Russian propaganda fumbles with outdated M113 armor test

An interesting recording of Russian tests on the armor of an ancient M113 armored personnel carrier, which dates back to the Vietnam War, has appeared online. We explain what went wrong in this Russian propaganda show.

The Russians have captured a lot of exciting pieces of Western military equipment from the Ukrainians. There have been instances of tanks like the Leopard 2A6 and the M1A1 Abrams, as well as combat infantry vehicles like the M2A2 Bradley ODS and the CV90. The Russian Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu, has inspected some of them with a stick.

This time, a recording of ballistic tests on the old M113 armored personnel carrier was posted online. Such tests are not surprising, but the way they were conducted is. The propaganda recording below shows enormous Russian ineptitude in many aspects.

The first case is the 2A42 automatic cannon, with a caliber of 30 mm, which exhibits tragic accuracy from just 328 feet. Only one of the two fired projectiles hit the side of the M113 carrier. One projectile flies over the M113, and the second hole visible later is the result of another series that the Russians did not include in the recording.

At greater distances, such poor accuracy may even prevent hitting the target. The reason could be a worn barrel, a faulty specimen, a stabilization system, or ammunition that fails to meet specifications, which is the norm in new Russian production or deliveries from North Korea.

The second issue is the Russians shooting at the side armor of the M113 carrier, which is much weaker than the front behind which the engine is located. However, the M113 armor was never designed to survive shelling from 30 mm cannons and was only supposed to protect from artillery shrapnel and machine guns.

It is not surprising then that the 30 mm projectiles pierced through easily, creating a cloud of deadly aluminum shrapnel inside the M113, which is lethal to anyone inside.

The holes left by the projectiles indicate that the Russians used standard 3UBR6 rounds containing a 14 oz projectile made of hardened steel with a hardness of 47-56 HRC. When leaving the barrel, it has a velocity of 3,182 ft/s and, according to the Russians, should penetrate 0.8 inches of armor steel set at a 60-degree angle at a distance of 2,297 feet. This is standard Russian ammunition for 30 mm cannons.

Finally, the Russians measure the thickness of the armor by inserting a steel rod into the bullet hole. They boast that this is how "specialists" search for weak points in Western equipment.