The Russian military industrial complex increased last year the production of 2K25 Krasnopol precision-guided artillery shells which can destroy Western main battle tanks, RIA Novosti reported on February 7, citing a source with knowledge on the matter.
The Krasnopol can be fired by most 152 mm or 155 mm artillery guns. The round is guided by semi-active laser and has a range of 20 to 30 kilometers.
“The high accuracy of Krasnopol shells makes it possible to hit small-sized enemy targets, including moving ones like tanks,” the source said. “In particular, these shells can be successfully used to destroy NATO Abrams and Leopard tanks, which should be delivered to Ukraine.”
According to the unnamed source, the production rate of Krasnopol shells will continue to grow this year. However, it is unknown how many exactly Russia is planning to produce.
The Krasnopol hits its target from top, the weakest point in the armor of any main battle tank. The shell is armed with a high-explosive warhead that weights between 6.50 and 11 kilograms, depending on the version. A laser designator, which can be carried by infantry, mounted on ground vehicles or installed on aerial drones, is used to illuminate targets for Krasnopol shells.
The Russian military has been using Krasnopol shells against high-value targets since the start of its special military operation in Ukraine last year.
Ukraine is currently preparing to receive dozens of modern Western-made main battle tanks, including 14 Challenger 2 from the United Kingdom, 31 Abrams from the United States and a total of 32 Leopard 2 from Germany, Poland and Canada.
These tanks are meant to gear up Kiev forces for a possibly large-scale offensive against the Russian military upcoming Spring.
Russia Will Produce, Upgrade Thousands Of Tanks: Medvedev
Russia is planning to produce and upgrade thousands of main battle tanks, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, revealed on February 9 during a visit to the Omsk transport engineering plant.
“Yesterday, as you know, our enemy was begging for planes, missiles and tanks abroad. What should we do in response? It is clear that in this case it is natural for us to increase the production of various types of weapons and military equipment, including modern tanks,” the TASS news agency quoted Medvedev as saying at a meeting during the visit.
“The production and upgrade of thousands of tanks are on the agenda,” Medvedev said, adding that this task stemmed from the state defense order and decisions made by the Russian president.
Footage from the visit to the Omsk plant showed Medvedev inspecting a deeply upgraded version of the T-80 tank, dubbed the BMV.
The T-80BMV features Relikt third generation explosive reactive armor, the Irtysh fire control system, the Sosna-U gunner’s sight, an improved 2A46M-5 125 mm gun that can fire 9K119M Refleks-M guided missile, an upgraded autoloader, and an improved gas turbine engine that generates 1,250 hp.
Medvedev also inspected a TOS-1A multiple rocket launch system, which is built around the T-72 tank chassis. The system can be armed with up to 24 unguided 220 mm thermobaric rockets with a range of six to ten kilometers.
More than 3,000 upgraded main battle tanks of different types are currently in service with the Russian military. Thousands more in storage.
Russia ramped up the production of all sorts of weapons last year in order to support the special military operation in Ukraine.
The Kiev regime is now preparing to receive loads of weapons from its Western backers, including hundreds of infantry fighting vehicles and dozens of main battle tanks. Still, Moscow will likely maintain the upper hand thanks to its ability to produce weapons on a large-scale.