The Russian Bumerang

The Bumerang Background

Bumerang 1 small — The Russian Bumerang 8×8 Infantry Fighting Vehicle – Click to enlarge

8×8 wheeled Armoured Personnel Carriers have been around since the 1950’s. For many decades they were either cast or welded steel construction offering little protection, limited upgradeability and up-armouring. They were also limited in the roles they could do. Perfect examples are the LAV and Russian BTR series.

Within the last few years this has all changed with the introduction of 8×8 wheeled Armoured Modular Vehicles such as the Patria AMV and BOXER.

They can be fitted with mission/variant role modules. The modular construction normally allows them to be easily up armoured. Their chassis, engine and suspension are capable of accepting these upgrades with out significant loss in mobility.

The Russian Bumerang Description

The Bumerang is an 8×8 wheeled Modular Armoured Fighting Vehicle and one of Russia’s most recent AFV’s unveiled during the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade.

The Bumerang is still under development and pending trials. During the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade, 2 variants were on display, the Armoured Personnel Carrier and Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

The Bumerang Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Bumerang 2 — The Russian Bumerang 8×8 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Though during the actual parade the turret was covered in blankets, pictures taken afterwards clearly show the vehicle fitted with the Boomerang-BM Turret as used on the new tracked Kurganets-25 IFV.

Boomerang-BM Turret Armaments and Features

Boomerang-BM Turret - Click to enlarge — Boomerang-BM Turret

Main Gun is a 30mm 2A42 auto-cannon with 500 round storage of varying ammunition. Coaxial is a PKT 7.62mm Machine Gun with 2,000 rounds ammunition.

Anti-Tank capability is a launcher with x2 firing tubes mounted on both the right and left hand side of the turret. These will fire The Kornet (Russian: “Корнет”; English: Cornet) ATM missiles.

The gunner sighting equipment includes day and night channels. His sight is located to the right of the main gun. The commanders sight has the same capabilities and located on the tip of the turret on the left, giving the vehicle a hunter killer capability.

The Boomerang-BM has other equipment, which maybe optical jamming and other active protection systems.

The Bumerang Armoured Personnel Carrier

Bumerang 3

The APC version is equipped with a Remote Weapon Station, which can be equipped with various calibre Machine Guns, but is featured in pictures as a PKT 7.62mm. It will be operated by most likely the vehicle commander remotely at his station and will probably have day and thermal channels on its sighting equipment. This RWS is the same one used on the Kurganets-25 APC.

Bumerang Common Features

Bumerang 4 — The Russian Bumerang 8×8 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

The driver is located at the front left with the engine compartment to his right and set back slightly judging by the air vents. The turret or RWS is located centrally. Behind is the infantry section compartment and exit the vehicle through the rear. Their compartment has roof hatches. there are 2 propellers on the rear of the vehicle to manoeuvre in the water.

There are non of the old BTR features such as exiting the vehicle through doors between the 2nd and 3rd wheels, though on the left side there is a ladder and small hatches to climb on top of the vehicle.