Tank biathlon final who won. The final relay race of the "Tank Biathlon" competition: Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, China. What are they fighting for?

“The armor is strong and our tanks are fast” - these famous lines from the “March of Soviet Tankers”, written back in 1938, have not lost their relevance even today when summing up the results of the International Tank Biathlon, which took place at the Alabino training ground near Moscow as part of the International Army Games -2016. Russian military specialists once again demonstrated their mastery of armored vehicles and won a well-deserved victory in the final of the relay, leaving behind the most experienced crews from China, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The intensity of the struggle at all stages of the competition sometimes surpassed the Brazilian Olympic passions, as evidenced by tens of thousands of spectators in the stands of the tankodrome (about 25 thousand guests were present at the final alone) and millions of television fans. The “founding father” of this military-applied sport, Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, hundreds of Russian and foreign military leaders and military experts watched the course of the decisive battle with great attention and undisguised excitement.

The geography of the countries participating in the world championship in tank biathlon (such a status has long been assigned to the Alabinsky competitions by Russian and foreign experts) this year covered almost all continents. Crews from 17 countries took part in the official program: Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Venezuela, Angola, Belarus, Iran, Azerbaijan, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Mongolia, India, Serbia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Tajikistan. For comparison: teams from 4 countries participated in the races in 2013, in 2014 there were already 12 of them, in 2015 there were 13 teams.

Each of the teams consisted of 24 people, including the head of the national team, four tank crews of 3 people each (one spare crew), two coaches and a technical support department consisting of 6 specialists. Out of competition, three Veterans League crews representing DOSAAF of Russia and made up of reserve servicemen took part in the races. By the way, as part of military training for citizens in the reserve, it would be possible to complete the best teams of reservists for their subsequent participation in such competitions at the district, Russian and international levels. As one of the devoted fans of tank biathlon, in the recent past, an experienced mechanic driver of the famous Kantemirovskaya division, Artem Vorobyov, stated: “Former colleagues and I are in constant contact, improving our tactical skills through virtual tank battles. If the opportunity presented itself, many of my former colleagues would have undergone a real retraining and, I am sure, would not lose face at their native training ground during army competitions. In addition, almost all teams (except China and Belarus) performed on the most reliable T72B3 machines presented by the host. “These tanks have been in service with us for more than 30 years and have not lost their combat readiness and demand,” Vladimir Marennikov, deputy chairman of the public organization “Officers of Russia” in the Odintsovo district, shares his opinion. The most important thing in these competitions is the solidarity of tank crews, mutual assistance, the ability to fire and lead the tank to the finish line.

It should be noted that not only the servicemen of the four Russian military districts, but also specialists of the national defense industry were carefully preparing for the tank championship. Through the efforts of the engineers of the Uralvagon-zavod corporation, a new modification of the T-72 tank (or its "biathlon" version of the T-72B) was created especially for the competition, the modernized model T72-B3, which differs from serial samples in increased reliability, increased engine power (up to 1130 l . with.), significant improvements in the undercarriage and tracks. A digital chassis control system was installed on the tank, which provides automated control of the operation of the power plant, transmission and automatic gear shifting modes, an additional aiming and fire control system, as well as advanced video viewing devices.

The new version of the combat armored vehicle, which practically failed at the Alabinsky training ground, was highly appreciated by both Russian and foreign participants in the competition, as well as independent military experts. “This is a trouble-free, combat-ready machine,” says the coach of the Mongolian team, Gantsukh Erdenetsogsh. The main advantage is reliability and simplicity. It can be easily driven and, if necessary, repaired. A similar opinion is shared by the coach and captain of the Azerbaijani team Bakhtyar Mammadov and Rashat Atakshayev: “The machine has become stronger. A powerful motor, a different radio station, an improved control system, which positively affects the accuracy of hitting. The tank is now more comfortable." “All stages of the T72B3 are going well, says Ivan Lagutin, head of communications of the mechanized battalion of the Republic of Belarus. The best tanks are the tanks of the Ural-wagon-factory. Ashton Mlinden, an independent expert on military affairs in South Africa, emphasized the speed and the possibility of long-term maneuvering of the Russian vehicle.

Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation, also spoke about the reliability of our tanks when summing up the results of the relay race: “Until now, a Chinese tank has shown very good results. All crews compete on our vehicles, except for the Chinese team, they use their own vehicles, and favorably outperformed in speed. Now we are ahead of them.”

Chinese colleagues brought to the championship their own novelty, a deeply modernized Type 96B tank with an increased power plant and an improved air supply system, a new transmission, and new tracks. In official documents, the engine power of the Chinese car was clearly underestimated at 1000 hp. (according to experts, this figure does not match at least 200 positions). These innovations allowed crews from the Celestial Empire to develop simply cosmic speeds at the training ground. However, in the final race, the tank of our main competitors lost one of the road wheels when passing through the "comb".

Partners from Belarus brought their modernized version of the T-72, equipped with the SosnaU optoelectronic aiming system and a wind sensor, produced at the enterprises of the union state. The engine power of the tanks presented by them did not exceed 840 hp, which, however, did not prevent the Belarusian tankers from leaving Chinese competitors behind at certain stages.

For reference: German Leopard 2A5, Leopard 2A6, Italian Ariete, Slovenian M-84 (modernized T-72) and American Abrams M1A2SEP take part in such competitions of NATO countries. However, these competitions do not have a “biathlon” component and are more reminiscent of tactical maneuvers with target practice. And most importantly, they do not have those wrestling, emotional intensity and team spirit that have been distinguishing international tank competitions held in Russia for several years now.

From the first meters of a more than sixteen-kilometer distance, the crew of the People's Republic of China breaks ahead, trying to take advantage of the super-powerful engine of their armored vehicle. The Russian team, consisting of tank commander Senior Lieutenant Artem Kirillov, driver junior sergeant Stepan Gavrilov, representing the Western Military District, and gunner-operator Sergeant Konstantin Vertunov from the Eastern Military District, are chasing, trying not only to catch up with the opponent, but also to try to make a certain touched on the high-speed section of the relay race determined by lot for our tankers.

Russian tank at the first firing line, flanking cannon fire. The last shot, the exhalation of regret of thousands of spectators, there is one miss. Before that, the Kazakh crew made three unforgivable mistakes at once and became a temporary outsider of the race. The Chinese are sniper accurate.

The second shooting of the Russians from an anti-aircraft machine gun. Artem Kirillov, as befits an experienced and cold-blooded commander, hits the “helicopter” and “ATGM” of a mock enemy. But the Chinese are literally stepping on their heels. Both teams approach the third line almost simultaneously. Our shooting from a coaxial machine gun 3 accurate hits. The main rival unexpectedly “lost sight” one miss, a penalty circle and almost a minute lag in the transfer of the stage. Third with a significant lag so far are Belarusians.

Separately, mention should be made of the new regulations for tank competitions. The championship was divided into three main stages: an individual race with the participation of all teams, a relay semi-final with 12 participants and a final relay competition. 3 crews from each team took part in individual races. In races with an interval of 12 minutes, 4 crews started, which had to overcome 3 circles of 35 km each, firing from a cannon with three standard artillery shots at 3 tank targets, from an anti-aircraft machine gun at a conventional helicopter and an ATGM, from a coaxial machine gun at 3 conditional calculations of an enemy hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher. The results of the teams were made up of the total time for passing the distance and the number of penalty points accrued.

According to the rules of the competition, 10 penalty points were awarded for each knocked down (touched) obstacle column (limiter), 30 for movement without speed reduction up to 5 km/h for 510 meters before the scarp.

At a distance, the tankers had to overcome a whole series of serious artificial obstacles: a section of obstacles and maneuvering, a ford, a rut passage to the cost center, a mound, a fire lane, an anti-tank ditch with a passage, a model of a rut bridge, a comb, an scarp, a slope.

The twelve teams with the most points in the individual race advanced to the relay semi-finals.

The very first individual races refuted the opinions of skeptics about the lack of competition in modern tank biathlon. The Russian team with the result of 23 min. 18 p. expectedly came in her debut start to the finish line first, but the Indian crew (2 minutes behind) was ahead of the Kazakh colleagues, who were considered one of the favorites of the competition. In the third run, the team of Belarus excelled, but its result was 26 minutes. 58 p. was by no means a grandmaster. In the sixth race, another crew of the Union State was only 7 seconds ahead of the tankers from Armenia. In the confrontation between Kazakh and Belarusian colleagues, the first ones prevailed with a confident two-minute lead. In the face-to-face confrontation between Russia and China in the 12th race, our colleagues won a confident victory, showing an excellent time of passing the distance of 21 minutes. 3 s., the remaining record of the current championship.

Based on the results of the team standings of individual races, the leadership was taken by the team of the People's Republic of China (two of its crews confidently placed on the first lines of the podium), followed by Russia (3rd and 4th positions) and Kazakhstan, Belarus remained fifth, letting the Indian team go ahead. The list of the twelve strongest was closed by the team of Angola.

The best Russian crew was a team assembled from representatives of the 39th Separate Red Banner Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps of the Eastern Military District, which received bronze awards.

“Don't despair,” reassured the gray-haired veteran tanker sitting nearby on the podium, who never missed a single race. The Russians have always been strong in their team spirit. Every dog ​​has his day. After all, ahead of the relay!”

From the chronology of the tank relay final

At the second stage, the Russian crew, consisting of tank commander senior lieutenant Pavel Martyanov, gunner-operator junior sergeant Yevgeny Yazhgunovich and driver junior sergeant Artem Ubiennykh, representing the Eastern Military District, has a small handicap in front of the nearest pursuer. But the trio of “virtuosos of armored vehicles” that is absolutely the best according to the results of individual races, is playing for the Chinese team. The Russians pass the high-speed section perfectly, but they make an unfortunate miss at the firing line, one tank target remains undefeated. Meanwhile, the Chinese put all three cannon charges exactly on target and break into the lead.

But there is a hole in the old woman too. Announced as a supertank, the Celestial Type 96В unexpectedly loses one of its road wheels when passing the comb. However, without waiting for a spare car, the Chinese continue to confidently lead the race, demonstrating to the whole world the margin of safety of their even partially damaged car. Belarusians, although far behind, hold the third position.

Shooting Russians from an anti-aircraft machine gun and again one unfortunate miss. But the penalty loop cannot be avoided, and the Chinese also suffered one setback at the firing line. However, the rivals are still ahead. A quick change of tank to spare, and they again lead the race. Artem Ubiennykh squeezes the maximum out of his native “seventy-two”. The leading teams approach the third shooting range almost simultaneously. Yevgeny Yazhgunovich's shots fall right on target. But the Chinese snipers confirm their high qualifications.

There comes one of the culminating moments of the race, Chinese (new after a forced replacement) and Russian tanks simultaneously break out into a straight wide open space. It's time for a real battle between drivers and engines. Artem Ubiennykh, using all the power of the unique offspring of the Ural defense industry, classically bypasses Celestial Hope on the left flank, breaking away a hundred and a half meters from the formidable pursuer. And the Chinese crew ... goes to the penalty loop. The jury recognized the failure of the tank as the fault of the crew, and the time to replace it did not compensate.

The rules of this most spectacular stage of the competition provide for a tank battle of three crews from each team, changing during the stages. Representatives of the four teams start at the same time and go through four circles (35 km long), overcoming obstacles and hitting targets at three firing lines. In this case, the sequence of shooting is determined by lot.

Each of the teams must overcome the section of the high-speed race, carry out flank firing from a cannon at three targets on the move, hit two targets with an anti-aircraft machine gun and three targets with a coaxial machine gun. In case of inaccurate shooting, penalties are awarded for each miss. An additional 500 meters of distance is also punished for errors by drivers. The requirements for passing the track are incredibly strict. A penalty circle is added to the crew in cases of stopping at a ford, rolling back when entering the opposite bank or bypassing it; for reversing, stalling from the layout of the track bridge or bypassing it; for stopping at a mound or escarpment; for touching the side wall of an anti-tank ditch with a passage, which led to damage that did not affect the movement of the combat vehicle; for moving without slowing down, stopping on an anti-tank ditch with a passage; for hitting a mine of a rut passage in a mine-explosive barrier; for a stop on a slope; for driving with an open hatch and violating the procedure for unloading weapons.

A more serious penalty (two additional laps) is provided for violation of security measures: starting to move or shooting without the command of the chief referee; firing by the crew with open hatches beyond the side protection zones outside the line of opening and ceasefire; tank movement when crew members did not take their regular places; loading ammunition with the engine running.

In the relay race, the crew must demonstrate all their shooting skills and, on the move, hit 3 “Tank” targets with artillery fire (frontal imitation of armored vehicles at ground level with dimensions of 2.37x3.42 m at a distance of 1600 to 1800 m); to knock out 3 RPG targets from a coaxial machine gun (imitation of the calculations of an enemy hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher with dimensions of 0.85x0.85 m at a distance of 600 to 800 m); from an anti-aircraft machine gun, hit the "Helicopter" target (frontal projection at a height of 12 m with dimensions of 3.2x3.8 m at a distance of 800 to 1000 m) and the "ATGM" target (frontal projection of an anti-tank gun with dimensions of 1.1x1.5 m at a distance from 800 to 1000 m).

As expected by the experts, all the favorites of the competition at the stage of the semi-finals brilliantly coped with these most difficult tasks. In the very first race, the Chinese team outperformed their competitors without any problems and showed a grandmaster result of 1 hour 45 minutes. 55 p. However, in the next four, our Belarusian friends surpassed this time by almost 4 seconds, leaving behind the Kazakh team, which was more than three minutes behind. But the audience was most interested in the third race with the participation of the Russian team. And our tankers did not let us down, only 1 hour 39 minutes and 50 seconds it took them to overcome this super-heavy distance. For a whole 20 minutes they "brought" the team of India, which became the second in the race. Tribunes applauded the skill of domestic crews. As Artem Vorobyov, a former tanker from Kantemirov, who closely follows the course of the competition, exclaimed at the end of the race: “Russian guys always harness longer, but they drive much faster. Affects cool army training. Russian tankers have always been, are and will be the best in the world!” However, the victorious reports were still far away. Ahead is the most difficult final of the relay race with the participation of Chinese, Belarusian and Kazakh national teams eager for revenge.

From the chronology of the tank relay final

Our finisher in this dramatic race is a tank crew consisting of commander senior sergeant Alexei Cheban, gunner-operator senior sergeant Alexander Tobodyakov and driver junior sergeant Sergei Bronnikov (all represent the Eastern Military District). This well-coordinated "mechanized trio" (in the individual race remained below the line of winners, but took an honorable fourth place) went to the distance with almost a minute advantage over rivals from China. The third to pass the baton are Belarusian tank crews.

The first shooting of the Chinese from a coaxial machine gun, all the cartridges fall right on target. The Russians, after passing the high-speed section, also methodically and clearly shoot tank targets. Opponents for the umpteenth time almost simultaneously approach the second firing line. The moment of truth is coming for our shooters. Sergey Cheban hits two targets with two well-aimed shots from an anti-aircraft machine gun, but the Chinese gunner leaves no chance for the tanks of the imaginary enemy. The "war of engines" begins again.

Starting to shoot from a coaxial machine gun, Alexander Tobodyakov probably felt how formidable rivals were resting on his back. But he did not flinch, as if he hit all the targets. The shooting of the Chinese commander "helicopter" is hit, the last target of the "ATGM" shot remains unaffected. The main rivals go to “rewind” the penalty loop. In the meantime, Russian biathletes are racing at full speed towards their fourth victory in the history of this military-applied sport. The last minefield, an anti-tank ditch and the Russian crew, to the enthusiastic cries of the fans, breaks into the square under the stands of the Alabinsky training ground that has become famous all over the world. The best tank crews of Russia “brought” the Chinese team to their closest competitors for more than two minutes and were almost 12 minutes ahead of the third team from Kazakhstan.

“Our team completed the task 100 percent. We have proved once again that Russia is a worthy opponent,” Pavel Martyanov, commander of one of the crews, said after the race. “There is no place for emotions on the training ground. Perfect discipline and team cohesion is the key to success. Everyone must act in concert,” other members of our victorious team supported their commander.

Russian tankers once again confirmed the title of the best in their profession at major international competitions. At the closing ceremony of the International Army Games in 2016, awards in this category were presented by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu and the General Director of the Uralvagonzavod corporation Oleg Sienko. The winners, along with well-deserved medals, received the keys to modern UAZpatriot cars. Silver medals and valuable gifts were awarded to representatives of the Chinese team, "bronze" from Kazakhstan. Aleksey Cheban and his comrades Alexander Tobodyakov and Sergey Bronnikov were recognized as the most coordinated crew.

Representatives of the Russian defense department, who closely followed the course of the competition, learned a lot of useful information for themselves, which will undoubtedly be used in drawing up new requirements for manuals on combat training of types and branches of troops, as well as types of weapons and military equipment. According to the head of the Main Directorate of Combat Training of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Ivan Buvaltsev, the proposed innovations are objectively due to the experience gained during the International Army Games, and, in particular, the tank biathlon stages. According to him, the new requirements for the combat training of military personnel have already planned a significant reduction in the time for performing live firing, as well as increased standards for the ammunition supply of crews.

“Each of the tank biathlon competitions made adjustments to the “Courses of shooting requirements” adopted for the tank units of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the veteran of the tank forces, editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, Viktor Murakhovsky, is sure. Competitions are far from real fighting. For example, you can't see tank firing while driving at top speed, swampy terrain, or highway traffic. On the other hand, clear regulatory requirements for passing the stages of the distance reveal other secrets - the specific preparedness of tank crews. The year before last, I managed to get acquainted with the summary data of the shooting of the biathlon teams, and they turned out to be worse than “satisfactory”. It was after this that Sergei Shoigu demanded that his subordinates not save on ammunition. The intensity of the use of armored vehicles in the course of various exercises has also increased. Today, none of them can do without tanks and their practical application.

According to the expert, the development of new requirements is impossible without a comparative analysis of what and how is happening in other armies. In this regard, tank biathlon competitions are a unique opportunity not only to test yourself, but also to compare your methods with other armies.

According to Colonel General Sergei Maev, who previously headed the Main Armored Directorate of the RF Ministry of Defense: “An ordinary tank crew uses its equipment by no more than 60%. The competitive moment is able to increase the effectiveness of its combat use up to 8090%. Soldiers go all-in for victory. This moment deserves analysis in order to make changes to combat training plans, create new methods for training tank crews, and clarify firing courses. Only in the course of direct comparison can one understand the strengths and weaknesses, draw conclusions and make adjustments to one's own combat training plans.

Particularly the participants of the competition noted the technical side of their organization. More than 30 specialists from Uralvagonzavod were engaged in maintenance of vehicles and training of crews. “Last year we were unable to cross the ford,” says Colonel Dragan Bojic, head of the Serbian delegation. There were no such problems this year. Each issue that arose was resolved in 510 minutes. Without such assistance, our crew would not have been able to move on to the next stages.”

Let's hope that the future tank biathlon world championships, traditionally held in Alabin near Moscow, will be even more representative, competitive and spectacular. Especially with the participation of teams from the North Atlantic Alliance. According to the organizers of the competition, since 2013 they have been inviting representatives of the NATO armed forces to fight at a tank training ground near Moscow, but they stubbornly keep silent. Meanwhile, fair competition on Olympic principles with the leading Western powers could not only raise the level of international army games, but also help strengthen mutual understanding between peoples and defuse international tension.

“The military needs to show their skills somewhere,” General of the Army Sergei Shoigu said at the closing ceremony of Army Games 2016. There are two places for this: one of them, as you understand, is war. Another is our International Army Games. That is why I am absolutely convinced that their geography will grow. The number of teams this year is 2.5 times more than last year. About 3,500 specialists of various professions arrived: pilots and sailors, scouts and paratroopers, artillerymen and engineers, sappers and dog handlers, doctors, all those who in one way or another are engaged in military affairs, military affairs. I would like to thank you for the work and service aimed at ensuring the security of your countries. I would very much like us to meet only on these fields, on the fields of such competitions.

Andrey PETROCHININ

The Tank Biathlon 2016, which started as part of the International Army Games on July 30, 2016, initially involved 54 crews from 17 countries. By the day of the finals, only four countries remained, which on August 13 competed in the relay race, which determined the best team. So, in the finals of the "Tank Biathlon" competition, the teams of the Russian Federation ("green" tank), the Republic of Kazakhstan ("blue" tank), the Republic of Belarus ("yellow" tank) and the People's Republic of China ("red" tank) met.

Results of the final "Tank biathlon-2016"

The best time in the finals of the international competition "Tank Biathlon" was demonstrated by the Russian team, the second place was taken by the Chinese team, and the third place was taken by tank crews from Kazakhstan. The table indicates preliminary time, without taking into account the adjustments of the referee team. The results will be updated.

Thus, the results of the "Tank Biathlon-2016" in the team competition:

Final relay in "Tank Biathlon"

Russian Federation ("green" tank), Republic of Kazakhstan ("blue" tank), Republic of Belarus ("yellow" tank), People's Republic of China ("red" tank). July 13, 2016.

The PRC tank needed to be replaced.

Referee team

The awarding of the winners will take place a little later. And the winners of the "Tank Biathlon" in the individual competition (two Chinese crews, who won the first and second places, and the Russian crew, who became the third) were awarded by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov after the end of the final relay race of the "Suvorov Onslaught" competition.