Rosomak MLU - possible ways to modernize the Polish armored personnel carrier

View of the chassis of the wheeled armored personnel carrier "Rosomak-L" in general side view. Noteworthy are the new, fully automatically folding one-piece breakwater and the redesigned driver's hatch.

Vehicles on the platform of the wheeled armored personnel carrier Rosomak have been serving in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland for more than 15 years and have established themselves as one of the most versatile, successful and at the same time beloved by crew members. and technology, combat vehicles of the last quarter of a century. Deliveries of new Rosomaks are still ongoing and it can be assumed that they will continue for at least another decade. Nevertheless, the requirements for new modifications of Rosomak by the Customer, as well as the technical and technological progress of the last decades or more, encourage the launch of a modernized or even new car, as well as the extension of the service life of vehicles already in the queue and the use in their case, modernization procedures to the extent agreed with vehicle users.

MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade) is a concept that has recently been widely used by the armed forces and the defense industry of most developed countries. In Poland, the military has so far used the terms "modernization" and "modification", but in practice MLU can mean both modification and modernization, so it should be considered in a wider context than just a technical one.

Rear view of the undercarriage of CTO "Rosomak-L". In the aft fuselage, the double doors were replaced with a lowered landing ramp.

Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA-owned plant Rosomak SA from Siemianowice Śląskie, a manufacturer of vehicles based on the Rosomak wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC) platform, has for several years advised the Ministry of National Defense on the modification and modernization of a vehicle that can be attributed to the MLU in terms of volume (there were even initial tactical and technical requirements), and now they have prepared their own concept for a more extensive MLU program. We emphasize that this is an industry initiative, which, after final elaboration, will be presented to the Ministry of Defense.

The technical solutions that make up the MLU have evolved and continue to evolve due to technical progress, changes in the supply chain, implementations in ready-made new versions of the machine, as well as the changing needs of the Ministry of Defense. An important aspect is a broadly understood long-term production program, which should include both the modernization of armored personnel carriers delivered over several years, and the release of new machines of the Rosomak family. As conceived by Rosomak SA, new technical solutions will be applied regardless of whether it is a vehicle undergoing adaptation - rebuilding into a new special version from the base vehicle or when upgrading and adapting to the installation of new equipment (Rosomak-BMS). programs, KTO-Spike), or from a new production, although the volume of implemented new solutions would certainly be greater in the case of new armored personnel carriers.

Currently, Rosomak SA is working on the preparation of a detailed technical proposal, including the modernization of the already produced armored personnel carrier chassis in the basic and extended scope, as well as the production of new vehicles with significantly changed (improved) parameters. In each of the options, the technical solutions included in the MDR will be used, of course, in the appropriate range of configurations. Now the company is also ready to start production of brand new 32 tonne GVW vehicles based on the AMV XP (XP L) 8×8 vehicle license, but this aspect is going beyond what was planned. Modernization of MDR, if only in connection with the need to introduce completely new technological solutions at factories and more serious modernization of production equipment (for more details, see WiT 10/2019).

Volumes and upgrade options

The following assumptions were made in developing the technical proposal for the various options for the MLU program:

• The result of the modernization should be an increase in payload while maintaining the ability to overcome water obstacles by swimming.
• DMK armored personnel carriers, both in terms of navigation and design, should not be changed. At present, abroad, the PMT of a standard vehicle (after the implementation of a number of new solutions to increase displacement) is 23,2 ÷ 23,5 tons, the design is 26 tons. 25,2 ÷ 25,8 tons, the design is up to 28 tons.
• Upgrading should lead to performance improvements, not performance degradations.
• Modernization should take into account the expectations of the Ministry of National Defense, including those related to the working conditions of the crews.

  The planned volume of implementation of modernization solutions is presented in the table.

Expected technical solutions

The main modernizing change planned under the MLU is the lengthening of the chassis, which follows from the current and planned demand of the Ministry of Defense. From the current point of view, the regular chassis of the armored personnel carrier has an insufficient volume of the troop compartment intended for special superstructures, and weight restrictions, which, in particular, relate to the combat weight of a vehicle capable of overcoming water obstacles. The technical solutions developed so far have made it possible to increase the carrying capacity while ensuring buoyancy, but the calculated limit values ​​have already been reached (an increase from 22,5 to 23,2÷23,5 tons) and further changes are impossible without significant adjustments to the dimensions of the chassis. Such a change should be considered necessary in view of the currently known requirements of the Ministry of Defense, including those relating, for example, to the parameters of the BTR chassis in a floating version for assembling the ZSSV-30 turret, because as well as the development of special equipment within the framework of the Rosomak-BMS project. In the case of installing a new tower system or electronic equipment on a regular vehicle, it will be necessary to limit the number of troops transported. Detailed values ​​for individual parameters will be determined in the course of ongoing technical analyzes, however, based on the results obtained so far, it can be concluded that the KTO extended landing gear (operating as Rosomak-L) will provide a payload increase of at least 1,5 tons and an additional 1,5 t. m³ of internal volume for special designs, while maintaining the ability to safely overcome water obstacles by swimming.