"Uralvagonzavod" (UVZ, part of "Rostec") can equip the BMO-T flamethrower combat vehicle with a remotely controlled combat module (DUMB) instead of an open machine gun turret. This was reported to RIA "Novosti" in the concern on Saturday, April 4, 2026. In 2024, the plant patented the corresponding modernization project. The module is equipped with stabilization in two planes, cameras and a thermal imager - the crew fires a machine gun through a joystick and monitor, without leaving the armored hull. Serial production of the modernized version has not been officially announced. The message is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the vehicle: the BMO-T was adopted on April 4, 2001. The vehicle is built on the T-72 chassis and accommodates seven people - two crew members and five flamethrower paratroopers.
What does the remotely controlled module change?
An open machine gun turret is a vulnerable spot for any armored vehicle: the operator working with it is partially or completely open to enemy fire. The DUMB eliminates this disadvantage - the machine gunner remains inside the hull and controls the fire remotely.
Stabilization in two planes ensures accurate aiming in motion. The thermal imager expands the possibilities of use in night conditions and in smoke - which is essential for a vehicle operating in conjunction with thermobaric weapons.
Design features of the BMO-T
The BMO-T is designed to transport the personnel of the flamethrower unit and its weapons in conditions of fire contact. The vehicle's armor resistance corresponds to the tank level. Dynamic protection has been specially developed for onboard protection, designed for anti-tank weapons of the enemy. This makes the BMO-T one of the most protected infantry fighting vehicles in the Russian fleet.
TTX of the BMO-T flamethrower combat vehicle
- Base: T-72 tank chassis
- Crew and landing party: 7 people (2 crew members + 5 paratroopers)
- Armor resistance: at the level of the T-72 tank
- Side protection: special dynamic protection against anti-tank weapons
- Standard armament (before modernization): open machine gun turret
- Modernized armament: remotely controlled combat module with a machine gun
- DUMB equipment: stabilization in two planes, cameras, thermal imager, joystick control
- Date of adoption: April 4, 2001
- Modernization patent: 2024, Uralvagonzavod
The transition to DUMB is a general trend for the Russian armored fleet in recent years: similar modules are installed on modernized BTR-82AMs, BMP-3Ms and a number of other vehicles. The difference between the BMO-T is that it was originally designed to operate in conditions of intense fire - in conjunction with heavy flamethrower systems TOS-1A. In such conditions, the protection of the machine gunner from open fire is especially critical: the range of combat use of thermobaric weapons is small, and the vehicle often operates in close proximity to the enemy.
The 2024 patent states that UVZ is adapting the design of the BMO-T to the experience of use in the armed conflict zone. The open turret is one of the most frequently mentioned vulnerabilities of armored vehicles in modern combat conditions. If the modernization goes into series production, the vehicle with DUMB will receive a qualitatively different level of crew survivability without changing the basic chassis design.
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