BSCh-8

The BSCh-8 is a type of tracked infantry fighting vehicle developed in Menghe during the 2000s. It is the successor to the BSCh-5, with improved armor protection but no amphibious capability.

Development

Interest in a new Menghean IFV began in the wake of the Polvokian Civil War. During Menghe's intervention in that conflict, units equipped with BSCh-5 IFVs suffered high losses. A subsequent review of Menghean losses in Polvokia concluded that most BSCh-5 losses resulted from RPG fire, 12.7mm HMG fire from the sides, and roadside bombs. Designed for use in conventional battles on open terrain, the BSCh-5 was especially vulnerable in ambushes and close-range combat due to its thin side armor.

In response, the Menghean Ministry of National Defense ordered the development of a new IFV. This time, the design requirements called for a greater focus on protection, particularly protection off the frontal arc. The new vehicle would have to withstand direct 12.7mm fire from the sides and rear at a range of 200 meters, while also withstanding 23mm armor-piercing ammunition from 200 meters over the 120-degree frontal arc. Protection from the PG-7 high-explosive anti-tank warhead was also desired, along with good protection against roadside bombs and land mines. Given the increased mass of this armor, the MoND did not require the vehicle to be amphibious, though it would need a power-to-mass ratio of at least 22 hp/tonne in order to maintain good offroad performance.

Samsan Defense, which was also working on a prototype 150mm howitzer which would become the P150G2P, also entered the new IFV program. The Chikai Heavy Machine Building Plant entered a competing prototype based on the JCh-5 main battle tank. Though the Chikai prototype had better protection, Samsan's entry offered more crew space, a lighter weight, and reduced fuel consumption, while still meeting protection requirements. Working prototype vehicles from both design teams underwent evaluation in 2004, when Samsan's entry was selected as the basis for the new IFV.

The subsequent breakdown of relations with Maverica and Innominada in 2005 forced the Ministry of National Defense to order new changes to the design. Frontal protection against 23mm APDS was no longer sufficient: the new IFV would need to be able to withstand 30mm APFSDS ammunition fired by Maverican BMP-2 IFVs. Likewise, the side armor would have to withstand 14.5×114mm ammunition from the KPV heavy machine gun, common on Maverican APCs and light vehicles. Mass-production of the vehicle was delayed as Samsan increased the hull armor accordingly and upgraded the engine to compensate for the added weight.

The final version of the Samsan prototype was finally accepted for mass production in 2009. Samsan opened a new production facility in Daegok to manufacture it, and the Ministry of National Defense retooled the Taehwa Armored Vehicle Plant to supplement production.

Design

Layout

In terms of its overall layout, the BSCh-8 resembles a conventional Western IFV, much unlike the BSCh-3 and BSCh-5 which preceded it. The driver is seated in the front left corner of the hull, but there is no separate passenger seat behind him; instead, directly behind the driver is the turret, with the passenger compartment behind that. Its profile also resembles that of Western IFVs, particularly the K21 and Bionix.

The order of the turret crew is also reversed compared to the BSCh-5, which, unique among Menghean combat vehicles, put the gunner on the right side of the turret and the commander on the left. The BSCh-8 restores the arrangement seen on tanks like the JCh-5 through JCh-8, with the commander on the right. Much like the BSCh-5, the BSCh-8 gives the commander a relatively good view of the battlefield, with seven periscopes providing 300-degree vision. The commander's only blind spot is the left-rear sector, where a mounting point for a remote weapon system sits in place of the eighth periscope. To counteract this, the gunner has four periscopes covering the rear, left rear, left, and front left, in addition to a forward-facing electro-optical sight for aiming the gun.

A metal screen wraps around the turret basket, preventing the crew and passengers' limbs from being caught while the turret is turning. The front left and rear left panels of the screen can fold open to allow the crew to exit through the passenger compartment. Following doctrinal changes during the 2005 Menghean military reforms, the squad commander in an IFV typically does not dismount, so this exit route would only be used if the crew had to evacuate while under fire from the front.

The passenger compartment has eight seats in two inward-facing rows of four. The original design requirement for the BSCh-8 requested a 3+7 crew-passenger capacity, the same as that of the BSCh-5, but the symmetrical all-rear passenger compartment of the BSCh-8 would have unused space if only seven passengers were carried. During the design process, this space was initially reserved for supplies, ammunition, or even a chemical toilet with a wraparound modesty curtain, but in the end the Menghean Army opted to add a seventh dismount to the mechanized rifle squad in BSCh-8-equipped units. The eightht seat is filled by a member of the platoon headquarters: either the platoon LT, the platoon SSGT, or the platoon sharpshooter.

The roof of the passenger compartment has two large square hatches, much like the hatches on the BSCh-5. These allow the four rearmost dismounts in the passenger compartment to stand up and fire over the sides of the vehicle. Because the BSCh-8 lacks firing ports, this is the only way to perform a mounted assault. There is also a circular hatch with periscopes covering 245 degrees to the rear. In the lead vehicle of each platoon, the platoon LT uses this hatch to survey the battlefield, either from under armor or with his head and shoulders sticking through. Otherwise, a member of the squad uses it to maintain situational awareness. Compared to the BSCh-5, which puts the platoon LT behind the driver, the BSCh-5 offers poor forward visibility, though the LT can stand in the hatch to peer over the turret. The commander also has access to a multifunction display in the passenger compartment, and can take video feed from the commander's sight or even control the commander's sight directly.

The dismounts exit through a single door in the rear of the hull. The designers chose a door over a mechanical ramp on the basis that the former option is less prone to failure and quicker to open, while still being large enough that all passengers can easily dismount.

Protection

The armor protection of the BSCh-8 is one of its most important advances over previous Menghean IFVs. The base hull armor is able to withstand 12.7mm HMG fire from all directions at 200 meters, and 25mm APFSDS fire over the 60-degree frontal arc. The applique plate kit used by production-model G variants increases this to 14.5mm fire over the forward 270-degree arc and 30mm APFSDS fire over the 60-degree frontal arc, again at 200 meters each. Because 14.5mm and 30mm are the gun calibers of Maverica's main APCs and IFVs, respectively, this gives a mechanized infantry company with the BSCh-8 a significant edge over an opponent with BTRs or BMP-2s: at typical combat ranges, it can penetrate their armor, but they cannot penetrate its armor.

On most production BSCh-8 vehicles, the hull armor is supplemented by some type of applique armor kit. All of these kits aimed to provide 270-degree forward protection (that is, everywhere except the rear plate) against anti-tank weapons likely to be carried by an enemy mechanized infantry squad, particularly the ubiquitous RPG-7.

The G1 variant, hastily introduced during the Innominadan Crisis, has slat armor surrounding the G variant's existing applique plates. Combat experience and controlled testing, however, found that slat armor only prevented RPG-7 projectiles from detonating 50% of the time, and where they did detonate, the additional standoff distance did not have a major impact on explosive jet penetration. Subsequent variants, like the G2, N1, and D, reduced the slat armor coverage to the lower half of the hull only, where a direct RPG hit is unlikely and the additional space between the slat grid and the hull side armor helps disperse the HEAT jet.

Early models of the N variant added a much heavier applique armor kit comprised of stacked steel and ceramic composite armor plates. These reportedly used a proprietary composite armor configuration developed by Samsan, distinct from the composite armor used on the JCh-6 and JCh-8 main battle tanks. Combat experience in Innominada revealed that these armor plates were not as efficient against heavier RPG-7 rockets as designers had anticipated. They were also very heavy, adding 12 tonnes to the vehicle's mass. Plans to retrofit existing G hulls with composite armor plates were suspended in 2015.

As a lighter solution, the Menghean Army proposed mounting explosive reactive armour (ERA) blocks on top of a steel applique backing similar to the type used on the BSCh-8G. This caused concern among some officers, who feared that detonation of ERA blocks could injure infantry advancing on foot alongside the vehicle. Samsan conducted tests in 2016 to evaluate the blast and shrapnel threat from various ERA types, and reported that its proprietary "Hodu" ERA blocks produced a blast area comparable to that of an impacting PG-7VL projectile, meaning that the threat to surrounding infantry is comparable to that of an anti-tank rocket impacting on composite armor. Samsan's Hodu ERA is also insensitive to projectiles impacting below a certain velocity, meaning that small-arms fire and autocannon fire will not detonate it, though shaped charges will. Hodu blocks were applied to a limited number of G variants, designated G2, prior to the testing period in 2015, and in 2017 they became standard on the N1 and subsequent D variants. The combined ERA, steel backing, and lower-hull slat armor kit is considerably lighter than the BSCh-8N's composite armor kit, adding only 8 tonnes to the vehicle's mass.

With the combined ERA, steel, and slat armor kit installed, the BSCh-8 has an overall width of 3.75 meters. This is just 5 centimeters shy of the 3800mm width restriction of Menghe's Over Wide and Cargo Max loading gauges, meaning that BSCh-8 IFVs with applique armor installed can be transported on railroad flatcars used in Southwest Menghe and the Innominadan Peninsula. If BSCh-8 IFVs have to be shipped on Menghean rail lines not rated with a Cargo Max oversize loading gauge, the side plates are removed and stored on the flatcar ahead of the vehicle, reducing the hull width to 3.21 meters.

Armament

The G variant of the BSCh-8 is armed with a 30mm 2A72 autocannon, the same weapon carried by the D and R variants of the BSCh-5. The autocannon has a rate of fire of 300 rounds per minute and can elevate to +60 or -7 degrees. It has a switchable dual ammunition feed, and is typically loaded with one belt of APFSDS armor-piercing ammunition and one belt of contact-fused high explosive ammunition. Total ammunition stowage is 550 rounds, made up of 180 rounds of APFSDS and 370 rounds of HE, each in a single belt. The ammunition belts extend down from the right side of the receiver to the turret floor, and from there wrap around to the rear of the turret, underneath the seats of the commander and gunner.

In addition to the autocannon, all IFV variants of the BSCh-8 have a co-axial 7.5×54mm autocannon based on the GCh-96 GPMG. This weapon feeds from a single 2,000-round belt next to the gunner.

All IFV variants also have a mounting point on the turret rear for a remote weapon station. The 380mm base ring can support RWS installations for 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 7.5mm medium machine guns, and 30mm automatic grenade launchers. The Menghean Army exclusively fits its BSCh-8s with 30mm AGL RWS installations, giving the vehicle an additional tool with which to engage and suppress infantry. The RWS is operated by the vehicle commander, and it has co-axial visual and infrared cameras which double as the commander's independent television sights.

The "N" and "D" variants are both armed with the Type 110 35mm autocannon, which can be upgraded to 50mm with a simple change of the barrel and a few other parts. The ammunition feeds for the N and D variants, however, differ dramatically. The N variant uses the Type 110G version of the weapon, which stores ready cartridges point-up in the right half of the turret and passes them through a vertical turntable to align them with the gun's breech at any elevation. This arrangement, the first ammunition loading system for the Type 110, is compact and space-efficient, but trials revealed serious reliability issues related to the turntable mechanism. The ammunition feed on the production model of the BSCh-8N is artificially governed to 90 rounds per minute, which reduces the risk of jamming but also hampers the weapon's effectiveness. The N-model ammunition feed contains 128 ready rounds, of which 36 are APFSDS anti-armor cartridges and 92 are smart-fused or contact-fused high-explosive rounds. Unique among BSCh-8 variants, the N model stores all ready rounds in an isolated compartment which is separated from the rest of the turret by a steel bulkhead with a thermal ceramic liner. In the event that the ammunition box is penetrated, blowout panels on the turret roof relieve the pressure while the ceramic-lined bulkhead protects the crew from the heat. Only half the vehicle's ammunition, however, is stored this way: 160 more 35mm cartridges are stored under the turret floor. The commander manually loads them into the linkless feed chamber through a locking panel behind his seat and to the right.

The "D" variant also carries the Type 110 autocannon, but in its N variant, which uses a greatly simplified linkless feed. It feeds ammunition from two 38-round boxes inside the turret, again with one box containing APFSDS ammunition and the other containing smart-fused HE. A large linkless feed box behind the turret crew contains 176 more rounds, bringing the total to 252. This arrangement greatly reduced the risk of feeding errors in field tests, and allowed the designers to return the rate of fire to 200 rounds per minute. This change came at a cost, however: the Type 110N's rotating feed boxes require more height than the Type 110G's turntable. The design of the turret basket was altered to reduce the added height to 9 centimeters, but the added armor of the bulkier turret added 2 tons to the vehicle's mass. Furthermore, while the BSCh-8G stores its ammunition under the turret crew seats out of the path of most penetrating rounds and the BSCh-8N stores ready rounds in a protected compartment with blowoff panels, the BSCh-8D has only a thin sheet metal panel between the rotating feed boxes and the turret crew.

ATGM armament also differs between variants of the BSCh-8. G variants were built with four YDCh-70 ATGMs in armored boxes on either side of the turret. These boxes can withstand rifle-caliber ball ammunition and shrapnel, as well as collisions with branches and falling debris. The YDCh-70 is a very capable ATGM with an overflight top-attack warhead, a range of 6 kilometers, and a speed of 350 meters per second. Its SACLOS beam-riding guidance, however, requires that the IFV fire its missile from a stationary position with unobstructed line-of-sight to the enemy and keep the target in the crosshairs until the missile impacts. This can give an enemy main battle tank time to retreat behind cover or fire on the launch vehicle, destroying it and breaking the lock.

To improve on these faults, the BSCh-8N and BSCh-8D instead use the YDCh-72 ATGM. The YDCh-72 is a non-line-of-sight weapon, transmitting a video feed from its IR-spectrum nose camera to an LCD screen inside the vehicle via a trailing fiber-optic cable. The gunner controls the missile through the middle phase of its lofted trajectory, as its seeker autonomously scans for IR contrast targets and suggests them to the gunner. When the missile acquires the correct target, the operator releases it into automatic terminal mode, allowing it to perform a top-attack strike with precise terminal control and high accuracy. The YDCh-72G is limited to 4,000 meters by the length of its trailing cable, while the N variant of the missile has an improved rocket motor and a finer cable, and can reach 5,000 meters. Though both missiles have a shorter range than the YDG-70, they do not require unbroken line-of-sight contact between the IFV and the target, meaning that in practice a BSCh-8 with a YDG-72 is able to engage more distant targets than a BSCh-8 with a YDG-70. The NLOS guidance mode of the missile also allows a BSCh-8N or D to engage enemy armor threats from a fully concealed position, provided that a dismounted squad member can provide the rough bearing and range of the target. The main disadvantage of this upgrade is the higher cost of the YDCh-72, which resulted in most vehicles carrying only two missiles.

Operators

• Menghe

See also

• K21 (Hanhae)
• Mitsubishi Type 89 IFV (Dayashina)