Russia’s “Terminator” Tank Support Vehicle Gets a Very Less Terrifying New Name

Russia has officially renamed its tank support combat vehicle, previously known as the “Terminator,” giving the tracked armored platform a new official name: “Spiridon,” according to Uralvagonzavod, the manufacturer owned by Russia’s state defense corporation Rostec, on June 2.

The company said the decision to drop the English-language name in favor of a rare Russian name of Greek origin was allegedly made at the request of factory workers and crews operating the vehicles.

The newly renamed BMPT Spiridon is a heavy tracked combat vehicle built on the chassis of Soviet-designed T-72 or T-90 main battle tanks.

Its main role is to provide fire support to tanks during offensive operations, especially in urban combat, where tanks are more vulnerable to infantry, anti-tank weapons, and attacks from multiple directions. To perform that role, the vehicle carries a wide range of weapons mounted on an unmanned turret.

The main armament of the former “Terminator” consists of two 30mm 2A42 automatic cannons mounted side by side. The guns can fire high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing rounds against ground targets and low-flying aerial targets.

For heavier armored vehicles and fortified firing positions, the Spiridon is equipped with guided missiles. The vehicle carries four Ataka-T anti-tank guided missiles, which can be fitted with either shaped-charge or thermobaric warheads.

For close-range combat, the armored vehicle also has a 7.62mm PKTM machine gun paired with the cannons. In addition, two automatic 30mm grenade launchers, either AGS-17 or AG-30, are installed in side-mounted hull positions and operated by separate crew members.

The vehicle’s protection is based on tank-level armor, as the hull uses the armor layout of the T-90. It is also fitted with Relikt explosive reactive armor blocks and slat armor screens intended to reduce the effectiveness of shaped-charge weapons.

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The BMPT has a relatively large crew of five: commander, gunner, driver, and two operators for the forward automatic grenade launchers.

The tank support vehicle is powered by a 1,000-horsepower diesel engine, giving it a road speed of up to 60 kilometers per hour.

According to open-source analysts from Oryx, Russia lost at least 3 of these rare tank support vehicles during its invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier, reports emerged that Russia was considering developing a new tank support combat vehicle (BMPT) based on the T-14 Armata platform.

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