinates respectfully called him.

Like most previous commanders of the Airborne Forces, Margelov came from other branches of the military, but was quite familiar with the airborne specifics - before his appointment he commanded the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division, and then was the commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svirsky Red Banner Corps.

Paratrooper at 40 years old

It is curious that he made his first parachute jump at the age of 40 - before taking command of the paratroopers. At the same time, he made a bet on several jumps with another newly promoted airborne division commander, Hero of the Soviet Union, General Mikhail Denisenko, who crashed during another parachute jump in 1949. Fate protected Margelov - until the end of his life he made more than 60 air landings.

During the Battle of Moscow he commanded the 1st Special Ski Regiment Marine Corps. Being the commander of the Airborne Forces, Margelov did not forget his brave sailors, introducing a vest into the paratroopers’ uniform as a sign of continuity from one brave branch of troops to another. Another striking feature of the paratrooper was his beret - first crimson (following the example of Western paratroopers), and then blue.

Margelov's reforms included not only changes in uniforms. The new commander of the Airborne Forces abandoned the outdated doctrine of using airborne troops only as a means to hold bridgeheads until the main forces arrived. In conditions modern warfare passive defense inevitably led to defeat.

New military equipment

Margelov believed that after the drop, the paratroopers should conduct active, offensive actions, not allowing the stunned enemy to come to their senses, and counterattack them. However, in order for the paratroopers to be able to maneuver widely, they needed to be equipped with their own armored vehicles, to increase their firepower and update the aviation fleet.

During the Great Patriotic War, for example, winged infantry fought mainly with the help of light small arms. After the war, the troops began to be equipped with special airborne equipment. By the time Margelov assumed the post of commander at airborne weapons consisted light self-propelled artillery installation ASU-57 with modifications.

Vasily Filippovich gave the task to the military-industrial complex to develop a more modern artillery vehicle landing. As a result, ASU-57 was replaced by ASU-85, developed on the basis of the PT-76 light amphibious tank. On the battlefield it was required and combat vehicle for movement personnel in conditions of radioactively contaminated areas. The BMP-1 army infantry fighting vehicle was not suitable landing troops because of heavy weight(13 tons) during landing.

"Thunder" of landing vehicles

As a result, at the end of the 60s, the BMD-1 (airborne combat vehicle) was adopted, whose weight was just over 7 tons, the armament was a semi-automatic 2A28 “Thunder” cannon, and the crew consisted of seven people. Based on the BMD-1, they developed artillery self-propelled guns, fire control vehicles, reconnaissance and command post vehicles.

Through the efforts of Margelov, the battered Li-2, Il-14, Tu-2 and Tu-4 aircraft were replaced with powerful and modern An-22 and Il-76, which made it possible to take on board significantly more paratroopers and military equipment than before. “Uncle Vasya” also took care of improving the paratroopers’ personal weapons. Margelov personally met with the developer of the famous assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, and agreed to create an “airborne” version of the AK, with a folding metal butt.

Son instead of father

After the Minister of Defense did not agree with the participation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Airborne Forces in testing the Reaktavr system, he offered one of his five sons, Major Alexander Margelov, to the crew. Alexander Vasilyevich was an employee of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Airborne Forces, which was responsible for preparing equipment and personnel for landing.

The personal example of Margelov’s son was supposed to convince the Airborne Forces of the success of the new landing option. Another participant in the experiment was Margelov Jr.’s colleague at the Scientific and Technical Commission of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov.

On January 23, 1976, for the first time, a parachute-propelled landing was carried out from an An-12 BMD-1 military transport aircraft. After landing, the crew immediately fired blank shells briefly, demonstrating their readiness for combat.

During Margelov's tests on command post chain-smoked his favorite Belomor and kept a loaded pistol at the ready so that in case of failure he would shoot himself. But everything turned out well.

On March 3, the information and analytical agency "Military Informator" published news about the shipment by the manufacturer (JSC Kurganmashzavod) of the first batch of new armored personnel carriers BTR-MDM "Rakushka" and airborne combat vehicles BMD-4M "Sadovnitsa" for Airborne troops RF. The first shipment consists of twenty-four units of equipment (twelve units of each type). According to the source, citing a report from the Interfax agency, the cars were sent to one of airborne units Western Military District.

A batch of equipment is preparing to be sent to military units
arabic-army.com

According to the command plans, the Airborne Forces expect to receive another 62 by the end of this year. landing vehicles and 22 armored personnel carriers – this was announced by the Deputy Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, Colonel Nariman Timergazin. In particular, he stated that the first batch of modern combat vehicles will be received by the 106th Airborne Division, stationed in the area of ​​Tula, Ryazan and Naro-Fominsk. It should be noted that in some Russian airborne units We are already familiar with these machines, since they were delivered there earlier (in single copies) for testing.

Test sea trials of BMD at a training ground in the Ryazan region
warwall.ru

The new combat vehicles are improved modifications of previous models with increased combat and operational capabilities. The BTR-MD "Rakushka" all-terrain vehicle was created on the basis of the BTR-MD armored personnel carrier produced by the Volgograd machine-building company "VgTZ" in order to replace the previous model - BTR-D. At the same time, individual components of the conveyor are unified with the BMP-3M and BMD-4M. The vehicle can accommodate a crew of two and up to 13 troops, has bulletproof armor and is armed with two 7.62 mm machine guns. Possessing a 450 hp engine, the Rakushka has a range of up to 350 kilometers and reaches speeds of up to 70 km/h on the highway, and up to 50 km/h on dry land. dirt road, and up to 10 km/h - afloat. The combat weight of the transporter is 13.2 tons. Reportedly, the development of the BTR-MDM project has been carried out since 2008 according to the technical specifications approved by the head of the GABTU of the Russian Defense Ministry and the commander of the Airborne Forces.

Transport all-terrain vehicle BTR-MD "Rakushka"
detonator666.livejournal.com

The BMD-4M “Sadovnitsa” airborne combat vehicle is a development of the previous BMD-4 model, from which it differs in some improvements. One of the important advantages of the vehicle is its unified fighting compartment B8YA01. The body of the car and its chassis, as well as individual components and assemblies. In addition, on new car a new 500-horsepower diesel tank engine UTD-29 is installed (previously the 2V-06-2 diesel engine was used), which allows it to reach speeds of up to 70 km/h (while afloat - up to 10 km/h). The BMD-4 has a crew of three people; in addition, the vehicle can carry up to five landing troops. The main armament of the Sadovnitsa is the Bakhcha combat module, consisting of two twin automatic guns of different calibers - models 2A70 (100 mm) and 2A72 (30 mm). In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun and an Arkan ATGM mount. Armor type – bulletproof, combat mass– 13.5 tons. According to the provisions “ State program weapons until 2015,” this BMD has been adopted as the main one for the airborne troops of the Russian Federation.

BMD-4M "Sadovnitsa" airborne combat vehicle
warwall.ru

Both vehicles have technical and combat characteristics approved by the command Russian Airborne Forces. These include, first of all, the permissible weight of the vehicles (allowing them to be dropped on cargo parachutes), high speed and good maneuverability, the ability to overcome water obstacles, as well as sufficient firepower. The leadership of the Russian Airborne Forces showed persistence, coordinating with the Ministry of Defense the decision to launch mass production combat and transport vehicles in exactly this configuration and in this design solution, defending the priority parameters of mobility and transportability of equipment. At the same time, certain compromises had to be made regarding the armor strength class. According to some sources, the armor of the new equipment protects the crew and troops only from 5.65 mm bullets and is not a serious obstacle to armor-piercing bullets caliber 7.65 mm, and equipping the vehicles with additional armor protection would limit the possibility of their landing due to exceeding the permissible weight limit.

The equipment protects paratroopers from enemy fire, taking on shrapnel and bullets
otvaga2004.mybb.ru

Some experts were critical of certain technical solutions implemented in new cars - for example, regarding the location of the transmission. In some foreign countries(particularly in China), designers place the transmission in the front part of the vehicle body, using it as an additional shield for the crew. Opponents of this decision cite the importance of maintaining the optimal weight balance of the vehicle, which often has to be delivered to the battlefield by parachute.

TO positive traits Manufacturers consider the compatibility of many components and parts of new equipment with those used on previous modifications of transporters and landing vehicles. This should simplify the supply and repair of equipment, as well as speed up the retraining of crews. Military personnel also include the increased firepower of the Sadovnitsa as an undoubted advantage (its missile armament has a fire range of up to 5-7 km). In addition, improved properties allow these vehicles not only to parachute from ships directly into the water, but also to return to the ship “from the water.” According to many experts, in terms of the totality of their qualities, Russian landing vehicles are superior to most foreign analogues.

Airborne combat vehicle ZBD 03 of the People's Liberation Army of China
modern-warfare.livejournal.com

Command Air Force The Russian Federation recognizes the existence, as the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov, put it, "some rough edges" in new machines, but indicates that any new equipment undergoes final fine-tuning after a certain period of operation, which reveals all the shortcomings and weaknesses.

Night combat training firing of landing vehicles
warwall.ru

Representatives of military engineering services and technical specialists of the manufacturing plant record all comments and wishes of military personnel in order to take them into account when releasing subsequent batches of products. Before their launch into mass production, the BMD-4M and BTR-MDM underwent numerous stationary, field and sea trials, including afloat movement, combat training and testing at low temperatures.

On January 23, 1976, near Pskov, the Reaktavr system for landing military equipment with a crew of Major Alexander Margelov and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov was successfully tested for the first time. After 20 years, both were awarded the title of Hero of Russia for their courage in carrying out a risky task. The Margelov surname turned out to be forever associated with the history of the Airborne Forces.

Gaining time in battle

The system for landing the crew inside an airborne combat vehicle (BMD-1) using jet parachute traction got its name from the words “jet Centaur”. “Centaur” was the name given to the BMD-1 lowering system via a parachute landing platform. The experiment was carried out at the parachute track of the Tula training center of the 106th Guards Airborne Division.

No one had ever before thrown military equipment from an airplane along with the personnel inside. The idea belonged to the Commander-in-Chief of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Margelov.

At that time, airborne equipment in the form of self-propelled artillery units, airborne combat vehicles, vehicles and engineering equipment was delivered to the ground in two ways: through parachute landing platforms and parachute-rocket systems. The latter, upon landing, in a fraction of a second damped the rate of descent of heavy loads and automatically released them from the suspension slings. The personnel descended separately by parachute.

But in order to take their places in combat vehicles, in real combat, crews sometimes need minutes, which the enemy may not provide. How to gain time? Margelov came to a paradoxical conclusion: the personnel must be parachuted in the equipment itself!

Who will sacrifice themselves?

Risk? Yes, huge. Many in the country's military leadership did not approve of this idea. Some of the multi-star generals even twirled their fingers at their temples: they say that the main paratrooper of the USSR had fantasized to the point of the impossible. Others approved the idea in principle, but believed that it was not yet technically feasible.

Finally, brave souls were needed - after all, no one could guarantee that they would not crash upon landing. You cannot give orders in such a matter. This is not a war - just an experiment, albeit a very dangerous one. When asked by Defense Minister Marshal Andrei Grechko who will be inside the BMD-1 launch, Vasily Margelov firmly answered that he himself. He could not answer otherwise. He had to do everything to ensure that the airborne troops reached a qualitatively new level of combat training.

One of the best

During the Great Patriotic War, paratroopers established themselves as one of the most persistent fighters of the Red Army. They fought back into the interior of the country at the beginning of the war, fought valiantly in the ranks of the defenders of Moscow and Stalingrad, participated in the Battle of Kursk, took part in the capture of Vienna and the battles for Berlin.

But despite the fact that Soviet paratroopers repeatedly carried out airborne operations during the war, in most battles they fought as infantry, albeit highly trained ones. Therefore, after the war, with the advent of the atomic era, the Airborne Forces faced new tasks: to become what is now called rapid reaction troops.

Until 1954, the country's airborne troops were alternately led by 7 generals, among whom we can note the first commander of the Airborne Forces, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Glazunov, as well as Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Gorbatov.

Uncle Vasya's troops

However, despite their military merits, the commanders did not stay long in the post of commander-in-chief of the Airborne Forces. As a result, the personnel reshuffle had a negative impact on the combat training of the troops entrusted to them.

The fact that by the 80s of the twentieth century the Airborne Forces had become the most massive and combat-ready among their kind in the world is primarily the merit of the man who led them for many decades - General Margelov.

It is no coincidence that in the airborne forces the abbreviation VDV is still unofficially deciphered as “Uncle Vasya’s troops.” “Our Chapai,” Vasily Filippovich’s subordinates respectfully called him.

Like most previous commanders of the Airborne Forces, Margelov came from other branches of the military, but was quite familiar with the specifics of the airborne forces - before his appointment he commanded the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division, and then was the commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Svirsky Red Banner Corps.

Paratrooper at 40 years old

It is curious that he made his first parachute jump at the age of 40 - before taking command of the paratroopers. At the same time, he made a bet on several jumps with another newly promoted airborne division commander, Hero of the Soviet Union, General Mikhail Denisenko, who crashed during another parachute jump in 1949. Fate protected Margelov - until the end of his life he made more than 60 air landings.

During the Battle of Moscow, he commanded the 1st Special Ski Regiment of the Marine Corps. Being the commander of the Airborne Forces, Margelov did not forget his brave sailors, introducing a vest into the paratroopers’ uniform as a sign of continuity from one brave branch of troops to another. Another striking feature of the paratrooper was his beret - first crimson (following the example of Western paratroopers), and then blue.

Margelov's reforms included not only changes in uniforms. The new commander of the Airborne Forces abandoned the outdated doctrine of using airborne troops only as a means to hold bridgeheads until the main forces arrived. In modern warfare, passive defense inevitably led to defeat.

New military equipment

Margelov believed that after the drop, the paratroopers should conduct active, offensive actions, not allowing the stunned enemy to come to their senses, and counterattack them. However, in order for paratroopers to be able to maneuver widely, they needed to be equipped with their own armored vehicles, increase their firepower and update the aircraft fleet.

During the Great Patriotic War, for example, winged infantry fought mainly with light small arms. After the war, the troops began to be equipped with special airborne equipment. By the time Margelov assumed the post of commander, the Airborne Forces were armed with the ASU-57 light self-propelled artillery mount with modifications.

Vasily Filippovich gave the task to the military-industrial complex to develop a more modern airborne artillery vehicle. As a result, ASU-57 was replaced by ASU-85, developed on the basis of the PT-76 light amphibious tank. On the battlefield, a combat vehicle was also required for the movement of personnel in radioactively contaminated areas. The BMP-1 army infantry fighting vehicle was not suitable for airborne troops due to its heavy weight (13 tons) during landing.

"Thunder" of landing vehicles

As a result, at the end of the 60s, the BMD-1 (airborne combat vehicle) was adopted, whose weight was slightly more than 7 tons, the armament was a semi-automatic 2A28 "Thunder" cannon, and the crew consisted of seven people. Self-propelled artillery guns, fire control vehicles, reconnaissance and command post vehicles were developed on the basis of the BMD-1.

Through the efforts of Margelov, the battered Li-2, Il-14, Tu-2 and Tu-4 aircraft were replaced with powerful and modern An-22 and Il-76, which made it possible to take on board significantly more paratroopers and military equipment than before. “Uncle Vasya” also took care of improving the paratroopers’ personal weapons. Margelov personally met with the developer of the famous assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, and agreed to create an “airborne” version of the AK, with a folding metal butt.

Son instead of father

After the Minister of Defense did not agree with the participation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Airborne Forces in testing the Reactavr system, he offered one of his five sons, Major Alexander Margelov, to the crew. Alexander Vasilyevich was an employee of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Airborne Forces, which was responsible for preparing equipment and personnel for landing.

The personal example of Margelov’s son was supposed to convince the Airborne Forces of the success of the new landing option. Another participant in the experiment was Margelov Jr.’s colleague at the Scientific and Technical Commission of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shcherbakov.

On January 23, 1976, for the first time, a parachute-propelled landing was carried out from an An-12 BMD-1 military transport aircraft. After landing, the crew immediately fired blank shells briefly, demonstrating their readiness for combat.

During the tests, Margelov chain-smoked his favorite Belomor at the command post and kept a loaded pistol ready so that in case of failure he would shoot himself. But everything turned out well.

This day in history:

January 5, 1973 For the first time in history, at the Slobodka parachute track near Tula, for the first time in world history, the idea of ​​landing people inside an airborne combat vehicle (BMD-1) was put into practice -complex "Centaur". The idea and practical implementation of landing people inside combat vehicles belongs to the legendary commander of the Airborne Forces, Army General Vasily Margelov, who sent his son to the first test run of the Centaur. The first crew included Leonid Gavrilovich Zuev and Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov
Not a single army in the world has mastered this method of landing.
January 5, 1973! This Day can be considered the "Beginning New Era"in the history of our Airborne Forces!!!
Our Bati's son became an "Airborne Forces cosmonaut"!Nobody except us!!!

Hero of Russia Alexander Margelov. Retired Airborne Colonel. The son of the founder of modern airborne troops, Army General Vasily Margelov. In January 1973, during testing of the Centaur complex, he was the first in history, together with Lieutenant Colonel Zuev, to parachute from an airplane while inside an airborne combat vehicle.
The crew, consisting of commander Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Zuev and gunner-operator Senior Lieutenant Alexander Margelov, using an advanced parachute system - combat vehicle - man complex, codenamed "Centaur", parachuted from the sky onto the head of a mock enemy, while inside a BMD-1 combat vehicle The landing was carried out from an An-12 aircraft using a multi-dome parachute system and a P-7 parachute platform. The crew inside the combat vehicle during the landing was in special space chairs of the Kazbek-D type. The world's first landing of people inside military equipment was preceded by a series of tests and reliability checks of the Centaur complex, including the landing of animals inside the BMD.
Just two years after the first successful experiment in the Airborne Forces in January 1976, also for the first time in world practice, together with Lieutenant Colonel Shcherbakov, he landed inside a BMD, testing new complex"Reactavr" without individual means of rescue, the entire crew of the combat vehicle, numbering 6 people, was landed inside the BMD using a parachute-reactive system without using a parachute platform.
Only after 20 years for courage shown during trials military equipment, Alexander Margelov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. In the photo: One day before the experiment. Guard crew commander, Lieutenant Colonel A.G.Zuev and gunner-operator lieutenant A.V.Margelov

Humorous photo collage by V. Romanov on the theme of the Centaur

A group of participants from the first "Centaur" after a successful experiment


Airborne Forces - “two hundred options are possible”, one of them is “upwards with caterpillars”. The crew of Centaur 5 passed the test with honor. 1974, Gaizhunai, Lithuanian SSR

Without a crew, this is not a Centaur, but simply a BMD-1 before being loaded into an Il-76


The "Centaur" descended to the ground. The commander’s “counter” is turned on - only 2 minutes are allotted for unmooring


KSD in the air... Major A.A. Petrichenko, Honored Master, is “hovering” nearby parachuting, separated from the complex in accordance with the assignment

Why is the project called "Centaur"? Because the driver-mechanic is not like this character is one with the car.


Elgin Marbles - mythological battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs. Greece, Parthenon. 440 BC

In August 2011, the book by A.V. was published. Margelova "Assaulters - cosmonauts of the Airborne Forces" . *
This book-album tells how various systems for landing equipment for our airborne forces were developed and tested.

For the first time in the history of the Airborne Forces, a photo album and memoirs of the Hero of Russia, Colonel Alexander Vasilyevich Margelov, the only paratrooper officer in the world who participated in landing in 3 different complexes: "Centaur", "KSD", " Reactaurus." Bronnitsy branch of the all-Russian public organization "The Brotherhood of War"under the leadership of combat veteran Patrushev Nikolai Vladimirovich, they prepared a gift for the legendary paratrooper Hero of Russia A.V. Margelov, in honor of his 65th birthday (born October 21, 1945) - a book of memories about the daring projects of Army General V.F. Margelov, who was the first in the world developed and carried out landing of combat vehicles with a crew.

Among the glorious pages of the history of the Airborne Forces, the development BMD landings with the crews housed inside, it occupies its rightful place. And how could it be otherwise? It was in the Airborne Forces that this daring, incomprehensible to many, and therefore terrible, idea was born to put guardsmen in BMD without parachutes and other personal means of rescue. This enormous task was set by the Commander of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov in the early 1970s, immediately upon entering the BMD-1 Airborne Forces. The idea was supported by his like-minded paratroopers, those who realized what it meant to quickly bring combat vehicles, and, consequently, airborne units, into readiness for battle after landing.
The task turned out to be extremely difficult. But the Soviet defense industry and military specialists as soon as possible dealt with it successfully. IN fighting compartment BMD-1 space chairs (in a somewhat simplified version) "Kazbek-D" were installed, military doctors (State Research Institute of Aviation and space medicine) studied all stages of landing and gave recommendations for overcoming overloads.
Despite the decision technical problem, on the path of the first experimental landing of two crew members inside the BMD-1 on serial parachute-platform vehicles stood the State Research Institute of the Air Force named after. Chkalov, who conducted state tests of landing equipment. He motivated this by the fact that the combat vehicle does not have means of individual rescue of the crew.
It took a lot of work for the Commander to convince the Minister of Defense A.A. Grechko give permission for the first landing. The marshal did not agree to any, fearing for the lives of people. The commander proposed his candidacy to participate in the experiment, but received a categorical refusal.
- In this case, Comrade Minister, my son Alexander, a paratrooper officer, an employee of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Airborne Forces and a master of parachuting, a teacher at our airborne school, Major Leonid Zuev, will jump. Alexander is engaged in experiments at the Scientific and Technical Complex, and Zuev has already begun experimenting at the school, for which he “received slander” from political workers. Well, I took him to prepare personally for this unique jump.
- But why still a son? - asked Grechko.
- I saw many tears of mothers mourning their dead husbands and sons. And since the matter is new and very risky, where anything can happen, I personally bear full responsibility and answer with my head for the outcome of the experiment.
Complex "parachute-vehicle-crew" received the name "Centaur". For the first time in world practice, an experimental landing of two crew members inside a BMD-1 from an AN-12 aircraft took place on January 5, 1973 at the base of the 106th Guards. Airborne Division near Tula. The crew, consisting of Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Zuev and senior engineer-lieutenant Alexander Margelov, actually confirmed the correctness of the research results and technical solutions national science and military medicine. After this landing, a Centaur appeared on the coat of arms of the Tula division...
They say that in the West they tried to repeat a similar experiment. In France in combat vehicle a prisoner sentenced to death penalty. The car crashed - “the sentence was carried out.” Much later, the experiment was carried out in the USA. However, the result was so disastrous that no one else tried in the West.
Then in the USSR there were other experiments and regular landings of crews of combat vehicles and artillery crews inside and together with airborne military equipment.
Among them, a worthy place is occupied by the unprecedented jump with a personal parachute from a descending joint landing complex (JSC) of NTK officer Alexander Petrichenko. As in the Centaur complex, the KSD combat vehicle was landed using parachute-platform means, but a cabin for four people was attached to the end of the platform, which made it possible to accommodate six crew members at once. Theoretically, these four people, if necessary, could leave the complex using personal parachutes. This is what the Commander decided to check during military regimental exercises on August 26, 1975. This was not the first landing of the KSD in the troops, but such a jump was performed on the first and last time! The latter because Honored Master of Parachute Sports A. Petrichenko, after leaving the complex, barely avoided falling under the equipment dangling under the platform on metal cables. After receiving a negative opinion from an experienced paratrooper, the KSD were used by the troops for some time to drop howitzers and guns with crews, until all the artillery was transferred to the base of tracked combat vehicles. A. Petrichenko truly accomplished a feat that was never fully appreciated.
At the request of the Commander, already during the preparation of the first "Centaurs" the development of a parachute-rocket system began. The work, which lasted for many years, was crowned with success - such a system (PRSM-915) was created! Its advantages were obvious: only one dome of 540 square meters. m (instead of 4-5 of 760 sq. m on the KSD and Centaur) and a block of soft-landing jet engines (plus optional equipment) were placed directly on the body of the vehicle, which moved under its own power with the crew to the airfield and was loaded into the aircraft under its own power. Moreover, the rate of descent of such a system reached 25 m/s (on the ISS - 5-6 m/s), which made it practically invulnerable from enemy fire.
January twenty-third, 1976 based on the 76th Guards. The Airborne Division near Pskov carried out a historical experimental landing of the Reaktavr complex with two crew members: the commander - Major A. Margelov, the driver - Lieutenant Colonel L. Shcherbakov. Winter time was not chosen by chance - the calculation was based on deep snow on the landing site, which was supposed to soften the landing. However, the testers were properly “attached” to the compacted ice road, so that the overload passed through them to the fullest extent. Fortunately, this did not particularly affect the subsequent actions of the crew: the driving and shooting elements were carried out clearly, in accordance with the task. The Airborne Forces received a new landing device that significantly increases their combat capabilities. The crew members were nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but only 20 years later they became Heroes of Russia.
Later, the Universal plant created strapdown landing equipment that combines the reliability of parachute systems, lightness and maneuverability, as when using PRS. In the presence of the Commander of the Airborne Forces, near the village of Medvezhye Lakes near Moscow, on December 22, 1978, an experimental landing of the "Centaur" was carried out using strap-down landing equipment (ZP-170) - crew commander Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Brazhnikov, driver-mechanic - guardsman conscript service Vasily Kobchenko. The landing showed the high reliability of the ZP-170 system and confirmed its excellent performance characteristics, not inferior to the parachute-rocket system. Moreover, it was constructively resolved the most difficult question preventing the combat vehicle from tipping over during lateral drift of the system. To date, the ZP-170 is the only system that allows a combat vehicle to be landed on water. However, Commander Margelov did not have time to accept the ZP-170 system into service with the troops.
Work to implement the ideas of General V.F. Margelova continued. They practiced landing armored vehicles on land and water in winds up to 15 m per second, landing military equipment and cargo from ultra-low altitudes (though without crews), and finally, landing a full crew inside the BMD-3.
On August 20, 1998, during demonstrations tactical exercises 104th Guards PDP 76th Guards For the first time in military practice, the airborne guards paratroopers took part in the landing: 22-year-old senior lieutenant Vyacheslav Konev (crew commander), junior sergeants Alexei Ablizin and Zamir Bilimikhov, corporal Vladimir Sidorenko, privates Denis Gorev, Dmitry Kondratyev, Zurab Tomaev. And as always in such cases - volunteers.
The landing took place on a new strapdown parachute system PBS-950 developed by the same plant "Universal" (now the Moscow design and production complex "Universal"). Directly new system was created by specialists from the 9th department of the plant (now the 2nd department) under the leadership of the head of the department, Genrikh Vladimirovich Petkus, whose signatures were on the readiness sheets of the first and subsequent “Centaurs”.
A little time passed, and the newly appointed new commander of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant General Alexander Kolmakov, is present at the next landing of the full crew inside the BMD-3. This happened during the Central meeting of the leadership of the airborne services of the Ministry of Defense on September 24, 2003 at the base of the 106th Guards. vdd.
In total, at the end of 2004, about fifty landings of crews and artillery crews were carried out in various landing systems, in which more than 110 people took part. Many participants in the preparation and conduct of such landings - scientists, engineers, officers, generals - became laureates of the USSR State Prize, were awarded orders and medals, and were awarded academic titles. Honor and praise to them, to the patriots of Russia, especially to those who still, despite all the troubles that have befallen them, hold high the banner of Soviet Russian Science and value the Honor of a defender of the Motherland and a paratrooper!