Benya wrote:Kurganets and Boomerang will get a new heart
Russia's Kurganets-25 and Bumerang infantry fighting vehicles to get new diesel engines
The newest Kurganets-25 and Bumerang (Boomerang) infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) developed by the Tractor Plants Concern and the Military Industrial Company, respectively will get new diesel engines, according to a source in the Russian defense industry.
A K-17 Bumerang armored infantry fighting vehicle
(Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin)
"The YaMZ-780 diesel engine developed by the Yaroslavl Motor-Building Plant [a subsidiary of the GAZ Group] has already been installed on the Kurganets-25 IFV. At present, the updated vehicle is successfully passing the relevant trials. We have tested YaMZ-780 at the test rig, and the engine has confirmed its highest performance. The maneuver capabilities of the Kurganets-25 IFVs will be increased in a drastic manner," the source said. He did not specify the terms of the works. The BMP-2 and BMP-3 IFVs are powered by UTD20S1 (300 h.p.) and UTD29 (500 h.p.) diesel engines, he reminded.
The source added that the original power output of the YaMZ-780 engine (1,000 h.p.) had been intentionally reduced in order to meet the terms of reference issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD). "The Yaroslavl Motor-Building Plant has reduced the YaMZ-780 power output upon the MoD`s requests. It can be increased to 900-1,100 h.p. any day of the week. We have integrated a backup control system, a backup air start system, and a preheater with the motor in order to shore up its reliability," the source said.
The YaMZ-780 6-cylinder diesel engine was unveiled at the Army 2016 military-technical forum held outside Moscow in September 2016. According to the official specifications provided by the Yaroslavl Motor-Building Plant, it has a liter capacity of 12.6 l, a rated power output of 750 h.p., a rated engine speed of 2,300 rpm, a maximum torque of 260 kgf/m, a speed at maximum torque of 1,600 rpm, a specific fuel consumption of 165 g/hr/h.p., a base weight of 1,050 kg, a length of 1,274 mm, a width of 850 mm, a height of 1,334 mm, and a service life of 2,500 hours. The YaMZ-780 diesel engine is intended for cross-country vehicles.
Source: http://www.armyrecognition.com/september_2016_global_defense_security_news_industry/russia_s_kurganets-25_and_bumerang_infantry_fighting_vehicles_to_get_new_diesel_engines_22009163_tass.html
Nothing special, the Russians are just keeping the tradition. Back in World War 2, the Russian tanks used diesel engines, while the Germans were used petrol engines, and the Russian ones were more fuel efficient than the German "gas-guzzling monsters". Of course, we are talking about APC/IFV engines, and western adversaries are using diesel engines too. BTW it is nice to see some technical parameters.
For a medium weight AFV to potentially get a 1,100 horse power diesel engine is pretty staggering! Let's put this in to perspective: T-90/1000 HP engine, and T-90MS/1130 HP engine. The question remains, is all that HP needed?