Heavy APCs armour ratings in WinSPMBT

[PlasmaKrab]

Kuklinovsky said:
I must share with you some doubts about protection levels of heavy APCs like Israeli Puma, Achzarit and Russian BTR-T, BMPT. Theoretically all these vehicles should possess armour protection similiar to the current MBTs.

Without any intellectual work or quotable sources on my side, I'm just reminding that these APCs you mention are based on MBT hulls indeed, but not exactly current ones. I.e. the BTR-T and the Achzarit use a T-55 chassis, the BMT-T the one of a T-72 (which version by the way?), and the Puma, Nagmachon and Nakpadon are based on the old Centurion.

So no matter what, the armor will certainly not be on a par with the frontal packs of last-generation MBTs (M1A2, Leopard2E, Challenger2...).
The Israeli heavy APCs have been added tons and tons of passive armor (e.g. about 17 tons on the Achzarit), and the Russian ones seem to have advanced ERA derived from that on the T-80U, but these upgrades are mainly directed at shielding them against shaped-charge weapons like you can encounter in a counter-insurgency operation (Lebanon and Chechenia, respectively).

So as far as I can tell, the armor levels on the Israeli APCs look coherent to me (80s technology, remember), maybe a bit low on the Russian side, depending what lies beneath the ERA.

Just my 2 cents, I'd be interested in reliable figures too.