The “Terminator” Is Back... To Guard Russia's Army

The Terminator promised he would be back. But this time it’s not who – or what – you might be thinking.

Russian tanks and ground forces are getting a new generation of battle tank support vehicles, dubbed the “Terminator,” sometime in 2018, according to an announcement made Friday by Rostec, a state-owned technology development corporation.

"The contract is of a long-term nature and provides for the supply of more than 10 units next year,” read Rostec’s announcement. "The work on the fulfillment of the obligations has already been organized and is underway, "Rostekh said.

Uralvagonzavod, a subsidiary of Rostec, signed the contract with Russia’s defense ministry at the Army 2017 International Military-Technical Forum, held from August 21-26.

The Terminator, which is said to be based on Russia’s T-72 main battle tank, primarily provides direct attack and defensive support to other tanks on the battlefield, including Russia’s T-90A tank. The vehicle was specifically designed with urban warfare in mind.

The vehicle requires five members to operate it, including a gunner, driver-mechanic, two riflemen, and a commander, whose seat is equipped with a 360-degree panoramic view made possible by five different periscopes. According to Russian industry reports, it is equipped with two 2A42 automatic 30-mm guns; a 7.62-mm Kalashnikov heavy tank machine gun; the 9M120-1 anti-tank missile complex known as “Attack,” which includes a laser guidance system linked to four launchers installed on the tower of the vehicle; and two AGS-17automatic grenade launchers.

The entire armament of the multi-function combat machine is said to be able to destroy enemy tanks and armored vehicles at a distance of up to 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), neutralize anti-tank guns, hit low-flying objects, and eliminate machine guns and other engineering fortifications.

According to reports, a version of the Terminator has already been sent to Syria for testing, where it was demonstrated for President Bashar Al Assad. Photos have been made public, showing Assad as viewing the vehicle as early as June 27, at the Khmeimim airbase, located in Syria’s western Latakia province.

Alexander Shevchenko, head of the Main Auto Armored Directorate in Russia’s defense ministry, has said countries, primarily Israel and Syria, have expressed interest in purchasing units of the Terminator.

But not everyone agrees that sales to Israel, in particular, are possible.

"In my opinion, Israel is unlikely to acquire Terminators. The machine is likely to be in demand in Iran, other countries in the Middle East, and the states that are actively building up and developing tank forces,” military analyst Mikhail Khodaryonok told Russia Today earlier this month.

Russia ranks second among 133 countries in the world in terms of its military power, according to Global Firepower’s 2017 rankings. Its assets include 20,216 tanks and 31,298 armored fighting vehicles.